HANDLOADERHANDLOADER®

Ammunition Reloading Journal

RIFLE’S

NEW IMR Red Pistol Powder

Loads for a Model 71 .348 Winchester

Digging Up RaReBRass anD pRojectiles

Extreme TemperaturePowder Testing

CZ 527American6.5 Grendel

6.5-284 Norma Match & Hunting Loads

December 2017 No. 311

Display until 1/15/18 Printed in USA

HANDLOADERHANDLOADER®

Ammunition Reloading Journal

RIFLE’S

December 2017 No. 311

NEW IMR Red Pistol Powder

Loads for a Model 71 .348 Winchester

Digging Up RaReBRass anD pRojectiles

Extreme TemperaturePowder Testing

CZ 527American6.5 Grendel

6.5-284 Norma Match & Hunting Loads FEATURES

On the cover . . .The CZ 527 American 6.5 Grendel is topped off with a GPO 4-12x 42mm Passion scope. Photo by Chris Downs.

Page 70 . . .

4 www.handloadermagazine.com

Page 34 . . .

COLUMNS

Handloader 311

Page 28 . . .

64 Lyman 50th Edition Reloading Handbook Book Reviews - R.H. VanDenburg, Jr.

70 The Strange Tale of Harold Gerlich In Range - Terry Wieland

6 Handloading, Old School Reloader’s Press - Dave Scovill

10 Long Range Shooting Part II: Components Practical Handloading - Rick Jamison

14 Colt Offical Police .38-44 Loads Bullets & Brass - Brian Pearce

18 .375 Flanged Nitro Express (2 1/2) Cartridge Board - Gil Sengel

22 IMR Red Propellant Profiles - R.H. VanDenburg, Jr.

24 Sixgun Tips for Cast and Jacketed Bullets From the Hip - Brian Pearce

28 Shooting the .50-95 WCF Mike’s Shootin’ Shack - Mike Venturino

30 7mm JRS Wildcat Cartridges - Richard Mann

34 6.5 Grendel Handloads Testing CZ’s 527 American Bolt Rifle John Haviland

40 Rifle Powder Temperature Sensitivity Testing Modern Powders in Hot and Cold Conditions John Barsness

46 Quality Cartridge and Hawk Bullets Digging Up Rare Brass and Projectiles Terry Wieland

50 The .348 Winchester Loads for a Winchester Model 71 R.H. VanDenburg, Jr.

56 6.5-284 Norma Loads for Match Shooting and Hunting Brian Pearce

Page 10 . . .

Page 30 . . .

24 www.handloadermagazine.com Handloader 311

I have often been asked if I prefer cast or jacketed bullets

for sixguns. I like and use both, as each can produce top perfor-mance, though there are certain applications where one works bet-ter than the other.

There was a time when all six-gun bullets were constructed more or less of pure lead. The velocities associated with early sixgun car-tridges such as the .45 Colt, .44 Special and .38 Special, as well as short rifle cartridges chambered in revolvers, including the .44-40, .38-40 and .32-20 Winchester, were generally under 1,000 fps. At these velocities, lead bullets worked very well and still do. Granted, all of the above cartridges started life as black-powder numbers and needed the relatively soft lead (around 5 to 6 BHN) so the base of the bullet would obturate and form a gas seal at lower pressures. This was essential to prevent foul-ing and obtain accuracy.

Handgun ammunition began to change with the development of

autoloading pistol cartridges, such as the .30 and 9mm Lugers and .45 ACP, etc., the bullets for which received some form of jacket to help prevent fouling in the vari-ous pistol actions and bores. Six-gun loads changed little, however, until the advent of .38-44 High Ve-locity loads that appeared in 1930

(a high-pressure version of the .38 Special cartridge designed for use in heavy “44”-frame guns, that pro-pelled a 158-grain bullet to around 1,100 fps from most revolvers). While factory loads contained lead bullets, select loads, such as the “metal piercing” versions, were first fitted with a special steel tip and al-

FROM THE HIP by Brian Pearce

Sixgun tiPS foR caSt and Jacketed BulletS

Cast bullets are economical, produce minimal barrel wear and are ideal in standard- pressure cartridges such as the .45 Colt.

