Light plinking loads

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Light plinking loads

Postby LIL GUN LOVER » Tue Jun 04, 2019 4:04 pm

To Hoot or anyone. What would be the lightest load using 200 gr. jacketed with Lil gun that will cycle the action?
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Re: Light plinking loads

Postby Hoot » Tue Jun 04, 2019 9:10 pm

LIL GUN LOVER wrote:To Hoot or anyone. What would be the lightest load using 200 gr. jacketed with Lil gun that will cycle the action?


There are a lot of jacketed bullets that weigh 200gr so I'm not sure which one you're referring to. In the case of the 200gr FTX, if your action is well broken in, clean and oiled, 34gr of Lil Gin and a COL of 2.15 cycled in my original 20" Bushmaster with carbine length gas system, just fine. Change any of those factors and I can't say for sure how it would behave. You'd have to cut and try for yourself. BTW, that worked fine in my above mentioned setup including my CCWS. I mention that because some folks have suggested that the additional inertial resistance might make cycling a bit more of a challenge. Also, I was using an A2/A1 stock with a standard mil spec spring and rifle buffer. Folks got to stop messing with their springs and buffers it just adds more variables to the equation.

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Re: Light plinking loads

Postby LIL GUN LOVER » Wed Jun 05, 2019 1:41 am

Hoot, thank you. I have the same except a 16 incher. I have been loading for 40 years, but being lazy I wanted to defer to your expertise. You are an invaluable asset.
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Re: Light plinking loads

Postby Snapdragon » Sun Jun 16, 2019 10:36 am

I bought a box of 200 grain Hornady FTX bullets the other day but am having a hard time finding loading data for them. Hornady's manual does not have data for them, and I have been fairly unsuccessful finding data elsewhere. Where can I find a reliable source for data for the 200 grain FTX bullets? I have some H110 and will have some Lil Gun coming soon. I also have some 250 Grain FTX coming soon. I have data for them.
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Re: Light plinking loads

Postby Hoot » Sun Jun 16, 2019 6:28 pm

Snapdragon wrote:I bought a box of 200 grain Hornady FTX bullets the other day but am having a hard time finding loading data for them. Hornady's manual does not have data for them, and I have been fairly unsuccessful finding data elsewhere. Where can I find a reliable source for data for the 200 grain FTX bullets? I have some H110 and will have some Lil Gun coming soon. I also have some 250 Grain FTX coming soon. I have data for them.


I doubt you will find published loads for the 200gr FTX and 450b. That requires thinking outside the box. If you wish to pursue it, you're in luck because its been fleshed out already. You want a safe but impressive load that you can build up from in increments, try this:
Trim Length: ~1.695
Primer in order of preference: Rem 7 1/2, WSR, CCI450, GM205M
Powder: 38gr Lil Gun. While I have not tried H110/W296 with such light bullets, there's an experiment opportunity waiting for you to write up. Definitely don't go any slower in powder choice.
COL: Seat until there is barely any cannelure visible beyond the mouth. Don't bury it entirely. Approximately ~2.19 COL
Taper crimp to produce a diameter of .474, measured precisely and as close to the mouth as possible. (The case wall gets thicker the further down you go)

Notes: Once you get the crimp die set, run 1 or 2 more without pausing to adjust and remeasure. For some reason, if you crimp, measure, adjust, repeat until its where you want it to be, once you run them through non-stop, the crimp can wind up being a little narrower. After its stable at .474 you don't need to measure each one. Ditto on the COL. if you're not using an ogive comparator to determine COL, its all relative anyway since the bullets use a flex tip. You'll be fine and they will be a joy to shoot. I have taken them up to 41gr of Lil Gun in a 1:24 twist AR platform. Obviously, you would not immediately start there! As you move up the ladder, if you're consistent in your process, you will see what charge that your rig likes as demonstrated by the smallest group. There are several accuracy nodes that come and go as a function of velocity. The best isn't necessarily where the fastest velocity occurs and the bullet is lethal across a wide range of velocity anyway.

Here is how it looks at 2250fps MV (38gr Lil Gun) shot into a string of water filled milk jugs.

Image

Image

Hopefully you can see them images. You never know for sure with Google Docs :roll:

Hoot

BTW: Bad idea using a nice, neat frame. Better off taping them to a 2x10 with duct tape. :o

Image
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Re: Light plinking loads

Postby Snapdragon » Mon Jun 17, 2019 12:16 pm

Thanks. I have a bunch of Lil Gun coming soon but have never before used it. I have used H110 off and on for years although I prefer 2400 for my magnum loads. I have read and been told many times that H110 does not like to be downloaded much below max. Is the same true with Lil Gun?
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Re: Light plinking loads

Postby Hoot » Mon Jun 17, 2019 12:37 pm

Snapdragon wrote:Thanks. I have a bunch of Lil Gun coming soon but have never before used it. I have used H110 off and on for years although I prefer 2400 for my magnum loads. I have read and been told many times that H110 does not like to be downloaded much below max. Is the same true with Lil Gun?


At 2.19 COL, Lil Gun is at the 80% fill using the 200 FTX. I personally do not like taking any powder below 80%, regardless of which bullet I'm using but some members here have done so and they're still typing. In the case of H110, 37gr would be 80% so the granule density by weight is similar to Lil Gun but the energy content is slightly lower. IE you'd probably opt for more as a starting load anyway. As for burn rate, at 38gr charge weight, H110 will blow 10% of the charge out the muzzle of a 20" barrel unburned whereas Lil Gun only blows 3%. If a barrel is shorter than 20", more unburned powder will benefit the grass downrange. ;)

For the record, 2400 has a better velocity SD than either of the above powders when paired with the 200 FTX. I've tried that as well. Didn't group as well for me as Lil Gun however.

Hoot

Edit: You didn't say but can you see the three images in my previous post? I can see them on my win10 machine at home, where they originated but not my win10 and win7 machines here at work. Image
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Re: Light plinking loads

Postby Snapdragon » Mon Jun 17, 2019 2:29 pm

I could not see the images.
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Re: Light plinking loads

Postby plant_one » Tue Jun 18, 2019 10:37 am

Snapdragon wrote:I could not see the images.



me either.. google docs is probably the worst place for 3rd party sharing to work from.
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Re: Light plinking loads

Postby pitted bore » Thu Jul 11, 2019 9:49 pm

Hoot wrote:
Snapdragon wrote:I bought a box of 200 grain Hornady FTX bullets the other day but am having a hard time finding loading data for them. Hornady's manual does not have data for them, and I have been fairly unsuccessful finding data elsewhere. Where can I find a reliable source for data for the 200 grain FTX bullets? I have some H110 and will have some Lil Gun coming soon. I also have some 250 Grain FTX coming soon. I have data for them.


I doubt you will find published loads for the 200gr FTX and 450b. That requires thinking outside the box.

Hoot & Snapdragon-

Published handloading data from a reliable and reputable source for the 450B using 200-grain FTX bullets can be found in the Western Powders manual.

The powders shown there with the 200-gr FTX are
  • Accurate No.9 (start velocity=2252 fps, max load velocity=2472 fps)
  • Ramshot Enforcer (start velocity=2236fps, max load velocity=2531 fps)
  • Accurate 5744 (start velocity=2052 fps, max load velocity=2273 fps)

Their entire compilation of rifle, pistol, and shotshell reloading data, Handloading Guide 7th edition, can be downloaded as a112-page pdf. Start here: Western/Accurate/Ramshot website.

Post a reply if it doesn't work.

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