Loading 57 mm rounds

[Greyman50]

Helping buddy load up for the shoot. 57 mm or 6 pounder for the Brits. Uses cannon powder which is about 1/2” long by 3/16” dia. under the standard AP projectile without the trace element. Will be shooting a car and a paper target at about 400 yards. Other cannons will be there too along with some MGs. Pics later today or tomorrow. Going to be a real Blast.

 

[stansdds]

Wow! And I thought my RCBS Ammo Master press was big.

 

[Ivan the Butcher]

Starting in the 80's, I found shopping bags of 16" gunpowder at gun shows. About 2" long x 7/8" diameter with 7 small holes running the length. They were sold as "Camp Fire Starters"! Set upright they burn for 45 second, set horizontally, the burn 3 times as hot for 15 seconds.

First pricing was 100 pieced in a grocery bag for $3, last ones I saw for sale were 25 cents each. Every now and then, I'll bust open one of y old camping kits and find few. They still burn fine!

Ivan

 

[fordson]

Where is your range at? Certainly not anywhere near Green Cove…….

 

[murphydog]

I was pretty sure you'd left the decimal point off the caliber designation in your title. No fiddling around with tiny projectiles with this round. Enjoy!

 

[gwpercle]

Sorry ... I can't find any data in my Lyman , Speer or Hornady manuals .
You Load Safe , you hear ... 57mm is like 2 1/4" ... That is a Big Bore !
Gary

 

[mtgianni]

So that's where all the large rifle magnum primers have gone.

 

[LVSteve]

I was pretty sure you'd left the decimal point off the caliber designation in your title. No fiddling around with tiny projectiles with this round. Enjoy!

I also wondered how many looked at the thread title and thought, "Oh dear, the OP left off the decimal point."

Some say the British 6-pounder won the Battle of El Alamein.

 

[cololab]

Where does your buddy get the AP projectiles to reload those rounds?

 

[Dave_n]

I also wondered how many looked at the thread title and thought, "Oh dear, the OP left off the decimal point."

Some say the British 6-pounder won the Battle of El Alamein.

Add in the 25 Pounder Howitzer and I would agree. It had quite a flat trajectory with AP rounds. Dave_n

 

[Greyman50]

Well, Big Disappointment. Turns out he did not resize all the cases so only 2 would chamber and fire, bummer. Projectiles cost him around $60 ea and they can be recovered and fired few times. About 25 people showed up, way to many vehicles on the narrow farm road in the tobacco field. This was above Durham in a cut and disced tobacco field. Farmer owns several 1000 acres and field had nothing behind the woods for about 10 miles.
All was not lost as another old friend from Va. Beach brought his 1912 Austrian 47 mm pack howitzer with 20 rounds. Had fun shooting it at the Mazda and its hood.Projectile was 2 pound solid turned aluminum. He also had some artillery spotter charges loaded in 20 Ga. shotgun shells we shot out of a single barrel. That was next to the best fun as charges went off when hitting the ground or the car. He had 1 round that would not chamber so not bad. Other friend brought his BAR for a couple of kids to shoot off the half track. Something is wrong as can not load pics?????

 

[Greyman50]

Well, looks like uploads worked. Here’s the hood and rear fender well of Mazda. Range was around 275 yards. He will load more rounds for the spring shoot. He has several cannons, mortars and MG’s he will be selling soon.

 

[TAROMAN]

Better check with Redding for a custom 57mm full length sizing die. And don't forget a gallon of case lube!

 

[squeeze]

Load armor piercing and only take side and rear shots at panzer IV. Sell the non armor piercing to the Americans for the battalion support guns and walk away happy.

 

[Greyman50]

So that's where all the large rifle magnum primers have gone.

Uses .50 Cal BMG primers. Most projectiles are pulled from display/ dummy rounds.