Cast bullets that seat and crimp to a length that exceeds SAAMI standards usually chamber properly in most revolvers.

Jacketed bullets offer reliable expansion and are generally very accurate.

25December-January 2018 www.handloadermagazine.com

loyed lead bullet. These were soon changed to feature a steel jacket and eventually a copper jacket. Al-though the production costs were increased, ammunition manufac-turers discovered that jacketed bullets were especially easy to load on their automated machinery and eliminated barrel leading.

But there were other problems that still exist today, including sig-nificantly greater barrel wear. For many years Smith & Wesson indi-cated that its revolvers were “pri-marily designed for ammunition with plain lead bullets, and we rec-ommend this type of cartridge to maintain the utmost accuracy for the maximum length of time. Metal jacketed bullets may be used, but have a tendency to cause greater barrel wear.” Granted, modern barrels are constructed of better, more erosion-resistant steels than vintage guns, but the fact remains that jacketed bullets wear barrels at an accelerated rate.

Of much greater concern is the possibility of sticking a jacketed

bullet in the bore when fired from a low-pressure cartridge. This should be of special concern to handloaders, as there is a consid-erable amount of published data for .38 and .44 Specials, .45 Colt and others that will stick bullets in the bore or come very close. In short, the pressure energy is in- sufficient to reliably push bullets from the barrel, which is com-pounded when a revolver has a tight bore or a large or excessive barrel-cylinder gap (greater than .012 inch), which further reduces velocities. Usually the same pow-der charge can be used in con-junction with a cast bullet of the same weight that will reliably exit the barrel. The reason is simple: Jacketed bullets require much greater force to be pushed down a barrel, whereas comparatively soft lead and hard cast bullets will slide down the barrel with much less force. When lubricated with high-quality lube, their resistance is reduced even more. As a result, cast bullets generally reach nota-

bly higher velocities when used with the same powder charge and are far less prone to sticking in a bore. For these reasons, I gener-ally favor cast (or lead) bullets in standard-pressure cartridges, or when magnum sixgun cartridges are loaded down to similar veloc-ities and pressures.

Jacketed revolver bullets are generally manufactured with a crimp cannelure that, when seated and crimped accordingly, are within the overall cartridge lengths established by the Sport-ing Arms and Ammunition Man-ufacturers’ Institute (SAAMI). In other words, they will function in all guns, including bolt-action and lever-action rifles that sometimes will not function with longer car-tridges. There are exceptions to this, such as the Hornady .44- and .45-caliber 300-grain XTP bullets that feature dual crimp cannelures and offer handloaders the option to seat bullets farther out to in-crease powder capacity.

Many cast bullet designs are in-

26 www.handloadermagazine.com Handloader 311

tended to increase sixgun perfor-mance and seat to overall lengths that exceed SAAMI specifications. Common examples include Elmer Keith designs loaded in the .357, .41 and .44 Magnums, .45 Colt and others, as well as LBT Long Flat Nose (LFN) bullets and similar designs. In most revolvers, but not all of them, this is not a prob-lem, as their cylinder lengths will readily accept longer cartridges. There are several advantages in seating to longer overall lengths, usually including better bullet- to-bore alignment, closer bullet proximity to the rifling to help re-duce skidding, and increased pow-der capacity. The latter feature lowers pressure, but most perfor-mance-minded shooters prefer to increase the powder charge until maximum pressures are reached, which naturally increases veloci-ties.

Cast and lead bullets are some-times criticized for causing barrel leading, which can be a legiti-mate concern; however, much of

this unjust reputation stems from magnum factory loads produced during the 1960s and 1970s. Fac-tories loaded .357 and .44 Magnum rounds with swaged lead, plain base bullets that had minimal lubricant and were pushed to 1,400 fps or faster. I vividly recall shoot-ing these loads in sixguns that had sparkly, clean bores, but af-ter firing just six rounds the bar- rels were so badly leaded that accuracy was horrible, and the rifling was completely coated with lead.

