NEAL KNOX Editor and Publisher

RALPH TANNER, JR. Director of Sales

RICK JAMISON Assistant Editor

DAVE LeGATE Art Director

ROGER T. WOLFE, Ph.D. Associate Editor

HOMER POWLEY Ballistics Adviser

MAJ. GEORGE C. NONTE J R . General Assignment

WALLACE LABISKY Sho tshells

JOHN WOOTTERS Gun Tests

KEN WATERS “Pet Loads”

EDWARD M. YARD General Assignment

DON ZUTZ General Assignment

BOB HAGEL Hunting Adviser

JOHN BUHMILLER African Cartridges

AL MILLER Competition Handgunning

BOB MILEK Handgun Hunting

JON SUNDRA General Assignment

RICHARD L. ALDIS Staff Photographer

JOYCE BUETER Circulation Manager

WILLIE LEE Circulation

EVELYN CARTIER Circulation

JANE CLARK Promotion Manager

BARBARA PlCKERlNG Production Supervisor

JANE KOSCO Executive Secretary

Published by Wolfe Publishing Co., Inc. Dave Wolfe, President

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Handloader The Journal of Ammunition Reloading

Vovember-December 1974 Vol. 9 - No. 6 Box 30-30, Prescott, Arizona 86301

FEATURES: Loading the .300 H&H Magnum.. ........................... Bob Hagel 18

Case Condition and Shotshell Petformance.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Don Zutz 22

Loading the Siamese Mauser. .......................... .James Barnard 25

Measuring Pressure.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Dan Pawlak 26

.219 Zipper.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ken Waters 30

Optimum Bore Capacity.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .O.A. Winters 34

.32-20 Handgun Loads.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Clay Harvey 38

Reader Research: Making Chronograph Screens. . . . . . . . .Wayne Blackwell 46

Pet Loads:

Powerized Case Trimmer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . J.D. Jones 47

Avoiding Crimp Adjustment. . . . . . . . . . . Michael Mitchell 48

A Little Knowledge.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Gene Crum 58

DEPARTMENTS: Editorial.. ..................... .6 Lock, Stock 8 Barrel . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Reader Bylines. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Loading the Old Ones.. . . . . . . . . .14 Answers Please.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 Cartridge of the Month. . . . . . . . . .33 ProducTests.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .62 Tip to Tip. .................... 12

Propellant Profiles. . . . . . . . . . . . . .66

The HANDLOADER, Copyright 1974, is published bl-monthly by the Wolfe Publishing Company, Inc, P.O. Box 3030, Prescott, Arizona 86301. (Also oublisher of Rifle Maaazine.) Telephone (602) 445-7810. Second Class Postage paid a t Prescott, Arizona, and additional mailing offices. Single copy price of current issue $1.25. Subscription price: six issues $6.50; 12 issues $11.50; 18 issues $15.50. Outside U.S. oossessions and Canada -$7.50. $13.50 and $18.50. SHOOTING

SPORTS Recommended foreian sinale COPV price, $1 50 Advertising rates furnished on . . request.

Publisher of The HANDLOADER is not responsible for m:shaps of any nature which might occur from use of published loading data, or from recommendations by any member of The Staff. No part of this publication may be reproduced without written permission from the editor. Manuscripts from free-lance writers must be accompanied by stamped self-addressed envelope

Change of address: Please give six week‘s notice. Send both old and new address, plus mailing label if possible, to Circulation Dept., The HANDLOADER Magazine, P.0.Box 3030, Prescott, Arizona 86301.

;

and the publisher cannot accept responsibility for lost or mutilated manuscripts.

YOUR NOVEMBER-DECEMBER COVER

The bullet on this month’s cover is the .30 caliber 185-grain SpeerlLapua “stepped” boattail, famed for long range competition, lying between the jaws of a Brown and Sharpe micrometer. Photo by Richard Aldis.

HANDLOADER Magazine

NEWLY MANUFACTURED

4831” This full curl Dall Ram, shot in Alaska by Dave Parker, dramatically shows the results of field testing of our newly manufactured 4831. This is a new batch of the original 4831, the most popular of all pow- ders. Uses same loading data as our original surplus powder. Gives outstanding performance with medium and heavy bullets in the 6mm’s, 25/06;270 and magnum calibers.

