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Ammunition Reloading Journal

RIFLE’S

April 2017 No. 307

Display until 5/15/17 Printed in USA

Win This Custom 6.5 Creedmoor Rifle!Enter HANDLOADER’s 50th Anniversary Giveaway

See Inside for Details

HeavyweightHammer!

.358 Norma

Rick Jamison’s6.5 WSM Wildcat!TESTED:

PET LOADS: .243 WinchesterOver 500 Loads!

Revolver CartridgeCrimping Tips

4 www.handloadermagazine.com

COLUMNS FEATURES

32 The Heavyweight .358 Norma A Magnum Cartridge That Pulls No Punch Terry Wieland

38 Beginning Bullet Casting – Part III Casting Good Bullets Mike Venturino

44 Deer Bullets for the .45-70 Loading the Lyman Gould’s 45-330 Express Bullet John Haviland

48 .243 Winchester New Powders and Bullets for the Most Popular 6mm Brian Pearce

56 Duplicating Factory Ammunition Sometimes the reward is worth the work. John Barsness

64 Necking a Short Magnum to 6.5 Loads for a Noncommercial WSM Rick Jamison

On the cover . . .This Schultz & Larsen Model65DL with a Zeiss scope ischambered for the iconic.358 Norma Magnum. Photoby Terry Wieland.

Page 38 . . .

6 Ken Waters (1917-2017) Reloader’s Press - Dave Scovill

8 Uberti Single- Action .45 Colt Bullets & Brass - Brian Pearce

14 3-Inch 20 Gauge – Part I Cartridge Board - Gil Sengel

18 Winchester 572 Propellant Profiles - R.H. VanDenburg, Jr.

22 Revolver Cartridge Crimping Tips From the Hip - Brian Pearce

26 .44 Special Mike’s Shootin’ Shack - Mike Venturino

28 .257 Wildcat Wildcat Cartridges - Richard Mann

74 Premium Bullets In Range - Terry Wieland

Page 44 . . .

Handloader 307

6 www.handloadermagazine.com Handloader 307

tory loads that keeps getting lon-ger and longer.”

That was true then, and it’s true now. Rest in peace, dear friend.

Excerpts from the New Canaan Advertiser:

Kenneth L. Waters, 99,WW II Veteran,

Former Town Official

Kenneth L. Waters of New Ca-naan died January 8, 2017, at his home following a brief illness. Born July 22, 1917, in Pound Ridge, New York, the son of Hobart and Eleanor Waters, he moved that same year to New

Canaan and attended school here, graduating from New

Canaan High in 1935, following which he at-tended Short’s Business School in Stamford. In 1939 he was ap-pointed as a member of the New Canaan Board of Assessors.

With the approach of World War II in 1940,

Ken sought appointment as a sub-lieutenant in the

Royal Navy for service aboard the 50 old destroyers being trans-ferred from the U.S. Navy to the British under Lend-Lease. While awaiting official acceptance from the British consulate, he was in-ducted in the U.S. Army on March 21, 1941.

Married to Lois Ventres of New Canaan on December 16, 1941, while on leave, he served successively in the 102nd and 91st Infantry regiments before being assigned to ships of the Army Mine Planter Service in May 1942 because of his Coast Guard Ships Operator’s License.

Following 18 months of ser-

RELOADER’S PRESS by Dave Scovill

Ken Waters(1917-2017) ISSN 0017-7393

Volume 52 Number 2Issue No. 307 April 2017

Publisher/President – Don PolacekPublishing Consultant – Mark Harris

Editor in Chief – Lee J. HootsEditor Emeritus – Dave Scovill

Managing Editor – Roberta ScovillSenior Art Director – Gerald HudsonProduction Director – Becky Pinkley

Contributing EditorsJohn Barsness Gil Sengel

John Haviland Stan Trzoniec

Richard Mann R.H. VanDenburg, Jr.

Brian Pearce Mike Venturino

Charles E. Petty Terry Wieland

AdvertisingAdvertising Director - Tammy Rossi

tammy@wolfepub.comAdvertising Representative - Tom Bowman

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jamesdietsch@cox.netAdvertising Information: 1-800-899-7810

CirculationCirculation Manager – Kendra Newell

circ@riflemag.comSubscription Information: 1-800-899-7810

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Handloader® (ISSN 0017-7393) is published bi- monthly by Polacek Publishing Corporation, dba Wolfe Publishing Company (Don Polacek, Pres-ident), 2180 Gulf-stream, Ste. A, Prescott, Arizona 86301. Tele phone: (928) 445-7810. Periodical Post-age paid at Prescott, Arizona, and additional mail-ing offices. Subscription prices: U.S. possessions – single issue, $5.99; 6 issues, $22.97; 12 issues, $39.00. Foreign and Canada – single issue, $5.99; 6 issues $29.00; 12 issues, $51.00. Please allow 8-10 weeks for first issue. Advertising rates furnished on request. All rights reserved.

