Any loads for Lee Soupcan in 308..30-06 ?

[hs45/70]

Got a new Lee "soupcan" mold a few weeks ago and cast several hundred last week. Got lots of reccomendations off this forum for 30-30 so I'm looking for any loads that have worked for you in .308 and 30/06 ....any speed from 800 fps on up would be appreciated.......thx.

[35remington]

hs, I see this as a very accurate short to midrange bullet in the .308 and .30-06, so therefore my loads are on the mild side, intended for cheap, accurate plinking and practice. I have gravitated toward the shotgun/pistol powders as being most appropriate.

It is also a very good small game bullet, with a lot of critters falling to my Savage .30-06 over many years. When zeroed with a high powered load, a variable scope will put the Soup Can on target at 4.5X at the thick/thin junction of the crosshairs, at a velocity of 1550 fps.

I note that a lot of guys here shoot load combinations that are similar to the following in some way.

Around 9 to 10 grains of 700X, Red Dot, W231 will serve, giving velocities of around 1500-1600 fps. Accuracy is noticeably better than when any heavier charges are used. I settled on 9.0 grains of W231 for 1550 fps as my choice for its good metering characteristics, but you may find the other two flake powders will work just as well as the velocities were just as consistent as found with 231. No filler is needed. Seat out as far as your particular chamber/throat will allow. I have the first band and part of the first lube groove showing in my loads. Reduce these loads around 0.5-1 grain for the .308.

Very good killer, duplicates the standard .32-20 with little meat loss if the bullet is hard. Cast hard or quench to prevent bullet upset at closer ranges vs. straight wheelweight alloy, which may cause a little more damage on edible game. This load has also accounted for one unfortunate coyote.

Accurate (5/8 inch at fifty when bullets are inspected, separated by cavity if need be), powerful enough for everything except big game, not too loud, cheap to shoot. Just what I want.

[Buckshot]

.............The Soup Can is a very forgiving boolit design as there just isn't much to go wrong with it. It has the ballistics of a used brick (has had the sharp corners knocked off) so isn't a long range proposition against anything other then 'fun' targets much beyond 100 yards.

As 35remington pointed out, the fast powders are a good choice and my fav for ground squirrels in the 50 yard area was about 7.0grs of SR7625, or substitute Unique. I would think that powders no slower then 4198 would be called for, although I haven't experimented with any slower ones myself. Because the boolit is so light, slower powders might be erratic in ignition or building pressure.

Take most any Pistol-Shotgun powder, start at 5.0grs and work up a grain at a time.

My favorite story about this boolit was one of my Tuesday shooting buddies who met me as I arrived atthe range. He was holding a target he'd just shot with that boolit from his M94 Winchester 30-30. There were 5 ticket punch holes spanning maybe an inch.

He said he'd just shot it and I said, "DANG!". I thought it was 50 yards and pretty darn good. Then he said that had been fired at 100 yards :-)! I said something like Double Dang! Then he informed me it had been over 21.0grs of H4198 and the velocity was 2100 fps. I about fainted.

His levergun had a Leupold VXII 3-9 on it but still 8-). Later on he proceeded to fire off the other 15 rounds making 4 groups total of that load and I'd guess the average spread might have been 1-1/8" or so. Some of the best consistant shooting I'd ever seen from a M94, regardless WHAT the slug or load had been.

...............Buckshot

[USARO4]

I've had good luck with Red Dot. Try 10-13 grains to find that "sweet spot". Red Dot is less dense than some of the other pistol powders so it takes up a little more space in that big case. I've tried fillers in the past but have become wary of them and they did'nt make any big differance with my limited ability. The soup can/ Red Dot is a cheap and fun plinking combo. One of these days I'm gonna try it with Green Dot.

[sundog]

USAR04, try the GD. You'll like it.

[Linstrum]

When used with 7.5-grains of Unique in my French MAS 36 I get one clean hole at 100 yards! All day long, too, I swear!