8 Ib. Caddie $27.95 20 Ib. Keg $65.00

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By Maj. George Nonte

HERE WAS A TIME when there loosens the case in the chamber before the T wasn’t anv reason to worrv bolt is accelerated rearward. about case rim deformation. In manually When such designs bend c u e rims, it is operated guns, it normally isn’t possible because of unusually soft case brass, or to place enough load on the rim to deform it. The M-98 Mauser-type action offers because the bolt is opening while the case

is clinging too tightly to the chamber This may be due to excessively the strongest extraction of all the

manually operated rifles, and even it dirty or rough chamber walls, or to won’t bend the rim of a stuck case unless residual chamber pressure being too high a boot heel or stick of stovewood is as primary extraction takes place. applied vigorously to the handle. The former, of course, will be obvious

from marks and dirt on the case - and autos’ with the Garand Of 1936 and corrective action isn’t difficult to figure the Winchester .30 Carbine of 1942, bent out. The latter, though, results from port

pressure being too high - and this may rims have been with us. Rotary-bolt designs like the Garand, be caused by either improper propellant,

Carbine, AK-47, Beretta, ArmaliteKolt, or chamber pressure being too high. etc. are the least likely to produce bent If you are loading with a too-slow rims. Like the Mauser, they offer strong, powder, port pressure may be too high, slow (relatively) primary extraction which “over-driving” the action. That will cause

But since the advent of gas-operated

TltAlli VENT Cut chills to a minimum with Tempco’s Prime Goose Down insulated TRAIL VEST. Wears well under a jacket or by itself. Full arm action versatility makes this jacket the shooter’s favorite. The shell and lining are 100% nylon, and the newly-designed roll collar keeps out the cold. A two-inch-longer back provides extra protection while you work or ride. Available in taupe in S, M and L. Hand washable.

@ An Outdoor Sports Company MEMBER

lept HHL-Y4 414 First Ave S , Seattle, Wa 98104

bent rims when the extractor tries to haul the case out of the chamber while pressure in it is too high. If you are loading too hot, say, above 55,OOO psi, the result may be the same. So, if you’re experiencing bent rims in your fired cases from a rotating-bolt rifle design, adjust either the propellant (faster burning) or lower the chamber pressure.

Non-rotating bolt designs such as FNIFAL, the old blowback Winchesters, CETME, SIG, FNlM49, G-43, etc. more often than not produce at least slight case rim distortion with normal ammunition. Lack of slow primary extraction, which is inherent in their design, places heavy strain on the rim while residual chamber pressure is still relatively high. Dirty or rough chambers and abnormally high pressures simply aggravate the situation. I’ve seen case rims torn completely off by such designs under conditions that would cause no trouble in a rotating-bolt gun.

When bent rims occur in handloads in gas-operated autoloaders, you should first check for chamber smoothness and cleanliness, then fire a few standard arsenal or factory loads and compare their rims with those of the handloads. This will tell if the latter are behaving correctly.

Rims bent only slightly probably aren’t weakened much. They’ll usually enter the shellholder without much trouble, and may be partially straightened by the force applied in resizing. They’ll also probably give no trouble in feeding from the magazine or in chambering.

HANDLOADER Magazine

Rims which are badly bent may well be cracked partially loose from the case head, ready to break off completely on the next firing if the extractor grabs the same place. They also usually won’t enter the shellholder unless first straightened by driving the case head squarely against a flat steel plate, using a caliber-diameter punch. Even then, they may cause feeding trouble, or in severe cases may prevent the bolt from locking by protruding too far from the chamber, just as if the case were too long.

If you’re encountering bent case rims, study the subject and eliminate it as much as possible in your loading. If you receive a windfall of fired cases with badly bent rims, deep-six them or set them aside for moderate loads in bolt guns; they are almost certain to give trouble in autoloaders.

x * *

Periodically I’m reminded that per- fectly good ammunition is often mistreated to the extent that it misfires. The major problem usually occurs in handguns, especially revolvers, and is the result of the use of spray-cans of modern, synthetic lubricants and preservatives. Just last week another example occurred when a police officer attempted to fire, in a gunfight, and a cartridge failed to ignite.

