J L

FEATURES

Page 3 0 . . .

Page 3 3 . . ,

Page 40. . .

.35 Winchester (Pet Loads) Ken rebores a Model 95. Port Pressure Practical dope on semiautomatic rifles.

Segregating Components

24 28 30 Is it worthwhile?

Ken Waters

John R. Clarke

Glenn R. Latham

Beyond Magnum! Richard Savino

Sharp Shoulders, Case Life and the 6.5 Gibbs Charles A. Benke

33 The big .50 BMG.

38 Another look. .348 Winchester Heavy Cast Bullets 40 Bone-crushing performance.

DEPARTMENTS

John Kronfeld

Reloader’s Press Dave Scovill New Powder and Reloading Data from Accurate Arms.

Benchtopics Layne Simpson

Cartridge Board Gil Sengel

Reader Bylines A Reader’s Thoughts, More on P-14 Markings, .470 Express Correction.

Capitol Watch Neal Knox

Handguns Mike Bane Concealed Weapons and Falling Targets.

Aiming for Answers Bedding Mannlicher Stocks, .35 Whelen Loads for Elk, Load Discrepancies.

Product & Service News Break Free; MEC; Navy Arms; Beretta USA; Carl Zeiss Optical, Inc.; Forster Products. ProducTests Ransom Introduces Deluxe Rifle Rest, PACT MKlll Championship Timer and Chronograph. Book/Video Reviews The British Shotgun, Volume 11, 1871-1890; Death in a Lonely Land; Ohio Long Rifles, Volume 11.

6 12 .38 Super Major.

14 .460 Weatherby Magnum.

16 18 The Dance Is Ending.

20 22 56 59 7 1

COPYRIGHT WOLFE PUBLISHING CO. 1990

On the cover . . .This months cover features the Redding Ultramag, the largest and strongest press available for the toughest reloading chores, and the #3BR powder measure, a benchrest measure that incorporates a positive lock, powder baffle and zero backlash micrometer adjustment. For brute strength or fingertip finesse, write to Redding-Hunter, Inc., 1089 Starr Road, Cortland NY 13045. Also shown is Hornady’s New Dimen- sion in-line bullet seating die which reduces bullet runout and aids precise bullet alignment. Hornady Mfg. Co., Box 1848, Grand Island NE 68802-1848. Photo by Gerald Hudson.

4 Handloader 148

Ever since we introduced the ”Wolfe Library Classics” in 1984, we have pored through dozens of out-of-print shooting and hunting books to find just those special few that could be considered classics. We soon discovered a treasure of fine sporting literature that deserves to be reissued.

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The books in this new series are faithfilly reproduced and beautifilly bound in genuine leather. Famous authors and titles that you will recognize make these volumes enjoyable

to read and valuable to o m . As the books are released you may reserve your copies by

selecting our Revolving Charge Plan, or you m y buy

gives you the option of collecting all the books or purchasing only the ones which-fit into your gun library. (Note: The

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Some of the titles to appear:

individual books on a first-come, first-served basis. This

*First Book Release: Mauser Rifles & pistols by Walter Smith $30.00

Colt Firearms by James Sewen The Muzzle-Loading Cap h i t Rifle by N e d Roberts .22 Caliber Varmint Rifles by Charles iandis Modem Sho(guns & Loads by Charles Askins Winchester: The Gun That Won the West by Harold

English pistds & Reuoluers by J.N. George Small Anns & Ammunition in the United

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READER BYLINES A Reader’s Thoughts

In Handloader No. 147, page 52, is an inquiry regarding the P-14 action. L.B. of Pendleton, OR requested some information about the markings on the action. The information he asked for is in the book The US. Enfield, on pages 45 and 184. The circled RE being Rem- ington, ERA being Eddystone, W preceding the serial number being Winchester. This book, written by Ian Skennerton and copyrighted in 1983 contains a lot about the rifle and its development.

I have read and heard a lot about the cracked receivers on Eddystone “En- fields” but the only cracks I’ve found were on two Winchesters. Not that the Eddystones weren’t hard, with a capital H. I suspect that the cracks were caused by having an oversized barrel screwed into the action by a heavy-handed worker.

