308 Cast light load

[Cherokee]

I'm going to try some light CB loads in my 308 bolt gun, 18 in bl. I'm looking for something 1000 fps or less using the RCBS 30-150CM bullet (also have 120 gr FN). Got Red Dot, 231, Power Pistol, WST, Unique and others. Everything I can find in the manuals starts about 1300 fps, more than I want. What say ye ?

 

[RicinYakima]

I only have one .308 load that is less than 1000 f/s with the Lyman #311440 at 155 grains, and that is 5.0 grains of WW231. You are in a realm of a lot of "ifs"; if you barrel is very smooth and tight, it may be faster; if it is copper fouled it may be slower; if the bullet is smaller and hard if may be slower; length of the barrel make a difference; primer strength and type make a difference. Even with 231 that is uncoated, powder position makes differences with cases bigger than 30/30. When walking through the sagebrush, I carry the rifles at "port arms" so walking keeps the powder back against the primer. From the bench I tilt the barrel up then lay it in the rest. Keeping them accurate will take some learning for your style; it is all about consistency on your part. HTH, Ric

 

[Ian]

I only have one, and it employs a 235-grain bullet and the judicious application of Dacron for the reasons Ric mentioned about powder position. I'm sure Ben will weigh in with some guidelines, he's done this sort of thing a BUNCH.

 

[Cherokee]

Updated my post, its an 18 in bl. Thought about Dacron but shying away from it. Thanks for the input.....

 

[62chevy]

I use the Lee TL314-90-SWC with 3.5 grains of TiteGroup and 170 grain Lee bullet with 10 grains of Unique for my Savage Axis 308.

 

[JWFilips]

I like slow as you go: I don't have a .308 but shoot 30-30& my heavy is a 165 gr Ranch Dog My plain base version likes 5 to 6 grains Bullseye Think it is near subsonic but it is very accurate for paper No need for any fillers with BE or Unique. You can always try the Universal load of 10 grains Unique!

 

[Ben]

I realize this isn't a .308 load, but I'd think that a 1.0 grain reduction in powder charge would work just about as well in your .308 Win.

The Lee , 93 gr. Plain base , tumble lube , .32 Cal. pistol bullet.

They drop from the mould at about .3135". I size them to .311" The tumble lube grooves are filled with Ben's Red, and lastly the bullets are rolled in BLL.

This will make a great training load for my grandson.

You have to shoot these to believe it. Totally amazing.
At 93 grs. with 6.5 grs. of B'Eye and a large pistol primer in a 30-06 case , this is some cheap shooting.



By the way, we shot several groups like this today.
It is not a fluke.

 

[freebullet]

Iirc, I've used 4.5-6 gr of tightgroup for 950-1200fps on 150 grainers. Used a gas check boolit with no check tumble lubed worked fine for me. Same works in my 3030.

When you get down to that low of charge in that big of case you can actually hear the velocity increase when firing a string fast vs. firing them slow. They still group well enough at 50 to be usefull.

 

[Cherokee]

Thanks for the info...

 

[Cherokee]

Well, I tried the 5 gr 231 with the 30-150CM PB bullet this afternoon. My range only has 25 or 100 yd options so 25 it was. I like the load, easy and accurate enough at 25, not sure it will hold up at 100 yd. Anyway, here is the target:

http://IMG.photobucket.com/albums/ee102/DCS44256/Targets/Moss 33 _zps3xbxuohb.jpg

OT: Is there a better free product to use than Photobucket for storing pictures for inserting into posts ? This is a pain in the -----. OR, I guess I could be doing something wrong....

 

[Brad]

You can add photos by using the "upload a file" button below the text box. That is what I use from my iPad.

When using photbucket use the icon above the box that looks like a landscape photo. Select the "direct" URL in photobucket and paste it in the URL box that comes up when you select that icon.

 

[Ben]

Cherokee,

Looks like you're off to a very good start.

Ben

 

[Cherokee]

Thanks Brad, had to change some setting in photobucket. Here is the target, that is 16 shots @ 25 yd. Unfortunately the bullet will not feed from the mag, flat nose too blunt. I'm thinking about the NOE 311155...what do y'all think ?

 

[Brad]

Looks like the load is working well. Would certainly make pop cans and clay targets nervous. An economical load like that just screams to be loaded in large quantities for a day of fun.

 

[Ben]

Cherokee,

Is this the one that you're interested in :

http://noebulletmolds.com/NV/product_info.php?cPath=30&products_id=354

You could crank out MANY plain base .30 cal. cast bullets with this one.
The nose should run through your rifle like water running through screen wire.

Ben

 

[Cherokee]

That is the one I had in mind Ben. Should work fine. It's on order now.

 

[Cherokee]

Got the NOE 311155 FN PB the other day and cast up ~100 keepers. Always takes some time to adjust to a new mold and get it working; the mold was not hot enough until the end. Loaded up 20 for a test run. I also got a Lee 313155 pointed GC as a gift so I cast some of those. Loaded up another 20 for a test run. Now all I need is warmer conditions for the outdoor range. Both sized .311 in Lyman 450 with CR lube. I hope the NOE shoots good and I can save the GC's for the heavier loads.

 

[fiver]

remember that these super light loads can be very primer sensitive too.
I worked the LEE 230gr boat tail down to 3.5 grs of 700-x and as soon as I swapped out the primer from a rifle primer to a pistol primer the groups opened a LOT and the boolits started wobbling a little at the 50yd line.

 

[Cherokee]

I'm using CCI LR primers and the prior test with 5.1 gr 231 and a WFN bullet was very accurate @ 25 yd (only distance available then). We'll see...

 

[Cherokee]

Well I finally got a change to shoot the loads with the new bullets from Lee and NOE. Below is the 25 yd target, only have a choice of 25 or 100 and the drop at 100 yd is 14-15 inches.

On the left is the Lee bullet 312-155 2R GC and the right is NOE 311-155 FN plain base. Both pushed by 5.1 gr 231 in GI brass with CCI LR primers. Both bullets sized .311 and CR lubed. I made no effort to position the powder when I was shooting, just bolted the round from the magazine into the chamber, aimed and fired using 3X on the scope. I think the results are clear, the load on the left is more accurate...but I really wanted the plain base bullet to be good because its cheaper to shoot. There was no leading from the loads. Interesting to me was the Lee 312-155 cast out at 149 gr from 3/3/94 alloy and the NOE 311-155 cast out at 155 gr. I'm going to work with the NOE bullet some to get better accuracy for the light load.