Getting back into reloading

[armycar01]

Hey Everybody,

After a very long break I am getting back into reloading and have forgotten a few things.  I have a few questions just to make sure I keep everything safe.

I have an old 8x57 Turkish Mauser that is the primary rifle I reload for.  I haven't shot this gun in probably two years, for the life of me I don't know why, but as I was going through some things today I realized that I have enough stuff to reload 200+ more cartridges.

Anyway, I have several of the 185 gr. Core Lokt bullets and IMR4350 powder.  I am not sure where all my old load data is so I went searching the internet.  I found a couple people with old Mausers loading this combo at 49 to 50 gr. of powder.  I'm not so much worried about speed or knock down power, this is just a fun gun to shoot.  Would I be safe loading something like 45 gr. of powder in this combo?

Correct me if I'm wrong, but if you cannot find the exact combo for the bullet weight and the powder you are using, you can use the amount of powder listed (same type of powder) for the next higher weight bullet, right?

Finally, I bought a lot of surplus ammo back in the day for this thing,  I am thinking 196 gr. Yugo and 154 gr. Turk I think it was (I have it labeled at home, can't look now).  A lot of them I thought had hard primers (which I later found out were likely okay, that I just needed a stiffer firing pin spring) so I pulled the bullets and saved the powder.  For each cartridge I weighed the powder charge and found the average.  I was able to find all this documentation today from before.  My thoughts were, I could reload the matching bullet to the matching powder at a slightly lighter charge than what came originally in new Remington brass.  For example, say the Turk Loads had a max of 41 gr. of powder, with the 154 gr. bullet.  Would it be safe to put 37-41 gr. of the Turk powder in new Remington brass under the Turk 154 gr. bullet?

I know this is a lot of questions but I didn't realize how much I'd missed reloading my own ammo, and just want to make sure I get back into it safely.

Thanks for any insight!

[Bob J]

Typically if I have to go to the internet I try to use either the powder or the bullet manufacturers data....  Have found it far more reliable than forum posts unless I personally know the person doing the posting....

Here is the Hodgdon site I would use for this powder:  http://data.hodgdon.com/cartridge_load.asp

Anyway, I have several of the 185 gr. Core Lokt bullets and IMR4350 powder.  I am not sure where all my old load data is so I went searching the internet.  I found a couple people with old Mausers loading this combo at 49 to 50 gr. of powder.  I'm not so much worried about speed or knock down power, this is just a fun gun to shoot.  Would I be safe loading something like 45 gr. of powder in this combo?

Based on Hodgdon the load for a 8x57 using IMR4350 with a 200gr bullet (No 185 gr for that powder is listed) starts at 49.0 and maxes at 54.0 compressed...  Am not familiar with this powder but as a general rule I don't like go below the starting load as some powders don't perform consistently and you could have a problem.... 

Correct me if I'm wrong, but if you cannot find the exact combo for the bullet weight and the powder you are using, you can use the amount of powder listed (same type of powder) for the next higher weight bullet, right?

Correct.....  Given the higher bullet weight listed for your powder I would start just above the minimum load....  My starting point would be 50.0 grains and I would ladder up from there....

Finally, I bought a lot of surplus ammo back in the day for this thing,  I am thinking 196 gr. Yugo and 154 gr. Turk I think it was (I have it labeled at home, can't look now).  A lot of them I thought had hard primers (which I later found out were likely okay, that I just needed a stiffer firing pin spring) so I pulled the bullets and saved the powder.  For each cartridge I weighed the powder charge and found the average.  I was able to find all this documentation today from before.  My thoughts were, I could reload the matching bullet to the matching powder at a slightly lighter charge than what came originally in new Remington brass.  For example, say the Turk Loads had a max of 41 gr. of powder, with the 154 gr. bullet.  Would it be safe to put 37-41 gr. of the Turk powder in new Remington brass under the Turk 154 gr. bullet?

Personally I would not do this but I am a cautious SOB....;- )   My concern would be the powder potentially deteriorating and the fact that it is a powder I have no prior experience with....  If I had this situation I would reuse the bullets and brass with a load based on one of my normal "go to" non corrosive powders.....  For me the cost of the powder would not be worth the potential problems.....

Hopefully this is a help.....;- )

[huntducks]

Everything Bob J said I agree with.

Start a campfire with the pulled powder.....

[armycar01]

Thanks guys,

I'm thinking I agree with y'all on the old powder.  I am wondering though, When looking at the Hodgdon and IMR powders, is IMR 4350 the same as H4350 for loads?

For the old 196 gr. bullets I pulled I can use the load data of the 200 gr. bullets.  What about the 154 gr. bullets?  The closest data I see for my powder is the 200 gr. bullet.  Does that mean that my powder likely isn't suited for that weight of bullet and that I will need to buy another type?  I'm not against buying more, simply curious.

Thanks again everybody

[Bob J]

Yes, IMR 4350 and H4350 are the same....  The fact that it's not listed for any other weight usually indicates that there are better (and safer) powders to load....  You have to be careful if you stray too far from the safe  listed loads without knowing or having experience with the powder you are considering using....  It's not as simple as just loading less...  Some powders have a vary narrow safe range of loads and can be as dangerous with light loads as well as excessive loads....   I would consider going with another powder that you know would be safe for these bullets.....

Thanks guys,

I'm thinking I agree with y'all on the old powder.  I am wondering though, When looking at the Hodgdon and IMR powders, is IMR 4350 the same as H4350 for loads?

For the old 196 gr. bullets I pulled I can use the load data of the 200 gr. bullets.  What about the 154 gr. bullets?  The closest data I see for my powder is the 200 gr. bullet.  Does that mean that my powder likely isn't suited for that weight of bullet and that I will need to buy another type?  I'm not against buying more, simply curious.

Thanks again everybody