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H335 will give a huge BLOOM out the muzzle with low pressure loads. It needs pressures up over, for example 55,000PSI to burn well. I don't know if that's correct- might be 50,000 or even less than that - but with low pressure, it will soot cases and BLOOM on discharge. I never got much shoot, though. 66gr. of 4230 gave me the same ballistics without the flames, so maybe H4895 and 4320 would be better for the .50 Alaskan. They should be almost full case loads at the top end. Any data I've seen published on the .50 Alaskan has been for lever guns - hense 40,000psi or so.

I used to use H335 in my .458 2" (2.4" freebore in the chamber) Mauser 98, all I could get in the case with 350, 400 and 500gr. bullets. With the 350's, 68gr. ran 2,240fps, 2,160fps with 400's and 2,060fps with 500gr. With the 350's, there was a big ball of flame due to very low pressures, but descent velocity & very accurate with all weights.

In the .50 Alaskan #1, you will most likely need a full case - but- always start a bit low. In mine, especially with the 500gr., they were heavily compressed. I had good luck (short testing time, though) with John Buhmiller's double primer loading with H335, but that needs more work. Instead of the normal 68gr., I loaded 60gr. H335 and placed a large pistol magnum primer cup-down on top of the powder, under the bullet. This load was just barely 100% and the bullet's base held the primer there. This 60gr. load developed identical velocities with both 350 and 400gr., but left less residue in the bore and eliminated the ever present ball of flame. John developed this type of loading for straight cases that had difficulty burning the slower powders. It worked for him and worked for me - but - you're on your own. It is only useful for 100% loading densities where the primer is held stationary - I think? With the full charge and no primer up-top - the 350gr. loads make good signalling rounds after dark. quite a show

BLC2 does the same thing in some other rifle ctgs., but on a slightly 'brighter' scale = less than max pressures - big ball of flame.

One other thing about the .45 3-1/4". It is not the .45/120 Sharps round. That one was both the 2.6" and 2 7/8" Sharps cases. Sharps never chambered any 3 1/4" straight cases in any calibre. Winchester did make a .45/120, but they used the same case as the .45BPE, not the Sharps case, which was a lengthened .45/70.

Re#7 worked well in my brother's .45 3-1/4" Sharps - low pressures for the BP (fat) firing pin. We used 62gr. Re#7 + Kapok to fill the case, with a 300gr. Jacketed bullet. It produced 2,275fps. In a strong action, Re#7 might be a great powder for that case.

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Daryl

"a gun without hammers is like a Spaniel without ears" King George V

Edited by Daryl_S (26/03/09 07:28 AM)