>>All the vom Hofe Super Express cartridges are overrated paper tigers. Nobody ever measured the advertized velocities when factory loads were shot from real rifles over real chronographs. Apparently old Ernst – August vom Hofe shot his loads from absurdly long barrels over a typewriter to achieve the velocities he published. Remember, this was in the 1930s when nobody outside ammo factories and proofhouses had worthwhile equipment. At the same time American wildcatters too claimed wildly exaggerated velocities for their "
The advertized velocity of the 5.6x61 with the 77 gr bullet was 3700 fps. Factory loads rarely exceeded 3300 fps, more than 10 % less. The top velocities within max presssure listed by German handloading books are:
RWS: 70 gr at 3470 fps ( 52 gr R904)
DEVA: 70 gr at 3543 fps (41.5 gr IMR 4831), 77 gr at 3510 fps (61 gr H870 or 53.2 gr IMR 4831)<<
Most interesting comments by Axel E. on the Rimless version??? where he points to the possibility that only upper rung ammo factories were the only ones with Chronys and maybe even dial calipers??? Not sure what shooting over a typewrite has to do w/ the price of Strawberries in China, but I might shoot over an old Laptop to see the advantages??
It is interesting to see that DEVA has published loading data for the 5.6x61, at least for the rimless version and at least in one edition of its reloading guide.
And interesting to see that some US powders were used , especially IMR4831. Question to US reloaders: how does this compare to H4831?
But the numbers seem odd: 41.5 grains with 70 gr bullet, versus 53.2 grains with a 77 gr bullet?
In any case, my suggestion for such a reloading project (rare cartridge, few and old data) is to use a reloading software and a chronograph. This omits a lot of guesswork and insecurity, expands the range of usable components, and hopefully saves time and money.
"Shooting over a typewriter": I remember that phrase, it's an accusation to imaginative gunwriters, wildcatters etc regarding the data they published. I do not know where this was coined, in the US or in germany?
fuhrmann
