Author: britrifles
Subject: 215 gr Woodleigh and IMR4064
Posted: July 20 2018 at 5:55am
Subject: 215 gr Woodleigh and IMR4064
Posted: July 20 2018 at 5:55am
 Goosic wrote:Exactly HT. Everyone has their own preference when it comes to reloads and reloading. I will always err on the caution side. I want to have fun when I'm out shooting. I don't want to come home in a bodybag because I decided I wanted to try to squeeze an extra 50 fps out of my,"Tack driving,lumbering,sometimes fly's sideways,.303 round?" The load data I supplied with the IMR4064 powder came directly out of a NORMA reloading manual and I have used that same book for damn near 35 years now. Still alive to tell you this. Let's be extremely honest hear now. The original design was to create a round that was effective at killing stuff. It was never intended to be a target round or bench rest sub MOA round. The .303 Epps and the .303 Ackley Improved? Still not too much going on for it there, ballistically speaking. You want a flat trajectory round with some speed behind it? .220 Swift,.243 Winchester,.264 Winchester Mag,. 300 Win Mag,.30-416,.338 Lapua. |
I completely agree with this statement. I would also add that one should be cautious even with published data, there is a LOT of variation in maximum charge for any particular bullet and powder combination. I've got numerous reloading books: Sierra, Hornady, Lyman, Speer; and for some of the cartridges I load I've also got The Complete Reloading Manual that covers many bullet makers and powder makers data. I've also got some old manuals, some go back to the late 1950's. Powder manufacturers change their compositions over time and you should also be cautious in using old data with new powder.
When I develop a new load, I review all the data I have for that particular bullet and the powder I'm using. Always start on the low end (although be careful here too, don't use reduced loads unless you are sure the power you select is suitable for that purpose). A chrono is a big help to confirm velocities.
A lesson I learned some years back is that I had reloaded and shot probably close to 1000 rounds of 174 gr. SMK with Re 15 using published data that was close to or at the max. The accuracy in my No. 4 was very good with this load, but when I eventually chrono'ed the load it was well above 2550 fps. I don't know what the pressure was, but it surely had to be high. I backed way off of this load and found that accuracy was still very acceptable, even for competitive match shooting. I had erroneously believed that best accuracy would be at or near the max.
Although the Lee Enfield was not designed as a target rifle, it is very satisfactory for use in vintage Service Rifle competition; it has a long history of success in this role. Reloading for competitive shooting takes a slightly different approach than reloading for hunting purposes. We don't need a bullet that expands on impact. We need consistency on the target. Low recoil is also a significant advantage, especially in rapid fire. Long range shooting does limit bullet selection and higher velocities have an advantage, so be careful here too.