If handloaders use the correct bullet design that is properly al-loyed, leading can be very minimal or nonexistent, even when fired at magnum velocities. When a load is working properly, several thou-sand rounds can be fired without cleaning the barrel. I often clean powder residue and lubricant from the chambers, cylinder and inside the frame (for reliability) but not the bore.

A few guidelines that might help achieve top accuracy and prevent barrel leading when us-ing lead and cast bullets include limiting velocities to around 800 or 900 fps when loading compar-atively soft, swaged lead bullets from Hornady and Speer, which can be very accurate. When using commercial hard cast, bevel-base bullets (typically with a BHN of 15 to 22), velocities should be held to 1,000 fps or less. To help pre-vent fusion and bullet tilting in the throat, they usually shoot best when fired in guns with throat di-ameters that are close to the diam-eter of the bullet. For velocities of 1,000 to 1,100 fps or slower, plain-base bullets cast with a BHN of 10 and sized close to the same diameter as the revolver’s throat will perform well. When plain-base bullets, such as the Keith design, are shot at magnum velocities of 1,200 to 1,400 fps, it is preferable to cast them with a BHN of 14 but not over 16, and use a high-quality, soft lube. Some barrels may still be prone to leading, which may be the result of a rough or improperly cut forcing cone, a rough bore or imperfect chamber-to-bore align-

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27December-January 2018 www.handloadermagazine.com

ment. In these instances, switch-ing to a gas checked bullet can be an excellent solution.

While cast bullets can be care-fully alloyed and hollow-pointed to achieve perfect expansion, they are mostly known for offering deep penetration. Notable designs featuring a flat point (meplat) are extremely effective for hunting big game.

Jacketed bullets from compa-nies such as Hornady, Sierra, Nos-ler and Speer can offer outstanding accuracy and performance and are often very forgiving to imper-fect sixguns. For example, years ago I had a Smith & Wesson Model 29-5 .44 Magnum with a 6-inch barrel, nearly perfect chamber-ing, chamber and barrel alignment and a properly angled and smooth forcing cone. The bore, however, showed slight chatter (uneven waves) along about the last inch and a half. It wouldn’t shoot any cast bullet worth a darn but would commonly group Hornady and Nosler 240-grain jacketed HP bullets into around 2 inches at 50 yards.

If loading jacketed bullets in standard-pressure cartridges, due to their bore resistance, I gener-ally choose lighter than “stan-dard” bullet weights. In the .38 Special, for example, I drop from 158-grain lead bullets to 125- to not over 135-grain jacketed bul-lets. In the .44 Special, the stan-dard 246-grain lead RN bullet is replaced with 200- to 220-grain

When matched with correct loads, jacketed and cast bullets can provide good accuracy. Examples include a Colt New Frontier (left) .45 Colt with Oregon Trail 250-grain RNFP bullets and (right) a Ruger GP100 .357 Magnum with Hornady 158-grain XTP bullets.

jacketed examples, and the tra-ditional 250-grain lead bullet in the .45 Colt is changed to a 200- to 230-grain jacketed bullet. These changes reduce the amount of bullet-bearing surface and allow velocity to be increased, reducing the possibility of sticking a bul- let in the bore. Increased veloc-ity also allows reliable expan-sion, which generally cannot be accomplished with jacketed bul-lets of standard weight, at least if pressures are kept within industry guidelines.

Jacketed bullets are often cho-sen as they do not lead barrels; however, as is the case with rifles, they can leave enough copper fouling that requires solvents to remove in order to maintain top accuracy. Nonetheless, they can easily be shot at magnum revolver velocities while producing fine accuracy.

While jacketed bullets are of-ten appreciated for reliable accu-racy, they also provide predictable expansion at correct velocities. Over several decades, I have shot many mule deer and whitetail deer with Hornady XTP-HP and Speer Gold Dot HP bullets (now known as Deep Curl) at velocities from 1,300 to 1,400 fps that time after time have given picture-perfect ex-pansion and predictable terminal performance. I have also had ex-cellent results with jacketed six-gun bullets offered by Winchester, Sierra, Nosler and others. •

The .348 Winchester A borrowed

Model 71 was used to test the accompanying

handloads.

www.handloadermagazine.com Handloader 31150

R.H. VanDenburg, Jr.

