I could have gone with more
Gas after all.
Not only did they not cause too high a pressure. They didn't come apart and pepper my chrony. They didn't corkscrew into the next zip code. Every one hit the target paper I was aiming at. I was not sure what to expect in terms of buildup in the barrel, so I cleaned thoroughly every five rounds. So, the results include my
control group of fouling shots using 230gr Hornady XTP MAG bullets over the ever-successful 38gr of Lil Gun. Their behavior served to check whether the test shot's performance was my fault, with a fouler every five shots. First, the ballistics:
Now, the results in a single range picture:
While this first venture did not yield benchrest-like results, most shots made
minute of deer. So I'd say the the concept is sound. When I get my .243 die, I will be trying this myself. One thing I will probably do is turn the rims down to slightly less than .452. I could feel them drag the case walls when seating and the body of the bullet that followed did not drag the case wall as much. One could actually turn the rim off most of the way to create somewhat of a boattail base. All kinds of experimentation avails itself. I was going to withhold a few and shoot them into my water jug setup to see how the expanded but hawcer convinced me that we probably would be better served just making sure they shoot straight first. This was fun and provided for plenty of barrel cooling time showing them to other reloaders at the range this morning. To a man, they were totally impressed with hawcer's work, as was I.
Hoot
EDIT: If you noticed only 4 holes in the 36gr LG target. Close examination revealed two shots went through the hole at .25H/1.25R