Investigation disclosed that he had been “maintaining” his revolver by spraying it copiously with lube/preserva- tive while loaded, then wiping off the excess.

The vehicle in the spray had eventually dissolved the primer seal of the cartridges in the cylinder, and the very high penetrating qualities of the lube had caused it to creep into both primer and powder charge. Both were oil-wet and too contaminated to fire. This happened with factory loads. Had they been handloads with a less-perfect case-to-primer fit and seal, it would have occurred sooner, and perhaps all six cartridges would have misfired, rather than just one. The time-honored practice of oiling cartridges in an auto magazine to aid positive feeding and extraction could (would) cause the same problem.

Regardless of the type of gun, with either factory or handloads, do not allow aerosol lubricants or preservatives to come in contact with cartridges. Even if the ammunition is removed from the gun later, the lube will still be present, slowly working away a t penetrating the case-primer seal. Wiping it off won’t stop it, as it is very clinging and persistent - which is why we use it - but even a minute quantity can eventually seep through and do the dirty work. Aerosol spray lubes are great for guns, but are pure poison for ammunition - so be warned and act accordingly. November-December 1974

Redfield See-Thru Mounts. You’re hunting bear. Suddenly, a noise. There - 15 feet away - is a grizzly. You look through your scope. A blurr. No sight picture. Too close. What do you do?

If you’ve got Redfield See-Thru scope mounts on your rifle you instantly switch your eye to iron sights, hold on a vital area and squeeze the trigger.

Redfield See-Thru mounts are quality, rigid, precision- machined mounts. They feature the same locking-lug as Redfield’s regular FR bases. And the two-piece design lets you change your FR rings from See-Thru to regular FR bases for the low additional cost of $2.40.

Ask for Redfield See-Thru mounts. They’re the only low-profile, wide-view, see-through mounts on the market. Even if they weren’t they’d still be the best because they’re Redfield.

Write for Redfield Catalog and Free Scope Buyer’s Guide.

@ An Outdoor Sports Company

5800 East Jewel1 Avenue, Dept. HHL-Y4, Denver, Colorado 80222 13

A

A

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“start” screen). My first handloads were .32-20 has long been factory underloaded Handloaded, the .32-20 begins to look nearly as disappointing. Not only would due to the existence of numerous elderly better but, then, so do the other two. The they not group well but velocities produced were much lower than I expected. I finally did manage to work up some respectable loads, which I’ll detail later.

In respect to factory-load performance, Phil Sharpe made a pertinent comment in his tome, Complete Guide to Handload- ing. He stated: “The handloader must bear in mind, however, that in loading this cartridge he must not try to achieve an all-around load suitable for either rifle or handgun.”

I believe the factory loads lean more toward the rifle side of the performance scale, hence the unsuitable performance in my revolver. Velocities of the factory stuff were downright disheartening. This “magnum” of the .32’s mustered only 736 feet per second in Remington persuasion, whereas the lead-bullet loads from the “Big Red W” sped through the clocks only 100 fps faster. Winchester’s soft points morc-or-less tied the Remington offering at 733. Energies of these factory loads ranged from 120 foot-pounds to about 150.

T o put these figures in proper perspective I chronographed a few factory loads in .32 S&W Long and .32 ACP. The Longs (98-grain Remington stuff, fired in a 4%-inch pre-War Smith) hit 717 fps with 112 fp energy; the .32 Auto (Winchester 71-grain HP’s in a Walther PP) produced 967 fps for nearly 150 foot-pounds. The .32-20 looks a mite stodgy by comparison. However, the

guns from black powder days. Given a most potent load I developed in my .32-20 six-inch barrel and a heavy frame, I feel moved a 115-grain gas-check bullet to just sure that the greater case capacity of the over one thousand feet per second. This .32-20 would enable it to outdistance its load (9 grains of 2400) wouldn’t group on lesser cousins. a pie plate a t 75 feet and is a little warm

These are the bullets Harvey used in load development. From left, are the 77-grain cast, 85-grain cast, 100-grain Winchester JSP, 100-grain Winchester lead, 100-grain Remington lead, 100-grain Remington JSP and 115-grain cast.

