Trail Boss powder in a SML......
Jul 10, 2013 14:39:29 GMT -5
Post by Richard on Jul 10, 2013 14:39:29 GMT -5
Trail Boss cowboy action powder in a SML?
Well, Tuesday was so humid I could hear my Rem. blued ML just rusting awaySmile. I started out at 73* with 85% humidity, sunny/hazy with little to no wind at our range in the North Carolina foothills. Last weeks session had similar temperature and humidity conditions but was threatening rain and therefore I did not put out the chronograph and only one .9” five shot group with 230 XTP sized in a smooth die so I did not post anything. I was also using up some odds and ends bullets.
This week I was still in the process of using up various bullets that had either been sized for a different barrel, then knurled, the resized. Some full form sized by FERGY and then smooth sized by me. All targets shot at 100 yards. Had other guns to play withSmile
Target #1 was shot with a 300 gr. Sierra Pistol bullet that started out with a big flat meplat. I chucked five in my drill press and held a file against the lead tip and trimmed it down to almost a point (maybe a 1/10” meplat). This was pushed by a 7/60 duplex of Clays and H-4198. The ES for five shots was 7.6 fps! Without the first fouler shot, the ES would have been TWO fps! It also was the high shot of the group.
In #2, I used a 300 gr. XTP “type” blem I got from Midway. I then slightly pinched the meplat a little smaller and then epoxy glued in a standard copper BB for 305 grains. Same duplex as in #1. When I went to load the first shot, it was too tight and did not want to go down........but left the nose sticking up. A vise grip and a hammer allowed me to pop it back out but some what crimped the nose. I then ran it thru my Swinglock sizing die a few marks smaller and while it had popped the BB out, I figured I would shoot it anyway....at an out of the way place on the bottom of my target board. Hmmmmm..............it actually hit where the next five were shot so I just measured and added it to the group with a felt tip pen. Note shot #4? It was 32 fps slower than the average and consequently low in the group.
So last week my friend Bill suggested I try Trail Boss powder the ML. He has been playing with it in his .308 and Mosin Nygant . Pushing 150 gr. bullets at around 1700 fps. Low noise level and almost no recoil and just a fun load to play with. So he brought some to the range and with Herman’s little electronic scale, we weighted out 18 gr. charges. I started with a 250 gr. XTP and got an average of 1301 fps with a 30 fps ES. The first two of four shots landed in the same hole and the four shot group was 1.6”. Not bad for a young boy or girl going hunting with Pop Pop! Next, with the same 18 gr. I pushed a 300 XTP mag. to an average of 1192 fps with a 44 ES. This group went 3.4” and strung vertical right into my other Trail Boss group. I have been thinking about loading up some 25 gr. charges and see how it fares?
For target #5 I had some 290 Barnes TSX bullets that FERGY full form sized for me but was running into some seating problems........I subsequently resized them in my smooth Swinglock die and used that same 7/63...Clays/H-4198 duplex. While the five shot group was strung some what vertical, it was only 1.0” and four of the five measured .670”!
For the last group of the day, I had some .458” Hornady #4500 bullets (look like XTP’s) that FERGY also sized for me and again had trouble with seating. Re-sized them also in the Swinglock. These were pushed by a 10/65 .... Clays/H-322 duplex at 2573 fps with a 16 fps ES and a pretty nice round 1.0” group.
OK, when I got home I checked the vent liner (oh, no gas cutting what so ever) and it had opened up to .045” after 28 shots. In the past I have put 35 shots, all clays duplexes thru these vents and the largest opening I got was .042” This week, the first time I used Trail Boss shooting less shots, I get the biggest opening? Now mind you, my last group was a nice 1” five shot with a low ES and NO bulging of primers, no gas leakage around the cup, clean as a whistle! Go figure?
So, while I was thinking of upping the Trail Boss to 25 gr. I might be changing my mind about that? Herman was playing with Clays and Trail Boss as starter charges with H-4198. What he found was the Trail Boss gave him 200 fps less velocity than the Clays. I think it was the 7/63 duplex that I was using.
