256WM loading question

[3leggedturtle]

OK am shooting 14.8grs of Lil gun behind 75gr HP. It is not a max load. I want to load a 87gr Spp. What would be a safe starting point? Have looked for one and not found any. Am actually stumped. Would starting at 12grs and going up seem like a safe starting point. How do I proceed? Any ideas? Thanks Todd

[Hobie]

I must use all the usual disclaimers but you are responsible with what you do with this information.

IME, a starting load of H110 is a safe place to start with Lil'Gun. What I see in the Hodgdon manual is about 12.5 gr. to start with H110 and so I would think with Lil'Gun.

[3leggedturtle]

Thanks Hobie, was sort of thinking along those lines, but wanted a few opinions and info b4 doing this. Thought I had an original thought, wanted to make sure it wasn't flawed thinking

[earlmck]

One slight cautionary note here, Todd. When I looked at these loads in "QuickLoad" it does show the Lil' Gun producing about 5% higher pressures with the same powder grains than the H110. This parallels my experience with the stuff, though my comparison powder is WW296 rather than H110 (the Hodgdon site says H110 and WW296 are the same powder, thought I don't know that this was true when I bought the jug of 296 about 15 years ago...) Now I suspect I may have a "fast" lot of the Lil' Gun: I have a K-hornet and now a 218 Bee that the Hodgdon suggested starting loads produce a "blue pill" load with waaay too high pressure. And my 454 Casull gives me tight extraction with a suggested starting load, so I know that is a little too much pressure in it.

QuickLoad does show 12.5 grains Lil' Gun being OK. It shows 13 grains H110 as still OK but 13 grains Lil' Gun going over the top. But it showed your 14.8/75 grain load being over the top also. Just letting you know what this particular ballistics program thinks about your loads.

[3leggedturtle]

Thanks Earl, Glad someone read my mind and knew what I was trying to ask I have been using H335 and it has cratered primers at 21grs, but 20.7 doesn't. Am hoping for 2250fps or so with the 87gr HDY Spp. The 14.8 Lilgun load has a fairly mild muzzle blast. When I shot it at dusk, there were some glowing powder kernels coming out the muzzle for 3-6 feet. Am gonna play with seating deoth and see what that does. But compared to the H335 loads, Lilgun loads expand about 1/3 more.

[Remington40x]

Turtle:

What are you shooting that .256 out of? I have the Marlin Model 62 lever and the T/C Contender and used to have a Martini Cadet custom (which I foolishly sold).

Rem

[3leggedturtle]

Turtle:

What are you shooting that .256 out of? I have the Marlin Model 62 lever and the T/C Contender and used to have a Martini Cadet custom (which I foolishly sold).

Rem

24"bull barrel Contender carbine. Have loaded any 87gr Spp out of your rifles. Does your 62 have oversize chambers? 3leg

[Remington40x]

3lt:

Didn't realize there was a 24 inch .256 barrel for the Contender. That's a neat combo.

My Model 62 doesn't appear to have an oversized chamber, at least as nearly as I can tell. All of the ammo I've fired in it so far has been handloaded, as the factory stuff is a bit rich for my blood a $1.50/round and up. I only recently acquired the Contender barrel and need to reload some ammo before I can shoot it.

I used the Speer 87 grain in my Martini and it performed very nicely. I think I'd be willing to try to take a deer (at least a small one) out to 75 yards or so with that loaded in a rifle. The 75 grain HPs (Sierra or Speer) both shot beautifully in the Martini as well.

Wish someone would bring back the 60 grain HPs that were factory loaded as they'd be brutal on chucks and such.

Rem

[3leggedturtle]

The Custom shop still had a reamer for 256. So after talking to them a few times I ordered it in April '06 and received it 3 weeks later. Did you ever chrono yer 87 gr loads?

[Tumbleweeds II]

I would call Hodgdon. Their techs can tell you.

[3leggedturtle]

I would call Hodgdon. Their techs can tell you.

I have. They can't and won't.

[Remington40x]

3lt:

I think I did. I'll try to pull the log out this weekend and check. If so I'll PM you the data and the results.

Rem