Does anyone load for the Remington Woodmaster semi-automatic rifle? I have a friend who has one in .30-06 and has asked me to reload for him. I am concerned about finding loads that will cycle the action...much like folks who reload for M-1's and M-14's, etc. I also don't wanna overpower so of course I will work up the loads. What powder should I start with? I already load for .30-06 and use both IMR4064 and H4350, but use these in bolt guns vice the semi-automatic rifle.

THanks...

Either one of those powders will work fine, I usually use 1 grain or so from max. Actually used H4350 a few years back for a friends model 740, worked rather well. Since then Ive used RE15 for autos, which is almost the same powder as 4064, burn rate wise. What grain bullet you plan on using? Jay

My friend wants to use 150gr bullets.

I also load for a friend who has a Remington autoloader. I can't recall which model he has and personally, don't care; after all it's his rifle not mine. He provides the components and I don't spend alot of time on brass prep because it ends up being pretty much sorta one-time ammo as during the excitement of a Drive Hunt he never manages to locate the brass cases once they've been ejected to various locations around his stand anyway. The original "Fire & Forget" ammunition, so to speak.

Sorry about the 150 grainers, no experience; I use whatever brass cases he provides, 180 gr. Hornady RN's with 55.0 grs. of H-4350 and a Lee FCD to the middle of the cannelure. Ammo functions perfectly, is realtively mild, excellent accuracy and more than enough wallop to kill a Wild Boar.

quote:

Originally posted by RenegadeRN:
...I have a friend who has one in .30-06 and has asked me to reload for him. ...

Hey RenegadeRN, I'd encourage you to invite him over and let him "load his own". I used to load some for friends but don't do it anymore. If something happens to his rifle that causes it to explode and injure him or anyone near him, the Insurance Company will be looking for anyone they can to recover as much of their costs as possible. An obvious choice would be the guy who loaded the ammo for him.

If you know who's Bullet he will be using, I'd recommend that "your buddy use" the H4350 Loads shown in their Load Manual.

He will need to Full Length Resize and I doubt he will need Small Base Dies. The semi-auto Chambers I've messed with have all worked with Standard Full Length Dies.

Best of luck to you and your buddy.

That's a good idea about having them come over to do it. I've always had a concern about what could happen if.....

My uncle and my neighbor both have the woodsmaster and I use Varget powder and 165gr Interbonds and I stay clear of max loads. I don't recall offhand, but I am about 3 grains shy of max so I do have a buffer.

I've never told them that they're a reduced load so they would not ask to hop them up. They're happy, as long as they get their deer and it goes where they want give or take an inch.

I realize Varget is not the absolute best powder for this situation, but it is what I have on hand for my wife's 308Win and I wasn't going to go buy a pound for the occasional box I will make for them.

You might find a better propellant for the Remington autoloader than IMR4064 but if you do you'll be the very first....

Frankly, I gave up on using anything else in the Remington
Auto in the first year I owned it, because nothing else worked as well.

My personal pet load for it is 49.0grs of IMR-4064 behind a
165gr Nosler Ballistic Tip with a CCI-200 primer, in a Remington case that's been Extra Small Base sized.

With this load I get right around 2650fps

Note: My Remington has a VERY tight chamber, and the bolt will not close on many lots of factory ammo.
Now I COULD have had it corrected, but it shoots SO well that I don't want to mess with it....

Would you want to mess with a semi-auto that consistantly shoots into <1.5" offhand? I know I dont....

Bullet nose dammage while auto cycling IS an issue with the Remington, and it was about that time that Nosler
introduced the Ballistic tip, it has (until recently) been the only bullet I've shot (Much, I've also used some Barnes XLC's but...) in that rifle.

I say "until recently" because when my current supply
of Ballistic Tips is gone I will switch to Nosler Accubond.

not that I had any issue with the 165gr BT's on game, but because Nosler has simply discontinued the BT's in favor of the Accubond.


AD