A1 Miller’s article on “Quality Black Powder Loads” in the same issue of Handloader was a breath of long- awaited fresh air. I don’t know how many times I’ve read an article that was a rehash of a rehash of a rehash. Miller’s article was the first that actually suggested using something other than a one to 16 alloy. His remark, “Still, it never hurts to try something new,” made the whole arti- cle. Miller’s description of acceptable accuracy with open sights of 3% inches a t 100 yards will be a shock to the newer shooters who expect minute-of- angle groups. More likely minute-of- typewriter.

Thanks to your magazine and A1 Miller’s article a more realistic view of black powder shooting should appear.

R.W.H., Lynnwood WA

More on P-14 Markings

With regard to L.B.’s question in Aiming for Answers, Handloader No. 147, concerning the markings on the P-14 Enfield rifle. The RE inside a cir- cle is the marking for Remington-made rifles. The ERA is the marking for Eddystone-produced rifles. This infor- mation can be found on page 48 of the book The U.S. Enfield, by Ian Skennerton.

16

It is my understanding that a P-14, in good condition, is just as strong as a comparable P-17. One thing that might not be known about the P-14, or P-17, is the way they lock up. The lock- ing lugs and shoulders are cut on a spiral of a few degrees. This greatly in- creases the closing force on the bolt.

I have three magnums built on P-17 actions and plan to build a .338/.278 Weatherby using another P-17 Enfield action. I was interested in what Bob Hagel had to say concerning the use of soft, button-rifled barrels in these actions.

My compliments to you for two out- standing magazines, Handloader and R $e.

B.B., Lexington TX

.470 Express Correction

Regarding Layne Simpson’s article on the .470 Nitro Express in Handloader No. 147, please note that case dimensions for the .470 Express have been measured and printed incor- rectly. Base to shoulder reads 2.40, neck length reads .750 and case length is indicated to be 2.50!

The case length should read 3.150

For the benefit of the interested readers it would be a good idea to reproduce the case dimensions in the next issue.

G.R.M., Carlsbad CA

versus 2.50 inches.

Where Are the American-Made 30-30 WCF Cases?

Ken Waters’ Pet Loads article on the 6mm SM Wasp in Handloader No. 147 was very interesting. Ken’s statement to the effect that Mr. Masker wanted shooters to have an American case to work with (instead of depending on foreign cases) is certainly laudable.

So what do we read three paragraphs later? Mr. Seely Masker found PMC .30-30 WCF cases were amazingly con- sistent in quality. Also note the major- ity of loads worked up by Ken were us- ing PMC brass.

Further on in the magazine, PMC has an advertisement in which they

state “every PMC component is man- ufactured under exacting quality con- trol in Korea by Poongsan.”

Looks to me like we still don’t have an “American” case.

W.D., Palestine TX

More on the 7.5x54mm

Kudos to A1 Miller for his excellent article on forming and reloading the 7.5x54mmFrench service round(Hund- loader No. 145). Perhaps some more details would be of interest.

I measured the base diameter of some pre-war French military rounds, some anonymous cases without head- stamp (North Vietnamese, I believe) and the Syrian stuff. They all measured .480 to .482 inch. The .30-06-based brass measures around .469 inch. This is far too small to make .482-inch cases. I’ve seen one fired case made from a .30-06 and it had an ominous bulge near the base. No way would I form 7.5s from .30-06, nor reload the resultant once-fired cases.

Mr. Miller indicates the bore may be tight for .308 inch bullets, since one of his Syrian bullets measured .3075 inch. I slugged seven 7.5 barrels (not all of them from shoulder arms), they measured .308 inch. Obviously these barrels were intended for. 308-inch diameter bullets.

French sources agree on why the Mle 24 round was replaced. It was 88 mm long and had a base diameter of .482 inch; an Mle 24 chamber would swallow a 7.9mm German round. When the combination was fired, that was usually the last shot from that arm for quite a while, and often from the shooter as well. The oversized bullet guaranteed stratospheric pressures, even more so if one of the steel-cored SmK bullets was involved. The fat chamber almost guaranteed a case separation with lots of that high- pressure gas travelling back into the action. France used a lot of German rifles and ammunition after World War I, and some of their potential commer- cial markets like Czechoslovakia adopted the 7.9 as standard. They weren’t the only ones with this prob- lem: Hatcher noted a couple of Spring-

Handloader 148

field blowups due t o 7.9 ammunition. Faced with a problem that wouldn't go away, the French adopted the only logical course and shortened the 7.5 to 54 mm so a 7.9 would be too long to enter. The only service weapon ever produced for the Mle 24 was the Ch$tellerault LMG, although many ex- perimental weapons were so cham- bered during the 1920s.

