{"id":668,"date":"2023-10-25T20:05:57","date_gmt":"2023-10-25T20:05:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tactical-dailynews.com\/?p=668"},"modified":"2023-10-25T20:05:58","modified_gmt":"2023-10-25T20:05:58","slug":"legends-never-die-reloading-old-school-projectiles","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tactical-dailynews.com\/?p=668","title":{"rendered":"Legends Never Die: Reloading Old-School Projectiles"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Why old-school projectiles remain a valuable resource to reloaders in the 21st century.<\/strong><\/h2>\n

I truly enjoy shooting and hunting with the latest bullet technology, and I\u2019ve written many times that we\u2019re in the Golden Age of projectile development. Monometal copper bullets, hybrid ogive designs and bonded cores are all great \u2026 but they aren\u2019t always necessary. Sometimes, an older, classic design fits the bill perfectly\u2014and might even be desirable.<\/p>\n

The classics are \u201cclassics\u201d for a reason. They\u2019ve proven themselves for generations, and so long as the application is suitable, they function just fine. Of course, some of the simpler designs showed their limits and resulted in the recommended cartridge and caliber minimums we\u2019ve all become familiar with. However, when you stay within the parameters of the projectile\u2019s design, you can see the merits of that particular bullet.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf it\u2019s good enough for the military, it\u2019s good enough for me.\u201d The classic FMJ handgun bullet is a great choice for
affordable, high-volume shooting. Photo: Massaro Media Group.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Ol\u2019 Cup-And-Core<\/strong><\/h3>\n

The cup-and-core bullet design\u2014for both rifles and handguns\u2014hearkens back to the 1880s yet remains a perfectly viable choice for both hunting and defensive work. It\u2019s a simple concept, with a lead core wrapped in a copper jacket, usually with a bit of exposed lead at the meplat to initiate expansion for the hunting bullets, or perhaps completely encapsulated in the case of the full metal jacket, military-style rifle.<\/p>\n

In the rifle world, the Remington Core-Lokt is a great example of a bullet still in use today, and it still works great when used at reasonable velocities on suitable game species. In cartridges like the .30-30 Winchester, .257 Roberts, 7mm Mauser and .30-06 Springfield\u2014where velocities are reasonable\u2014a cup-and-core design will suit just fine, especially if of proper sectional density. The light-for-caliber rifle bullets tend to be frangible, especially if pushed too fast.<\/p>\n

From the reloading perspective, I like this bullet style for cartridges that have minimal case capacity. The lead core keeps the bullet length down, and many of the older designs have a shorter ogive; this combination allows for more room in the case, and less bullet outside the case mouth. The .308 Winchester, .300 Winchester Magnum (I do prefer bullets with thicker jackets for this application), .350 Remington Magnum, and .260 Remington will all be easier to load with the shorter cup-and-core projectiles. The Sierra GameKing and ProHunter, Speer Hot-Cor, Hornady InterLock and aforementioned Core-Lokt are all hell on deer and similarly sized game \u2026 and wonderfully affordable.<\/p>\n

I also like the cup-and-core bullet design for fueling obscure cartridges. As just one example, to feed my .318 Westley Richards\u2014which uses a .330-inch-diameter bullet\u2014I bought a Lee Classic Bullet Sizing Kit, sized for .329-inch-diameter bullets. With a liberal application of Imperial Sizing Die Wax and some heaving and shoving on the Redding Ultra Mag reloading press, I can swage Hornady\u2019s .338-inch-diameter 250-grain Interlock cup and core bullets down to 0.330 inch. There seems to be 0.001 inch of spring-back, as the resultant bullets measure 0.330 inch on two different sets of calipers. All this lets me keep the old cartridge alive.<\/p>\n

One of the biggest complaints about cup-and-core rifle bullets is jacket\/core separation. Upon impact, the jacket peels away from the core, resulting in poor penetration. This is a common phenomenon among boat-tail bullets, especially at higher velocities. This condition is also what prompted John Nosler to build a better mousetrap; his .300 H&H Magnum was a bit too fast for the bullets of the 1940s, and blew up on a moose\u2019s shoulder. If you run a magnum cartridge, I suggest a thick jacket and plenty of bullet weight.<\/p>\n