Lead bullets in 308?

J

jimbubba

Regular
EE Expired
Rating - 100%
10   0   0
Has anyone used lead bullets in the Norinco M14 ?

I am thinking they have to be fast enough to cycle the action,but slow enough that they don't leave a bunch of lead fouling behind.

Any experience with this? Extra lube,gas checks,suggested recipes?

Thanks in advance.
 
Last edited:
Gas checked, proper weight range, hard cast--should be satisfactory for slow rate of fire.

When you use lead bullets in a gas operated semi-auto it will eventually foul the gas system and it will require fairly regular cleaning. I used to shoot lead in a Garand with pretty good results. It was not recommended for match-prepped rifles as you had to tear it down to clean properly which in turn is hard on the bedding job on a Garand.

For a plinking rifle this would not be a problem. Main thing to be concerned about is the port pressure.

FWIW, 44Bore
 
A very accurate .308 is what I/we use for accuracy testing cast bullets, many groups are under 1/2", barrel is 1-12" twist. We currently have 6 diff. designs for the .30cals. and are testing a 7th. a 210gr. semi sp. gc.. Best accuracy seems to be at 1600-1800fps, but those loads would not operate your semi's action. If you cast from Linotype or monotype and size bullet .001 or .002" over bore size, I don't see why you couldn't work up an accurate load without leading, as those bullets are very hard. You should be able to equal factory velocities without any functioning problem, getting good accuracy at those speeds is a dif. story.
 
About 35 gr. Bl-C2 works dandy in my Norc. I used water quenched wheel weight .30/30 style GC bullets and they function 100%. Ten shot groups are around four inches at 100 yards with eight going into about three inches.

IMG_2418.jpg


I have shot groups better than this though.
 
Thanks for the input,fellas.I am encouraged to try hard cast bullets with gas checks.It remains to be seen I suppose what velocity/accuracy without excesive leading I may achieve.I have a fair amount of IMR4350 which I would like to use up,any further suggestions?
 
slug, i am curious as to what bullet weight you are using for those results, i have 150, 160. 170, 180, 190 and 200 grain bullet molds in 30 cal, sizing to 0.309 and 0.310, usually loading with imr 3031. results are about the same but I am curious about a lighter bullet maybe but at the same time I love the bearing surface of the 200 grainer.
 
slug said:
About 35 gr. Bl-C2 works dandy in my Norc. I used water quenched wheel weight .30/30 style GC bullets and they function 100%. Ten shot groups are around four inches at 100 yards with eight going into about three inches.

IMG_2418.jpg


I have shot groups better than this though.
Click to expand...


Nice stock, where'dja get it?
 
Good to know people shooting cast out of these things.

So on that note... anybody got a good recommendation for a bullet mold? There is another thread about using the 7.62x39 molds and resizing. The Lyman 311410 and 311644 look like nice bullets for practice. The Lee C309-180-R has the accuracy icon on it and looks like a nice bullet, too.
 
Cleaning lead fouling out of a gas system is a major pain in the arse. You're going to get fouling, even with hard cast bullets and/or gas checks. Been there, done that. You can get away with a few shots, but do any amount of shooting and you're creating a lot of work for yourself. There's nothing more frustrating then a semi-auto rifle that won't cycle properly. I learned my lesson and stuck with condom bullets for the semis, cast for my bolt, levers & single shots.
 
Yodave & Dogleg
The bullet weights are about 170 gr. depending on alloy. The gurus don't reccommend heavy bullets in the M-14 but at this mild velocity, they just chug along nicely. 100% functioning and not much leading. Clogging and cleaning isn't a real issue. I use the same bullet with a bit heavier charge in my .30/'06 M-1. No problems, but a bit of soldering of lead on the face of the gas piston. I've read that some of the boys on the cast boolit site use Lee tumble lube on their sized & lubed bullets to cut down leading even further. I'll try that this spring.
The stock is a Boyd's. I had a devil of a time getting the stock liner from the Nork stock, and mucked up the screw heads badly, so I just turned down some walnut plugs and epoxied them over the screw holes.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom