308 Winchester groundhog load

[Todd S]

I have secured a few properties to hunt groundhogs. These will all be in PA, so I cannot use my AR, yet. I don't want to buy a new rifle, so I will be using my 308 win. Can anyone recommend a light 309 mold? The rifle is 1/10 twist.

[308Jeff]

Subscribing

[RickinTN]

If I were to use my .308 with cast for groundhogs I would probably lean toward one of the silhouette bullets, either the RCBS or the Lyman. I have had better luck with RCBS molds, as I think was often the case a few years ago when I bought mine. I did purchase both molds and with the Lyman the cavities were offset by about .003". I hope they have improved their quality since that time. Tom at Accurate Molds is my default mold maker but I'm not sure Tom can do a meplat as small as what you would want.
Good Luck,
Rick

[popper]

Why light CB? I run a 145gr FP PB @2100 from a BO, 165gr FP GC 2700 in 308. Lighter boolits are pretty short to get into the throat of the 308. Maybe a 30 carbine mould would work. Even the 30 cal soupcan would be a close range load.

[RU shooter]

It was just on the news this week the PAGC gave the ok for semi auto for small game but still no go on deer and bear

[Todd S]

It was just on the news this week the PAGC gave the ok for semi auto for small game but still no go on deer and bear

I heard the same thing. From what I understand, the new rules will take effect until the '17-'18 hunting season.

[Old colt]

I have good luck with the noe 311-188 30 hunter mold running around 1600fps. I am gas checking and lubing with 2500+. May not work powder coated as the nose is slightly engraved.

Sent from my XT1055 using Tapatalk

[TexasGrunt]

http://noebulletmolds.com/NV/product_info.php?cPath=30_339&products_id=116&osCsid=bmni4988hv6s3g683ik2qhgmu7

http://noebulletmolds.com/NV/index.php?cPath=30_338&osCsid=bmni4988hv6s3g683ik2qhgmu7

https://www.midwayusa.com/product/305808/rcbs-2-cavity-bullet-mold-762mm-130-spl-762-mm-30-caliber-309-diameter-130-grain-spitzer-point-gas-check

Or my 1st choice would be a Lyman 311359. http://www.ebay.com/itm/Lyman-311359-Single-Cavity-Mold-/232284264299?hash=item361538976b:g:NmsAAOSwmgJY2IY 3


I used to use the Speer 130 gr hollow point out of my .308 for ground squirrels.

[Larry Gibson]

Many years back when all I had was a .308W with a 10" twist I killed a lot of rock chucks (groundhogs western cousin) with a Lyman 311041 HP cast of COWWs + 50% lead (with todays COWWs add 2% tin then mix with the lead) loaded over 26.5 gr H4895 in WRA 67 cases with CCI 200 primers and a Dacron filler. Velocity was/is right at 1850 - 1900 fps (24" barrel). It killed the chucks w/o problem out to 200 - 250 yards.

Larry Gibson

[runfiverun]

do not use a silhouette type boolit on Marmots.
it will pencil through them and the best you'll get is a flopping around animal that you can't hit with subsequent shots.

use a flat nose and loads just like you'd use for deer hunting.
I use the rcbs 30-150 in both the 30-30 and the 30-06, I use the accurate 31-165A in the 308's.
their flat noses at 1900-2400 fps will put a chuck in it's place right now.


I laid out a rock chuck last year with my 300 xcb using the accurate mold at about 250yds and it just flat lost it's head when the boolit hit.
I was running the load at about 2450 fps.+/-.
the chrono showed speeds about 25 fps on both sides of that number showing I should probably use a tuft of Dacron on top of the 4064.
I was so excited about the first shot hit at distance I didn't even notice I had scratched the stock on the lava rock I was resting on.
it was sure more energetic than my 223 loads.

[M-Tecs]

With cast and flat angles ricochets can be an issue. Not what you asked for but if I was hunting groundhogs with a 308 I would be using 125 grain Nosler Ballistic Tips or the equivalent V-Max.

[Gamsek]

There was once a group buy on 30" HP Mold, MiHec copy of HG#38 Ness safety bullet with deep cavity. You could make FP and HP. HP version fragmented totally in my tests...192233
Hammer, Ness, Sledgehammer and Hunting
192234

[oldblinddog]

For a J bullet load in a .308 the Speer 125 TNT over Hodgdon's starting load of 46 gr of IMR 8208 XBR for about 3000 fps is outstanding!

For a cast bullet load I would choose the Accurate 31-160G (XCB bullet) and H4895 and go as fast as you can go accurately.

[Boolseye]

I would think the Lee 309-150 would hammer them.

[303Guy]

A 145gr cast 308 boolit is a lightweight. I have found in my extremely rust damaged bore 303 Brit that a 147gr big enough to seat in an unsized neck shoots very well indeed. Your 308 would have a different throat but perhaps the same principle would apply? The fat boolit engages the throat taper even with it away from the rifling leade. But the 308 throat is different.

[Todd S]

Thanks for all the replies.