Lyman 311041 mixed reviews

roseau river rat

roseau river rat

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So i cast a bunch of wheel weight alloy bullets with a Lyman 311041 mold the other day.
They shoot ok...i can put them in a pie plate at 100 yards.
i tried varget and 3031 in varying charges.
lower end varget seemed best but i should be able to get better accuracy? yes?
i have 2 of these molds and im thinking i would trade one off for maybe a Lyman 311291.
anyone else have a better recipe that may give me better accuracy?
i try to get away with using the same powder accross most of the calibers i load if i can but that being said minute of pie plate at 100 yards is a bit dissapointing.
 
3 Questions.

1) What size are you sizing the bullets too?

2) Have you slugged the barrel and what size is it?

3) What lube are you using for the bullets?


Also for curiosity sake what firearm are you using?
 
A couple more questions.

1. gas check?

2. Charge weight with each powder vs. Max load?

3. Did you try any poly fill to take up the air space between the powder charge and bullets base on the reduced loads?
 
roseau river rat said:
So i cast a bunch of wheel weight alloy bullets with a Lyman 311041 mold the other day.
They shoot ok...i can put them in a pie plate at 100 yards.
i tried varget and 3031 in varying charges.
lower end varget seemed best but i should be able to get better accuracy? yes?
i have 2 of these molds and im thinking i would trade one off for maybe a Lyman 311291.
anyone else have a better recipe that may give me better accuracy?
i try to get away with using the same powder accross most of the calibers i load if i can but that being said minute of pie plate at 100 yards is a bit dissapointing.
Click to expand...

Are you sure the number is 311041?
Never heard of that number, but your bullet sounds like Lyman 311241, a good, flat base (no gas check) bullet for the 30-30.
311291 is a very common gas check bullet for a 30-30.
 
I'd suggest you try a faster powder and probably a lighter load. With 311041, probably 7 to 9gr of Unique or 12 to 16gr of 2400 or H110.
If you are going to use 3031, probably start around 20gr and work up. Individual rifles do their best with different loads, so you're going to have to try the loads in yours.
Grouch
 
When people ask what mold they should buy for their 30-30, a common answer is: "the Lyman 311041" - it's the arctypical cast bullet for the 30-30. It's far too early to give up on the bullet. Have you:

- sized it to 0.309";
- used the gas check;
- properly lubed it; and/or
- tried other, faster powders?

Varget is not something I use with cast in the 30-30, and neither is IMR-3031 my top choice, unless it's near a top load of it, i.e. 25-27 grs.

If you have H4198 or IMR4198, try 18-23 grs, or SR4759 with 15-17 grs. It's tough to criticize Unique at 7-10 grs - it always seems to provide good loads, but never the fastest, nor not often the most accurate, but always good it seems.

If all of this fails, "Ranch Dog" (google it) sells good bullet molds for lever guns, they ship to Canada (and quickly).
 
A properly sized 311041 (31141 old numbering) is basically the standard cast bullet that all other cast bullets are judged against for the 30-30.

One glaring thing needs to be done and that is slugging the barrel. Once you have done that then let us know what the size is and we can work from that.

In general I hardly ever size my 311041 bullets for a Winchester, most have a generous throat and a barrel of .309 or even .310 . As long as the loaded round will chamber at .311 when you pull the trigger is will get sized,lol.


What alloy are you using?
 
yah they are gas checked.
i was thinking i should get a .311 sizing die for my lubrisizer and just use it to install the gas check and lube the bullet rather than actually size it.
Alloy is mixed wheel weights so i couldnt tell you the composition.
as far as slugging goes im just a little leary about hammering a lead slug down the barrel of a 70 year old model94 :eek:
i just figured .309 would work half decent and according to my internet research varget seemed like a good choice for powder.
i want a load thats capable of taking down a deer at 100 yards so pistol powder doesnt really seem like a viable option.
realisticaly a 2 inch group at 100 yards i think would be acceptable.
 
OK, you've told us a lot more. If it's a hunting load you're looking for, try the 3031 again, but be careful of your alloy. I'd start with 20:1 lead and tin, start at 20gr and work up. If you've got a rough bore you may do better with wheel weights + 2% tin air cooled, although expansion isn't as good.
Also some rifles just don't like some powders, and you may have to try another powder.
Grouch
 
rrr: you would shoot lead alloy and copper jacketed bullets out the rifle but worry about slugging it with a pure lead to get a proper measurement? Lightly oil the bore before slugging and use a short brass rod to start the slug down the bore with a light hammer. Use a longer brass rod to push it through. You can apply masking tape at intervals on the rod to cushion any deflection that may occur. Catch the slug on a cloth pad and measure it.
It's handy to have different sizes of pure lead muzzle loader balls on hand to start with the closest fit.
 
I know you have seen this before, but for those who haven't, here's a few loaded as cast .310" ahead of 10 gr of AL5.

180cast.jpg


Velocity is 1335 fps. Basically the same as high-velocity 22 long rifle, but with a bullet that is four and a half times as heavy! Nothing to sneeze at, the load is accurate and the bullet easily penetrates 10 inches of green spruce at 50 yards and 8 inches at 100.

The bullets are seated out too far to feed from the magazine, but work great in my Model 94. Oddly enough they will not chamber in my Marlin 336, as the throat is much shorter.

Seated short enough to feed from the magazine, both rifles shoot well enough to easily kill game out to 150 yd.

Ted
 
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