K.I.S.S. with the Lee Loader...

I have been working on establishing a safe and viable alternative to the .311" 174grn BTHP or FMJ-BT produced by Sierra, PPU and Hornady. The projectile is 170grns and is .312". It is intended for use in the 7.62x54R but being that it is .312" diameter, makes for a perfect candidate for use in the Lee-Enfield Rifle. I have a relic of a Lee Loader and there is a charge table using 37grns of IMR4320 with bullet weights between 170 to 215. I started doing some more research and I found 303B load data dating back to the early 1960's for bullet weights between 170 to 215 using IMR4064, IMR4895 and IMR3031. These loads are considered "Out Dated" but, are still very practical and very safe when loading for an antiquated LE rifle. The 170grn  projectile is made by PPU and is a FMJ-BT.  When seated to the cannelure, the C.O.L. is 3.085".  To me, that is very acceptable. I currently have 6LBS of IMR3031 at my disposal and the ancient load data for that gives a Starting Charge Weight of 34.5grns and a MV of 2100 and a Maximum Charge Weight of 38.5 and a MV of 2400. I have come to the conclusion that a Starting Charge Weight of exactly 36.0grns will be adequate for testing purposes. I will weigh each charge because, why not? I am going to use the Lee Loader for every step. So far, everything is a "GO" and I will update as soon as I can get to the range...

shiloh wrote: Back in the 80`s all I had was the 303 whack-a-mole loader and looking through my old load data I was using 175 gr sp bullets with 36grns of 3031. these were my ground hog loads and very effective as I recall.

Shamu wrote: I reloaded on a lee Whack-a-mole for ever. Its perfectly good tool for the purpose. BUT, it only neck sizes so your ammo is restricted to the same chamber it was fires in. The Lee load tables a famously mild, but there's nothing wrong with them. I'd ass a set of the dippers simply because they open up a much wider powder choice than the one supplied with the kit. I've never felt the need to individually weigh or trickle, dippers have always been fine for me & I've check weighed them to confirm this but there is a technique to using one well. The "D" method. Pour some powder of choice in a wide mouth fairly shallow container of a suitable size. Push the scoop inverted down into the powder. Slowly rotate to facing UP as you pull through the powder till it clears the surface, making a "D" shaped path. It should do a full 180° turn while submerged & exit as close to vertical as it breaks the surface. Tap gently on edge of container once.

Twenty years ago an old fellow at work have me a full box of CIL  215 gr RN. I loaded them up a couple of years ago after annealing the brass. They looked pretty nasty! If memory serves me, I used 38 gr of IMR powder. Real thumpers, those were! Especially in the No. 5! Never did kill anything with them so I can only assume they'd hit pretty hard.

Based on the general equation for kinetic energy, Ek=½mv2, which directly uses mass (m) and velocity (v), the following formula is used to calculate the kinetic energy of a projectile (expressed in foot-pounds):

E=(W*V2)/(14000*gc).

In this formula, W = weight of projectile, in grains; V = velocity, in feet per second; gc= gravitational constant, 32.174 ft/s2x14000= (450436)

so you`d have 1434ft.lbs at the point 1895ft/s was measured

Still that`s like dropping an entire small car on a 1/4" point at speed, that`s one way of realizing the potential of a small object traveling really fast!! simply devastating.

OldManMontgomery. Thank you for that tidbit of information.