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Publisher of Handloader® is not responsible for mishaps of any nature that might occur from use of published loading data or from recommenda-tions by any member of The Staff. No part of this publication may be reproduced without written permission from the publisher. Publisher assumes all North American Rights upon acceptance and payment for all manuscripts. Although all possible care is exercised, the publisher cannot accept re-sponsibility for lost or mutilated manuscripts.

Ammunition Reloading Journal

®

When my wife, Roberta, came home and informed me of

Ken Waters’ passing recently, a lot of thoughts raced through my mind, but it all boiled down to one: It was an honor to work with such a remarkable man. The breadth of his life’s work as a handloader covers an astonishing variety of the usual rifles and car-tridges, but it was his appreciation and respect for his readers that set him apart, not only for his volume of Pet Loads but also letters and correspondence to readers across the world. It is funny now, but I

was serious a few years ago when Ken called, mentioning that he should retire, because he was run-ning out of topics to cover in Pet Loads. I remarked, “You can’t re-tire; there’s probably some guy in Australia who wants information about the .263 Express (a wildcat Ken designed in the mid-1950s that was popular in Australia for kan-garoo control, which was reincar-nated as the .260 Remington years later), and there isn’t anyone else on the planet to contact with your knowledge of wildcats, let alone the seemingly infinite list of fac-

vice assisting in the planting of submarine mines across the en-trance of Chesapeake Bay, and having earned a Third Mate’s license, he was appointed a Warrant Officer, Second Mate of the USAMP Frank on No-vember 3, 1943, then engaged in planting mines across the en-trance of Delaware Bay, aboard which he served with a Second Mate’s license until honorably discharged on March 27, 1945. Volunteering in the Coast Guard Reserve in April 1945, he was a deck officer aboard Merchant Marine ships until completion of the war with Japan.

From 1946-50, Ken underwent architectural training with Donald

G. Tarpley, A.I.A. in Darien, after which he became a construction examiner with the Federal Hous-ing Administration from 1950-57. Ken was a member of many school building committees, was certified as a building official by the state, appointed chief build-ing official for New Canaan, was New Canaan’s representative to the regional planning board, served as chairman of the town board of appeals and captain of the New Canaan Auxiliary Po-lice, retiring in 1981.

During a writing career of 50 years, Ken wrote four books and hundreds of magazine ar-ticles. His sports were sailing, rifle shooting, shotgunning and

hunting. He presented a library of world warship photos (1870–2000) as compiled by him to the U.S. Naval War College, New-port, Rhode Island.

He was predeceased by his wife, Lois, after 64 years of marriage in 2006; also by his parents, sister Dorothy Waters Smith and brother Harry H. Wa-ters, all of New Canaan. Ken is survived by his daugher Suzanne E. Waters.

Memorial donations to ei-ther the New Canaan Historical Society or the New Canaan Volunteer Ambulance Corps are suggested. For online con-dolences, please visit www.hoyt funeralhome.com.

* * WARNING NOTICE * *

IMR-4895 for Reduced Loads

After my article “Reduced Rifle Loads” appeared in Handloader No. 306 (February 2017), Hodgdon

contacted me with new informa-tion. After considerable testing, they recommend against using

IMR-4895 for reduced loads, sug-gesting only H-4895 and Trail Boss. – John Barsness •

7April-May 2017 www.handloadermagazine.com 7April-May 2017 www.handloadermagazine.com

John Barsness

Half a century ago, most handloaders firmly knew they could beat factory ammunition in both ve-

locity and accuracy. Improved accuracy was easily proven, but velocity was a guess. Electronic chronographs were so expensive few existed outside major ballis-tics laboratories. Shooters instead depended on velocities listed in ammunition catalogs and hand-loading manuals, which were re-garded somewhat like the National Enquirer: Many people believed everything printed inside, while others suspected the “facts” might be fiction.

