A few bits and pieces.
In between rain showers today I checked out the 430 gr FPGC Trushot "Premium Silver Alloy Bullet", $28.99/50 including shipping from Oregon tails, I received yesterday. This is one good looking pill.
I weighed half the box and was pleasantly surprised at the very small range...3 gr...I've had that much and more in some brands of jacketed bullets, but most of the cast lead bullets I've used run closer to two or three times that range. The bullets weighed from 436 to 439 gr. The bullet measured 1.1"OAL and the crimp groove was 0.675" from the base, again very uniform in the 25 I measured. Part of the variance could be in the lube and the gas checks. I didn't check the ogives for variance, I will wait until I start plugging the targets...or not...depends on the groups.
These bullets gave me a COAL of 3.14" to the lands in MY rifle...yours may differ.
I used Lyman 45-70 dies adjusted to handle the 45-100 case, one case for the testing procedure and it lasted 6 firings before getting too thin at the "expansion joint" to try any more firings. I use once fired cases for hunting so they are expanded full length to fit the chamber. My experience in all the weapons I've used has taught me this simple rule. I also use one case for load development until it wears out so the case volume, therefore velocity increases, stay as uniform as possible for that run.
The case lengthened 0.007"-0.010" per cycle and I trimmed it back to 2.6" and cleaned the primer pocket each cycle and I deburred the flash hole. I didn't weigh or mike the neck this being a relatively "straight walled cartridge", the expander was adjusted to form a gas check deep "expansion ring" to start the bullet easier, but the case wasn't belled out because of the way the button is designed. I DIDN"T crimp, this being a single shot and this ball powder is easy to ignite. I used WLR primers but will also try Fed 210 Match sometime.
I ran the numbers through LfromD and checked it against two other manuals that include the 45-100 and also against the 458 WM as these two cases have similar case volumes...the 45-100 having about 5 gr more capacity.
The first powder I tried is AA2230 starting at 66 gr and increasing in 2 gr increments to 70 gr, then dropped to one grain increments to 73 gr and marked the case each firing. First round I seated to the crimp groove 3.025" COAL all the rest were 3.14" COAL.
First round Beta Chrony was 2177fs/47.2 KCUP, which agreed with the number crunching within statistical limits. I stopped at 73 gr - 2359/50 KCUP. I had a velocity error for the 70gr load, (too close to the chrono), velocity was increasing about 30 fs per round for the first 3 rounds, 71 gr gave 2262 fs, 72 - 2359 fs and 73 - 2305 fs....pretty much a normal progression which includes average differences due to normal hi/lo range spreads. Once I start targeting I will use 3 cases, 3 round groups and include the SD's for those interested.
All cases ejected easily...when the pressures get a bit stiff in every Handi I have the spring loaded ejector stops ejecting when the case sticks against the chamber wall even slightly..a very good safe load indicator.
For an almost 440 gr bullet 2360 fs is a very respectable velocity...puts this BC in the 416 RM/458 WM/416 Rigby factory load category. There is still room to grow here, but I won't post any of that data if I continue on a little farther as this load is pretty much at published pressure max for this receiver and I DON'T or WON'T recommend going any farther.
I still have a couple more powders I want to try with this bullet...Varget, RL15 and BLC2...to see how the powder/density/velocity graph works out, but I think AA2230 and AA2460 will be the best fits as they were in the 460 Boondoggle McWildman...by then I should have the 500 gr plus bullets in.
For those who are recoil sensitive or just want to know...in this 11 lb BC at 2350 f/s, 435 gr bullet, 73 gr powder charge the Recoil Velocity is 17 f/s, Recoil Energy is 49.8 ft lbs....OH GOD, OUCH, SEVERE and "SLAP YOU INTO NEXT WEEK", on ye ol' hurt me some more, I love it, meter...
I LIKE this shooter...only problem is finding a gun bearer to haul all that weight around.
...it will be a grind to haul it the 100 yds out to my bench and back again...at least for this broke d**k steer. LOL