With that load when I fire two of them at 100 yards I get two clean holes, too. And with three I get - - - well three holes. But boy, they sure are clean holes! And real close together, too!

Actually, all I can say is what everybody has already said about this nice little pill.

I personally like to use it in front of Unique, but there is nothing magical about that powder with this boolit, and as Sundog said above it works with Green Dot with just as excellent results.

I use mostly Unique with small stuff like this because it is a darn good propellant that has been around for over 100 years, since either 1899 or 1901 depending on which reference you use.

[hs45/70]

Thanx to all for their loads... Have unique.. 700x..reddot. bullseye..Bluedot..TrailBoss..and Imr 4198/4227.. will try useing some of each powder and see what results I get. Thx!

[RU shooter]

Stupid question and I probably deserve a stupid answer in return ,But whats a Lee "soup can" boolit and what makes it so good as a reduced vel. short ranges plinker?

[45nut]

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?t=10360&highlight=soup

Have a look there.... the easiest answer is the similarity in profile to a can of soup.

[Leftoverdj]

But whats a Lee "soup can" boolit and what makes it so good as a reduced vel. short ranges plinker?

It has about 3x as much bearing surface as nose, but has enough nose to stay stable at reasonable distances. The big mepat makes it a killer on small to medium game, and the light weight keeps it from being a menace to folks in the next county.

As has been mentioned, most of us use it to approximate .32-20 performance. More and more of us live in semi settled areas where annoying the neighbors is a consideration, and have a real need for something that can be used to pop a groundhog or coyote without having the police called.

[drinks]

I use it with Universal, PB, Herco, AA#9 4227 and 4198.
From 1100fps to 2000fps, accuracy is from good to very good at 50 or 100 yds.
I shoot it in a Savage 99, .303 Savage, .308 Handi rifle and 7.5x55 SR.
In the SR K 31, with a 2x scope, 1/2" at 50 yds is my best at about 1800fps.
Very easy to get good results with, a nice shooter and reakky does a job well.
At 1300fps it is a cottontail whacker, much more impressive than a .22LR.

[hs45/70]

Had some range time yesterday with the Rem 788 .308 and the soup-can..

Tested 8.0 gr. Trailboss to 13.0 grs

Best load was 11.0 gr.....1437..1448..1454 fps. 3shots/50 yd/ 0.90 inch
Second best was 13.0 gr..1615 fps one reading only.3 shots/50yd/ 1.30 inch

IMR4227 15.0 to 18.0 grs.

Best load was 16.0 gr....1454..1443..1460 fps. 3shots/50 yd/ 0.70 inch

Dupont 700 X 8.0 gr to 10.0 gr

Best load was 9.5 gr ...1528..1503..1523.fps 3 shots/50 yd/ 1.0 inch
Second was 9.0 gr......1498..1481..1482 fps....1.10 inch

Tried a "Lyman accuracy load " from their manual useing 17.0 gr Unique.
Velocity...2146..2120..2140 fps...got two touching and 3rd made it 1.10 inch/50 yd.

Once again... thanks to all for the powder suggestions and will try the Imr4198..Bluedot. and lower Unique charges next..

[Buckshot]

Had some range time yesterday with the Rem 788 .308 and the soup-can..

Tried a "Lyman accuracy load " from their manual useing 17.0 gr Unique.
Velocity...2146..2120..2140 fps...got two touching and 3rd made it 1.10 inch/50 yd.

Once again... thanks to all for the powder suggestions and will try the Imr4198..Bluedot. and lower Unique charges next..

...........Well! That should be VERY disconcerting to Mr Ground Squirrel or Jackrabbit. Should try that one at 100 yards, next range day!

.................Buckshot

[nelsonted1]

Are any of the above loads without a gascheck? Is this a bullet that requires one? And finally has anyone reamed out the gascheck with success? I'm a cheapskate (and broke[dicked]).

[hs45/70]

Mold is gas checked type...gas checks were used !