Eventually the price of chronographs started coming down. I purchased my first from a now-de-funct company in 1979. Considering inflation, it cost about the same as an Oehler 35P or Labradar today, something of a stretch for a college student but far less than the chronographs used by ammu-nition companies.

Like many chronographs back then, “reading” velocity involved turning a knob around a num-bered dial: If a light lit up next to a number, you recorded that number. A complete turn of the dial resulted in a multi-digit number, which was not velocity. Instead you looked up the number in a booklet, which converted it to velocity. The pro-cess was slow but did result in non-fiction.

The first ammunition chronographed was some .22 Long Rifle loads. The results came very close to factory-listed velocities, so I chronographed some handloads. This could have taken all day, except I only owned three centerfire rifles: a pair of Remington 700s (.243 and .270 Winchesters) and a sporterized 1903 Springfield with the mili-tary .30-06 barrel.

Only the .30-06’s handload, a Nosler 200-grain Partition combined with Hodgdon’s original mil-surp H-4831, duplicated the velocities listed in my old Speer Number 6 manual. (I also owned several newer manuals, but they only listed IMR-4831, not H-4831.) Sadly, the .243 and .270 handloads ran considerably slower than published data.

www.handloadermagazine.com56

DuplicatingFactoryAmmunition

Sometimes the reward is

worth the work.

Handloader 307

Hornady Superformance .17 Hornet ammunition shot so well John couldn’t really beat it with handloads in his CZ 527, but he could match it by trying different powders and primers.

This could be attributed to differences in in-dividual rifles, but my .243 Winchester had a 22-inch barrel, the same length as on the Winchester and Ruger 77 test rifles in Speer’s 9th and 10th manuals. My handload also used exactly the same combi-nation of components: Speer 105-grain Hot-Cor spitzers, Win-chester cases, CCI 200 primers and IMR-4350 powder. In my Remington, 41.5 grains grouped best, and both manuals indicated muzzle veloc-ity should be slightly under 3,000 fps. Instead it averaged slightly under 2,800.

My primary .270 load used the Hornady 150-grain Spire Point and 58.5 grains of H-4831. Hornady’s recent manual listed 58.9

57

grains as maximum, for 3,000 fps from a custom FN Mauser with a 24-inch barrel. I expected somewhat slower velocity with .4 grain less powder from my rifle’s 22-inch barrel, but not 2,850.

I then clocked a few leftover rounds of factory am-munition. Winchester 100-grain .243s got about 2,800 fps instead of the advertised 2,960, and Remington’s 130-grain .270 Winchester load averaged around 2,700! While a Remington 180-grain .30-06 load ran the tradi-tional 2,700, a Winchester 150-grain load averaged 120 fps slower than the advertised 2,970. This shouldn’t have been surprising, because the Speer Number 6 manual listed the chronographed velocities of a bunch of factory ammunition. Velocities were all over the place, though usually slower than advertised, partly because, back then, most factory “test barrels” were 26 inches long.

Looking back across nearly three decades, how-ever, I realize the differences didn’t matter much. All the ammunition, both handloaded and factory, had taken big game without any problems. Back then few hunters ever shot big game much beyond 300 yards (something still true today), and most of my hand-loads matched actual factory ballistics.

That chronograph lasted a decade before the cir-cuitry failed. By then the company had gone out of business, but chronographs costing a quarter as much

had appeared, featuring digital readouts instantly appearing after each shot. Average shooters could now afford easy-to-use chronographs, so factories had to start making ammunition that came close to advertised velocities – and also made some pro-ducing above-normal velocities.

In fact, since around 2000, I’ve chrono-graphed some factory ammunition showing the signs handloaders have long used to guessti-mate excessive pressure, including hard bolt lift, extremely flat primers and ejector-hole markings on case heads. All of these can be due to reasons other than high pressure, but when they occur alongside really high muzzle velocities, something might be up. One brand of high-velocity 180-grain .30-06 ammunition, adver-tised at 2,880 fps, chronographed over 2,950 from the 24-inch barrel of one of my .30-06s – and blew a primer in a friend’s rifle of the same make. We sent the remaining ammunition back to the fac-tory for testing. They reported pressures were “normal,” but the load was quietly dropped a few years later.

