Anybody reloading for Jap 86 EL?

[Aggiecubpilot]

Howdy everybody!

After slinging small 270 and 30 cal bullets at our south Texas whitetail for years I said to heck with it and bought an 86 Ex light USRAC manufacture. Im looking to load for it hopefully using cast primarilly. I have 2400 and IMR 4198 on hand but have not selected a bullet yet to try. I've read somewhere here that the miroku 86's have rifling that is very shallow much like Marlin. True? What are the implications of this?

Can anybody give me some jumping off advice or reccomendations? I'm looking for 100-150 yard capability on a 180 pound or so animal. Also I'm not set up to cast my own bullets so would be buying them. Any thoughts are much appreciated!

C Parker

[3leggedturtle]

I use Laser-Cast 305, 350 and 405 gr FP bullets. Use starting loads and work up. My loads are all 1400 to 1700fps. Let your shoulder decide where to stop. They will all shoot 2" or less at 100 with open sights. Any of those bullets will punch thru deer as far as you can hit them. Todd I have a Marlin 1895SS but would like an 1886

[86er]

I have the Miroku made USRAC/Winchester 1886EL. I've shot a little over 2000 rds through it in the 7 years I own it. My rifling is NOT shallow at all. Some of the loads I have used were intended for elephant, hippo and buffalo so you don't need them. You won't find them in a book somewhere so if you'd like to try them you are welcome to shoot them out of my rifle and then decide. A 350 gr Kodiak @ 2075 fps with 53 grains of H322 is one of my "light" loads but it is flat shooting and not too much recoil and will outright flatten a deer. For the buffalo in your life you can use a 450 Kodiak expanding or solid @ 1750 fps with 39.5gr of RL-7. When an elephant or hippo is in your sights a 430 Punch bullet going 1825 fps will ring there bell when loaded with 43.5 gr of RL-7. As for our Texas whitetails I think you'd be happy with the 300 grain Nosler and 59 grains of H4198 or 54 grains of IMR4198 for very close to 2300 fps. If you move up to the 350 gr Cast Performance 49 grains of H4198 or 50.5 grains of IMR4198 will get you 2120 fps. The owner of Cast Performance is a sponsor on this site and he has excellent 300 grain cast bullets and quite a few heavier weights, and he can recommend load data. Cast Performance Bullet Company phone # is (503) 556-3006. You can do quite a lot with that rifle by changing the bullets/loads from 1500 fps 300 grain "javalina loads" to serious dangerous game loads. Certain loads will shoot 1.25" 3 shot groups at 100 yds out of my gun and the worst groups with assorted loads while developing ran 3" at 100 yds. My rifle has never been overly erratic with any ammo and there's no reason to think yours would. If you aren't getting less than 3" groups at 100 yds consider trying a different load and I am confident the groups will shrink when you find what it likes. Best of luck with it!

[williamranks]

I use Laser-Cast 305, 350 and 405 gr FP bullets. Use starting loads and work up. My loads are all 1400 to 1700fps. Let your shoulder decide where to stop. They will all shoot 2" or less at 100 with open sights. Any of those bullets will punch thru deer as far as you can hit them. Todd I have a Marlin 1895SS but would like an 1886

Did you have any trouble chambering the 405 laser-cast? On my '86 EL the bolt wouldn't close on them until I did a little work on extending the throat.
They were all loaded to the Guide Gun OAL.

Bill

[Hook]

Acp, get you a batch of 405 grain cast bullets from a good source (I use Meister mostly) or cast your own. Then seat them over an appropriate charge of 2400 (I use 25 gr), and have fun. I used 28 gr of 5744 for years but recently ran low on it. The 2400 does equally as well. These loads are not too far from the original BP load velocities and are a pleasure to shoot. I am using a Browning SRC, but the action and barrel is the same as your EL.

86er certainly has the T-rex loads down well, and if you fear you may stumble onto one at any point, use those loads. Be prepared for a crippling event though(and I don't mean just for the T-rex), especially in an EL. He is lucky enough to hunt stuff where those loads are needed. I only hunt whitetail and the occasional tin can and steel plate dinger, so the light BP type loads are perfect. They will absolutely knock a WT on it's side and will even unshuck an armadillo from it's shell.

As per Bill's question, these all seem to have a very short throat. I have to be careful to seat everything I load in my Browning as deeply as possible so that they will chamber easily.

[Mike D.]

405 grain bullets are not needed to take any deer sized game in the US. A 300 grain bullet will do just fine at whatever velocity suits you. I like mine at 1800+, but that's just me. For larger animals like elk a 350 jacketed RN in front of 50.5 grs IMR 4198 will do the trick quite handily. With the Miroku 1886s the question is not strength, but case capacity.

[3leggedturtle]

I use Laser-Cast 305, 350 and 405 gr FP bullets. Use starting loads and work up. My loads are all 1400 to 1700fps. Let your shoulder decide where to stop. They will all shoot 2" or less at 100 with open sights. Any of those bullets will punch thru deer as far as you can hit them. Todd I have a Marlin 1895SS but would like an 1886

Did you have any trouble chambering the 405 laser-cast? On my '86 EL the bolt wouldn't close on them until I did a little work on extending the throat.
They were all loaded to the Guide Gun OAL.

Bill

Not at all,mine I bought new in April 2007. All 3 were/are seated to the crimping groove Todd

[Blaine]

I have had issues with Marlin OAL not wanting to chamber in my USRAC 86EL. Don't crimp one, and chamber it in by force and see where you need to be. Edit: Dummy round, of course.

[Sixgun]

All of the above are excellent loads. Rule of thumb for a Browning 1886------stick whatever the Loading manual says you can put in there----it will work----as "three legged turtle" say's, "let your shoulder be your guide"------------Most guys like 1500-1700-That will work on anything in North America -----------Sixgun

[Tycer]

Here's a pic of a Win Miroku 86 EL Throat slug.

[Aggiecubpilot]

Thank you one and all for the responses! How does everyone feel about using a filler wad of some sort with 2400? Thanks so much again y'all!

[Tycer]

Use modern reloading data and if it calls for filler, use a different powder. Unique, Reloader7, 3031 and 4198 work well for me. Alliant shows no load data for 45-70 and 2400 and lower charges have been reported to be a no no.

[2X22]

I don't know if it is a flat shootin' 150 yard laser beam, but my '86 load is a 420gr gr cast using 44grs of 3031 which gives me about 1550fps. I know it'll kill a 180lb deer, I've taken quite a few bull elk with it out to about 125 yards. And every single bullet exited.

Oh, and my rifle really likes this load and back when my eyes were perfect it would keep its groups around 3/4" at 75 yards.

2x22

[HEAD0001]

I cast a Lyman 405 grain bullet. But any good 405 cast bullet will do. Back it up with 40.0 grains of RL-7, and a good crimp. Works great for me. Although I could make a good case that 40.0 grains of RL-7 is more power than one needs for deer. Tom.