[Deles136]

I am thinking about using Accurate 8700 to light load some mil-surp ammo. Any good or bad info would be appreciated.

Thanks

[griz]

I've used it in 25-06 and was happy with it for a "cheap" load. I think it would be OK for a 30-06, especially with heavier bullets.
What caliber are you going to load?

[Deles136]

griz, I am going to be loading 7.62x54R, 7.65x53 Argentine and 30-06. I am 67 and I don't like the recoil of standard loads but I want to keep on shooting as long as I can with lighter loads. I am using the bullets that came with the mil-surp ammo and that ranges from 147 gr. to 190 gr. The 30-06 may be heavier.

[griz]

Just looked on AA's website and it seems 8700 is pretty much what you are looking for. They list 8700 for most of their 7.62X54 bullet weights and they are about 500 or 600 FPS slower than the more conventional powders. That should cut back noticeably on recoil. In 30-06 they list it for lead bullets and the heavy (200 & 220) jacketed bullets. If you have surplus bullets they are probably lighter so that may not be as useful.

As I said I have only used in a 25-06, where it is just a bit slower than a normal load with some 115 grain bullets I had. So it surprised me that they claimed it worked very well with lead bullets in the mid sized calibers such as the 30's. I might try some for a mild lead bullet load in my 30-06.

[Deles136]

griz - I have loaded some 7.62x54R and some 7.65x53 Argentine with the 8700. The 54R bullets are 148 gr. and the 7.65 Arg. are 187 gr. I will give you a report as soon as I can test. We have hard rain forcast for the next few days so the report will probably be the middle of next week. I did test fire one of the 7.65 and found out that a very tight crimp is necessary.