The Mle 36 rifle is well designed to handle escaping gas from a ruptured case. The locking lug raceways don't go near the chamber area. Since the bolt plug is not cluttered up with a manual safety, it really seals the rear end of the bolt. Escaping gas from a ruptured case isn't led toward the shooter's face.

I found this out the hard way. I had reloaded some of the French military cases. I didn't have 7.5 dies then so I neck-sized the cases and used .308 Winchester moderate loading data. Three cases out of five ruptured at the base, letting a lot of gas come out of the breech. None of it came back past the bolt, and it was all deflected upward away from my face. It finally got my at- tention when some of the gas struck the bill of my cap and tossed it off my head. I've tried reloading the other two types of 7.5 brass with the same results. The 7.5 cases appear to have been finished with a sharp-edged bunter which leaves a sharp angle and thin area where the case body meets the web. They'll hold together for the initial firing, but will generally rup- ture when reloaded. The lesson is: Whatever the vintage DON'T reload 7.5 military brass.

Users of the Mle 44 and Mle 49 semiautomatic rifles are in for another little surprise. When you use American components, specifically American primers, they often will slam-fire. The bolt spring is strong and the action shuts with quite a slam. The firing pin is heavy and the creep spring is light. Evidently French Berdan primers are made with stiffer cups than American primers. I cured that problem by lightly dressing down the firing pin tip (go easy, that metal is soft) and switch- ing to Magnum primers, which hope- fully have stiffer cups. At any rate my rounds don't slam-fire now.

C.R.D, El Paso TX 0

November-December 1990

Questions? Call toil free I - ~ O O - ~ ~ - L Y M A N .

POP TOP'" POLISHER The Pop-Top Polisher fea- tures a "see thru" top that allows for case inspection as they are being cleaned. This is a special offering to many Lyman dealers. Ideal for pol- ishirig other metal items such as tools, hardware, fishing lures, jewelry and coins. De- burrs as well. Ask for it and watch it work! INTERESTED IN TUMBLING? NOBODY DOES IT BETTER Lyman has it all. Look for our newest accessories. The Flash Hole Uniformer is ideal for removing internal flash hole burrs. This inexpensive tool makes it easy to improve the accuracy of all reloads. For use with our standard tum- blers, the Turbo 'Ihb Bucket and Sifter Scoop are handy for separating brass and metal parts from media.

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The Auto-Flo'" Advantage Lyman, the leader in case polishing equip- ment, introduced the new Auto-Flo'" System" in 1989 for the models 2200 and 3200. This new automatic draining system eliminates the need for hand separating fin- ished cases from the cleaning media. For 1990, we have expanded the Auto-Flo system to our most popular size - the Model 1200. Upgrade your current Model 600 or 1200 with an Auto-Flo conversion kit. The Model 1200 is available in an Auto-Flo version. The Auto-Flo System, now available in three sizes from Lyman, uses the normal agitating motion of the tumbler to drain media through a specially designed exit port. In two to three minutes cases are ready to be removed. Elim- inates the need for bowl removal and extra handling. As an added bonus, all systems come with an easy to use media drain pan.

For 1990, the Auto-Flo System available as a conver- sion kit for Model 600 or 1200 'hrbo 'hmblers, or as a completely new Model 12OOAuto-Flo Tumbler.

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17

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- Segregating - Components

Glenn R. Latham

N THE never-ending search for in I creasingly accurate handloads, the byword is consistency. Toward this end, the segregation of reloading com- ponents by lot number is stressed con- tinually, but just what does the lot number on that box of brass or car- tridges really mean?

To fully understand the significance of lot numbers, it must first be recognized that there is more than one kind of “lot.” The two types of lots that we will be discussing are production lots and sales lots.

Let’s start a t the beginning and ex- amine all the variables that can creep into that box of brass with a single lot number on the box flap.