I I GoA2’

November-December 1974 39

-1

In Handloading-

Accuracy

of the game is the name

Warren Page tells how

to build, tune select loads

and shoot "One-Hole" rifles --Whether designed for competition or hunting.

THE ACCURATE RIFLE BY WARREN PAGE

Published bV Winchester Press

Ever since the development of gunpowder, riflemen have yearned for the ultimate in rif le accuracy-the abil ity to put shot after shot through the same identical hole. This brand- new book examines this search for greater accuracy from every aspect and details for target shooters and hunters alike the best pro- cedures for making their rifles superaccurate.

Warren Page, winner of nine national bench rest titles, provides the shooter and hunter with detailed practical information on every subject affecting accuracy and analyzes the techniques employed by competitive shooters in creating the equipment and methods that have produced modern rifles consistently capable of holding their shots within '/4 inch, at a hundred yards.

His topics include: Best methods of shoot- ing from a bench rest; the most accurate sights and scopes and their use; the problems created by wind and mirage and how to deal with them; the role of recoil in rif le accuracy; the secrets of bedding a rifle, relating the metal to the wood for peak performance; how to make or select barrels and stocks for the best accuracy; how to select or develop the superaccurate loads that wi l l give the best results in a given rifle.

This is the most up-to-date, authoritative discussion of rif le accuracy anywhere in print. Not only a must for the serious competitive shooter, but highly useful for the practical hunter seeking to increase the size of his bag. ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,----------

I HANDLOADER PRESS I Box 3030 Prescott. Arizona 86301

Enclosed is $- for __ copies of THE ACCURATE RIFLE @ $8.95. If not I completely satisfied, I may return the I books within 10 days for a fu l l refund. I Name . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

City . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ............. State .............

I

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(Arizona residents add 360 sales tax) I ...........................

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or steady use in my gun. Eight and Factory bullets for the .32-20 are rather 'ne-half grains is better, producing 959 hard to come by. I located a supply of ps and 235 foot-pounds; accuracy tops Winchester components in a nearby town ny of the factory loads. but the Remington products eluded me.

I finally had to call on Dick Dietz of In contrast I have safely driven the Remington for assistance; he sent me a

00-grain lead Winchester Slug to Over supply of both the 100-grain lead and 100-grain soft point slugs. 50 fps (200 foot-pounds) from the

Valther .32 ACP. This load feeds lerfectly and delivers accuracy on par rith my .32-20 using the same bullet.

There were no special problems in ,ading the .32-20, except finding omponents on dealers' shelves. ull-length sizing was a breeze, even 4thout lubricating the cases. Lyman dies 'ere used. All loads were put up in Lemington brass, of solid-head construc- ,on. These cases have survived up to ten [rings with no failures to date. All loads tilized CCI Small Pistol primers either tandard or magnum depending on the owder. Considerable unburned powder lagued me with all propellants, Bullseye icluded. Naturally some powders were rorse than others in this respect.

BLUE CREM INSTANT I

I Wipes on to produce a dark, BLUEING IN even chemical blueing. Can be biended into original blue. Won't streak, spot or rub off.

A JAR ...

Ohaus supplied the moulds for cast bullets. Mould numbers were as follows: 32077R, a round-nose design listed at 77 grains; 32085R3, a slightly, heavier version of the same bullet a t a listed 85 grains; and 31115F, a gas-check design expressly for the .32-20 at 115 grains. Most cast bullets were sized .312; I sized a few .313, noting no difference in group size. The factory bullets varied from .310 (Reming- ton) to .312 (Winchester). The bore of my S&W slugged .311.

The most accurate load in my .32-20 consisted of the 115 GC and 4.6 grains of Unique. A close second was 4.9 grains of Herco, same bullet. Both loads will group ten-round clusters at 25 yards, from a Lee Machine Rest, into about 2% inches or slightly less.

every load listed produced pressures exceeding the Rem- ington factory load (determined by miking the expanded portion of the case just ahead of the web) but the lighter loads gave about the same pressure as the Winchester factory stuff.