In the early days of the Great Depression, Winchester Repeat- ing Firearms Company engineers and designers began to think

about a new hunting rifle and car-tridge. The rifle would be a lever ac-tion, as in those days it was the most favored. The company’s Model 86 Win-chester had fallen on hard times. All of the black-powder cartridge cham-berings had been dropped, and the old-timer had been chambered only in the .33 WCF cartridge since the 1920s. With its 50th anniversary com-ing up in 1936, it appeared to be time to introduce an updated rifle and car-tridge. The plan worked, up to a point.

In January 1936, the new rifle was introduced and the ’86 was dropped, along with its remaining car-tridge. The new rifle was the Model 71. It resembled the Model 86 in many ways but differed in others. The ’71 had a half magazine holding four cartridges and a pistol grip necessitating a curved lever. The vertical locking lugs of the ’86 were maintained but were now tapered. Overall cartridge length accepted by the ’86 was considered to be 2.875 inches (often 2.88 inches in practice); this dimension in the Model 71 was re-duced to 2.795 inches. The Model 71 was offered in rifle form with a 24-inch barrel over its lifetime. A 20-inch carbine was offered – I’m given to understand – between 1937 and 1947. There were two versions of the Model 71. A Deluxe version included a pistol grip cap, sling swivels and sling along with checkering on the buttstock and forend. A standard version lacked these amenities. Winchester developed a special rear peep sight for the ’71. It was adjustable for elevation

Loads for a Winchester Model 71The .348 Winchester

December-January 2018 www.handloadermagazine.com 51

The rifle was shot using a Lyman front sight and a Williams rear sight.

and windage and mounted on the end of the bolt. A standard open sight on the barrel was an option.

When it came to the cartridge, Winchester continued with an odd size. Bullet diameter was .348 inch; the .33 Winchester had a bul-let diameter of .333 inch. The case decided upon was the .50-110 Win-chester, which also served as host to the .50-105, .50-100 and .50-110 High Velocity, depending on pow-der charge and bullet weight. The .50-110, introduced in 1887, had a case length of 2.400 inches, a rim diameter of .610 inch and a base diameter in front of the rim of .553 inch. The new cartridge was sim-ply shortened to 2.255 inches and necked down to accommodate a .348-inch bullet diameter with the other dimensions remaining the same. Body length became 1.650 inches, case body and shoulder to-gether became 1.804 inches with a remaining neck length of .451 inch. Shoulder angle was 19 degrees, 4 minutes. These dimensions are from current sources such as the

Hornady Handbook of Cartridge Reloading, 10th Edition. Some earlier sources listed the same cartridge overall length but with a neck in excess of .5 inch.

The rifle and cartridge were in-troduced in January 1936, with the .348 Winchester cartridge loaded with 150- and 200-grain bullets. Various reports of factory-origi-nal muzzle velocities for the 150- grain bullet range from 2,890 to 2,920 fps. Muzzle velocities for the 200-grain bullet have been re-ported from 2,520 to 2,535 fps.

In The Rifle in America, Phil Sharpe notes that he became aware of the new cartridge early on in its development during a visit to the Winchester factory. He was able to test fire the exper-imental cartridge as well. At the time, cases were headstamped “.34 Winchester,” and Sharpe kept a sample for his collection. Consid-ering the two-digit designation old fashioned, Sharpe suggested the company go with three-digit no-menclature reflecting the groove

diameter of the barrel, hence, the .348 Winchester.

It is interesting to note that at the time all this was going on at the Winchester plant, the company was developing a new bolt-action rifle to replace the Model 54 – the venerable Model 70, which was also introduced in January 1936. This explains how the Model 71 got its name. It was not named after its year of introduction like other Winchester lever actions; it was simply the next number avail-able.

