Choosing boolit weight for .30 cal rifles.

[CastingFool]

Not casting boolits for rifle yet, can't seem to be able to choose which weight. I tend to lean towards a lighter boolit, for one you get more per lb of metal. How do you make a choice?

[Piedmont]

Find out what fits the rifle. Ideally seat the gas check at the bottom of the neck. See how long the throat is. The bottom of the neck to the throat is the length of the band section you want, ideally. See how long your magazine is and decide if you want to fill it. If it is something with a long mag like a .30-06 or a .303 British, you will probably go with a bore rider. This will allow a heavy weight if you want to go there. My .308s top out in the 190-200 gr. range even with very blunt bullets because of magazine length.

Figure out if you want to use an all body bullet, like a Ranch Dog or LBT. These will probably limit your weight but they are very strong bullets by design if you want to push them hard and you don't have to worry about the bore ride portion of the bullet fitting your lands because there is no bore ride section on this type of bullet.

This will start you thinking.

[Bigslug]

I arrived at the conclusion that since you can't throw as fast as jacketed, make up for it with extra mass. 170 grains and up if the bore will stabilize them.

[shredder]

I jumped in with both feet, bought a mould an learned how to cast with it and how to make the boolits shoot well. Choose a boolit wieght similar to what your rilfe likes in jacketed ammo. I started with a 160 grain RN because my rifle always shot 150 really well. It was not a mistake. Later I got into some heavier boolits with a nose profile that feeds better in my Mauser. Not because they shoot better though.

[Bret4207]

IMO in 30 cal deer sized cartridges, 308/06/30-30/etc, it's pretty darn hard to beat the RCBS 30-180FN as a starting point. I haven't found a rifle yet it won't shoot it. Lighter is fine for stuff like the 32-20, 30 carbine, but I'd stay at least up to 150 grs for full size. They just seem easier to get to shoot well.

[Dusty Bannister]

No one has asked what you want from the bullet. Are you just plinking, target shooting , hunting or some combination. For just plinking I really like the RCBS 32-115-FN but I do shoot it with a gas check. No money savings, but great for training new shooters, not used to recoil. For most of the other uses, I really like the Ohaus (now RCBS) 30-180-RN, but keep in mind I am not a hunter so the FN probably would be better. This is not really one size fits all, so please give some indication what you need. Heck, for plinkers and cheap shooting, the Lee C309-120-R or the C309-113-F even come in 6 cav molds so you can shoot a lot with not a lot of time invested in casting. Good luck. Dusty

[1Shirt]

I tend to like from 165 thru 190 for all my 30's. That said, have found that the 150 lee flat nose shoots well in all of mine from 30-30 thru 06.
1Shirt!

[w5pv]

In jacketed bullets I like the heavier 180+ because they don't ruin as much meat going in and coming out.They make a hole on both sides of deer size animals without the hydrolic effect being as great.Cast boolits I have yet to kill a deer or anything with the rifle.

[SawmillJack]

I tend to like from 165 thru 190 for all my 30's. That said, have found that the 150 lee flat nose shoots well in all of mine from 30-30 thru 06.
1Shirt!

Do you also use that flat point Lee in .303, 7.65, 7.5 or Russian? Just curious because I'm also just starting casting for rifles and am searching for something that perhaps doesn't exist. One good boolit choice for all my thirties.

[Larry Gibson]

Not casting boolits for rifle yet, can't seem to be able to choose which weight. I tend to lean towards a lighter boolit, for one you get more per lb of metal. How do you make a choice?

I use cast bullets from 90 gr to 220 gr. What weight depends on the intended use; Close range target, long range target, plinking, hunting small edible game, varmint hunting or big game hunting.

What's your intended use?

Larry Gibson

[pdawg_shooter]

I arrived at the conclusion that since you can't throw as fast as jacketed, make up for it with extra mass. 170 grains and up if the bore will stabilize them.

Paper patch and you can exceed jacketed velocity and accuracy.

[Shiloh]

Mine are the 200 gr. range

Shiloh

[Prospector Howard]

Generally speaking, I've found over the years that shooting a lead boolit as heavy as possible without having the base of the bullet below the neck has given me the best accuracy. That's one reason I like the 30-06 for cast, it has a nice long neck. I generally don't care for bore riders, so this does limit the weight some so you can chamber it without touching the lands. This is why you end up like me and own so many different molds.

[AlaskanGuy]

I love the lee C309-170f... I shoot it in 30-30, 308, and whatever else i can stuff it into.. It just shoots nice in everything.

[Bret4207]

Do you also use that flat point Lee in .303, 7.65, 7.5 or Russian? Just curious because I'm also just starting casting for rifles and am searching for something that perhaps doesn't exist. One good boolit choice for all my thirties.

You're going to want something fatter for the over 30 cals you mention.

[1Shirt]

If you beagle the 150 lee, it will probably drop about .314- .315, which may work well in mosins, 303's, etc, but that depends on the mosin and 303, as some of those bores are much larger. At .314 it shoots well in my Mosin 38, have not tried it in my Enfield which wants .315's.
1Shirt!

[jonk]

Never know. Nominally most .30 cal rifles have something in the 1:10 twist; with jacketed that calls for 140-200 gr bullets. However, the twist rate and stabilization is based more on sectional density than on bullet length- which is to say, those bullets happen to have a length that stabilizes well. Not to say weight doesn't come in to it, it does; but the upshot is, copper is lighter than lead, and an all lead projectile with a blunter ogive will be the same length as a longer, lighter j-word bullet. So: while a 250 gr j word may not stabilize in a given gun, a shorter, denser, slower cast bullet may. Point is, I've yet to see a bullet that does NOT stabilize in a .30 cal rifle, from 120 gr up to 250. Some shoot better than others, but each gun and charge is unique unto itself.

What you want is one that fills the throat and has good support in the case neck. In practice, 180 to 220 are usually the best for a 1:8 to a 1:10 barrel, and 150 to 200 for a 1:10 to 1:12 barrel; and so on.

[CastingFool]

My two rifles are mostly used for informal plinking. Not legal in my area for deer hunting. They both have 1-10 barrels. I normally use 150 gr j-words when I reload. I still would like to have some hunting loads on hand.

[Blammer]

go with the 115gr for plinking.

if for hunting, i'd go with the 311041 or the 311291

[Moonie]

I have several 30 caliber molds for the 30 caliber rifles in the family. The first one is the 170 FP Lee, it shoots well and even cycles perfectly in my sons 742 but not in our 300 BO uppers. I also have the .312-155 Lee, it feeds in everything and shoots very well. I also have the 245 Accurate Molds and it is very accurate in my 30-06 Bolt and runs well in the 300.

Interestingly enough until 3 years ago I had no use for 30 caliber, mainly because everyone has one, I prefer to be different, now I know why they are popular.

[CastingFool]

Thanks guys, you have given me a lot of good information.