Good all-around Lee .30 cal mould

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Beadwindow

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Dear Reloaders,

About three years ago I got into bullet casting and had pretty good success with .303, 8x56R and 8mm Mauser, working up a couple good loads with IMR 3031 for shooting up to at least 100 yards.

I was thinking about a few reloading projects for the last part of winter and was thinking about the possibility of expanding my bullet casting to a few other rifles, in particular a Swiss K31, some older Mausers chambered in 7.62 NATO, and an unfired M305 that I can dedicate to shooting cast only. I might pick up some dies to reload in 7.62x54, but I've gotten the impression that my 185 gr, .312 mould for .303 British would probably work best for those rifles. I do not plan to shoot jacketed bullets in the rifles dedicated to cast bullet shooting.

I have been reading up on Trail Boss and would like to load up some reduced, and if feasible, subsonic loads for the rifles listed above. I will probably also load up some hotter loads with another powder, such as a load powerful enough to cycle the action for the M305, possible deer loads, or for longer range shooting (circa 200m) without the huge sight adjustments required for a subsonic/reduced load.

Can anyone suggest a good Lee .309 mould for the above purposes? I was thinking of casting a bullet around 150grains (maybe the flat nosed .30/30 bullet) but got the impression from other threads online that a heavier bullet might be easier to load to subsonic velocities (perhaps the 170 gr version of the Lee flatnose). Since I was thinking of shooting a reduced load in the M305 with the gas shut-off, plus a more powerful load in regular mode, might a heavier cast bullet have the same negative effects on the op rod as jacketed bullets?

If anyone could recommend an all-round bullet mould for these .30 calibre rifles, or perhaps the pros and cons of any choice of bullet weight and design, that would be greatly appreciated.

Regards,

Frank

PS. I'm expecting to also try some loads using Trail Boss and jacketed bullets for a few rifles that I won't be shooting with cast. I'll be trying a reduced/subsonic load for an M305 and some bolt guns, a K31, and a reduced load (perhaps subsonic) for an 1893 Turk Mauser for which I've got a bunch of 185gr jacketed bullets. It looks like I'll have lots of range reports this summer!
 
I have been using the Lee C309-150-F with Hornady checks sized to .309" in my M-14, .308 Bolt and .30-30. It weighs closer to 159gr when lubed and checked.

I have used light loads with IMR 4198 in my M14 and it cycled fine. As far as the bullet weights and powder burn rates when using lighter loads and their affect on the operating rod, the members over on the Cast Boolits forum have much more experience and knowledge to share for this rifle series than I do.
 
Does it have to be Lee?

I run a RCBS 165gr SHIL bullet for almost everything in .30 cal. Works in bolts, levers and M14's great. Everything from light loads for bolts to hot semi-auto loads.
 
I have Lee 100 gr. round nose, 170 gr. flat nose (gas check) and 200 gr. round nose (gas check). I have used the 100 gr. mostly in my .32-20 but sized down it works well for reduced loads in .30-30, .308 and .30-06. The 170 gr. flat nose works well for full power loads in the .30-30.
The 200 gr. round nose at @1700 fps is quite accurate in the .308 and .30-06.
 
Gents,

Thanks for all of your replies.

It sounds as though the 150 gr FP along with the proper sizing die would work nicely for most applications I'm considering. Perhaps a heavier (approx 200 gr mould) will also be added to my order, since I've had good experience with similar sized cast in my 8mm mausers at approx 1700 fps, and it sounds as thought the heavier bullets will shoot subsonic with a regular starting load of Trail Boss.

I may add a 7.62x54R reloading die to my collection, in which case I'll try loading both the .303 cast (sized to .311) and unsized .309 bullets as a start.

Between collecting some more wheel weights, ordering the powder and moulds, prepping the bores of rifles dedicated to cast and all the reloading I've got planned, I'll be amply busy between now and the warmer shooting weather!

Range reports to follow......

Regards,

Frank

PS. I'm not closed to using moulds from other manufacturers, but am simply trying to maintain costs, which can easily rise when planning to reload for several milsurp calibres.
 
i have had very good success with this Lee mold C309-160-R , used it in a 30-06 , and 308.
bullet weight after lube and GC was around 169 grain.
accuracy was 1 to 1.5 inches at 100 yards and pushed to around 2600fps with very good accuracy.
 
My fav .30 cal Lee mould is the C312-155-2R made for the SKS. It's pointed and at .312 you could size it down to what ever you need. I shoot in in my Enfield, BaiKal 7.62X39, SKS, and I lent the mould to a friend to make some for his 30-06 and 30-30. I also have the heavier mould for the Enfield 180gr I think.

Cactus
 
Hi Cactus,

Your suggestion for the 7.62x39 bullet does sound tempting on a few levels (Enfield, Mosins and maybe the SKS if I get some dies and more brass).

Phishroy,

The 160 gr bullet also sounds tempting as well. I was really intrigued by the article on an all-round load for milsurps using Trail Boss at Surplusrifle.com and recall the 160 gr Lee being used in their tests.IIRC, they loaded it without the gas check.

That said, I'm curious as to what alloy you used to push the 160 gr bullet to 2600fps velocity. I was thinking of using #2 Alloy (ww plus tin solder) that so far worked well in approx 1200-1750 fps velocity loads. Am I right to think that without water quenching or oven heating that my max velocity without leading would be more in the 1800-2000 fps zone? I'll probably want to make faster loads in the future, but for now I will probably stay at the lower velocities.

I had been thinking that the flat nosed tip on the 155gr bullet might be handier for shooting small to medium (i.e. coyote) sized game, range depending on the powder load utilized. Can you think of any pros or cons to using one bullet (155 FN vs 160 RN) over the other?

Cheers,

Frank
 
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