Shootin up my discards

[Cuts Crooked]

Went to the range for a much needed break from routine today, and shot up some discards from past loading session for my 45-70. (these are rounds that didn't pass my final weight check after loading)

Had twenty rounds of DD/PRS 400gr culls that gave me this group at 100 yards:

[Cuts Crooked]

...and the ten rounds of DD/PRS MII discards went into this group at 100 yards:

[Dick Dastardly]

Hey Cuts,

Yer more thrifty than me.  I put 'em back in the melter.  Good to know yer up and around.

DD-DLoS

[Paladin UK]

Nice group Cuts!!!

Wuz ya standin,stittin, or lyin` or mebbie even bearback on yer  horse


Paladin (Whats gotta know ) UK

[Cuts Crooked]

DD,

I don't like pulling bullets and salvaging...jist lazy I guess! When I load I check weights at several points, cases, bullets, and powder. But the final product must be within +/- .3 grains or it's discarded to be used as a fouler. I recently wrote a pard about my reloading process, If I've still got it in this puter somewheres I'll post it here.

PUK, sorry I ain't that good of a shot so it's sandbagged and off the bench! My local sportsmans club has absolutely fantastic concrete & steel benches! I got a pard that can shoot my loads and get groups half the size of mine or better. He shot several of them in the range session last month that better than these at 200 yards! (and can do it with MY rifle too! 

[Cuts Crooked]

Found it! had kept a copy in my docs file!

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"Howdy JC,
In answer to yer questions, the KiK loads that worked so well for us that weekend were loaded in Winchester cases from lot #FO 05125-A, the KiK powder was from lot #3A1/y/200/04GB/0877, the primers were Winchester large rifle from lot # VCL003G (note: these were once fired CPX2 smokeless rounds originally. I still have 400 empties of this lot number that I've never loaded), bullets were unsized .458 DD MkII Big Lubes weighing 475 grains, +/- .2 grains, made with 30-1, lube is my 50/50, olive oil/bees wax mixed a bit off ratio so that it is very soft, my card wads were punched from old Hostess Ho Ho boxes. 50 rounds were also prepared with Paul Jones 510 gr bullets and Swiss 2F powder using the same methodology as the DD Mk IIs
Method of loading,
First I weighed bullets and shell casings. Any bullets that were off by more than .20gr were discarded. Any shell cases that were off by .10gr were discarded, cases also had the flash holes deburred. (I gotta tell ya this eliminates a LOT of bullets pretty fast! It took me a week to cast and weigh them and get enough for our shooting session, Winchester brass however does stay pretty close to spec so discards were few and far b'tween there thank Heaven!) Bullets were then pan lubed and weighed again...this makes a difference sometimes...and again .2 gr was the cut off point. only a half dozen failed this check!

The cases were then partially resized with Lee sizing die in a Lee press, then primed with the Winchester primers. After they were sized & primed I flared the case mouths with my homemade flaring tool.

Powder was thrown from an Italian reproduction Remington Peace Flask, into a sliding measure with a cut off swivel. It was thrown with the swivel closed, then the measure was touched to a vibrating tumbler for three seconds, then the swivel was used to cut the charge level. The measure was set for 62 grains, each charge was then weighed, all charges had an actual weight of 67gr and no deviation was allowed here, it was exact or it was not used! (yes you read it right, the measure was set for 62 grains but the final weight thrown was 67...it happens with BP depends on brand, lot, granulation, and maybe even the phase of the moon!)The idea being to achieve a charge that was consistant both volume wise and weight wise. The Charge was then drop tubed into the case. The case was then touched to the vibrating tumbler for three seconds, a card wad added, and then they were moved to my compression tool and the powder compressed .3"

Bullets were then seated & crimped with a Lee die set to crimp just barely on the bottom of the top driving band. I then wiped all loaded rounds to remove any excess bullet lube and weighed the finished rounds. Any finished rounds that were more than .3 gr off were discarded to be used as foulers. Surprizingly there were a few discards at this point! I don't what the factor is that causes it after the previous weighing of componants, but I've learned if the finished product is off by more than .3gr it will not shoot to the same POA every time!

So, you can see that a lot of time goes into getting rounds that shoot that well, but I think it's worth it! As you saw they were all accurate enough to suit the most picky shooter. The Paul Jones/Swiss bullets were accurate also, but not so that I would spend the extra money for that high dollor powder. And as you saw, although you could get really tiny groups with them they would start opening up after only a very few shots and by ten shots they were all over the place. In fact the nicest group we got that day was one you shot with the DD MkIIs loaded over the KiK powder, they had the smallest standard deviations too, at 10fps for the entire bunch shot from my Roller. I wish I had gotten yer lousy Sharps on the Chrony because I suspect that Badger barrel is far and away better than my Eytalian Roller!"