Cast bullet charge

[Maverick4608]

Another powder charge question for y'all. I'm going to shoot a few rounds of cast 30-30 165g Hi-Tek coated, the powder I was after H4198 wasn't found anywhere, but through the info i received on here from a question I asked i crossed referenced the H4198 and IMR4198 powder(aka AR2207) and further searched that I could use the IMR with this bullet with a charge starting at, 15g and a max of 17g the only difference is the bullet they had listed was a 160g as where mine is 165g. Does this sound right?

 

[jimbires]

here is what I have for cast bullets in a 30-30 .

on the orange colored book info , it has a 170 grain cast bullet using IMR4198 with a range from 18.0 - 24.0 grains . USUALLY a lighter bullet uses more powder . so I think you would be able to use this data safely with your 165 grain bullet .

 

[Maverick4608]

Thanks buddy! I have 3 loaded at 15g think i should add more powder or try them as they are?

 

[jimbires]

Thanks buddy! I have 3 loaded at 15g think i should add more powder or try them as they are?

I think I'd set them aside for now . I'd load a few at 18.0 and see how that works . then if you wanted , you could work backwards to the 15.0 loads . after you shoot 18.0 you might decide you need to pull the 15.0 ammo apart .

always use caution when working outside the recommend powder range . to light of a load can be just as bad , or worse , than an overload . detonation , and or , secondary explosion , can put the pressure through the roof .

 

[Maverick4608]

Well curiosity got the better of me and i fired the 15g off, no soot on cartridge went bang etc. Didn't seem as loud? But I think that was because my adrenaline was pumping. I don't see signs of over pressure on the case. I compared it to factory shot cases looks the same from primer to case. What are your thoughts?

 

[PJGunner]

"always use caution when working outside the recommend powder range . to light of a load can be just as bad , or worse , than an overload . detonation , and or , secondary explosion , can put the pressure through the roof ."

I don't think that would be the case with either version of 4198 powder. It's a faster burning powder. The S.E.E. phenomenon occurs with slower burning types like the 4350s and slower powders. I would be a bit cautious with powders in the 4320/4064 range as well.

"Well curiosity got the better of me and i fired the 15g off, no soot on cartridge went bang etc. Didn't seem as loud? But I think that was because my adrenaline was pumping. I don't see signs of over pressure on the case. I compared it to factory shot cases looks the same from primer to case. What are your thoughts?"

Looks just fine to me. Not a powder I've never done much with but sounds like pleasant start. Whether I would stay with it or work up to the max load would depend on the lever of accuracy you get from the changes in charge weight. Most of my 30-30 work was with either 30-31 or 4895, either H or IMR with 4895 but I was looking for something I could use to hunt deer. I don't even remeber what the loads were from when I was doing this. The binder that had many years of data from 1954 to 1979 when I moved from Nevada to Arizona disappeared. I've always wondered if one of the movers was a reloader, saw the binder and appropriated it along with the box it was in?
Paul B.

 

[Maverick4608]

Let me ask you one more question? Is there a certain FPS i need to stay under with a 165g lead bullet using the IMR4198? To also help me find a correct safe charge?

 

[jimbires]

Well curiosity got the better of me and i fired the 15g off, no soot on cartridge went bang etc. Didn't seem as loud? But I think that was because my adrenaline was pumping. I don't see signs of over pressure on the case. I compared it to factory shot cases looks the same from primer to case. What are your thoughts?

working with powder , you should work in increments . in this 30-30 0.5 grains should keep you out of trouble . strating at 18.0 , next would have been 17.5 , then 17.0 , 16.5 . this gives you a chance to evaluate what's going on . the same when working up in charge weight .

loading under minimum loads scare me more than loading past max . when I load over max I have pressure signs to watch for as I add powder . these pressure sign ALWAYS show up before anything drastic happens .these pressure signs happen in sequence , A to B to C to D . if I'm being stupid and ignore all these pressure signs , I'm asking for problems and deserve what I get . when loading under minimum there is not much to watch for , because you are reducing pressure . you can watch for sooty cases , I've never had a sooty case when I've messed around like this . you will notice hang fires , which I have encountered different times .when I got a hangfire , I always assumed I was right on the edge of a disaster . I'm not sure what comes next . when I got hang fires I started to work back up , or tried dacron case filler . light loads are ok , until they are not . I don't think you get a string of subtle warning signs telling you to stop . it's ok , then it's not .

in your 30-30 , the 15 grain load is still about 53 % case fill , so I doubt you would run into a hangfire .

I'm sure it sounded different , it is way low on pressure .the 30-30 is rated to 42000 PSI , that 15.0 load is around 14200 PSI , that's only 30% of the pressure . you should have noticed a very mild recoil too . did you shoot them through a chronograph ?

 

[jimbires]

Let me ask you one more question? Is there a certain FPS i need to stay under with a 165g lead bullet using the IMR4198? To also help me find a correct safe charge?

picture one in my post above talks about velocity with cast bullets .