Shooting an M305 On The Cheap

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gvanzeggelaar

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Well plenty of us have M305's because they are cheap and fun to shoot. However they are not all that cheap to shoot even with reloads.

So here is how I do it.

A cast lead bullet with W735 powder.

The mold I use is a NOE 311299. Its made by a guy in the states.

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As for a powder charge I started at 24gr and went up to 32gr. After limited testing I got about 2" accuracy at 100 yards.

These loads cycle the action perfectly but don't throw the brass a mile. I also just neck size for increased brass life.

I am convinced this can be reduced to close to MOA accuracy with more testing.

There are some who will denounce lead in a M14 due to the gas system but non of this has ever been confirmed.

Here is my cost to reload:

Primer: $0.04

Powder at $21 and a 27gr charge.

$0.09

Brass is all range pickup and the lead is free.

As for gas checks they are made with a FreeChexIII out aluminum stock and cost less than penny.

So my cost per round is about $0.14

And here is my rig.
Not very cheap anymore. :D

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I like it! I've been shooting mine with checked boolits from Lee molds and cannister grade powders like 4198 and 4895.
 
How is it for accuracy? I started with a Lee mold but I hate their two cavities so I got a NOE 5 cavity. I highly recomend their molds.
 
There is a thread on the castboolits forums all about using cast bullets in the Springfield M1A. Using the data from there I made up some loads but haven't gotten to the range to test them yet.

The recipe I used calls for 35 grains of H4831 though.
 
Right on! I've been shooting an ugly old Springfield Armory (1942) with cast boolits. Everybody who tries that old Garand for the first time falls in love with it.:)
 
Lead is wheel weights I had laying around. Even if you are paying a very high price for lead such as $3/lb the bullet still costs only about $0.08.

As for brass, anything with the proper head dimension I run through my FL sizing die and trim to proper 308 length.

The M305 has a loose chamber so neck turning is not required for .270 or 30-06 brass.
 
It works with a lot more tweaking than you would have to do with jacketed rounds

with a 1/10 twist and lead bullets you are limited to a accuracy velocity of less than 2000 fps

yes you can push it faster, but groups open up

so 100-200-300 -500 yards are no problem but with a low BC and the lower velocity you will never get to 1000 yds

the right set up you will get no leading of the barrel/ gas systen

check out your tables 2000 fps and a BC .300 and most lead bullets are less than .3
 
gvanzeggelaar said:
As for brass, anything with the proper head dimension I run through my FL sizing die and trim to proper 308 length.

The M305 has a loose chamber so neck turning is not required for .270 or 30-06 brass.
Click to expand...

:canadaFlag:

You sir, have my respect.


On a separate note; (and fearing ALL CAPS RAGE response from some) is it possible to 'disable' the M305's gas system to turn it into a single shot? Could that possibly make it slightly more accurate? ***I don't have a M305, I'm just curious***
 
If looking for information Youtube is your friend

Dragon Bullet lube (Sponsor) sells some of the stuff to do it as well as others

and you would need some cast bullet data / cast reloading book
 
gvanzeggelaar said:
As for brass, anything with the proper head dimension I run through my FL sizing die and trim to proper 308 length.

The M305 has a loose chamber so neck turning is not required for .270 or 30-06 brass.
Click to expand...

Is there a thread about this process here ?

I was wondering if I'm the only one I know who does this for my M305B.

My Rifle loves loves loves R-P 30-06. Can't get it to digest any regular 308 brass as consistently or accurately.

Be advised if you use it for for power jacketed rounds, it does not convert to 308, it converts closer to 7.62 as it yields at least 2g less capacity.
 
I couldn't get .30-06 brass resized to .308 to chamber properly in my M305 without neck turning.

My tests with 185gr cast gas checked bullets and 35gr of H4831 failed. It wouldn't reliably cycle. I am testing the same cast bullets with 32gr of H4895 tomorrow though.
 
Will bullet weight be a factor in the op-rod velocity/impact? Or are you running so little gas pressure that action velocity is similar or slower?
 
Generally, yeah, that's how it goes. You can only push cast loads a certain speed, so the loads tend not to be hot enough to overwork your gas system.

IF they were jacketed loads, 180 would be pushing it, anything large out of the question.
 
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