These are experimental loads. I do not recommend that you try them, but if you're looking for data, here you go. If your rifle blows up, I'm not responsible.

I'm still looking for a very light load for my m1903a1 rifle (turns 90 years old next month) to use in a vintage military match, not wear out the barrel and light enough for kids to use. Blue Dot and a 110gr bullet worked ok, but there are some saying I'm going to blow myself up, so I started looking at Trail Boss.

Hodgdon has a load listed on their website http://data.hodgdon.com/main_menu.asp for a 150 grain jacketed bullet using a min of 13.3 grains for 1061 fps @ 14,700 psi to a max of 19.0 grains for 1477 fps @ 26,400psi.

I want to use lead, not jacketed bullets, so there would be very little barrel wear. The box from Missouri bullets has "Brinell 18, Optimized" on it. I cannot scratch the bullet with a finger nail. Not being a cast bullet maker, I think that's pretty hard so I don't think I'll have leading problems at the speeds I was experimenting with. If I'm wrong, please correct me.

There are several people a the match I attend that are shooting Trail Boss, Unique and Blue dot in 30-06s and K31 7.5x55 Swiss. One of the guys there who gave me his load is shooting 180gr bullet with 9.5gr of Trailboss. So 9.5gr is where I started with my load.

Today was very pleasant, approximately 68 degrees F, low humidity and an elevation of 1650 feet. I was using Korean brass (P8 headstamp), CCI large rifle primers, 135gr lead bullet and Trail Boss powder. I was not accuracy testing yet, that will be next Sunday and I'll add the results to this post - if the weather is decent. This was just to get a handle on the velocities. No case showed any signs of over or under pressure and unlike Blue Dot, the lowest charge weights did not have sooty necks. I don't know if that is typical of Trail Boss or not since this is the first time I've used it. Recoil was very light but I was shooting from a rest. In fact, I let my 12 year old shoot a couple and he asked "is that it?" about the recoil.

Here are the velocities in fps of the loads I tried. 3 rounds per charge weight.

9.5 grains : 1335, 1340, 1330
10.0 grains : 1366, 1362, 1365
11.0 grains : 1441, 1441, 1448
12.0 grains : 1506, 1501, 1502
13.0 grains : 1574, 1573, 1567

I do not want to get above 1500 fps to minimize leading, so my plan is to make my rounds at 11.7, 10.9 and 10.0 grains for accuracy testing. I may change that if people that know more about cast lead & brinell of 18 say that it won't lead until xxxx fps.

If anybody could kindly run a simulation in Quickload and let me know what it says, I would appreciate it.

Stay Safe
TD

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edited for grammer

With a BHN of 18, and a gas check and decent lube you can safely go over 1500fps without leading, provided the bore is smooth. It sounds like you're on the right track.

How about without a gas check?
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And can you even put a gas check on a bullet if the heel isn't tapered for it?

Well that sounds like a good day...

my son has made the same statement about recoil, on some of the loads I have had him shoot; " is that it????"expecting much much more...

a call to Hodgdon's tech line when I first got some Trail Boss was don't compress the loads.. beyond that.. I couldn't blow up any round with it...

I loaded up some in a 30/30 for a young lad two years ago.. with a 160 grain Oregon Trail Laser Cast bullet.. he got his first deer with it at 50 yds or so... hunting on family land with Dad..

Trail Boss is a very fun powder...