Getting Back into It

[Flash Pan Dan]

I am going back to my load using the lube cookie and loading with incrementally larger powder loads. I will shoot them over a chronograph this weekend. Thanks Ironramrod.

[Robert L]

Dan,

I'm coming in on the tail end of this conversation and, admittedly, do not have a lot of experience with paper patched bullets; however, after reading through the posts there are two things regarding your load and load process that I am having trouble reconciling.

From a previous post your load data is as follows and you are wiping between shots:

.402 bullet 370 grain
55 grains of 3Fg Kik compressed .230
1 .030 Walters wad over powder
1/8 inch lube cookie of DGL lube
1 .030 Walters wad over the cookie
Newspaper over primer wad
.00165 tracing paper wrap

First, I cannot see that the lube cookie would provide any advantage at all if you are wiping between shots. Effectively, you are wiping the crud out of the bore so why bother trying to keep it soft?

Second, if you have a Walters wad between the cookie and the powder, doesn't the wad wipe all the lube away as it is the last thing that passes down the bore? In other words, are you really doing anything at all with the lube cookie? I did read where you seem to have better performance 'with' a lube cookie but for the life of me I don't understand how that's working.

I seem to remember someone telling me that a waxpaper disk between powder and lube cookie was a better arrangement because the wax paper would separate the lube from the powder and yet not wipe the lube away as it traveled down the bore. This was, of course, in a situation where the bore was not wiped between shots.

I certainly stand to be enlightened so if anyone can explain this to me I would welcome the effort.

V/r

Robert

[Ironramrod]

Dan, You probably already know this, but by setting up some targets (1 target for each load) behind your chrono at whatever distance your comfortable you can gather 2 data sets at the same time. Also, if your chrono is battery powered, put in a new battery for your tests.

Regards
IR

[Flash Pan Dan]

Robert L: I can only speculate that the lube cookie is providing a better gas seal than any other combination of materials I have previously used for a wad column.

Ironramrod: further testing commenced but was halted. Why? The chronograph was down and is getting fixed. I still shot some groups with the loads I had made up and saw the same thing; one inch horizontal spread, 3 inch vertical spread. At which point I stopped because I found that my rear sight staff has a fore and aft wobble to it. I will have to repair or replace it. I was planning on replacing it. I should have done sooner.

[Flash Pan Dan]

Success! Thank you bobw for suggesting Orville Loomers’ book. Read it, measured my chamber to the throat at 2.137 took some 45 2.1 cases sized down and trimmed them to 2.134(oops, had to correct the dimensions) and used the following load to shoot a 2 1/2 inch, 6 shot group at 200 yards.

Remington cases
WLR primer with newspaper wad under powder
64 gr. of 3fg KIK compressed .210
.030 King wad over powder
1/8 inch DGL lube cookie
.395 400 grain bullet patched to .4005 seated 1/16 inch in the case. I coded the paper with Jojoba oil after the bullet was loaded.

I will continue to tweak this load to see if I can get it better but this is mighty encouraging. Thank you all for your help and advice. One more question, how do you transport cartridges loaded like this? They are kind of delicate and cumbersome, not that I am complaining.