Unique powder and jacketed bullets

[Flatlander15]

I had my bore slugged, the tag says it was .302-.3085

The gun shop was understanding at my goof and accepted a return on the jacketed bullets but did not have any cast .30 caliber bullets. I looked on Midway but it seemed they came in quantities of 500. I'll shoot this 100 rounds a year at most so that is a bit much.

I am looking at this bullet :

http://www.acmebullet.com/bullets-reloading-brass/30-CAL-Hard-Cast-Lead-Bullets/30-Cal-155-RNFP-Lead-Cast-Bullets-Hard-Cast

I was unable to return the powder so I would like to use up this bottle before buying another pound. Looking into the loads from the same manual, the closest I could find for the above bullet is a 154 grain unspecified bullet (assuming unjacketed based on the above posts) with the seating depth of .425" and with 7 grains of Unique should deliver 1170 FPS.

Does this seem more reasonable?

[Flatlander15]

Also, load close to that was listed as 150 grain 30-06 type lead bullet seated to .385 with 14 grains of Unique throwing it out at 1680 FPS with a pressure of 28,400.

I'm confused at the huge difference in powder charges with such a close weight in bullet. Is it due to the design of the bullet itself?

The charge is doubled with only a 510 FPS difference.

Lastly, there is yet another load listing that states only 150 grain 30-06 style bullet so I am not sure if it's jacketed or not. It says 12 grains of Unique gives 1445 FPS with a pressure of 21,800.

Does that mean I need a pointed bullet or are round/flat nose ok?

My apologies again for the obnoxious amount of questions. I really do appreciate the help and guidance from everybody.

[butlersrangers]

I believe you could use that 155 grain Acme bullet with 8 to 9 grains of Unique. This would probably go at close to 1400 FPS and give good 100 yard accuracy.

FWIW - My old Lyman - 44th edition - Reloading Handbook gave a starting load for: 155 Grain Cast/with Gas Check (bullet #311466)

Unique 9.0 grains - velocity 1381 FPS

You would probably need a gas check if it was pushed much faster.

[Parashooter]

The cast bullet to which you refer appear to be a plain-base design.


Because it lacks a gas-check, we wouldn't expect it to perform well at much over 1400 fps. 8 grains of Unique should give that velocity at under 15,000 psi.

Again, this kind of very-low-density load requires extra attention to avoid double charges. Although an accidental 16-grain load should yield slightly less than normal Krag pressure, it would still be quite a surprise to have one go "boom" instead of "pop".

[butlersrangers]

There you have it: (Thanks, 'parashooter')

Get 500 Acme bullets and start with 8.0 grains of Unique.

You can experiment by trying 9.0 grains for comparison, if you want.

(There is 7,000 grains to the pound. That's 875 loads @ 8.0 grains per round. That's some cheap shooting).

Just be careful, weigh your charges, and inspect for double charges.

[Flatlander15]

Perfect. Thank you all again! I just placed an order. I'll do as suggested and report back when the weather becomes a bit warmer.

[Jim Teague]

You can use jacked bullets but it is best to use a slow burning power. Go to the web pages of the bullets you wish to buy and you can get the correct power loads. Start at the lowest and work your way up. Do not go over the top load. I am using IMR 4350,
Jim.

[Flatlander15]

Well the bullets showed up. Neat little wooden crates per each 100. I'm finding I have the same issue with these bullets as I did with the jacketed. When I seat it just in front of the second lube groove, it measures 2.93". Is this still safe to shoot? I'm assuming (probably incorrectly) that since this is a flat nose bullet, if it were a spitzer bullet that would make it 3" and have the same contact with the chamber.

I loaded up a few dummy cartridges to check function and everything is still functioning smooth. I can't seem to find longer lead bullets at all though. Thanks again.

[Parashooter]

Krag magazines work best when fed cartridges loaded to the same length as original 220-gr. RN military ammunition, 3.08". If cartridges are shorter, we just have to be careful to align the rims in echelon when loading.

For stability, it's normally best to seat bullets with at least one caliber (.30" in this case) inside the neck. Although seating depth has a significant influence on pressure (because it alters the powder space), this will not be a critical factor with the reduced loads dictated by your plain-base cast bullets. Seat to whatever length works best in the magazine and on target.

[Flatlander15]

Thank you for that picture, it makes things much more clear. I was just concerned with possible pressure issues but I now realize with the load I'm using there should be no issues. I've loaded up ten rounds that measure 2.93", they all chamber and feed as they should so I'll fire them off on Monday and report back how they work.

No accuracy testing, I discovered the 1901 front sight is missing the front screw. It's secure but can move with finger pressure. No problem, i'll order one soon. As long as these fire just fine into the 50 yard berm my heels will click. Thanks again to all for the help.