doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion German & Austrian Sporting Guns @ doublegunshop.com Help with the scope base on my Miller&Greiss combo

I hold with CCI, but I purchased 50k+ in the early 1990s when Crazy Larry(Larry Horace Barnett - 8.09.1947 - 02.27.2025)of Larry's PIstol & Pawn had them for purchase for $10/thou. My youngest son & I just enjoyed a lengthy conversation with Steve Hornady & Larry only a few short weeks before Crazy Larry passed.

I for one would be interesting in your propellant choice & primer. Can you clock the velocity & let us know?

Hochachtungsvoll,

Raimey
rse

I have visions of finding a VV(Vihtavuori) scenario like Ford's Brown Paper Bag Military >>pull down<, IMR 4895, but that just hasn't materialized just yet.

Hochachtungsvoll,

Raimey
rse

BillK,
What cases are you using? You said you are not using Bertram's. If you are using original cases, they would take the 5.5 MM (.217") Berdan primer, which are in very short supply (unless you have some "squirreled away"). If the cases are formed from American donor cases or "modern" 9.3x72R cases pocketed for Boxer primers, you can use pretty much any large rifle primer you like (I'm guessing you will reduce the charge and work back up to it, as per normal). Some older combination guns (especially drillings) give problems firing modern boxer primers because the firing pins strike the harder primer cup at an angle. My friend and mentor Gene Enterkin kept a stash of what he called "round head primers"(actually older round headed large pistol primers) use loading for rifles giving this problem. The theory was the firing pin would strike the primer closer to "straight on" to the rounded surface, in addition to the cup being "softer". You won't know whether you will need to resort to these primers or even modify the rifle, unless you have misfires or hangfires with it.
Mike

Hi Mike. They are reformed cases from 303 Brit and from Hornaby 30-40 Krag. The gun I have is a combo over under so the firing pin should hit the primer straight and not on an angle.
I did a quick google search and it seems IMR 4895 is available. Someone on another post had suggested a load with IMR 3031, but I did not find any available. Another post had mentioned IMR4064 and someone else N135. Are all those powders similar to each other?
BillK.

N135(VV I assume) burns a little slower than N140. There's a burn rate chart around here somewhere. But the following is a start,

https://www.lhs-germany.de/fileadmi...renngeschwindigkeit_Export_Feb._2018.pdf

Serbus,

Raimey
rse

Thank you Raimey.

https://www.reddit.com/r/reloading/comments/1cvb8wi/relative_burn_rate_chart/#lightbox

https://hodgdonpowderco.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/updatedburnrateschart-1.pdf


Here is something close for which I was searching.

Hochachtungsvoll,

Raimey
rse

BillK,
You can use whatever large rifle primers you have on hand. You are not going to use a powder or charge that would require a magnum primer. The powders you mentioned are all similar in burn rate but would likely require differing charge weights. This brings up a point about the very useful "burn rate charts". Some are so close that they are virtually the same, but by the nature of a chart like this, one has to be listed over the other. On the other hand, two powders listed next to each other may have significantly different burn rates. This just means the chart is only a guide and the charges must be determined for each powder separately. If you have different powders available (primers also) I can't tell you which will be the best, but the rifle will tell you.
Mike

Too, along Ford's line of direction, it has been established that VV N140 will get you close to where you want to be & Ford has given a few options. I would choose one of those 1st, then you can experiment elsewhere.

Hochachtungsvoll,

Raimey
rse

Hi members. Follow up question. Does the brand of large rifle primer (CCI, Federal, Remington, etc) used to reload play any significant factor in the load pressure or any one of them can be used safely? Thank you.
BillK.