The Model 71 Winchester was only chambered in the .348 Win-chester cartridge, and the car-tridge was only chambered in the Model 71, with a couple of ex-ceptions. The original load offer- ings of 150- and 200-grain bul-lets were met with a demand for a heavier, 250-grain bullet. In time, Winchester complied. The 150- and 200-grain bullets were introduced as part of the company’s Super Speed lineup. The 250-grain load was first offered with a Silvertip bullet. Eventually all three bullet weights were available as Silver-tips. Other companies, such as Remington and Peters, produced .348 Winchester ammunition, with Peters offering a 210-grain Belted bullet.

After World War II, returning G.I.s looked more to bolt-action rifles with telescopic sights as their preferred hunting tool, and the Model 71 began its inevitable slide. In 1958, the Model 71 was dis-

52 www.handloadermagazine.com Handloader 311

continued after 14,254 rifles and carbines had been manufactured. Ammunition production continued with the three bullet weights being offered, but in 1962 the 150- and 250-grain bullets were dropped, leaving the 200 grain as the sole option. It’s still in the Winchester line today; other major manufac-turers of .348 Winchester ammuni-tion have discontinued the product altogether.

In 1987 Browning began selling a Japanese-made replica of the Model 71, also in .348 Winchester. Parts were not interchangeable with the original, but the rifles were well received. Both rifle and carbine models were offered in standard and Deluxe editions. The rifles appeared in the 1988 Gun Digest with the notation that pro-duction would be limited to 3,000 rifles and 3,000 carbines. By 1991, Gun Digest no longer listed the

model, suggesting the run ended in 1990. Despite its relatively short run and limited production num-bers, the Model 71 and Browning look-alikes are held in high es-teem in Alaska. Its lighter weight and handling characteristics have made it a favorite with those who hunt and fish where contact with big bears is likely.

Even though ammunition op- tions are restricted to a 200-grain bullet, the demand for new .348 Winchester component cases is high. It would appear few cases have been the basis for so many wildcat cartridges ranging from the .348 Improved through the .375, .416, .458 and even the .50

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Case separations can occur from stretching due to overloading or setting

the shoulder back excessively..348 Winchester

.348 Winchester Handloads overall loaded bullet powder charge primer length velocity comments (grains) (grains) (inches) (fps)

175 Cutting Edge IMR-4895 53.0 WLR 2.785 2,683 Lever Raptor 54.0 2,749 RL-15 53.0 2,690 54.0 2,745 best this bullet200 Cutting Edge IMR-4895 49.0 WLR 2.785 2,503 Lever Solid 50.0 2,548 51.0 2,587 best this bullet H-4350 59.0 2,611 60.0 2,636200 Swift A-Frame H-4350 59.0 Federal 210 2.765 2,444 60.0 2,486 IMR-4895 50.0 2,392 most accurate load 52.0 2,469200 Hornady FTX H-4350 59.0 Federal 210 2.785 2,461 60.0 2,499 W-760 58.0 2,463 59.0 2,516 Varget 56.0 2,580 best this bullet 57.0 2,653 IMR-4895 51.0 2,439 52.0 2,479200 Hornady FP IMR-4895 50.0 Federal 210 2.785 2,450 51.0 2,509 IMR-4350 59.0 2,416 best this bullet 60.0 2,462 Varget 52.0 2,414 53.0 2,460 RL-15 52.0 2,404 54.0 2,454 H-4895 50.0 2,491 51.0 2,538200 Hawk FP IMR-4895 52.0 Federal 210 2.785 2,503 53.0 2,533 RL-15 53.0 2,496

(Continued)

53December-January 2018 www.handloadermagazine.com

calibers. The most well known is likely the .450 Alaskan.

My involvement in all this began a couple years ago when a good friend walked into his local gun emporium, spied a Model 71 rest-ing in a corner and decided quite

rightly that life would be better if he returned home with it.

Calling to celebrate the new purchase, he casually informed me he had for some years 100 new, unprimed .348 Winchester cases. He ordered loading dies and

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A Lee Universal Case Expanding Die was used to bell case mouthsfor cast bullets.

