I found this mold.

[Lucky Joe]

I have cast boolits for quite a few years, never for the rifle. Since finding this board I have learned how little I learned on my own. First I would like to thank all who contribute their knowledge and experience and do so without expecting anything in return. I for one have little to contribute so I generally sit here and read the posts for hours. :coffeecom Thank you, thank you very much for what you do.

My second reason for posting is to gain more knowledge and it is time I started to ask questions. I am constantly on the lookout for molds and it doesn't seem to matter what they are for as long as they cast a boolit. I found this mold the other day and wonder if it is a good boolit. What could I expect to do with it, tonight I cast about 100 boolits my goal is 500 then I was going to move it along and try to find another. My question is, is this a keeper? And what does the U stand for in U311466. Thanks again.

http://i88.photobucket.com/albums/k168/Luckyjoe_01/1N07-5-120-56Medium.jpg

[Blammer]

neat, how much does your cast bullet wt?

[IcerUSA]

I think the U is for undersize, not sure tho, those that are more in the know would. I would mic it up and weagh it so someone could better inform you if it's a keeper :drinks:

[garandsrus]

Lucky Joe,

My understanding is that the "U" means "undersize" which means they have a smaller diameter than the normal mold number would. What size do the boolits drop out of the mold at and what alloy are you using?

If the diameter is correct for your rifle, the mold is probably a keeper. Other folks will more than likely chime in about the boolit style, which I think is a Loverin (spelling?) that is a bore rider. They are supposed to be a very good design.

If you do decide to sell it, I would be interested, depending on the boolit diameter.

John

[dubber123]

To the best of my knowledge, the 311466 is a Loverin designed mold for .30 cals. A few guys on here speak highly of it. I believe the U prefix means "undersize". How much undersize can only be determined by measuring. I have a regular (no U prefix) one of these molds and it casts about .312".

[versifier]

311466 is a 152gr RNGC boolit. Does the "U" mean undersized?
How much do WW boolits from it weigh? What size are they dropping?
It looks like a target boolit, for 30-30, 30-40, .308, 30-06, Swiss....
Floodgate probably has info on its history.

[floodgate]

Lucky Joe:

No. 311466 is the middle one of three Loverin-designed boolits for the .30 calibers; it casts about 150 grs. in No. 2 metal and should be about the same in wheelweights; and takes a #467 lube-sizer top punch. The "U-" prefix means "undersized", and the old 1958 Lyman "Handbook of Cast Bullets" says it should cast to about 0.310" (vs. 0.313" for the standard mould), which should be just right for .30-'06, .308, .30-30, or any .30 cal. with a 308" groove diameter. Of course, slugging your barrel and miking your boolits before and after slugging will tell you for sure. (The other boolits in the .30 cal. Loverin series are #311465, 122 grs., and #311467, 177 grs.; the -467 was also available in a "U-" version, but not the -465.) These are considered excellent boolits, and can generally be made to shoot accurately.

Other here may have better advice as to powders, loads, etc.

floodgate

[jhalcott]

There was an article in Handloader some years ago about this bullet. It was lubed with Teflon tape and shot to factory 30-30 velocities.I have been looking for one with 2 cavities for a while,but they all seem to be priced out of my range.

[Lucky Joe]

I miked two and they come out .310 tomorrow I'll do some more. The average weight on my Lyman beam scale is 156 gr., cast from straight WW. Tomorrow I am going to put them on an electronic scale and get an average of perhaps a dozen.

Thanks for the replys.

Lucky Joe

[NVcurmudgeon]

LuckyJoe, I have a 311466 and it is very accurate in my Remington M141 pump gun in .30 Remington. It is discontinued, but a very desireable mould, as are its bigger and smaller Loverin brothers.

[Leftoverdj]

That's a highly desirable and hard to come by mould. Lyman cut moulds with cherries, and the U moulds were said to be cut with cherries that had had a sharpening or two too many. It was an economical way of offering additional diameters, but production was not large because some cherries would have been damaged in their original size.

That's what the oldtimers told me when I was getting started 35 years ago, anyway.

[BruceB]

Right off the pointy top of my balding head, I'll step out on a limb say that, out of a couple of dozen .30-caliber designs I've tried, the 311466 has given me better results in a wider variety of chamberings and rifles than any other bullet.

Also, I believe the 'Undersize' format matters less with this design than with almost any others, since NOSE FIT is a critical dimension in bullets with bore-riding sections in the nose area (311284 etc). Reductions in diameter in the parallel-sided nose portion on such bullets are VERY bad news.

However, the Loverins such as 311466 have no bore-rider at all, really, and if you have some of those bands at .310", it should work well in a lot of .30-caliber rifles. My own 311466 has the rear bands casting at .314", and I actually have sized it down to as little as .309", at which dimension it shoots very well in my Krag (to Curmudgeon's eternal amazement).

