Which propellant is this?
I am using the components from a batch of 30-06 cartridges that I bought from Century Arms maybe, 7 years ago. 400 rounds came loose in a USGI ammo can, marked for 1000 rounds of .45cal, Ball M1911! However, the paper label over the painting is in Spanish and dated. Oct. 27, 1981, and marked as 400 30-06 cartridges, made at F.N.H. 855.The cases are mixed from WWII dated headstamps up to LC76. The bullets pull very easilly. I am convinced that this ammo was reloaded without regard to case headstamp, just as most military orgs. would do. The bullet is FMJ with open base, exposing the lead core and weighs 151gr. The powder is very uniform "Ball" type and is 46gr. Does anyone know what propellant was used?
roysclockgun
roysclockgun
0
-
my bet would be 4895, but that is only speculation.
why chase the game when the bullet can get em from here?....
Got Balistics?0 -
I don't think it is 4895 as it is not a ball powder. 0 -
Someone has mentioned WC852, which is what it looks like.
roysclockgun0 -
I would bet it to be 4895 burn rate, but would dump it on the tomato plants to be safe.
IMR4895 Original application is U.S. .30 Cal Ball M2, AP M2, Tracer M25, and
Match M72. THE powder of choice for M1 Garands. An extruded powder
which can be loaded using IMR4895 data. This final lot I have came
from 1972 loaded Tracer M25 ammo.
This is pulldown extruded powder.
$80/8# jug.
This is from www.gibrass.com I would suspect it to be that burn rate even though it is ball powder,..considering the chambering it is loaded in. But I stand by my fertilizer recommendation. Powder is cheap, plastic surgery is not. When in doubt,..dump it out.
why chase the game when the bullet can get em from here?....
Got Balistics?0 -
JustC did write: "Powder is cheap...."
Propellant was not "cheap" the last time that I bought the stuff. As I said, if I reuse this propellant, I will load it with a like weight bullet and the only real change will be in OAL. If that shoots decently, I will play around with raising the propellant charge a bit. As far as I can ascertain, these were not "poison pill" rounds, from which I am getting the propellant, so no unexpected blow ups will happen, any more then using any other propellant. I already know the practical properties of this propellant, so staying within prudent limits, what is the big deal? Recovered milsurp propellant is sold for reuse regularly. These S. American M2 reloads and the Indian 7.62x51NATO, both use ball propellant. In no way, am I speculating that the two are the same. The Indian stuff has been good, when the bullets are pulled and the propellant reduced a grain.
roysclockgun0 -
If you are keeping the same bullets and chambering, then no issues are present. I was leaning on the fact that since you don't know what it is, were you to try loading it into other calibers Guessing as to the burn rate, that would be foolish. Powder is cheap, I DO NOT pay HazMat fees on mine, so I guess I get it for about 1/2 of what you must be paying if you do pay hazmat fees. I also get it at dealer cost, so that helps greatly as well,...no markup.
Milsurp powder is good powder, but when you buy it it specifies burn rate. If you are simply changing OAL or reseating like weighted bullets of different design, then I wouldn't even bother worrying. Just shoot it. I would also maybe pull them all down, get an average of the charge weights to determine what they were "supposed" to be, then run a load ladder with the powder as I reseated the pills to determine just what my rifle liked best. Then charge them up to that load and shoot them until the powder was gone or until I bought more of that ammo and did the same thing. This would be my approach in military or standard rifles as I do not make a practice of running military powders down my match barrels. Also, by getting the avergage charge weight in gr's, and then running them over a chronograph that will tell you quickly what burn rate the powder is by comparing it to the load books and interpolating the charge weight vs muzzle velocity. I have done this with powders that there was no data for, but I knew what it was very close to in burn rate, so I had a safe starting point to work with.
why chase the game when the bullet can get em from here?....
Got Balistics?0 -
Thanks JustC. I shall keep your info and follow same. I am doing a fair amount of range shooting nowadays, as the VA has me scheduled for an eye operation in the spring and I don't know how long the lay-off from shooting will be. Glaucoma and a cataract have really hurt my vision for long shots. At 100 yards, I have the 4-12x Leupold cranked up to 12x and the AO on 400 yards, in order to best see the target. Even at that, I see two fuzzy cross hairs. Getting old is not for sissies. The good news is, my left eye is still quite good, so if the operation is not a success, I will learn to shoot left handed, or get one of those crosseyed stocks made.
roysclockgun0 -
roy,..if vision is an issue,..try the side focus scopes. these things bring it in tight. One of my pards is some 63yrs young,..and despite the fact that he won't admit it, he shoots my own side focus rifle scopes better than his own non-side focus rigs. The focus ability will make you a better shooter. He has just finally ordered his first side focus tactical scope, although begrudgingly so. They cost a lot more, but if you love shooting.....[;)][:D]
Let us know how the surgery works out,..hope all goes well for a fellow shooter[8] Don't give it up yet,..you still have a ton of x-rings in your future.[;)]
why chase the game when the bullet can get em from here?....
Got Balistics?0 -
JustC, thanks for that intel, regarding side focus scopes helping poor vision. I will check it out.
roysclockgun0
Please sign in to leave a comment.
Comments
9 comments