Guys,

Hopefully someone can help me.  I ordered 100 M33 virgin projos from Widener's and received them with no problems.  I took 3 bullets and weighed them expecting them to be 647 grains.  What I got surprised me; 685.5, 695.5, 698.5 grains respectively.  With this variation in projectile weights, what charge weight am I supposed to follow?  Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Duane

I've seen some commentary over at BH by Keith Pagel, that there are two version of the the M33 'ball' projo.   The original weighed in at ~647gr, but the newer version is closer to 700gr.   This was done to better standardize ammo ballistics with other current types.

A good starting load is 210gr of surplus 5010, then work up from there.
In my gun (BFG) I get the best performance/longevity from the brass at 216gr of 5010.

You got ball rounds but they're the M2 ball rounds that are actually closer to 700 grs. and were designed to have the same trajectory as the 700 gr AP. Seeing how AP hasn't been produced since WWII they changed to the newer M33 ball which is about 647 grs. and is suppose to match the trajectory of the M8 API.

To add to all this mess, you have to remember all the different companies that produced the projo's for the Gov. It's a good idea to start out low and work your way up, try starting around 210 grs. and work up from there. You'll probably find that a load somewhere between 215-220 grs. will give the best results.

Thanks for the help.