Need Load Suggestions For DuPont 5066 Powder

Shooters,

I just traded for 2 sealed canisters of the old DuPont 5066 powder, which used to be my favorite.  I lost my
old data, so could any of you help me?

I need a load to be used under the 185 grain Zero HP-SWC bullet.

In fact, are any of you old enough to remember the 5066?

Thanx,
Jerry

Jerry,

I got some from Bob Brown and love it. I haven't used it yet for jacketed bullets but go as low as 3.3gr in my longslide for 25 yd line. Had a 200-18X TF with it. Every time I use it for a match ,it makes my recoil spring rust before I get home.

I'll be trying it soon with some Hornady jacketed 185gr SWC.

Jon

Bob Brown told me about your rusty spring problem months before he passed away.  I never had that problem with 5066.  I don't have stainless steel recoil springs.  Tom Herlow was also given some 5066 and he never had his spring rust.

BTW, the Zero HP-SWC is a swaged lead bullet, not a jacketed SWC.

The Star charge bars my Dad ordered when I was just out of diapers were:

3.5 5066

and

4.5 5066

I *suspect* those were charges for .38 Special and .45. He used the 200-gr H&G SWC and a 145-gr .38 pointy SWC (H&G 73). BUT I don't have access to any of his ammo boxes any more, so verify this stuff first.

Looking at an OLD load sheet I picked up on-line a few months ago...

.38 Special, 148-gr WC (short seated of course), 2.9 gr 5066 is supposed to go 745 fps at 10,600 CUP?

158-gr LSWC, either 3.5, 3.6 or 3.8 gr (image is fuzzy), 870 fps at 15,800 CUP?

.45 ACP
185-gr SWC (does not say lead or jacketed), 4.2 gr for ?655? fps at 7,500 CUP

Same, might be the max loads list, 5.8 gr, 1,005 fps, 18,000 CUP.

Can't tell if the "seat depth" is the same for both .45 loads. Might read .318 or .378, I think that's the base of bullet to case mouth length.

Hope this helps...

To Jon Eulette,

I fired 35 rounds with 5066 powder on Friday.  Took the spring out today.  No rust whatsoever.

The pistol was last fired two years ago and not internally cleaned. I
used 5066 powder then.  From the same batch that you used. No
problems either.  Spring is the same original one that Jim Clark put
in the Clark Heavy Slide several years ago.

I have the Speer reloading manual #9 from 1974 and it does not list 5066, at least not for .45ACP. I have started keeping an eye out for older reloading manuals for this exact reason.

And I thought I was old-school using Winchester 452AA!

Well guess what????

I have the Speer #6 on the shelf and finally looked at it for other purposes and noticed how few calibers and powders it has.

BUT it has both 5066 AND original Hi Skor, which my Dad used in his Bullseye days.

For the 185-gr LSWC, the start load is 4.0 for 706 fps
Next is 4.3 for 721 fps
Max ? is listed as 4.5 at 799 fps.

They got more speed out of Bullseye.

They loaded a half-grain more with the 200-gr LSWC and got 848 fps.

With the 200, the other powders (only 4 total) are BE, Hi-Skor (original), and 230P (predecessor of Win 231. My Dad used all three in BE loads, and old Win 295 in .357 and .44 Mag, and griped about all of them being discontinued.

Don't imagine that BE will ever be discontinued in the foreseeable future...

Jerry: Dug out some OLD machine rest tests with the following results--

all were fired at 25 yards---3.5 & 3.6 & 3.7 grains of #5066
H & G #130 (185 gr.) 6-10 shot groups ---1 inch to 1 1/4 inches
Speer reloading manual (1964) lists the 185 gr. bullet with 3.5 gr. #5066
at 562 fps. I do not find any 50 yard tests with #5066 John

OOOkay Shooters<

I found the good load--- It is 4.5 grains of 5066.  I wanted to find a good load which functioned perfectly with the Clark spring which was optimized for factory 185gr FMJ semi-wadcutters.  Also functioned
with white box and brown box match loads.

The pistol is a Clark Heavy Slide with a slide mounted 30mm red-dot.