During the same period, accuracy of factory ammunition also improved considerably. Most improvement was probably due to better bul-

58 www.handloadermagazine.com Handloader 307

lets and rifles, but I’ve also seen another factor at work: New brass is often straighter than cases re-sized in a typical full-length die, where the expander ball can pull the neck out of line with the case body. New-brass forming is done in a die resembling a typical full-length loading die without the ex-pander. Unless the forming die is worn by overuse, the necks of new cases come out very straight, so bullets tend to be seated straighter than in resized cases.

When some handloaders chrono-graph a zippy factory load, they’ll disassemble a round, hoping to come up with a match for the pow-der charge. This can help, but other

than Alliant “dot” powders with col-ored particles mixed in, powders can’t be positively identified by ap-pearance, and most used in factory rifle ammunition aren’t available to handloaders anyway.

The powders we buy are nor-mally blended from different manu-facturing lots, to ensure reasonable consistency in burn rate. Most am-munition factories buy unblended powder that can vary considerably from batch to batch, in cardboard barrels the size of 55-gallon drums. They can afford to use a pound to work up a new load, but don’t take nearly as long as the typical hand-loader, since they normally have an indoor range with pressure-testing equipment and often an electronic target.

On my first visit to a major am-munition factory years ago, one of the ballisticians demonstrated “working up” a .270 Winchester load, using powder from a barrel la-beled in a number unknown to hand- loaders. It took less than an hour to

arrive at a new powder charge for hundreds of thousands of rounds.

When handloaders want to work up a really zippy load, the surest

Remington factory ammunition shot well from a Tikka T3 Super Lite .260 Remington but didn’t come anywhere near the factory advertised 2,750 fps. Alliant Reloder 23 and Nosler 140-grain AccuBonds beat the accuracy and chronographed over 2,700 fps from the 22-inch barrel.

DuplicatingFactoryAmmunition

59April-May 2017 www.handloadermagazine.com

method is comparing current hand- loading data. These days all major powder companies, along with sev-eral bullet companies, post their data free on the Internet, so it’s pretty easy to “surf the net” to see which powders result in the high-est velocities. As a result, a hand-loader without Internet access is at almost as much of a disadvan-tage as a handloader who doesn’t own a chronograph. Instead they must depend on printed manuals published every few years, which don’t list newer powders, or data for every possible cartridge with newer powders. This doesn’t mean printed manuals aren’t worth buy-ing – I own copies of almost ev-ery one, going back decades – but they’re not the best source for new data, which can be posted within days on the Internet.

Over the past few years I’ve tried several new powders that can add at least 100 fps to cer-tain cartridges, at safe pressures. However, note the listed loads of-ten use older powders, because some have worked great for the purpose for many decades – and I don’t really want a 270-grain .375 H&H load going much faster than 2,700 fps.

These days I spend quite a bit of time range-testing data for newer powders. The testing is often done in a wide range of temperatures, because some new powders de-signed to produce higher veloci-ties can vary considerably in cold or hot weather. If either is a factor in your shooting, then some pow-ders aren’t going to work as well, but the good news is more newer powders are also designed to work more consistently at varying tem-peratures. (An article on this sub-ject will appear in an upcoming Handloader.)

Some factory ammunition uses canister powder, making duplicat-ing factory loads much easier. In 2006 I acquired a Weatherby Mark V Ultra Lightweight .240 Weath-erby Magnum, along with some Weatherby ammunition for test-ing and cases to handload. The most accurate load grouped Nos-ler 100-grain Partitions into much

60 www.handloadermagazine.com Handloader 307

less than an inch at 100 yards, though muzzle velocity was over 200 fps slower than the advertised 3,406 fps.

Unfortunately, none of my early handloads shot as well. Norma loads Weatherby factory ammuni-tion, so I broke down a couple of rounds, finding 51.0 grains of an extruded powder. Norma’s load data for the 100-grain Partition showed charges of MRP (Mag-num Rifle Powder) ranging from 50.0 to 53.0 grains, and the pow-der in the .240 rounds looked a lot like my supply of MRP. The max-imum listed charge of 53.0 grains beat the factory ammunition by about 100 fps and came very close in accuracy. Still, neither load came anywhere near 3,406 fps, and what’s the point of pack-ing a “slow” Weatherby Magnum? So I ran a data search and found a .240 load using Accurate Magpro that pushed the Barnes 85-grain TSX 3,550 fps. I didn’t have either Magpro or 85-grain TSXs on hand but did have some Nosler 90-grain E-Tips and Ramshot Magnum, which in Western Powder’s data of-ten shows velocities right alongside Magpro. Consulting the Ramshot staff resulted in an accurate load close to the advertised velocity of the 100-grain factory ammunition, but since the 90-grain E-Tip has a slightly higher ballistic coefficient than the 100-grain Partition, my load shot flatter and drifted less in the wind.