At the mill, the proper amounts of copper and zinc are melted together to form cartridge brass (usually 70 per- cent copper). The ideal would be to get exactly the right percentages of the two metals in the mix, but that can be time-consuming and time is money. Therefore, the mill sets mixture tolerances arrived at by determining how much the mixture can vary and still make strong, safe cartridges. For the sake of argument, let’s say the tolerance is f2 percent. Thus, for 70 percent cartridge brass, we conceivably could have anywhere from 68 to 72 per- cent copper, with the remainder being zinc The shooter need not worry about what the exact mix of our brass is, but it is important to note that this variable does exist.

Next, the molten brass is poured into ingots, which will all be assigned the same lot number. For cartridge brass (or a higher copper alloy for bullet jackets), the ingots are rolled into sheet form. This process hardens the brass

Whether this I S a sales or production lot, chances are your .44 Magnum could never tell the dif- ference, but an accurate rifle might benefit from careful case segregation.

Is It Worthwhile? so it must be annealed before the customer forms it. Usually this is done by the mill. If this lot of brass is too large to anneal all a t once, the different batches that are annealed together will each be assigned separate lot numbers, referred to as heat lots. Sometimes the heat lot number will be two series of numbers, the first signifying the original molten brass lot number, the second delineating the annealing or heat lot number. Even though all the different heat lots were annealed in the same furnace, and one right after the other, variables in the way the furnace recovers heat, or temperature con-

sistency can creep in.

When the customer (in this case, the ammunition manufacturer) receives a metal shipment he separates it by heat lot and then takes samples of each lot to ensure that what he took delivery of is as ordered. This is not done because mills cannot be trusted, but because mistakes can be made and they are much cheaper to correct a t this point, rather than after thousands of cases have been formed and must be scrapped. This quality control certifica- tion process is common throughout industry.

Handloader 148 30

The most obvious proof of this case mixing I have ever witnessed was recently shown to me by a friend. He bought two boxes of .308 Winchester match cases, with the same lot number on the box flap. He weighed all 40 cases, and found three distinct groups. The lightest group contained seven cases that weighed from 160.7 to 160.9 grains. The middle group contained 16 cases that weighed from 162.4 to 162.6 grains. The last group contained 17 cases and weighed from 163.4 to 163.8 grains. The gap between the first two groups is 1.5 grains, and the gap be- tween the last two groups is .8 grain, which is twice as much as the worst spread within any one group. The total case weight variation for this “lot” of brass is only 3.1 grains, which is less than 2 percent. This is plenty close enough for even the most stringent benchrest shooting, but clearly shows the mixing of different manufacturing lots into one sales lot.

If you weigh your cases, however, and find similar variations, you can always shoot 100 rounds with each batch of brass, chronograph each one, and deter- mine if there is any real difference in velocity between the heavy and light cases. (Perhaps you would be better off using those 200 rounds to practice your wind doping!) Now if we’re discussing cases from different manufacturers, with variations of 10 to 15 grains, then by all means segregate them for shoot- ing full loads. For light cast bullet loads, you always can segregate them to improve your confidence.

The first two cases in the front row appear to contain less powder than the next two. They all con- tain the same powder charge, but internal capacities vary slightly.

The approved sheet brass now is blanked into the proper size buttons for the cases to be made, but it is not all cut with the same die. Multiple punch presses knock the buttons out by the hundreds of thousands with each in- dividual die dumping its parts into one hopper. Although all blanking dies are identical within a few ten-thousandths of an inch, they may wear a t different rates, so the buttons are segregated to keep track of the individual dies’ operation. This introduces more lots, even if only temporarily (buttons may be mixed later after it has been deter- mined that all dies are throwing but- tons within specifications, introducing more tolerances).

When the buttons are drawn into cases, there are again several dies simultaneously making the same cases. The cases coming from each die are segregated to keep track of the operation of each individual die. These are more separate production lots, thus if you could obtain all your cartridge cases from a single die, you would in- deed have uniform cases.

However, this is where the major curve comes for the meticulous hand- loader. After it is determined that all the cases coming from the different dies meet specifications, they are lumped together when boxed as brass or loaded as cartridges. You can be sure

An ogive checker i s used to segregate bullets.

November-December 1990

that all the brass in a sales lot of cases is identical metallurgically, as it was all made from the same heat lot, but not all cases originated from the same drawing die.

This is not as bad as it may appear. Of course the manufacturer won’t lump grossly different cases together and load them all with the same powder charge, as that could be unsafe. The allowable tolerances in cartridge cases are partly arrived at by in-depth pressure-testing experiments, to deter- mine how much variation it takes to make a measurable difference in the pressure of the fired cartridge. Once this minimum variation is determined, even tighter tolerances are set for safety’s sake.

