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DRJack:
As the guys say, the second edition is a major expansion on the first, but it does not retract or correct any of those earlier loads. All loads recommended by Wrightie are pressure-tested, which was not the case for all loads recommended by Seyfried, Champlins, Owen etc at that time.

No-one, to my knowledge, has ruined a gun in Australia following any of Graeme's published loads. That some DRs have been ruined in the US is a separate issue, and I won't go into the probable reasons here.

Medium-burning powders are the obvious candidates for N-for-B loads, with fillers such as felt or polyurathane-foam wads, shotshell buffer, or dacron/kapok, to take up the air-space. Slow-burners such as the 4831 family are perfect for the big NE cases, usually without the need for filler. Many, many thousands of handloads following these principles have been safely fired without incident, both in Australia and the US (and elsewhere) since the first edition of Graeme's book.

Sure, a few US self-appointed experts (notably Seyfried) may have their nose out of joint at being out-published by an Aussie, but that's just too bloody bad. They should learn to appreciate good info despite the fact that it came from a competitor's pen.

To answer your queries specifically:

Graeme's recommendations for the N-for-B loads are on page 71, as you have noted. No-where on that page does he recommend IMR 4895. In fact, he favoured H4350, with some loads recommending AR2208, IMR 4759, and a H4831 option for the .450.

This is not a safety concern, as stated many thousands of full-nitro rounds so-loaded have been safely fired. I should add that I would personally recommend Hodgdon's H4831, an 'Extreme' powder which does not increase pressure with ambient temperature like the IMR powders (and also happens to be made in Australia).

There was no "full nitro" load for the .400 Purdey, to my knowledge. The smokeless load was 47gr cordite, a 'light cordite' load, equivalent to what would have been an N-for-B load, had they called it that, with less than 10 tons pressure.

Now come on, mate, even you know that is just BS.
Here's the deal: Pull a thousand original Eley or Kynoch Light Cordite cartridges, and I'll send you ten bucks for every one containing kapok, if you send me ten bucks for every one containing a jute or compressed felt wad.
I'll PM you my EFT details.

I should add that a number of loads using Reloader powders are included in the 2nd edition, in deference to the US market and the work done by Seyfried, Bell and others (which Graeme graciously acknowledges, by the way), so if you have a burning desire for half-empty cases of RE topped up with huge balls of kapok or dacron, you are catered for. Good luck!

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Marrakai
When the bull drops, the bullshit stops!
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www.marrakai-adventure.com.au

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