GA - Another little surprise may be your velocities. Mono�s being longer also have more bearing surface - most designs. This can translate to higher chamber pressures and marginally slower velocities. It will be interesting to see your results.

Not to be a smart ass, but why oh why would you choose this bullet when you have a good load for both the Woodleigh and A-Frame???

Ever since I got my 404 eighteen months ago, I've been shooting 92 grains of IMR 4831 with either Woodleighs or Swift A-Frames. With the A-Frames, this load gives me almost exactly 2400 fps (my goal). And it's accurate!

Yesterday, my order of A-Square mono solids arrived and I immediately headed for the basement to load up a bunch. Using a formula I have seen, I backed off to 90 grains of 4831 and tried to seat a bullet. First thing I noticed was I had to unscrew my bullet seater to get the bullet in the die. Then when I started seating, it got to just short of the cannelure and stopped dead cold. I couldn't hang on the handle an get it to go any further.

So I removed the round and took a closer look. The bullet is looooooong. Placed beside case with the cannelure lined up with the case mouth, the bullet base extended well into the shoulder of the case, damn near to the start of the taper. When I measured the difference between cannelure and base of A-Frames and the A-Square, the solid was 3/16 of an inch longer than the A-Frame. In other words, my powder was being compressed to the maximum and would not go any further.

Granted, my cases are trimmed short, but I don't think that extra 020" would make up the difference.

Ray, I know how much you love this load. Have you ever run into this problem with monos?

Looks like I'll be breaking out the Reloader 15.

That is a problem with monolithics in many big bore cartridges...The only thing that you can do is go with the next lighter bullet weight..I used the 350 gr. Barnes bullets and the are the same lenth as 400 gr. std bullets..thats one option...

The other is use a faster burning powder that takes up less volume and give the long bullet more room to seat..Try RL-15, it works with the 380 gr. GS Flat nose solids...

RL-12 and IMR-3031 are two other options that will probably work with monolithics..

Why not just use a 400 gr. Woodleigh solid with the IMR4831 load.

This is one of the reasons I am disinchanted with monolithic in solid configuation...Same problems with the .458 and the 458 Lott with 500 gr. monolithics...

Of all the above solutions, dropping 50 grs. of bullet weight is probably the best alternative if it will zero to POI..that's what you have to discover and one of the above solutions will do that I suspect.

When using surplus .50BMG bullets for my .500 I add about 1/2 of the powder then using my fingers, rattle the case against the side of the table. It will really settle the powder in, then fill and do it again. Try that and see if you can get more space. I know you will, drop tubes are nice but settling the powder like this works even better.

Since I posted this, I have loaded up a bunch using Re. 15. If the book is right, I'll get 2400 fps with 77 grains of powder. I've loaded up to 80 grains of Re. 15 with Woodleighs and not had a problem. It is not quite as accurate as the IMR, but was acceptable.

That's an easy one, Zero.

There just may be a Jumbo in my near future. It's still up in the air, but if there is, I want the best bullet for the job that you can get.

From what I read (yeah, I know, don't believe every thing you read), monos penetrate head and shoulders better, or at least straighter, than a jacketed bullet.

However, if I can't get it to perform well at the range, I'll fall back on the Woodleigh solid, which I understand is a pretty good bullet, even if it is of a jacket design.

I prefer a solid even for Buffalo as it makes two holes in them, and I hunt a lot in tall grass, or they run into the tall grass when wounded, and that solids two hole wound spews blood out both sides and leaves a waist high blood trail that I can follow and still keep my attention ahead of me..A soft will get you some nose and mouth blood and thats about it and that blood is usually only on the ground..I also like a flat nose solid as opposed to a RN solid...

The other point I would like to make is I can take any shot offered with a solid, stright on or going away...

I also like the flat nose solid on plainsgame, but I am not real fond of the RN solid on plainsgame, depending on the caliber....