Whatever, I think this Trail Boss does have merit for nice low velocity accurate loads.
Richard
Well, Tuesday was so humid I could hear my Rem. blued ML just rusting awaySmile. I started out at 73* with 85% humidity, sunny/hazy with little to no wind at our range in the North Carolina foothills. Last weeks session had similar temperature and humidity conditions but was threatening rain and therefore I did not put out the chronograph and only one .9” five shot group with 230 XTP sized in a smooth die so I did not post anything. I was also using up some odds and ends bullets.
This week I was still in the process of using up various bullets that had either been sized for a different barrel, then knurled, the resized. Some full form sized by FERGY and then smooth sized by me. All targets shot at 100 yards. Had other guns to play withSmile
Target #1 was shot with a 300 gr. Sierra Pistol bullet that started out with a big flat meplat. I chucked five in my drill press and held a file against the lead tip and trimmed it down to almost a point (maybe a 1/10” meplat). This was pushed by a 7/60 duplex of Clays and H-4198. The ES for five shots was 7.6 fps! Without the first fouler shot, the ES would have been TWO fps! It also was the high shot of the group.
In #2, I used a 300 gr. XTP “type” blem I got from Midway. I then slightly pinched the meplat a little smaller and then epoxy glued in a standard copper BB for 305 grains. Same duplex as in #1. When I went to load the first shot, it was too tight and did not want to go down........but left the nose sticking up. A vise grip and a hammer allowed me to pop it back out but some what crimped the nose. I then ran it thru my Swinglock sizing die a few marks smaller and while it had popped the BB out, I figured I would shoot it anyway....at an out of the way place on the bottom of my target board. Hmmmmm..............it actually hit where the next five were shot so I just measured and added it to the group with a felt tip pen. Note shot #4? It was 32 fps slower than the average and consequently low in the group.
So last week my friend Bill suggested I try Trail Boss powder the ML. He has been playing with it in his .308 and Mosin Nygant . Pushing 150 gr. bullets at around 1700 fps. Low noise level and almost no recoil and just a fun load to play with. So he brought some to the range and with Herman’s little electronic scale, we weighted out 18 gr. charges. I started with a 250 gr. XTP and got an average of 1301 fps with a 30 fps ES. The first two of four shots landed in the same hole and the four shot group was 1.6”. Not bad for a young boy or girl going hunting with Pop Pop! Next, with the same 18 gr. I pushed a 300 XTP mag. to an average of 1192 fps with a 44 ES. This group went 3.4” and strung vertical right into my other Trail Boss group. I have been thinking about loading up some 25 gr. charges and see how it fares?
For target #5 I had some 290 Barnes TSX bullets that FERGY full form sized for me but was running into some seating problems........I subsequently resized them in my smooth Swinglock die and used that same 7/63...Clays/H-4198 duplex. While the five shot group was strung some what vertical, it was only 1.0” and four of the five measured .670”!
For the last group of the day, I had some .458” Hornady #4500 bullets (look like XTP’s) that FERGY also sized for me and again had trouble with seating. Re-sized them also in the Swinglock. These were pushed by a 10/65 .... Clays/H-322 duplex at 2573 fps with a 16 fps ES and a pretty nice round 1.0” group.
OK, when I got home I checked the vent liner (oh, no gas cutting what so ever) and it had opened up to .045” after 28 shots. In the past I have put 35 shots, all clays duplexes thru these vents and the largest opening I got was .042” This week, the first time I used Trail Boss shooting less shots, I get the biggest opening? Now mind you, my last group was a nice 1” five shot with a low ES and NO bulging of primers, no gas leakage around the cup, clean as a whistle! Go figure?
So, while I was thinking of upping the Trail Boss to 25 gr. I might be changing my mind about that? Herman was playing with Clays and Trail Boss as starter charges with H-4198. What he found was the Trail Boss gave him 200 fps less velocity than the Clays. I think it was the 7/63 duplex that I was using.
Whatever, I think this Trail Boss does have merit for nice low velocity accurate loads.
Richard