The most accurate light loads, for targets or plinking, consisted of 2.4 to 2.6 grains of Bullseye behind the 85-grain cast slugs or the Winchester 100-grain lead flat-points. Best load with the

A word of caution:

The World's Finest Sporting Rifles are now available once again in all 27 calibers, from the American .222 to the various European metrics such as 7x57.

IMPORTED EXCLUSIVELY BY:

HANDLOADER Magazine

Remington lead bullet was 2.9 grains of 230P. The best jacketed bullet load coupled 8.7 grains of 630P and the Winchester SP, sparked by a CCI 550 primer. Don’t expect expansion from this bullet a t 950 feet per second.

Rumor has it that it is tough to gel really good accuracy out of a handgun cartridge designed during the black powder era due to excessive capacity for modern powders. There may be a modicum of truth to this theory. The only other “black powder” cartridge I’ve had experience with is the .45 Colt. I’ve yet to own a gun chambered for the big Colt case that would consistently stay under 2% inches at 25 yards. I t may well be the cartridge because one of these guns, a Ruger Blackhawk Convertible, would print around an inch-and-a-half all day with the .45 ACP cylinder in place.

When developing loads for the .32-20, don’t be too dismayed to see an occasional bullet go through the target sideways. Some combinations of bullet and powder are so incompatible it defies belief! (I’ve found this to be true of the .45 Colt as well). Pairing Unique with either of the 100-grain lead bullets produced some of the wildest flyers I’ve ever witnessed.

I have never had such difficulty developing accurate loads for any revolver cartridge except the .45 Colt. I tried more bullet/powder combinations for this gun than any I’ve ever owned. After firing nearly 1,200 rounds I have found only five loads tha t will group ten shots, machine-rest, into less than three inches a t 25 yards. Please take into consideration that I have had extensive experience with only one .32-20 revolver. I have, however, fired a few factory loads through a six-inch Smith & Wesson; results were about the same as in my gun.

The .32-20 is probably a fine rifle cartridge. I don’t know; I’ve never owned one. As a handgun round, I have mixed emotions. Accuracy of my gun was acceptable - barely. Velocity and power was nothing to crow about. Maybe I expected too much out of the old gun. . . probably so. I suppose I had been indoctrinated into expecting 1,300 to 1,500 fps velocities and maybe a stout, long-barreled sixgun will give these figures; my short-barreled, medium- framed gun won’t come close, even with light bullets.

If a person is inclined toward considerable experimentation (and pa- tience), an accurate load can be found. Hopefully, some of the loads developed in my gun will shoot equally well in others. As for velocity, 1’11 let others make a high-performance round out of this 92-year-old cartridge. The .32-20 isn’t a bad sixgun cartridge. . .just contrary.

0

November-December 1974

dge’s decision: “To build a rifle around

Hornady’s 270 grain 375 cal. Spire Point Bnllt”

/ .M2“

if05 rtd“

“In early 1973, I wrote for information on your new 270 Grain 375 cal. Spire Point Bullet After looking at your performance charts, I knew I must have a rifle of this caliber. The photo tells the results. One target, shot at 100-200-300 yds. (top to bottom). I call it the best game rifle I ever owned.” -

-*. 6wp

Judge Andrew J. Williams

.” CALIFORNIA

Judge Williams went on to say that his new wildcat .375- 300 Win. combination shoots very flat: He sighted 2” high at 100 yds., and shot %” high at 200 yds. and 4” low at 300 yds. Perhaps you’ll never have a custom rifle for a wildcat cartridge built to a specific Hornady bullet. But in any gun you can be sure that Hornady’s precision manufac- turing techniques assure optimum bullet performance. The rest is up toyourgun, and you. It’s worth making your next purchase Hornady.

How about Your expenence with Hornadv Bullets. Tell us about rt. Perhaps your story should be featured on the BULLETIN BOARD

ornady H u l l e t s HORNADY MANUFACTURING CO P 0 Box 1848 Dept H-11 Grand Island Nebr 68801

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