Nosler also often uses canister powders in its ammunition, be-cause Nosler knows which brands work due to constant testing in its indoor lab for reloading data. I’ve had excellent luck with Nos-ler’s published data when dupli-cating factory ammunition, both with “standard” rounds and the new Nosler cartridges. In fact, the

DuplicatingFactoryAmmunition

Duplicating Factory Ammunition overall loaded muzzle 100-yard bullet powder charge length velocity group (grains) (grains) (inches) (fps) (inches)

.17 Hornady Hornet, CZ Model 527, 22-inch barrel20 Hornady V-MAX SUPERFORMANCE FL* [3,650] 1.629 3,597 .57 A-1680 12.0 1.629 3,614 .43(Handload used Hornady cases and Remington 71⁄2 primers.)

.17 Fireball, Remington 700, 24-inch barrel20 Remington Accu-Tip Remington FL [4,000] 1.811 3,810 .4820 Hornady V-MAX TAC 20.5 1.811 3,980 .47(Handload used Remington cases and Federal 205M primers.)

.204 Ruger, Remington 700, 24-inch barrel40 Remington Accu-Tip Remington FL [3,900] 2.249 3,760 .7540 Hornady V-MAX H-4895 27.5 2.330 3,806 .76(Handload used Remington cases and CCI 450 primers.)

.223 Remington, Remington 700, 26-inch barrel50 Nosler Ballistic Tip Black Hills FL [3,300] 2.245 3,451 .6950 Nosler Ballistic Tip TAC 26.0 2.245 3,476 .67(Handload used Winchester cases and CCI BR-4 primers.)

.243 Winchester, Browning Low Wall, 24-inch barrel100 Power Point Winchester FL [2,960] N/A* 2,956 1.09100 Nosler Partition RL-22 43.0 2.840 2,999 .91(Handload used Lapua cases and CCI 200 primers.)

.240 Weatherby Magnum, Weatherby Mark V ULW, 24-inch barrel100 Nosler Partition Weatherby FL [3,406] 3.146 3,181 .74100 Nosler Partition MRP 53.0 3.146 3,311 .8190 Nosler E-Tip Magnum 57.5 3.159 3,376 .84(Handloads used Weatherby cases and Federal 210M primers.)

.25-06 Remington, Ruger No. 1, 24-inch barrel100 Core-Lokt Remington FL [3,230] 3.170 3,178 1.29100 Barnes TTSX H-4350 52.0 3.206 3,312 .98(Handload used Remington cases and CCI 200 primers.)

.257 Weatherby Magnum, New Ultra Light Arms M28, 24-inch barrel120 Nosler Partition Weatherby FL [3,305] 3.322 3,320 1.02120 Nosler Partition RL-25 71.0 3.322 3,311 1.01(Handload used Weatherby cases and Federal 215 primers.)

6.5 Creedmoor, Ruger Hawkeye, 26-inch barrel120 Hornady A-MAX Hornady FL [2,910] – 2,891 .76120 Nosler Ballistic Tip Hunter 47.0 – 3,094 .78140 Hornady A-MAX Hornady FL [2,710] – 2,638 .63140 Berger Hunting VLD Hunter 45.0 – 2,845 .94 (Handloads used Hornady cases and Federal 210M primers.)

.260 Remington, Tikka T3, 22-inch barrel140 Core-Lokt Remington FL [2,750] 2.762 2,548 .90140 Nosler AccuBond RL-23 45.0 2.807 2,709 .72(Handload used Lapua cases and CCI 200 primers.)

.264 Winchester Magnum, Model 70 Winchester, 26-inch barrel140 Power Point Winchester FL [3,030] 3.290 3,152 .97140 Speer Hot-Cor Magnum 68.0 3.337 3,193 .88(Handload used Norma cases and Federal 215M primers.)

.26 Nosler, Nosler M48 Liberty, 26-inch barrel140 Nosler AccuBond Nosler FL [3,300] 3.303 3,298 .76140 Nosler AccuBond US 869 87.0 3.303 3,311 .75(Handload used Nosler cases and CCI 250 primers.)

