Shot the spegettichester today

[hondo1892]

I've been feeling pretty crummy for a couple weeks now and get tiered out quick. But managed to load up a few 45-60's for my uberti 1876 Winchester. Loaded five rounds with 60 grains of Swiss 1.5 fg black powder and nine with AA5744. I don't know if it was to bright out or what but my chronograph was giving slow velocities today. The Swiss was only getting about 800 fps. I had three rounds with Goex in them, one with 55 grs and two with 58 grs of FFg. The two with 58 grs gave a 1417 fps and 1265 fps the 55 grs only gave 858fps. I have never had this wide of variation in BP before so I'm thinking its the chrono. The 5744 was all over from 844 fps to 1488 fps. All the 5744 had the same charge and never had this big of spread in 5744 before either. The Swiss powder did shoot cleaner than the Goex and the Swiss looks finer than the Goex also. I think I will add a couple more grains of Swiss the next time so it gets compressed a bit more. I also had bad leading with the AA5744 this time and never had a problem with leading before. My bullets were cast with 16 to 1 lead/ tin mix. I am going to try to catch a overcast day and see if it makes a difference in my readings. I thought with the partly cloudy day we had it would give correct readings. Oh the bullets that I were using were .459 and this is what I have used since I owned the rifle and never had this kind of leading before. Probably 500 rounds through it so far.

[Chuck 100 yd]

I have a 76 in .50-95 . I have found primer types make a very big difference in some loads. There is VERRY little data available for some of these cartridges so you are on your own when trying different things. I shot a couple of smokeless loads thet were published in books and the bullet never even left the barrel with one of them. I started loading it with Trail Boss and it shot great. Very accurate and gave normal BP velocity with a load of 70% of the space below the bullet load.

[earlmck]

I've had two chronographs fail over the years and that was what they did: they didn't quit reading; they started giving erratic readings that didn't correlate to what the rounds were doing on target. Might give it one more chance with a fresh battery, but if that doesn't do the job it is time to replace.

[Sixgun]

I've had two chronographs fail over the years and that was what they did: they didn't quit reading; they started giving erratic readings that didn't correlate to what the rounds were doing on target. Might give it one more chance with a fresh battery, but if that doesn't do the job it is time to replace.

Right.....when loads are that far apart in velocity with a fast burning powder like 5744 or black, there is only one problem......very bad mistakes by the loader. But as we are sure you can't be that far off, it's the chrono or sunlight conditions causing the chrono to screw up. Besides, it would be easy to tell the huge differences in velocity just by the recoil and POI.

I love 5744, going through at least 10-14 pounds a year. Your leading, if heavy, has to be caused by insufficient sizing issues. Probably why the majority of my 100 moulds are cut for gas checks.----6

[Bill in Oregon]

Just cast up, lubed and gas-checked a mess of 360-grain .417s from the RCBS mold this afternoon. Going to run them with 50, 51 and 52 grains of 5744 out of the .416 Rigby and see how they fly. I have been a fan of that powder since it first became available, and I used it to load for a Snider Mark II in .577, using data I obtained from heh ballisticians at Accurate Arms. It has always been consistent for me, so I, too, would subscribe to the chronograph-on-the-fritz theory.

[hondo1892]

Thanks guys I'll check with a new battery and see how things go.