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Jimro · February 1, 2012, 10:59 PM

So I'm in the process of getting together a "Vintage Sniper Rifle" for NRA sanctioned Vintage Sniper Rifle Matches. The rifle will be an M41 reproduction, just a stock M96 Swede with 29" barrel, turned down bolt, short slide side rail, and "authorized substitution" Weaver K4 scope.

Now I have 100 Winchester cases on the way, I use Win brass in my 308 accuracy load and have been happy enough with it that I won't upgrade to Lapua unless there are is no other option.

I also picked up 250 rounds of Nosler Custom Competition 140 gr HPBT bullets.

The powders I have available are: IMR 4064, WC872, and 2000-MR.
Primers available: Wolf/Tula Magnum Rifle, CCI-BR2, CCI 200 Large Rifle, Winchester Large Rifle, Federal GMM Large Rifle.

Data for IMR 4064 is plentiful, but I would like to use that powder mainly for 308 and in 30-06 for my Garand.

Data for 2000-MR is listed for "commercial action", but the velocities listed for a 140 grain bullet seem to be in line with milspec ammunition (however I'm pretty sure they are using a shorter barrel than that on an M96). Also, I would like to use the 2000-MR for 223 match loads.

That leaves the WC872, which I can find some data for from those who have used it for both cast bullets and jacketed bullet. This powder is very slow, and based on some QL calculations someone posted a while back, would take 116% case fill to get to 60K PSI which is about 10K PSI above my comfort level with a small ring Mauser action. I am comfortable using this powder to do an OCW workup to see if I can get to MOA or better.

If at all possible I would like to combine the Wolf LR Magnum Primers, WC872, Win Brass, and Nosler bullet into a combination that can achieve 2,500 fps from the muzzle. This give a standard "2,3,4,4,5" MOA drop from a 100 yard zero out to 600 yards (the longest shot in a Vintage Sniper Rifle Match). If I can get 2,400 fps out of this combination I should be just fine, although my come ups would be "3,4,4,5,5" instead.

So, to sum up, I'm not really looking for max velocity, just looking to see if using WC872 is feasible to safely build up to 100% case fill and stay under 50K max PSI.

Thanks for your time.
Jimro

February 1, 2012, 10:59 PM	#1
Jimro Senior Member Join Date: October 18, 2006 Posts: 7,097	6.5x55 Swede load workup So I'm in the process of getting together a "Vintage Sniper Rifle" for NRA sanctioned Vintage Sniper Rifle Matches. The rifle will be an M41 reproduction, just a stock M96 Swede with 29" barrel, turned down bolt, short slide side rail, and "authorized substitution" Weaver K4 scope. Now I have 100 Winchester cases on the way, I use Win brass in my 308 accuracy load and have been happy enough with it that I won't upgrade to Lapua unless there are is no other option. I also picked up 250 rounds of Nosler Custom Competition 140 gr HPBT bullets. The powders I have available are: IMR 4064, WC872, and 2000-MR. Primers available: Wolf/Tula Magnum Rifle, CCI-BR2, CCI 200 Large Rifle, Winchester Large Rifle, Federal GMM Large Rifle. Data for IMR 4064 is plentiful, but I would like to use that powder mainly for 308 and in 30-06 for my Garand. Data for 2000-MR is listed for "commercial action", but the velocities listed for a 140 grain bullet seem to be in line with milspec ammunition (however I'm pretty sure they are using a shorter barrel than that on an M96). Also, I would like to use the 2000-MR for 223 match loads. That leaves the WC872, which I can find some data for from those who have used it for both cast bullets and jacketed bullet. This powder is very slow, and based on some QL calculations someone posted a while back, would take 116% case fill to get to 60K PSI which is about 10K PSI above my comfort level with a small ring Mauser action. I am comfortable using this powder to do an OCW workup to see if I can get to MOA or better. If at all possible I would like to combine the Wolf LR Magnum Primers, WC872, Win Brass, and Nosler bullet into a combination that can achieve 2,500 fps from the muzzle. This give a standard "2,3,4,4,5" MOA drop from a 100 yard zero out to 600 yards (the longest shot in a Vintage Sniper Rifle Match). If I can get 2,400 fps out of this combination I should be just fine, although my come ups would be "3,4,4,5,5" instead. So, to sum up, I'm not really looking for max velocity, just looking to see if using WC872 is feasible to safely build up to 100% case fill and stay under 50K max PSI. Thanks for your time. Jimro __________________ Machine guns are awesome until you have to carry one.