.270 Winchester, Winchester Model 70 Classic, 22-inch barrel130 Hornady Spire Point Hornady FL [3,060] 3.350 3,066 .68130 Hornady Spire Point H-4831SC 62.0 3.350 3,052 .60

(Continued)

61April-May 2017 www.handloadermagazine.com

140-grain handload for my .26 Nos-ler uses almost exactly the same charge of Hodgdon US 869 that Nosler used in its factory loads when the cartridge first appeared.

The loads in the accompanying list include others I’ve come up with over the decades to match – or ex-ceed – the performance of factory ammunition. They include some

Duplicating Factory Ammunition overall loaded muzzle 100-yard bullet powder charge length velocity group (grains) (grains) (inches) (fps) (inches)

.270 Winchester, Winchester Model 70 Classic, 22-inch barrel150 Norma Oryx Norma FL [2,860] 3.138 2,760 .78150 Nosler Partition MRP 56.5 3.391 2,859 .89(Handloads used Winchester cases and Winchester LR primers.)

.270 WSM, Winchester Model 70 Classic, 24-inch barrel130 Ballistic Silvertip Winchester FL [3,275] 2.904 3,348 1.45130 Ballistic Tip H-4831SC 66.0 2.904 3,334 1.07(Handload used Winchester cases and Federal 215 primers.)

.270 Weatherby Magnum, Weatherby Mark V, 26-inch barrel130 Hornady Spire Point Weatherby FL [3,375] N/A 3,356 1.27130 Nosler E-Tip Magnum 80.0 3.280 3,412 .72(Handload used Weatherby cases and Federal 215 primers.)

7mm-08 Remington, Remington 700, 22-inch barrel140 Trophy Bonded Federal High Energy FL N/A 2,725 1.08139 Hornady Spire Point H-4350 50.0 2.815 2,790 .94(Handload used Remington cases and CCI 200 primers.)

7x57 Mauser, custom rifle, 24-inch barrel139 Hornady BTSP Light Magnum FL [2,970] N/A 2,878 1.12140 Nosler Partition H-4350 46.5 3.062 2,858 .94(Handload used Winchester cases and Winchester Large Rifle primers.)

7mm Weatherby Magnum, Weatherby Mark V ULW, 26-inch barrel160 Nosler Partition Weatherby FL [3,200] 3.341 3,112 .82160 Nosler Partition MRP 72.0 3.341 3,226 .87(Handload used Weatherby cases and CCI 250 primers.)

.30-06, Ultra Light Arms M24, 24-inch barrel150 Hornady Spire Point Light Magnum FL [3,100] 3.245 2,953 1.01150 Swift Scirocco II Big Game 54.0 3.306 3,061 .72180 Trophy Bonded Federal HE FL [2,880] 3.287 2,948 1.40180 Speer Grand Slam H-4831 61.0 3.295 2,828 .78(Handloads used Federal cases and Federal 215 primers.)

180 Nosler Partition RL-19 59.0 3.330 2,896 1.31(Handload used Norma cases and Federal 210 primers.)

.300 Winchester Magnum, Heym SR-21, 24-inch barrel165 Hornady GMX SUPERFORMANCE FL [3,260] 3,253 1.46165 Nosler AccuBond Hunter 77.0 3.342 3,243 1.19180 Core-Lokt Ultra HyperSonic FL [3,122] 3.306 3,070 1.10180 Nosler Ballistic Tip H-1000 81.0 3.341 3,059 .74(Handloads used Winchester cases and Winchester magnum primers.).300 Weatherby Magnum, Weatherby Vanguard, 24-inch barrel200 Nosler Partition Weatherby FL [3,060] N/A 3,036 1.31200 Nosler AccuBond Magnum 86.5 3.551 3,014 1.10(Handload used Weatherby cases and Federal 215 primers.)

.338 Winchester Magnum, custom rifle, 22-inch barrel250 Core-Lokt Remington FL [2,660] N/A 2,648 .81250 Nosler Partition H-4831 71.5 3.312 2,667 .75(Handload used Winchester cases and Federal 215 primers.)

.375 H&H, Mark X Mauser, 22-inch barrel270 Core-Lokt Remington FL [2,690] N/A 2,685 1.25270 Hornady Spire Point IMR-4895 68.0 3.610 2,673 1.06(Handload used Remington cases and Federal 210 primers.)

* FL = factory load; N/A = not available

Notes: The number in brackets after FL is the advertised muzzle velocity, these days usually (but not always) chronographed in a 24-inch barrel.

