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Gents, I am in need your expertise. As of 2013 our Aussie BGR rules now require us to have a minimum velocity & weight requirement for the BP Express event. My rifle is a modified Ruger No1 & my .500NE (3") BP Duplex load is 15gns AR2207 (fine paper over powder wad) & approx 107gns WANO 2F - compressed approx 0.2" (5mm), beeswax over powder wad, 1/8" (3mm) lube, fine wax paper lube separation wad & a PP soft lead projectile of about 440gn. This averages at 1580 fps. I can "harden" up the projectile & make it lighter to get the velocity easy enough. This will shoot only so-so, just not as good as the "softer" PP that I use now....Bugger !

I do have a 400gn flat base CBE mould that I can use with "Hardball" 6/2/92 (Ant/Tin/Lead = 388gn when cast) which is comparable to Lyman No2 - or so I'm told; again this not my preferred way as I think this is right on the limit of the velocity limit for this alloy - yes I clean out some lead slivers between cleaning rounds of 8 shots. Is this alloy hard enough or am I being overly critical?

My BP reloading questions are these. I have got hold of a small quantity of SWISS 2F & 3F to try, so can I use these without raising excessive pressure (Duplex loads in both); secondly does SWISS prefer compression or not & what % do you see I need to reduce (if I can) from my original 2F load to either SWISS load to get over the 1600fps line. I don't want to create a "bomb" as I know BP can spike faster than nitro powders.

Some say to use 3F in the .500 BP, others no; I'm only just scratching the surface with BP even though I've reloaded for 30+ years! I know it's all trial & error, but I'd rather ask than re-invent the wheel again or blow a gasket in my rifle!

I've also been told that the WANO 2P is much cleaner burning & getting comparable to SWISS. Does this offer more velocity per volume as compared to the usual 2F version? Any help will be gratefully appreciated as my present wages severely curtail experimentation & shooting time overall .
93x64mm

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