Re-inventing the low recoil load is most of the fun. I've only fired factory loads a few times in the last 40 years, and that was when I could buy the 20 round boxes of 223 for about $2/box.
Nrut,
The Lyman cast bullet handbook has a wealth of information on powders that usually wouldn't be used with jacketed. When loading with jacketed I do only use it as a suggestion and apply it very judiciously. I have a '90 version of the IMR loading handbook and rely on it more for reduced jacketed loads with SR4759 , IMR4227 or IMR4198. Recently I have loaded Red Dot, Unique, and 4227 with jacketed in several cartridges and it really increases the "fun" factor. Accuracy is usually pretty good too. I've found it usually doesn't take much velocity to punch a hole in paper or to ring a gong! I have a close friend who is a retired school teacher with a bad knee and hip and weighs over 500lbs. We have a gong @ 50 yards outside his garage. He loves to shoot and this is one of the few places he can get to to shoot. We cast many of our own and shoot a combination of cast or jacketed, depending on what we have available. The reduced loads work very well. I"m still curious which powder the poster who originally mentioned the 2,300fps load in the .308? It may be one of the powders mentioned? or maybe one I/we have missed. I've used 2400 before but it won't quite get there in .308 and 150 bullet, at least not at pressures I'm comfortable with.
Take care all,
Rick
