Ed Harris
posted this
20 August 2008
I used to shoot an original Winchester M1917 .30-'06 refitted with Parker-Hale 5A rear sight in NRA conventional highpower matches with cast bullets back to 600 yards over the full course and I had lots of fun. With good cast loads I shot Expert level scores.
For the 200-yard stages I used the NEI No. 69 which weighs 162-grs. in wheelweights, cast frosty from the mould and water-quenched, lubricated with Lee Liquid Alox, putting on Hornady GCs in a .314 Lee die which leaves the bands unsized, loaded with 15.5 grs. of #2400. Bullets were seated to the crimp groove and fed through the magazine. 200 yard zero was about 400 yards on the sight.
For 300 yards I used the same NEI No. 69 bullet with a heavier charge of either 24 grs. of RL-7 or 28 grs. of H322 or 4895 pull-down. Only a minimal sight change was needed from 200 yards.
Cases were full length sized and decapped without pulling an expander button through the case mouth. Instead case mouths were expanded to permit hand starting the bullet to the base band only, using an RCBS .32 ACP expander plug. Final bullet seating was done using a backed-off Lee 7.62x54R seater in order to have enough clearance for the “fat” bullets. Bullet assembly into the brass was tight enough that crimping was unnecessary.
At 600 yards I used the NEI No. 72A similarly quench-cast of wheelweights, at 205 grs., crimping GCs in the same .314 die, lubing with Lee Liquid Alox, applying a light second lube coat, then loading either 48 grs. of H414 or WW760. Bullets were seated to contact the rifling, but not to engrave, so they could be extracted unfired without de-bulleting. These loads would hold ten ring with a good X-count at 600, In the wind deflection was about like shooting ordinary 150-gr. Ball M2.
I used Winchester WLR primers throughout and TW54 military cases sorted to +/- 1.0 grain for weight, with the case necks turned to 0.012.”
I would routinely push one wet patch of Ed's Red through the bore after completion of the rapid fire stages to let it soak during the pit change, then I would dry the bore and chamber with two patches prior to firing my first sighter at 600. Elevation to get on paper at 600 yards was about 800 yards on the sight.
73 de KE4SKY In Home Mix We Trust From the Home of Ed's Red in "Almost Heaven" West Virginia