Be Alert – Publisher cannot accept responsibility for errors in published load data. Listed loads are only valid in the test firearms used. Reduce initial powder charge by 10 percent and work up while watching for pressure signs.

(Continued)

In this New Ultra Light Arms .257 Weatherby Magnum, 71.0 grains of Alliant Reloder 25 matched factory muzzle velocity with the 120-grain Nosler Partition.

62 www.handloadermagazine.com Handloader 307

discontinued factory loads, espe-cially older “increased velocity” ammunition like Federal High En-ergy and Hornady Light Magnum, mostly as a basis for comparison. These days the same concept often appears under different names, such as Hornady Superformance and Remington HyperVelocity.

This ammunition used to be dif-ficult to match by handloading, but with the abundance of new pow-ders these days it’s often pretty easy. It should be noted, however, that Hornady Superformance am-munition is not always loaded with the same SUPERFORMANCE powder sold by Hodgdon. Instead Superformance ammunition is loaded with different blends, ex-actly which depending on the car-tridge, and the SUPERFORMANCE powder sold by Hodgdon is the

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blend used in the .30-06 and a few other rounds.

I mention this because a reader once complained about an arti-cle where I’d listed the excellent results from SUPERFORMANCE powder in the .30-06, but said SUPERFORMANCE powder didn’t come anywhere near factory ve-locities in his .17 Hornet. I knew he hadn’t looked up the powder charge, because while Hodgdon lists considerable data for SUPER-FORMANCE powder, there isn’t any for the .17 Hornet. Instead he’d broken down a factory round and weighed its powder charge, then tried handloads with the same amount of SUPERFORMANCE canister powder. Since the canis-ter blend is far slower-burning than any powder suitable for the .17 Hor-net, the velocity was very low, so he assumed I was a nitwit. Sometimes I can be, but not in this instance.

The listed handloads all use either published data or unpub-lished guidelines provided by powder companies. Several have the same overall length as factory ammunition using the same bullet. When I run across a factory load that shoots very well in one of my rifles, it seems logical to seat ex-actly the same bullet to the same depth. That usually works, despite many handloaders firmly believing that rifle bullets should always be seated “right off the lands.”

Some handloaders might find imitating factory loads a strange concept, especially those who re- member when “store-bought” am- munition was considered second- rate. I believe in whatever works, especially techniques that save time when searching for a fast and accurate load.

These days some really good factory ammunition is relatively inexpensive, which brings up an-other question: Why spend hours in the loading room, when we could be out shooting factory stuff? But shooters almost never handload to save money. Instead we spend hun-dreds or even thousands of dollars on fancy equipment in the hope of making ammunition better than “store bought.” Sometimes we even succeed. •

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What’s the Titan Reloadingadvantage? WE RELOAD!www.titanreloading.com

994 W. Sumner St.Hartford,WI 53027Tel: 262-397-8819

Redding delivers more selection in its die sets for 2017 highlighted by the new additions to their Premium Die sets, 22 Nosler, 26 Nosler,

6.5 Creedmoor and 280 Ackley Improved. These feature Carbide Size Buttons and Micrometer Seating Stems. Additional calibers have been

added to the Master Hunter Series and National Match die sets. Sets are now offered for the new 22 Nosler and 33 Nosler in most configurations

from Standard to Bushing Style Sets.

Also added are new Bullet Seating Microme-ters for handgun and straight wall standard

seating dies. There are even special models for wadcutter bullets as well. For up-to-the-minute Redding information and helpful tech tips, visit

our website at www.redding-reloading.com

Duplicating FactoryAmmunition

Simply “FIT IT”and “HIT IT”

www.quineticscorp.com830-693-0237

UNI-CHUCK “SHIM FIT” COMBOUpgrade your current Kinetic Bullet Pullerby using our New, Patent Pending,UNI-CHUCK “SHIM FIT” COMBO.The UNI-CHUCK “SHIM FIT” COMBOis designed to restore and replace the worn interface and also improve the lost efficiency of ALL Kinetic Bullet Puller brand names on the market. By concentrating the kinetic energy, it increases the pulling power, therefore, reducing the users effort in pulling a bullet.

Simply affix the “SHIM FIT” insert to the puller tube opening (flat side up) and assemble the UNI-CHUCK/cap together and you are ready to start pulling. Free Shipping!

Limited Lifetime Warranty(See Website for Details)

MADEIN THEU.S.A.

Patent Pending