Been think'n' bout this for the .303 Savage and finally "pulled the trigger", so to speak, and bought a pound of Hodgon Leverevolution powder. Used the Hodgon data for a 30-30 and 170 grain Sierra FP but loaded the Speer 170 FP instead. Went to the range, shot and "chronoed" (if that is a verb) 3 loadings, 5 each, in my 26" barreled 1899 B. No pressure signs of any kind what so ever. Still, I have enough experience to know that just because there's no sign of high pressure doesn't mean it's not there. Here's the results:
30-30 Book Loads for Leverevolution Powder and Sierra 170 FP for use in Winchester 94s and the like I assume.
- 33 grains for 2145 fps (28,000 psi)
- 36 grains for 2332 fps (35,000 psi)
My .303 Loads using Leverevolution Powder and Speer 170 FP
- started at 33 grains and measured 1950 fps
- tried 34 grains and got 2050 fps
- last load was 35 grains and got 2150 fps
Accuracy was good, around 1.75" with tang sight. Could be better but I didn't seem to be shooting all that well today. Too much coffee I'm thinkin'. The lower velocity per grain of powder that I got could be due to slightly larger case capacity of .303 Savage or the bore of my 101 year old rifle being somewhat worn. I'm going to go ahead and up the load to 35.5 and 36 grains. I'd like to get the 170 grainer to 2250 fps. That's 200 fps more than my IMR 4320 max load at 2050 fps. My "assumption", we all know that old joke, is that since 30-30 and .303 case shape and capacity are similar, the pressures/velocity relationship should be about the same. I've shot other loads that approach the 40,000 psi rating of the 1899 with no trouble. These Leverevolution loads should actually be less pressure. By the way, this powder meters from a measure very well.
If 2250 fps can be achieved with no high pressure signs then I'll shoot the load for awhile and see what the long term effects on case life are. If I have to trim necks more than usual or full length size instead of neck size to chamber the rounds then I'll back the load off some. None the less, even if I can't keep the 200 fps velocity increase, it looks to me like I can load to my original 2050 fps with quite a bit less pressure. That means longer case life and less of a beating on my old rifle. If I can keep the 200 fps velocity gain then I can extend my self imposed range for shooting at game with the .303 Savage from 150 to 200 yards or so. I'm assuming I'll have less bullet drop and more energy. That's my thinking anyways. We'll see if it pans out. By the way, I don't foresee ever shooting out to 250 or 300 yards with tang sights so I see no advantage to trying Hornady's "pointy" 160 grain Leverevolution bullet.
