Base pits and gas checks also 311291?

[jhalcott]

A buddy says the 311291 is THE worst designed bullet ever! I do NOT agree! Who is right? Also I noticed some pits in the bases of some of his bullets (not311291's). I asked about them and his reply was that the checks cover them so they do not matter. I think the expanding gasses WILL have an effect but don't know how to prove this. Maybe if the pits were dead center he MIGHT be right, but these pits were off center to the naked eye. When I get these I'm usually rushing to finish the pot. I throw them back into the "redo can"

[Char-Gar]

I take it this is not a joke. It could be easy to take it as such, as your friend is a gold plated dufas.

1) 311291 is one of the original Barlow designs and has been in continual production for over 100 years. It is one of the top three or four best 30 cal cast bullets every designed. It's fans are legion.

2) The base is the stearing end of the bullets and voids, pits can have a negative effective on accuracy. The effect on the bullet can range from very slight to great depending on a myriad of factors.

[sundog]

Listen to Chargar. The base needs to as good as possible -- even it has a GC. The base is the rudder. Ever had an out of balance prop on a boat?

Re 311291. I've seen far too many 30 bores shoot this boolit very well. Maybe he has one of those undersized moulds. Do some measuring before he completely condemns it. If he has a mould and dislikes it that much, tell him not to trash. Send it to me for proper disposal.

[jhalcott]

sundog, IF you can pry it from my fingers ,MAYBE you can have it! As i stated in the first post "I do NOT agree with him." I use it for plinking in the 30-30 and 308 handguns with better than acceptable accuracy. I hesitate to use RN's for hunting though.

[Newtire]

I had one of the 2-cavity ones that cast the bore riding part at .298 and didn't shoot worth a crap. Now that I have one that is going .301 on the nose, it's a pretty good boolit after all. I just like my 311407 group-buy better. Too many boolits not enough time!

[Four Fingers of Death]

I can't wait to get my group buy version :D

[Char-Gar]

Newtire... One of the joys of 311291 is over the production life of the design, there have been many cherries with specs all over the place. Many of us tend to accumulate these (I have five) molds from different vintages and we can fit just about any barrel. They are a common staple on Ebay.

I have one DC that runs .302 on the nose and .316 on the body. I sent a SC to Buckshot to be hollow pointed and it ran .301 on the nose and .313 on the body. I have on old U311292 that runs .300 on the nose and .311 on the body. And so it goes..hard to find two alike.

When we speced the 6 hole group buy, it is .302 on the nose and .312 on the body. Even if these run a hair undersize, as is common with Lee, they will be .301 on the nose and .311 on the body. That should be very useful in most any decent 30 cal barrel. Prolly won't do on some of the larger Brits and Rooskis though.

[Newtire]

Newtire... One of the joys of 311291 is over the production life of the design, there have been many cherries with specs all over the place. Many of us tend to accumulate these.

Yeah Charles,

I see a nice mold and it seems that it is a shame to get rid of it. I have one that would be grat right now if only the bore riding portion were a bit longer. It's the Lyman 245498. If it could be re-cut to extend the bore riding portion, I think it would be a great boolit. I have a 4-cavity I bought a few years back but it won't shoot in my .243. I hear similar stories from every writing on this boolit I find. Is there anyone that recuts molds out there. Would be fun to see if it worked.