I'd STRONGLY recommend that you keep that mould! The design simply WORKS, and you 'd have a long hard search to find a better all-round .30 mould. I'd wager it would work in anything from the .30 Carbine to the .300 Ultra Mag. I KNOW it works in the 7.62x39, although yours might be a tad skinny for that application. Every other .30 in which I've used it seems to thrive on the design.

Ya done good; don't blow it now!!

[Lucky Joe]

I put ten of these boolits on an electronic scale and the ten averaged 156 gr., so I guess my Lyman scale is good. All ten miked at .310 so I guess the mold is consistent. Now to find an appropriate rifle to use them in. I'm assuming these would not be used for hunting but more for paper etc. is this correct.

From the detective work that I've been able to do it sounds like these were loaded into .30 carbine cases and used in Handgun Metallic Silhouette matches and the gun used was a Contender. Sound about right?

This mold works real well, most boolits drop right out.

Thanks for all the replies next week I'll see if I can find another mold.

Lucky Joe

[Leftoverdj]

That bullet predates both the Contender and the carbine. Predates the popularity of wide meplats, too. It was killing deer before we were born from a variety of cartridges.

A .30-30 would be the obvious choice these days, but it's sutable for about any .308 diameter cartridge.

If the lack of a mepate bothers you for hunting, bump one on the bullets you will use for hunting. I put .30 RN on the pedistal from a Lee Sizer and run them up into a .38 Special seater die with as SWC nose punch to form perfect flats. If it hurts accuracy at all, it's insignificant for hunting purposes.

[Lucky Joe]

That bullet predates both the Contender and the carbine. Predates the popularity of wide meplats, too. It was killing deer before we were born from a variety of cartridges.

A .30-30 would be the obvious choice these days, but it's sutable for about any .308 diameter cartridge.

If the lack of a mepate bothers you for hunting, bump one on the bullets you will use for hunting. I put .30 RN on the pedistal from a Lee Sizer and run them up into a .38 Special seater die with as SWC nose punch to form perfect flats. If it hurts accuracy at all, it's insignificant for hunting purposes.
If it predates the Contender and the Carbine how old might this booolit design be?

[floodgate]

Lucky Joe:

This design was first listed in Lyman / Ideal Handbook No. 36 (Jan., 1951), and was carried through the 1998 Lyman Annual Catalog. If it is stamped "IDEAL", it dates from 1967 or earlier, if "LYMAN", it is 1968 or later.

floodgate

[seabreeze133]

The U stands for "unusable". Sorry for your loss, but if you will send it to me, I will dispose of it legally for you.

DON

[OLPDon]

Lucky Joe:
Now is the time for you to try your hand at Beagleing the mold. I also have a mold with the U got it dirt cheep, Beagled the mold and it is working just fine. This is what makes boolit casting enjoyable lots to work with.
Don

[Dale53]

The "U" designation of the 311466 and 311467 (both Lyman numbers and designed by Guy Loverin) came about as a result of an indepth study done by Col. E.H. Harrison of the NRA in, I believe, 1978-79 in the American Rifleman then later reprinted in "Cast Bullets" by E.H. Harrison. He had concluded that the "grossly oversized" Lyman .30 caliber bullets were detrimental to accuracy. As a result of that and criticism of Lyman's sizing dies (the dies had a sharp step in them and damaged bullets as they were sized) both the dies and the moulds were "corrected".

As a result of those articles I bought a Lyman .311467 U mould and used it successfully in a rather accurate Springfield 03-A3 (it would, on demand, shoot good jacketed bullets under an inch with the issue sights at 100 yards and cast bullets would group between 1-1.5" all at 100 yards and five shot groups). At the time I was ecstatic with that performance out of an "issue" rifle (I had an after market trigger and had glass bedded it). This rifle was of the "ugly" category as it's issue stock had been "chopped" to make it a cheap sporter but the rifle shot like the thoroughbred it was. In those days I was without ready cash and was extremely happy to have such a rifle. I paid less than $20.00 for that rifle...

The bottom line is that the 311466 is a fine mould for modern .30 caliber rifles. It was one of Harrison's favorites, as I remember it. We have moved beyond Harrison's work but it is undeniable that he got LOTS of us interested in the finer aspects of cast bullet shooting. May his flag long continue to wave.

Dale53

[floodgate]

Dale:

BUT, the undersized #311466 and #311467 are listed in the 1958 edition of the Lyman "Handbook of Cast Bullets", and I have U-prefixed moulds (#U311284, -290 and -413) with the pre-1968 "IDEAL" stamping, so they go back further than Harrison's article.

floodgate

[Dale53]

floodgate;
It's hell to get old:mrgreen:

The story is correct but the dates were NOT. It was in 56-57 instead of the seventies. Boy, I AM old.

Dale53

[Lucky Joe]

Thank you for all the responses, I will print this off and put it in the folder for this mould.