lee 312-155 or lee 312-160?

[rp85]

hello;

what bullet do you all suggest, lee 312-155 or lee 312-160? will use in a 308 win.

thanks for any input.

rp

[runfiverun]

your gun will make the suggestion.
i keep a few 30 cal molds around, the rcbs 165 silhouette, the rcbs 150 fn/gc and a nei loverign design are the three main ones supplanted by the lyman 311041.
even having a good idea of what should work doesn't guarantee results.
but..... you have an idea of what you are looking for.

the two rcbs designs are similar but differ in nose length and body length, and one will usually shoot better than the other.
they usually cover the squared sharp throats like in new rugers,and savages.
the nei is for those long tapering throats, such as many older mili rifles and some of the older hunting rifles have. and the 311 is for the ones that are more sharp but deep like an excellent 03 or eddystone.
even then one of the others will sometimes completely overshadow the one you think should work.

its all an educated guess till the trigger is pulled.

[HARRYMPOPE]

the lee 155 will work in some 308's but the nose is rather large and will have to be deep seated.In military 308's it works fine,but in commercial guns its probably not the best choice,but you have to try it so see how it fits the throat.

here is the bullet(actually the NEI #72 basically same dimensions as the lee/Harris 155)out of a 308 semiauto with 30g of 4895 at 100 yards.Sized .311 down form as cast .315.This was the best three consecutive groups the AK in 308 Win shot,but shows what the bullet can do.

HMP

[docone31]

From my experience,
Go heavy.
My .30s really like the 180gn. I couldn't do much with the 160gn and down.

[frkelly74]

the 312 155 has been good fun in my Garand loads. I am going to find out soon if the 312 160 TL works as well. I am hopeful. I tumble lubed the 155's and sized them to 311

[geargnasher]

your gun will make the suggestion.
i keep a few 30 cal molds around, the rcbs 165 silhouette, the rcbs 150 fn/gc and a nei loverign design are the three main ones supplanted by the lyman 311041.
even having a good idea of what should work doesn't guarantee results.
but..... you have an idea of what you are looking for.

the two rcbs designs are similar but differ in nose length and body length, and one will usually shoot better than the other.
they usually cover the squared sharp throats like in new rugers,and savages.
the nei is for those long tapering throats, such as many older mili rifles and some of the older hunting rifles have. and the 311 is for the ones that are more sharp but deep like an excellent 03 or eddystone.
even then one of the others will sometimes completely overshadow the one you think should work.

its all an educated guess till the trigger is pulled.

:goodpost::goodpost::goodpost:

A ton of good info put in excellent context, thanks R5R, that shines a lot of light!

Gear

[Westwindmike]

I use the 160 Lee TL in my .308 Mausers and it shoots well. Sized to .311 in mine also.

[JIMinPHX]

I've used both. They are pretty much interchangeable. I have a general preference for traditional lube grooves, since I normally lube with a lubrisizer, but quite frankly, I've run the TL groove version through the lubrisizer & I can't see any difference in the way that it shoots. If you plan to tumble lube, then I'd recommend the 160. If you plan to use traditional lube, then I'd recommend the 155. The truth is that either boolit will work with either type of lube in the guns that I have tried them in. I've used them in 7.62x39 & 7.62x54 with equally good results.

The only real problem that I have seen with a tumble lube boolit occurred when I tried to size them down too much. If you try to take off more than a few thousandths, then you end up wiping those tiny little lube grooves right off the boolit. I normally size them to 5/16" (.3125") with good results. I originally ended up picking that size because I had a 5/16" reamer handy when I made the size die. The boolits worked well, so I stuck with it rather than polishing out the die to the .313" that I thought I really needed.

[rays308]

I've had good luck with stove paint for bringing large noses (Bore riding) down to what ever size I wanted. It takes about 3 or 4 light coats per .001

I've used it as a means of leementing also.

Mask any portion of the mold you don't want to alter in size.
Spray a lite coat. Allow it to dry completely. spray another lite coat.

!!!!ALLOW TO DRY COMPLETELY BEFORE USING!!!!

Pour a couple and mic them or try them for fit.

If you get too small you can use brake cleaner to remove or you can buff lightly with a paper towel to adjust. I have used a pointy dremel polishing wheel and compound (by hand, not in the dremel) to make adjustments or smooth out ripples.

Pouring lead in the mold hasn't taken away any paint for a couple thousand boolits in a C309-200-R that I worked on. I've got a 311332 I fixed the nose on also. Only poured a couple hundred through it so far though.

!!!!ALLOW TO DRY COMPLETELY BEFORE USING!!!!

[dualsport]

Now there's something new and interesting, to me at least. I never thought of that. This may be useful in my search for a .319 boolit for a way oversize .303. Maybe bring down a .323 with the paint? Kind of 'reverse Beagling'. Thanks Rays.

[superior]

I use the tl-160 in my 303Brit and 762x39 with outstanding results. I've tumble lubed,dipped and even smeared them with homemade lube. They always work. However, I'm not sure how they will work in your 308. My guess is, they will shoot the lights our of the competition. I make homemade soft points with them with devastating results on varmints too!

[rays308]

dualsport,

The first couple of pours you will get a couple black specs on the boolits from loose spray that didn't cling. After that test for size and adjust if needed.

I've taken 305 down to 300 with no issues. If you can spray both halves at the same time, off center isn't a worry either.

The stove paint I use reads 1200 degress on the can.

I don't want to under stress this
!!!!ALLOW TO DRY COMPLETELY BEFORE USING!!!!

[dualsport]

I just happen to have some stove paint! I bet engine paint might work too. A whole new angle here. You know 'Beagle' became famous for his idea...hmmm, how about "Raysing"? OR, what if a guy painted just the faces to increase the size, like 'Beagling' except with paint instead of tape?