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I have some 180gn lubed and gas-checked lead bullets (boolits) that I intend loading for my No 4 with Alliant Unique. The Lyman Cast Bullet loading book gives a load of 13.5-16gn for this powder for 180 and 185gn bullets but no other bullet weights. Is there a published load table anywhere for cast bullets of various weights? I have seen 200gn cast bullets for sale and so would want an idea starting load for these.
Many thanks

Consult Ed Harris's seminal (based on Mattern) Cast Bullet loads in Military Rifles a copy of which is in the Library here.

The Lyman 49th Edition quotes loads for 200gn cast bullets with Unique for the .303 as follows.

Start load 11.0gn Unique, suggested M/v 1310fps

Never exceed load 14.5gn Unique, suggested M/v 1549fps

No pressures given.

Test rifle No.1 Mk.3*

ukrifleman.

dromia wrote:Consult Ed Harris's seminal (based on Mattern) Cast Bullet loads in Military Rifles a copy of which is in the Library here.

Good reading on that suggested source....neeed to get some of the correct molds now so I can load for the Finn 91...cheap shooting ammo with next to no bore wear = double win!

I use 160gn cast lead bullets in my downloads at our club for my smle/no.4/k31 and I use 11gns of unique in all 3 loads, as our range is only 2150fps range envelope and 50m long I find that's good enough and with Scopes on 2 of those rifles I take the center out (when benched!) cleaning can be a bitch!

I've looked at the ed harris article, what would you do, if you wanted to shoot some of dodgyrog's gas checked 303's (not sure on weight atm, as not at home) at 100 yards? (also, I suppose same question for his k31 boolit loads)

I would prefer to use a vhit powder, or bullseye if possible, but could use unique if pushed.

from the article it says 150gr plain based, 7gr bullseye for 100yrd, what difference does it make to loadings if it is gas checked?

No noticeable difference in velocity and pressure.

As to whether they would shoot better than plain based only your rifle and its targets will tell.

I use Vhitavuori powders based on Harris loadings.

Try doing a search on here it has been discussed many many times on here.

searching, I could only really see loads referring to n140, for full power loads, rather than 100yrd loadings for cast.

There is a lot of discussion on it I assure you.

I find N320 a good Bullseye equivalent as it is a tad slower, work up from 5 gns to around 8 in 2/10ths of a grain increments.

My 25 yrd load with 115 gn bullet over 5gns of N320 does me well out to 100 I only bother with a heavier, longer, bullet if I think the wind will be an issue.

Flat shooting bullets aren't so important at known distances.