.348 Winchester Handloads overall loaded bullet powder charge primer length velocity comments (grains) (grains) (inches) (fps)

200 Hawk FP RL-15 54.0 Federal 210 2.785 2,532 H-4350 59.0 2,410 best this bullet 61.0 2,460230 Hawk SP H-4895 48.0 Federal 210 2.785 2,299 49.0 2,323 IMR-4350 56.0 2,239 57.0 2,299 best this bullet250 Barnes H-4895 46.0 Federal 210 2.770 2,200 Original FP 47.0 2,248 best this bullet A-4350 54.0 2,115 55.0 2,179 H-380 49.0 2,130 50.0 2,137250 Hawk FP H-4895 46.0 Federal 210 2.785 2,170 47.0 2,235 H-4831 60.0 2,229 best this bullet 62.0 2,257270 Hawk FP H-4895 42.0 Federal 210 2.785 1,984 43.0 2,009 A-4350 50.0 1,929 51.0 1,994 H-4831 56.0 2,115 best this bullet 57.0 2,119200 Cast RCBS H-4895 42.0 Federal 210 2.715 1,999 348-200-GC 43.0 2,143 H-4350 52.0 2,132 53.0 2,153 H-4831 59.0 2,145 60.0 2,176 SR-4759 20.0 1,559 21.0 1,624 best this bullet

Notes: All loads shot from a Winchester Model 71 with a 24-inch barrel. Winchester brass used throughout; trimmed to 2.245 inches and crimped with a Lee Factory Crimp Die.Be Alert – Publisher cannot accept responsibility for errors in published load data. Listed loads are only valid in the test firearms used. Reduce initial powder charge by 10 percent and work up while watching for pressure signs.

(Continued)

Handloader 311

bullets, and I researched loading data. Upon arriving at his place with said data and a few powders, we set about loading cases for his “new” rifle. It was the standard version, sans checkering, sling swivels and pistol grip cap. The rear sight was a Williams peep. The levergun was in quite good

shape; according to the serial number, it was manufactured in 1949. At his local gun club range, we hit a snag. Lowering the rear sight until the cross piece barely cleared the gun’s vertical locking lugs still left 200-grain bullets im-pacting more than a foot high at 100 yards. Clearly, the previous owner had shot it little, if at all, as such performance would be unac-ceptable under any condition.

To shorten the story a bit, my friend later called, offering to lend me the rifle for this article, and I set about gathering as many .348 Winchester bullets as I could find, and ordering a higher front sight from Lyman Products. The sight selected was the Model 31 with a height of .345 inch. This solved the problem but left little flexibility. Were the rifle mine, another sight with a height of .360 inch would have been used, assuring greater flexibility regardless of bullet weight or velocity.

Powder selection began with IMR-4895. Especially with 200- grain bullets, it seemed about ideal, but since most load data developed with it was fairly old, there were now several powders with similar burning rates that needed to be explored. Eventually 11 were chosen.

Bullet selection turned out to be a surprise. I ended up with 10 jacketed bullets ranging in weight from 175 to 270 grains, plus one 200-grain bullet cast from an

RCBS mould. Most were flatpoints, befitting the lever-action, tubular magazine design. There were two exceptions: a Hornady 200-grain FlexTip (FTX) bullet with its poly- mer tip, and a Hawk 230-grain SP developed, I’m told, because Ruger once chambered its No. 1 rifle in .348 Winchester. Cutting Edge provided two bullets, a 175- grain Lever Raptor and a 200-grain Lever Solid. Both are homoge-nous brass. Swift contributed a 200-grain A-Frame. Hornady makes two .348 bullets, the aforemen-tioned FTX and a 200-grain In-terLock FP. Barnes lists 220- and 250-grain bullets in its Original lead core series, but I was only able to obtain the 250-grain bul-let. Hawk Bullets provided four: a 200-grain FP, 230-grain SP, 250-grain FP and a 270-grain FP. The company makes a 250-grain SP, but I did not have a large enough sample to conduct any tests (the Hawk 165-grain FP was not available at the time of my testing). And last, a cast RCBS 348-200-GC 200-grain bullet.

