Cast Bullet Basics For Military Surplus Rifles By C.E. Harris Rev. 9-6-93 . . . Do NOT use inert fillers (Dacron or kapok) to take up the excess empty space in the case. This was once common practice, but it raises chamber pressure and under certain conditions contributes to chamber ringing. If a particular load will not work well without a filler, the powder is not suitable for those conditions of loading. Four load classifications from Mattern (1932) cover all uses for the cast bullet military rifle. I worked up equivalent charges to obtain the desired velocity ranges with modern powders, which provide a sound basis for loading cast bullets in any post-1898 military rifle from 7 mm to 8 mm: 1. 125-gr., plainbased "small game/gallery" 900-1000 f.p.s., 5 grains of Bullseye or equivalent. 2. 150-gr. plainbased "100-yd. target/small game", 1050-1250 f.p.s., 7 grs. of Bullseye or equivalent. 3. 150-180-gr. gaschecked "200-yard target" 1500-1600 f.p.s., 16 grs. of #2400 or equivalent. . . . None of these loads are maximum when used in full-sized rifle cases such as the .30-40 Krag, .303 British, 7.65 Argentine, 7.7 Jap, 7.62x54R or .30-'06.
. . . For "gaschecked bullets loaded without the gascheck," for cases like the .303 British, 7.62 NATO, 7.62x54R Russian and .30-'06 I use 6-7 grains of almost any fast burning pistol powder, including, but not limited to Bullseye, W-W231, SR-7625, Green Dot, Red Dot, or 700-X. I have also had fine results with 8 to 9 grains of medium burning rate pistol or shotgun powders, such as Unique, PB, Herco, or SR-4756 in any case of .303 British size or larger. . . . My favorite load is the most accurate, Mattern's so-called "200- yard target load". I expect 10-shot groups at 200 yards, firing prone rapid with sling to average 4-5". . .
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