Cast bullet range report

[dtknowles]

I was at the range Sunday and shot the XCB bullets BjornB sent me. Thanks for the bullets and for installing the checks and sizing them for me, I don't have a die for .310 but the results today seem to indicate that is better than .311. Lubed them with MML+soap in the Lyman 450 with the .311 die. It was colder today and windy but the wind was mostly in my face. The prime variable beside the diameter and lube was the COAL and neck tension. For others, the rifle is a 30BR used benchrest for score rifle with a sleeved Rem 600 action.

Attached are 3 pictures of three of the groups. I forgot to bring home some of the targets. After a cold range I fired a group without taking a fowling shot so the first shot was out of the group the next 4 went into less than an inch and I only had 5 rounds with that powder charge. 34 grains of BLC2 was giving me 2250 fps and 35 was giving be 2375 fps. The smallest group was shot with minimal neck tension and long COAL so the bullets pushed back into the case when the bullet contacts the lead.

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Tim

[btroj]

Looks like a good start point.
I need to get some decent weather and a day off to coincide. Tomorrow will be nice and what happens? Yep, I have a meeting with the financial guy.

I want to do more testing but right now I'm a bit burned out. I will get back to it but I haven't shot a single round, or evenoaded one, since deer season.

[Love Life]

Using this bullet and different sizes, I learned that smaller was better for my rifle. I thought about what happens when you use a 36 caliber round ball to slug a 9mm barrel or 38 special barrel, you get that wonderful ring of shaved/squished lead. So I reckoned the same may be happening from the chamber end with a bullet .002-.003 over sized. So I sized at different diameters and learned that fatter is not always better. Sho' am good!!

Thank you for the range report.

[btroj]

What? A hard, fast rule isn't isnt always right?

Just shows that without learning what your rifle wants the rest means little

[Love Life]

True. It's like with my revolvers. I never size to throat diameter. I just size .001-.002 over for bore and have had no leading or accuracy issues in many thousands of rds in many calibers in many different revolvers and brands.

My signature line pretty much says it all.

[s mac]

I'm by no means an expert but I've also found with my rifle,308 Win, that sizing to .309ish works better. I've tried .310, .311.

[dtknowles]

Yes, I want to try .309 as well. I tried .308 and it was not good. It looks like to sweet spot is going to be either .309 or .310 for this rifle. In my 30-30 I did not see much difference between .308 and .311 but that is with iron sights and 3 moa groups and only 1800 fps. Talk about too many knobs to turn, I have about nailed the diameter, COAL, and Neck Tension so now all I have left is Lube, Alloy, Powder, Powder Charge unless I change bullets :-)

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Not sure if I posted these earlier but they were from a couple weeks earlier with .311 bullets

Tim

[Bjornb]

Tim,
glad to see you're getting good results. Don't hesitate to let me know if you need some more of those XCB bullets. I've got plenty.