Eleven bullets and powders, with multiple powder charges of each, promised to be too daunt-ing a task of little or no value, so decisions had to be made. IMR-4895, the long-time favorite, was the fastest-burning powder se-lected and performed extremely well across the board, but other slower powders, all the way to H-4831, had their moments. The powders I would rate best are IMR-4895 for most uses up through 200-grain bullets, along

54 www.handloadermagazine.com

Suitable bullets include the (1) Cutting Edge 175-grain Lever Raptor, (2) Hornady 200 FTX and (3) 200 FP, (4) Swift 200 A-Frame, (5) Cutting Edge 200 Solid, (6) Hawk 200 FP and (7) 230 SP, (8) Barnes Original 250 FP, (9) Hawk 250 FP and (10) SP, (11) Hawk 270 FP and a (12) 200-grain cast bullet from an RCBS mould.

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.348 Winchester

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55December-January 2018 www.handloadermagazine.com

with IMR-4350, H-4350, Reloder 15 and Varget. For bullet weights above 200 grains, H-4831 produced the smallest groups and extreme velocity spreads. Also performing well in this group were IMR-4350 and IMR-4895. For cast bullets, several powders performed well, but the best in terms of extreme spreads and group sizes was SR-4759. As this powder was recently discontinued, I would fall back on either IMR-4895 or H-4895.

Another snag was discovered during the handloading and shoot-ing process. Lever actions tend to lock up at the rear of the bolt, thereby allowing for a certain amount of flexing upon firing. This in turn leads to case stretching. If a handloader is not careful in the sizing operation, case separation is inevitable. That said, keeping cases trimmed to 2.245 inches, setting the shoulder back no more than is absolutely necessary to smoothly close the action and not seeking the maximum muzzle ve-locity not only solved the problem, but also ensured a reasonable case life of five or more loadings.

For example, it is easy to find load data for the popular 200-grain bullets showing a muzzle velocity in excess of 2,500 fps. Reducing this to 2,400 fps was all it took to minimize case stretching in the borrowed rifle. This backing off from maximum loads would hardly be noticed in the woods at peep sight ranges and frequently produced tighter extreme spreads and smaller groups. To be fair, some of these high-velocity loads shot very well, especially with Cutting Edge bullets, but the price was too high in case life, at least for me.

Crimping when loading car-tridges to be used in lever actions is a necessity. A Lee Factory Crimp Die accomplished this chore well on bullets with and without can-nelures.

Narrowing down bullet choice was difficult and best left to the individual shooter and his specific needs. That said, at least one load with each bullet performed very well. For game such as pronghorn

and whitetail, I would not select bullets heavier than 200 grains. For heavier game, strongly con-structed, 200-grain bullets and those of greater weight are a bet-ter choice, especially in close tim-ber. Among the 200-grain choices, I became particularly enamored of the more lightly constructed Hornady 200-grain FP and the more strongly constructed Swift A-Frame. For heavier bullets, in this particular rifle, the Hawk 250-grain FP really stood out.

All bullets shot to the same windage. Vertical stringing at 100 yards was due to velocity vari-ations. A 270-grain Hawk bul- let might barely reach 2,000 fps,

whereas a top-loaded Cutting Edge 175-grain Lever Raptor could slide over the screens at 2,800 fps. The most pleasant to shoot and most generally useful were 200-grain bullets at 2,400 fps or so. The best 100-yard, three-shot groups hov-ered around 2 inches – certainly adequate given the sights and likely uses.

Looking back, the Model 71 and its cartridge may well be anach-ronisms, relics of an earlier age. But for those of us who admire the handiness of the action type and the slower and quieter pace of hunting in the woods, there will always be a place for a good lever action.

Rifle Tang Peep Sight• Adjustable for Windage and Elevation• Fits Most Lever-Action Rifles• Blued Steel Finish• Made in the U.S.A.

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