7.7 Japanese Arisaka reloading

And then? There was the NRA story, a reloader stuffed a 30/06 reamer somewhere into one of the two rifles and no one can explain to me how he got the pilot of the 30/06 reamer into the .264/6.5mm barrel.

So, the story is one of the most boring stories I have ever been involved with until one day I had the opportunity to talk to a Japanese gun smith. I said; "Forget the rifle, I want the cases because if the rifle did not blow up the cases did not blow up", meaning the cases had to be the strongest cases in the world. And then there was that story about welding the barrel muzzle shut.

F. Guffey
 
Sometimes in handloading...we just don't have good data for the components we have on hand. So...sometimes we have to do some math, make some educated guesses, and solve our own problems.

When I don't have good data, I find similar data and extrapolate. Hodgdon lists data for the 303 Brit and 7.62x54r both with 180gr bullets and Varget.

While not exactly the same as the 7.7 Jap, I would feel comfortable doing a load workup starting with the 303 Brit data and going into the 7.62x54r data as the case design, capacity, and bullet weight and diameter all match up nicely.

So, I think that Varget should work just fine in the 7.7 Jap as it works fine in the 303 Brit and 7.62x54r. There's a very wide range of powder charges in there because the Lee Enfield isn't as strong as a Mosin Nagant. But an Arisaka is quite strong, so the 7.62x54r data might be the better starting point, although the 303 Brit data seems like it would make for some gentle on the shoulder hunting loads.

Jimro
 
FWIW, I've had good luck with my favorite powder - RL15. Using pulled 7.62x54R bullets and a moderate load of 45.0 grains, produced a 2-3 inch 5 shot group @100 yards (iron sights), at 2550 fps. Increased loads produced decreased accuracy although higher velocities. As always develop your own loads.
 
Last edited:
Wow, that would be great if I could use RL 15. That is what I use for my 308 so I’m sitting on about 15 pounds. I love that stuff. LOL. Unfortunately, I have many books but not been able to find much on this cartridge and haven’t found anything using RL 15. Can I ask you What bullet and weight you are using? I am using 180 Sierra. 311 pro hunter #2310. If you feel I am using too heavy I’ll be bullet I can back down. The only reason for this bullet is it’s the same one I use in my mosins. I was wanting to stay with one bullet weight and type for both firearms if I can, but no biggie. This firearm is only used for 100 yards off a sandbag 5 shot groups. Would appreciate any loading info you can give. For instants, started load, max per Bullet weight would be greatly appreciated thanks For your help.
 
Yes, zilch out there on Reloader 15 for the 7.7. I started out in the low 40 grains and worked my way up. My main clue, among others was Varget/RL15 loadings for the .303 British. Hodgdon shows Varget @ 39.0 start and 42.0 max for the .303-150 gr. bullet right around 2500 fps. (Sorry, I left out Russian bullet weights, they average 150 grs.) I say that because the weights from these surplus rounds vary a lot, compared to modern bullets.

Also, I erred on my initial post re velocity. I corrected it and lowered it to 2550 fps. Note; there is conjecture and disagreement on equivalency between Varget and Reloader loadings/ burn rates etc, I'll let you determine its correlation -if any. Alliant shows 42 grs of RL15 for a Speer 180 bullet weight, which may be a max load listing (?)

Reloader is my go-to powder for quite a few calibers, so I'm glad it worked out for the 7.7 too. My 1942 rifle has the bayonet, aircraft sights, monopod, dust cover, and an intact mum-a GI bring back war rifle. But terrible surface bluing and a dinged up stock. But a sweet chrome lined bore ! If only my 3 Nagants shot this well... Good Luck on your shooting.
 
Last edited:
Reloader 15 is equal to Norma 203b

I think 7.65 Belgian Mauser reloading data is more similar to the .308 or the .303 British reloading data.

Attached is the beginning of an article that says R-15 is the same as Norma N-203b. N-204 is the same as R-19. Do other searches yourself. From the Norma site, you will find the reloading data usable for R-15 and R-19 for the 7.7 Arisaka.

If you own a Ken Waters' Petloads book by Handloader, there is a list of petloads using N-203 and N-204 for his rifle. I can only guess that N203 is the same as N203b. Look this up on the internet. Good luck.

http://bulletin.accurateshooter.com/2015/09/alliant-reloder-15-vs-norma-203b-the-numbers-tell-all/
 
Last edited by a moderator:
This is a 2-year-old thread, the OP hasn’t been back since January 2018 so he can’t see your informative post. Too, there is no attachment to your post ( ☹️ ) but I see you’re a new poster here so no problem, welcome aboard.



.
 
Thank you

Thanks Uncle Nick,

I have a photo of 5 sets of ladder test loads I rolled for my 7.7 Arisaka. Very pretty. I wish I could show them off.
 
Like TX Nimrod says, the OP is 2 years old.
There's 7.7 Jap data on Hodgdon's site.
7.65 Belgian Mauser is nothing like .308 Win. Max loads with like bullet weights, are similar to .303 Brit Start loads. Hodgdon has that data too.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top