Benchresters have long known of the fallacy of taking bullet box lot numbers at face value. They have developed gauges that clamp onto one of the jaws of their vernier calipers which will measure the distance from the bullet’s base to a given diameter point on the ogive, usually around .300 inch for .30 caliber bullets. They have found that within any single sales lot of commer- cial match bullets, they usually find three production lots (bullets formed in three different dies), the variation be- ing the point a t which the straight body enters into the bullet’s ogive. Since they invariably seat their bullets out far enough to firmly engrave the rifling for best accuracy, segregating these lots ensures that all bullets will be seated against the rifling prior to discharge with the same pressure. Although they rarely find an accuracy difference between any of these produc- tion lots (provided they are segregated) mixing the lots or shooting the bullets as they come from the box results in noticeably larger groups.

Although there is a certain amount of production lot mixing in sales lots of components or loaded ammunition, the factories know which kinds of pro- duction lots must be kept separate. Of course, powder is stringently kept separate, primarily because each next lot they buy will be different. The fac- tories load their ammunition with non- canister grades of powder, which could also be defined as non-standard. With the receipt of each new lot, extensive velocity and pressure tests are con- ducted to determine how much of this new powder must be used to meet their performance specifications. Most of the canister grades of powders one buys at the neighborhood sporting goods store are carefully blended to ensure that each next lot is as nearly identical as possible to the last. Production and sales lots are one and the same with powder.

If the ammunition manufacturer is loading a sales lot of ammunition and runs out of a certain critical component that cannot be mixed, such as powder or primers, then a new sales lot number is generated. For instance, if a new production lot of primers must be started, it might be previously deter- mined that the same powder charge can be used with the new lot of primers, so production continues, but with the new sales lot number.

Sometime later, after these sales lots

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Weighing cases is a popular method of ensuring greater uniformity, although it may prove to be of dubious value.

have been distributed, it may be dis- covered that under certain rare cir- cumstances this particular lot of powder produces substandard perfor- mance and it is determined that a recall of that ammunition would be in the company’s best interest. Several different sales lots have been distributed with this powder in them, so all must be recalled. This is why recalls usually involve more than one sales lot number of ammunition.

Does all of this leave our accuracy- minded reloader out in the cold? I don’t think so. Just because a difference in brass of the same sales lot can be found by simply weighing the cases doesn’t mean the difference is of any conse- quence. The internal capacity of a car- tridge case is actually the determining factor in performance variations. Often it is recommended that the capacity be checked by weighing the amount of water a fired case will hold, but this is messy and time consuming. I have found the best, relatively fast method is to stand the fired cases, with primers still in the pockets, in a loading block. Determine the amount of ball powder (pick your favorite variety) it takes to fill the case to within about .1 inch of the mouth and charge all the cases with this amount of powder. This can be done with a powder measure, pro- vided it is operated consistently. Once all the cases are charged, tap the loading block to ensure the powder is fully settled. Ball powder settles very little after being thrown from a powder measure, but the tapping is a wise precaution.

Note the level of the powder in the different cases. If there are any that are obviously higher or lower than the others, dump the powder out, and re- charge them, to guarantee they were properly filled. If they remain signif- icantly different, mark them and set them aside. If you don’t want to bother firing enough rounds through these cases to determine if the difference in capacity really does affect performance, just use them for sighters and foulers to preserve your own peace of mind.

This same method can be used to compare cases of different makes or cases of the same make with different sales lot numbers or headstamp mark- ings. If the internal capacity is the same, the cases can be mixed with no detrimental effects. Although it is true that different makes of cases may have softer or harder necks, affecting bullet pull, all can be annealed to eliminate this variable.

As far as the effect of varying ogives on jacketed bullets, your rifle would have to be capable of consistent sub- half-inch accuracy in order to benefit from bullet segregation.

For the 99 percent of us shooting fac- tory rifles, taking components as they come from the box should not be con- sidered a detriment to accurate shooting. The component and ammuni- tion manufacturers do a splendid job of producing top-rate goods. If, however, you get bitten by the ultra-accuracy bug and have a truly accurate bench rifle built, careful component segrega- tion can pay dividends downrange. 0

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