|
Joined: Jan 2012
Posts: 1,288
Campfire Regular
|
OP
Campfire Regular
Joined: Jan 2012
Posts: 1,288 |
I recently got a Stevens 325-B rifle, After cleaning it up, patching a couple of wood cracks, and refinishing the stock (again...somebody had sanded the wood so much that the trigger guard is completely above the level of the wood).
I loaded some full length sized once fired brass as follows:
brass length = 2.028" CCI 200 primers 30.0 gr. RL-7 powder Sierra 125 gr spitzer #2120 bullets seated to a cartridge overall length of 2.160" (so they would work through the clip). The bullets are probably a long way from the rifling, but we'll see how they work.
Shot 4 of these shells & they all worked through the clip fine with no pressure signs and ejected ok.
The gun has no scope, but I'll be taking it back to the range to see how it shoots off sandbags. I'll set it up for 50 yds.
I have 2 99's in 30-30 & I'll probably try these loads in them too.
DO NOT try this load in a tube magazine rifle!
This gun will live in my Jeep. Total investment $125 & 8 or 10 hours of my time.
|
|
|
|
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 4,722
Campfire Tracker
|
Campfire Tracker
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 4,722 |
Al,
Did you try them through one of the 99's to see how they cycled?
"Americans have the right and advantage of being armed-unlike the citizens of other countries whose governments are afraid to trust the people with arms." James Madison
|
|
|
|
Joined: Jan 2012
Posts: 1,288
Campfire Regular
|
OP
Campfire Regular
Joined: Jan 2012
Posts: 1,288 |
Not yet. I'll let you know.
|
|
|
|
Joined: Jan 2012
Posts: 1,288
Campfire Regular
|
OP
Campfire Regular
Joined: Jan 2012
Posts: 1,288 |
Note: the 2.160" cartridge overall length in my post above can't be correct. I'm too tired to go out into the shop to get the correct length. I'll post it tomorrow am.
|
|
|
|
Joined: Jan 2012
Posts: 1,288
Campfire Regular
|
OP
Campfire Regular
Joined: Jan 2012
Posts: 1,288 |
The actual overall length of these cartridges is 2.610"...not 2.160" as originally posted. Haven't tried them in my 99's yet. Sorry about the transposed numbers.
|
|
|
|
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 43,785 Likes: 4
Campfire 'Bwana
|
Campfire 'Bwana
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 43,785 Likes: 4 |
Should work fine.. I tried the same thing a while back. You might find though that if you're looking at 150 yards or less that doing a flat nose heavier bullet works just as well.
Let us know how it goes though!
|
|
|
|
Joined: Jan 2012
Posts: 1,288
Campfire Regular
|
OP
Campfire Regular
Joined: Jan 2012
Posts: 1,288 |
Set up a lifesize standing woodchuck target at 50 yds. 1st 3 shots all in the head. Next 3 shots also in the head...but the last shot ruptured the brass right at the shoulder...bummer.
Looks like I've got some work to do.
PS On the way to the range I passed a Mobil station & regular was $3.49. I doubt I was at the range half an hour, and when I passed that same station on the way home, regular was $3.55 a gallon (this is on the N.Y. Pa border about 90 miles south of Syracuse and 12 miles west of Binghamton).
|
|
|
|
Joined: Jan 2012
Posts: 1,288
Campfire Regular
|
OP
Campfire Regular
Joined: Jan 2012
Posts: 1,288 |
Turns out the last shell fired wasn't cracked. There was a black oily ring around the shoulder where I thought the brass was cracked. Possibly because there's so much space between the ogive and the beginning of the rifling. After wiping the crud off the fired shells I checked them with a Wilson case guage and they were all within overall length and headspace limits. I'll use a Lee factory crimp die to hold the bullets in the brass a little longer so more powder burns before the bullets leave the brass. This will probably raise pressure some, but should reduce or eliminate the soot on the fired brass. Stay tuned. Still haven't run them through a 99, but like Calhoun said I'm expecting them to cycle through them ok.
Last edited by crowmagnum; 04/09/08.
|
|
|
|
Joined: Sep 2004
Posts: 837
Campfire Regular
|
Campfire Regular
Joined: Sep 2004
Posts: 837 |
It'd be neat if you ran factory ammo alongside your hand loads to show the actual difference.
|
|
|
|
Joined: Jan 2012
Posts: 1,288
Campfire Regular
|
OP
Campfire Regular
Joined: Jan 2012
Posts: 1,288 |
Sorry...I'm not that curious (Remington managed recoil 125 gr. shells are about $25/box), & I'd rather stay with Winchester brass. As long as what I'm working with now is ok, I'll be content with them.
Wouldn't be much of a comparison anyway since I would have no idea what kind & qty of powder, primers, and different bullets would be in the Remington the shells. Also, the external dimensions and the internal capacity of the Remington shells would be different from mine.
Al
Last edited by crowmagnum; 04/09/08.
|
|
|
|
Joined: Sep 2004
Posts: 837
Campfire Regular
|
Campfire Regular
Joined: Sep 2004
Posts: 837 |
The comparison I'd be interested in would be whether the pointy bullet is more accurate, as accurate as, or less accurate than a Winchester or Remington 150 grain factory load.
|
|
|
|
Joined: Jan 2012
Posts: 1,288
Campfire Regular
|
OP
Campfire Regular
Joined: Jan 2012
Posts: 1,288 |
|
|
|
|
689 members (06hunter59, 10gaugemag, 007FJ, 01Foreman400, 10Glocks, 69 invisible),
2,985
guests, and
1,331
robots. |
Key:
Admin,
Global Mod,
Mod
|
|
Forums81
Topics1,193,642
Posts18,512,316
Members74,010
|
Most Online11,491 Jul 7th, 2023
|
|
|
|