It has been 20 years since I reloaded lead bullets for use in a rifle (30-30 in a Winchester ‘94 for CAS long range and .303 British for use in a Martini Enfield carbine). I have now run out of those loads for the 30-30 (running a bit low for the .303 Brit too).

I have just cast up some 150 gn LRNFP projectiles and was looking at powder loads (can’t remember what I did last time other than I loaded down slightly). I have a powder but the loading tables only list jacketed bullets (31 gn Mulwex AR2208 minimum for 2172 fps).

I am looking for around 2000 fps so would a 1 1/2 drop in the powder charge we about right?

DO NOT REDUCE SLOW BURNING POWDER CHARGES. Go to a fast burning powder. I prefer SR 4759 but Unique and IMR 4227 work too. Go to the Cast Bullet Association website and ask there. Don't blow yourself up reducing a slow burning powder charge. It could detonate.

Get Lymans Cast Bullet Manual. Don't guess and don't get loads off the net. You'll be safer and happier plus it's a good manual. No accusation that anyone here would deliberately give you bad advice but mistakes happen. Good loading manuals are cheap insurance plus I like reading them. I learn stuff too. I had a loading manual for a year and read it cover to cover twice before I ever loaded a round on my own.

Check out Reloader 7 and 5744. Those are my two go to powders for cast rifle loads.

10 grains of Unique will gitter dun. Look it up.

I have been casting and loading bullets since about 1973. Performance within the usual range of the .30-30 and .303 British is easily obtained using powders within the middle range of burning rates (here in the US that might include 4895, 3031, H335, BLC-2, RX-7 and a few others). Generally, I recommend against the use of faster-burning powders for most rifle applications (2400, Unique, others). My usual .30-30 load is 30 grains H335 with Lee C309-170F cast bullet, which just about duplicates factory ammo. I have used the same load in .30-06, .30-40 Krag, .300 Savage, .308 Winchester, and I suspect it would do just as well in the .303 British. Not a barn-burner high performance load, but completely useful for any target work, and it has kept my freezer filled with meat through many deer and elk seasons here in Colorado.

Recognizing that the OP is in New Zealand, and the available powders might be different than I would find here in the US (I don't even recognize those the OP has mentioned), I would suggest following powder manufacturers' published data for those powders within the middle range of burning rates, starting at the bottom end of the load recommendations, and working up loads responsibly to achieve the accuracy and performance levels required.

Side note: I have two rifles purchased new, one in 1976 and the other in 1979, which have never been fired with factory ammunition. I also own a dozen more that are between 80 and 130 years old that I keep shooting only because I can produce my own ammunition for them (obsolete calibers, or those that are so expensive to buy that it makes me cringe too much to pull the trigger!). Within the performance parameters of the .30-30 Winchester or the .303 British there is very little that cannot be done just as well with cast bullets.

Best regards.

Mulwex (ADI) AR2208 is made in Australia. It is the same manufacturer of Winchester, Hodgdon powder. AR 1205 and Hodgdon H4227 were the same powder except 2205 had a slightly different coating for Australian military specifications, and is the reason H4227 is no longer made after ADI were purchased Bub wi Chester/Hodgdon. The new owners didn’t see why they should make the same powder twice.

AR 2208 is a little slower than H335 and about the same burning rate as IMR 4064 according to their website

You should have no problem using the jacketed starting load listed in your manual & then adjust your load from there.

If you drop under the minimum load you should keep an eye on your case capacity. Too much space and the ammo starts to get erratic (position sensitive).

You should go over and look around on the castboolit.com website. There are several members there that are from New Zealand and their good with cast bullets/rifle data (jeffinNZ is a moderator and has a website
Beaver Grease).

Do a search for 4064 & varget, you'll find pages and pages of data/loads on the castboolit.com website.

Been working on 10-shot groups @ 100yds that will do moa. 2400 in a 308w, the load needs a little tweeking ( 1 3/8" outside to outside)


good luck

I went into Sportsman's Whse one year and picked up the small manual,
0ne book/one Caliber for the 30-06.
It list data for all the powder makes for jacket and lead bullets.
3,886 proven and tested loads, 155 bullet designs, 81 powders.

They have it in 30-30.
I also have the 38 special manual, that is "Dog eared" now.

phone Fax 661-269-8991

None of the Lyman Manuals has data for Mulwex AR2208 powder.

For many years I used SR-4759 in reduced velocity loads both with lead and jacketed bullets. XMP-5744 is also quite good. Many shooters now prefer touse Trail Boss which has the advantage of filling the case up and minimizing double charges.

I use 4759 and 4895. 4759 has been discussed here and there is plenty of data. IMR 4895 can be reduced 30%.
I make a lot of 'gallery', 'youth', 'reduced' loads out of both.

Of course Unique is good, but I think it would get lower velocities down to around 1200 fps. I use a lot of very light bullets, great for plinking and people that aren't used to a heavy recoiling rifle.

My most common load is a 110 'plinker' or 115 gr. 'carbine' bullet at about 2200 to 2400 fps. But I've varied up and down from there. I haven't tried coated bullets in rifles, but I believe that would increase the versatility of lead loads and prevent leading.

I think I'll look at my Lyman manual for some extra info. These loads are gangs of fun and would be really useful to somebody after small game with a minimum of damage.

__________________
"He was kinda funny lookin'"

I shoot cast bullets in my Marlin 30-30 . I use a 173 gr RNFP , Lyman 311-046 mold , sized .311 gas checked . I found that IMR 3031 , 25 grs made a real nice , accurate and easy shooting load . I tried 4759 , 4198 and 4227 before I settled on 3031 . Regards, Paul