So the wife bought me one of the Belgian Velodog pistols a couple of years ago. Very nice gesture and I love her to death, but it is chambered in the 5.5 (some say 5.7) mm Velodog round. Basically a centerfire 22 long rifle in a case that resembles a 22 magnum. I did some research and the modern 22 CCM (Cooper Centerfire Magnum) case is almost the exact size after trimming to length. So, I have a set of 22 CCM dies and 100 22 CCM cases on the way to me now. All I need is a load to put into the cases. The firearm has the Lion over PV Nitro Proof as well as the Crown over PV Superior nitro proof mark. So, I am assuming it is safe to fire with light smokeless powders. That is unless someone here has an opinion otherwise. This won't be hot rodded and I prefer the use of smokeless just for the simplicity of cleaning the thing when I'm done shooting it. I can be convinced to shoot only black powder if someone here thinks it is wiser. I do realize that the thing is probably over a hundred years old. Though it is in remarkably good shape.
So, I just need some suggestions on reproducing 22 LR ballistics in smokeless powder.
The black powder load I'm not as concerned with as I suspect the original round was a case full of black. I'd start at about a half a case and use a filler for the remaining space on the black powder loads. Might work up from there, but I'm not trying to get any level of performance out of this round. I just want it to be reliable and safe for both myself and the gun.
EDIT to add: I see that the original 22 black powder loads contained around 5 grains of black. I assume that the elongated 22 CCM case will hold a bit more than that. I guess I'll be using some type of filler for my first tries with black powder.
So, I just need some suggestions on reproducing 22 LR ballistics in smokeless powder.
The black powder load I'm not as concerned with as I suspect the original round was a case full of black. I'd start at about a half a case and use a filler for the remaining space on the black powder loads. Might work up from there, but I'm not trying to get any level of performance out of this round. I just want it to be reliable and safe for both myself and the gun.
EDIT to add: I see that the original 22 black powder loads contained around 5 grains of black. I assume that the elongated 22 CCM case will hold a bit more than that. I guess I'll be using some type of filler for my first tries with black powder.
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