The UK's Finest Independent Forum for Shooters and Gun Owners. Est 2010.

OAL = overall lentgh gauge.

Ovenpaa aka the shed??? how do I make contact with this gentleman, as I have not enough posts for a PM as yet!

I have sent him a message for you

The sheds cartridge overall length gauge is one of the best on the market in my opinion.
http://www.shootingshed.co.uk/oscom/

I am going to start reloading in the next couple of weeks. I am going to use Lapua cases, CCI large rifle primers and Remington 147Gr and 149Gr FMJ. developing first minimum loads and then work up in small increments in conjunction with the chronograph, to find the best load for my rifle. I expect to shoot these on 100 - 600m ranges. I chose these bullet weights as they are similar to the milsurp ammo I have been using. Later on I would like to perhaps try the Hornady AMAX 150 and 155 Grain bullets for longer range. Whilst it was easy buying all the reloading kit, it has not been easy finding the bullets and powder. I was all set to buy H Varget, when I found it was not available, so have since been searching for a powder with similar burning characteristics. One possibility is VV N-140. I would like to ask fellow reloaders if they have used this powder with similar weight bullets and how they have found it. Can you suggest other powders that might be suitable? I have read and reread my reloading manual several times to get all this into my head, fitted the press and other equipment to my reloading bench and once I decide on a suitable powder, feel confident to make a start.

Forget the 147 & 149 gr bullets and go direct to 155. Use either the Sierra 2155 (old Palma) or the 2156 (new Palma), or the Hornady custom 155.
155s will out shoot the 147/149 especially on wind drift. Load to a AOL of 2.8" unless you are using thee 2156, in which case load them to 2.9".
Use either N140 or TR140 and get them to about 2950 fps to consistently shoot at long range.
600 yds is considered as short range in the Target Rifle world.
I use the Sierra 2156 exclusively for all my shooting from 300-1100 yds with TR140 behind them.
To get them to 2950 fps you will exceed all published data but the chronograph is you friend.
If you are only shooting short range, 600 yds or less, then a velocity of 2750 is quite adequate.

+1 with Steve E go straight to the 155gr SMK's
I used these in both my No4 actioned 7.62x51 rifles one Envoy the other a Charnwood conversion No4 out to 1000yds with no problems at all. I used both H4895 and N140 powder but TR140 is cheaper.

Powder wise go with something that you can source easily. I my self love the ramshot powders and use TAC, wildbore, big game and magnum. N140 is a great powder and if you buy in the 3.5kg tubs good value. I'm going to try the new RS52 as its supposed to be a great new powder in many of the chamberings I load for. For 155's either TAC wildbore or n140 will get them going well. Wildbore will give you great velocity more than the other 2

Dannywayoflife wrote:Powder wise go with something that you can source easily. I my self love the ramshot powders and use TAC, wildbore, big game and magnum. N140 is a great powder and if you buy in the 3.5kg tubs good value. I'm going to try the new RS52 as its supposed to be a great new powder in many of the chamberings I load for. For 155's either TAC wildbore or n140 will get them going well. Wildbore will give you great velocity more than the other 2

Oh Fkin ell it lives....ello flower. How is one?

Yes mate, I am thinking of running down my powder stocks (keeping the load data of course) and looking at RS52 across the board. It seems very benign/flexible from what Nigel and the FTR lot are saying. Apparently it produces velocity without being spikey and seems to suit all 3 of the chamberings I bugger about with so I will get some and test it (although 308 is a given, Bradders has tested it with 223 77Gr and it looked good, and they have 303 data available, it would seem ideal for that as it is supposed not to be peaky).

The 7.62x51 V 308 thing also covers a slightly longer headspace for the 762 (as a military spec chambering it needs to allow for many millions of rounds being churned out of potentially tired tooling from all over the world....and a potentially dirty chamber) and the ,308 is meant to have a higher pressure spec (although I have seen this argued).

Some enfield based 762 target rifles (as John said) did gave tight barrels to deal with the old RG ammo, but Steve E will have forgotten more about this than I know.

To the OP, just work it up slowly. The older rifles are not as tolerant to over pressure as the modern heavy actioned target rifles

Dougan wrote:

dawncapel wrote:Certainly this will solve the availability issue as with components on the bench, I should be able to produce the ammo that I need.

Just one of the benefits of home-loading

If you want to be sure of where the bullet is in relation to your throat with your ammo, you can use an OAL gauge - Ovenpaa on here (trading as the SHED) makes a gauge that I recon is much better than another 'well known brand'...he can even tap some of your once-fired cases to fit the gauge...

Hi John, as it goes I need a couple of 303 cases tapping (I am going to try actually developing a load for the old lee....its been too long coming and she is worth better) so they will be off to Mr B.

Look folks, I know I know Dave and see him as a friend (that's your sales buggered mate sorry clapclap ) but Dougan speaketh not with forked tongue.

My advice (for what its worth) is that if you are starting out in reloading, your best friend is decent measuring kit.

There is a lot of "Brand loyalty" or "Brand snobbery" if you like. Lee is crap blah de blah, Redding is the mutts....You cant use anything but Forster dies in a forster press (bo...cks for the record, I use Redding, Sinclair, Lee, RCBS and Forster in mine) and a lot of it is born on hearsay or one off bad experiences.

Its true that some may need more experience than others to get the best out of (I trashed my 223 collet die on my first attempt) but you wont get the best out of anything without a decent measurement tool.

I would treat myself to a shed OAL gauge (I know I have a stony point one...hypocrite.....I don't think Dave was making them when I git it to be fair), 2 piece comparator, and a nice new Mitutoyo calliper.

My first revelation was that with the shed comparator I did not need to rotate anything or worry about where the base of the case was seated, it was held in alignment and there was no margin for slack, it just does what it says on the tin. It also taught me how capable even my cheap calliper was.

My next observation (when my £10 30 year old cheapo calliper finally coughed and shat itself) was that I had been (as my long dead grampy put it...apparently) "skinning a turd to save a farthing and spoiling a shilling knife"....or for the kids of the metric age,,,,,it was a false economy.

Everything in high end loading (or any safe loading really) hinges on measurement, and once you have a working load, consistency. The only way you might notice something is playing up (the shed dies make really good over pressure warning devices as well....if the case wont fit.....it might be an indicator) is by measuring it.

So yes, I don't like buying twice and crying twice, so the Sheds bits are well priced, well made, and worth a look (That's a tenner commission you owe me Bonwick )

I have just gone down the 223 route, it has cost me a Shed Rod guide, comparator, annealing cup, and a set of Lee dies.....its never cheap is it??

I would suggest that you only want to buy this stuff once, so buy the best you can afford, and don't shy away from second hand, I picked up a Redding micrometer controlled thrower a while back for £20. It just needed a new plastic tube and a good clean...bargain.