Plain Base , SAECO # 315

[Ben]

I contacted Buckshot 4 years ago and asked if I could send my SAECO 315 , 2 Cav. mould to him for removal of the g/c shank in the rear cav. The front cav. is hp'd by Buckshot also and continues to have it's g/c shank. We agreed on the " specs " for the job and he said " Send it out here to me ". The mould arrived after about an 8 day stay with Rick. The mould made the round trip from Alabama to CA, back to AL just fine !

I requested a rear base dia. of .312 or .3125 ". I got .3125 " with my ACWW alloy today. YOU CAN'T BEAT THAT for precision work on Buckshot's behalf.

I am super pleased with the work done on my mould !

I've shot just about every .30 cal. cast bullet design out there. This one is without a doubt , one of my all time favorites ! !

Photos below :

Ben
______________________________________

These were my " as cast " dimensions prior to sending the mold out to Buckshot :

Here is what the bullets look like now :

I loaded a test round for my Ruger # 1, 30 - 06. The rear band ( all of it ) remains in the case neck and the front drive band is imprinting lightly into the rifling of the barrel when the breech is closed :

Let the games begin ! !

I've also sized some 3115" and tumble lubed them with Lee Liquid Alox:

If you take out the " 2 O'clock round " from the group below( and that round is most likely me..not the rifle ) ....this SAECO # 315 plain base is basically shooting in 1 hole at 50 yards. Shot with my Ruger # 1, 30-06.

 

[300BLK]

The tapered design of that bullet just lends itself to self centering in the throat. Dimensions on mine are a bit different than yours, .303", .305", .3065", .308" (nose and successive bands)and .3115".

 

[Ben]

I plan to take VERY GOOD care of this mould.

The " numbers " on mine are just about ideal for my use in my many .30 cal. rifles.

You're correct, the self centering aspect of this style lends itself to shooting well in a variety of rifles.

It is a shooter !

Ben

 

[JWFilips]

Now Ben...why didn't you do this one yourself!

 

[Ben]

Jim,

This was about 5 years ago, at the time that I was experimenting with Lee moulds and removing the gas check shanks from them and turning them into plain base moulds.

I'd done 2 Lee moulds prior to sending this one to Buckshot.

I guess the amount of bravery ( or stupidity ) needed on a $20 mould and a $100 mould are different....................

At that point in time I just was not confident enough to tackle a SAECO mould.
Today is another story.

Ben

 

[JWFilips]

Understood!

 

[Ben]

Jim,

After I'd shot the #315 plain base for a couple of yrs., I finally got the courage to tackle the removal of the g/c shank in my SAECO # 301, 2 cavity mould.

I went to work with my drill press.
I'm very happy with the " finished product " .
Bullets are nice and round on their base at .3125 ". I size just about all of my .30 cal. plain base bullets to .311 ". The nose on this one is .301".
The bullets with no lube now weigh 199.8 grs. I guess I can say that it is now a 200 gr. cast bullet.


Ben









Now for some range work with some of my favorite plain base loads in bullets of this weight in my 30-06 and 308 Win. rifles. Here are a couple of photos that I took while at the range.
Needless to say, I'm pleased with my decision to remove the g/c shank on one of the cavities of my SAECO # 301 double cavity mold !

Ben



Can anyone give me a velocity estimate of this SR 4759 load below, it felt pretty " zippy " :

 

[Ben]

Did some shooting recently with my friend Bryan.
We shot the SAECO # 301 plain base bullet.

In the photo below, my friend Bryan shot these two groups with his rifle. The # 301 plain base is showing a good deal of promise :



I fired a group ( sorry no photo ) with his rifle with 8.5 grs. of Herco and the SAECO # 301 that was a good bit tighter than either of the groups above.

Needless to say, we will both be shooting more of the SAECO # 301 plain base bullets.

 

[35 shooter]

Ben, those 315 pic's are killing me lol! AL has my new 311175(315clone) mould ready.
Can't wait! 1 pb and 1 gc in a 2 cav. al. I like the even blunter nose on that 301 too.

 

[Ben]

Buddy,

I killed an 8 pt. with the SAECO # 301 g/c and 17.5 grs. of 2400 in my Tikka , 30-06. It is a killer !

 

[35 shooter]

Ben i'm planning on using my pb loads in my whelen for deer hunting this year. Can't wait to try it out in .30 cal. Actually where i live plain base loads would do for at least 95% of my hunting.

 

[Ben]

Same for me, Buddy.

Ben

 

[300BLK]

Photos of your bullets show how (typically) rough Saeco mold cavities are. I suppose that its a function of meehanite being cut with a cherry.

 

[Ben]

Yes, everyone of mine are rough.

?????

Ben

 

[300BLK]

I don't know if RCBS also uses meehanite, but they are noticeably smoothe, and my custom molds of meehanite, most likely lathe bored, and they were very smooth. It wasn't a question, just an observation. On the plus side, the "textured" surface of the cast bullet carries a bit more liquid lube.