Choosing a powder...

[dromia]

It is a fast burning rifle powder a lot slower than pistol powders.

At the velocities I use in the Swede you are looking at around 40% case fill so this reduces the pressure spike so it as not really as brutal as you suggest, it has a lot of space to fill to get up to pressure. Quickload indicates peak pressure will be reached when the boolit is around 3" into the barrel so the boolit is well supported by the time maximum acceleration is reached, powder burn will be complete when the bullet is 17" down the barrel.

[meles meles]

Hmm, we hadn't considered the case being more than half empty and acting as a pressure absorber. Normally we would have shied away from that due to our fears of SEE, but now we're told that isn't a problem.

*Applies another ice pack*

And if we did want to use the 6.5x55 and NOE 163 gn cast boolits out to 1000 mards?

[dromia]

"Hmm, we hadn't considered the case being more than half empty and acting as a pressure absorber. Normally we would have shied away from that due to our fears of SEE, but now we're told that isn't a problem."

Only with powders of the appropriate burning rate.

"And if we did want to use the 6.5x55 and NOE 163 gn cast boolits out to 1000 mards?"

I would suggest that you learn to walk before you run and that you get yourself a walk in freezer as an ice pack will be of no use.

Shooting the Swede over 1600-1800fps with accuracy is the PhD of cast boolit shooting.

[meles meles]

Hmmm, so it seems that condom bullets are better than cast boolits after all then ?

[dromia]

If shooting is so simplistic as that to you then in your case the answer is probably yes.

Depends on what you wish to do and what your abilities are.

[meles meles]

oh, we 're a simple kreecher of limited ability...

[dromia]

If that is what you choose to be that is what you will be.

Cast boolit shooting can be as easy or as difficult as you want it to be, it is up to you to decide.

With my interest in shooting of older rifles in a variety of calibres some of which are obsolete. Cast boolits allow me to shoot them with accuracy with ease out to at least 600 yrds and in most cases better accuracy than off the shelf jacketed bullets for the calibre would give me. With a bit more work in 30 calibre and upwards 1000 yrd accuracy isn't much more difficult just a bit more work in getting the alloy right and the same attention to loading detail as a jacketed handloader would apply.

it is a challenge but that is all part of the attraction, the more you put in the more you get out and that to me is all part of the attraction. it isn't instant.

The thing is if I can have success with cast boolits then anyone can. But, if you want a quick fix with with instant home made canned bangs then perhaps this handloading lark jacketed or cast isn't for you.

[meles meles]

Oh we'd like to shoot our Noggin Krag and Swedish Carl Gustafs in 6.5x55 out to 300 and occasionally 600 mards, and cast boolits seems a low cost and low stress (for the rifles, if not us) way of doing that. We also have some more modern 6.5 x55 rifles and a pistol, and would like to try those at longer ranges, for which we think condom bullets and higher velocities might be needed. However, we're happy to learn otherwise...

[dromia]

I would suggest working up some jacketed loads for one rifle, one of the 6.5s by all means as your N560 will get you going.

That will get you into hand loading once you have got a few hundred successful handloads under your belt move onto another calibre and build your experience.

About then you can start casting a few boolits for the 6.5 and see how you do at that, once you got a few good consistent boolits cast the you can try some easy 300 yard loads for your Krag and Swede. Then start developing cast for the other calibre rifles too.

It is all about building experience and knowledge, each calibre and rifle has its own challenges and the more you do the more you learn and the more focussed your questioning will become and the more rewarding will be the results.

[FredB]

Remember that Dromia isn't buying his bullets. When you buy cast bullets, you don't know what you are getting---and they will probably be too hard which, if they are slightly undersized will result in leading at the velocities you are talking about.
Fred