30-06 soup can, does alloy matter?

[brewer12345]

As soon as I get a bit of time I will be trying out my soup can mold. My intention is to produce plinking and small game rounds, so this isn't a high performance application. I will start with 9 grains of unique, a similar amount of HP38, and maybe a trail boss load (any suggestions?) with accuracy the goal and velocity not particularly desired to be over 1400 or 1500 FPS. I have COWWs, pure, and some tin to blend up to an appropriate alloy and although I usually air cool I could certainly water quench these if it is worth doing? My default is simply to use COWWs. Any reason not to?

[Soundguy]

soup can mold?

[woody1]

COWWs work for me although I may add a little tin .

[brewer12345]

soup can mold?

The 309-113 mold. It is as close as you can get to a wadcutter for 30 caliber rifles. Takes a gas check, reputed to be very, very accurate with light loads out to 50 or possibly even 100 yards. I decided to use this as a way to fine tune my rifle loading skills in a low risk, low cost way before I start fooling with full house hunting loads for the 30-06.

[Soundguy]

OH ok, I know what you are talking about.. it's a RN FP with a wide meplat. Light weight.. good plinker. I have something like that. Gas check is a plus!

Anything I think I shoot that is gas checked.. I use at least lyman #2 for..

For big slow(er) stuff.. some 500 gr .458 gas checked, I have used range scrap that was around 10-12bhn to start, with a little tin added to the pot for fill out... probably making it a straight 12.

[Maven]

"...reputed to be very, very accurate with light loads out to 50 or possibly even 100 yards." ...brewer12345

They are indeed very accurate when sized to fit the .30-06, .30-30Win., and 7.5 x 55mm Swiss (K 31) and were so named (soup cans) by Buckshot long ago. Btw, I have two, in excellent condition, for sale if anyone is interested: They cast within 1 gr. of each other.

[Tom Myers]

Maven,
What diameter does it cast with wheel weights and how much do you want for one?

[brewer12345]

I had my first try with this mold today. Never used a lee or aluminum mold. The mold was well behaved, but I had a hard time getting it up to temp even with a hit plate. I suspect the small cavity size was the challenge. I ended up with a tad over 350 keepers, running 114 grains pre check and lube, all cast at about .311.

I plan to tumble lube and put through a lee 311 sizing die. Is it a bad idea to lube before putting the gas check on?

[Soundguy]

If you are putting the gas check on with the lee push thru, then you should lube first, so its lubed when sizing. If tumble lube, many give it a quick tumble again after sizing.

[brewer12345]

Great. Gas check will not slip off after seating with lube first?

[Soundguy]

Mine never have. Sized should be crimping the checks on good, they shouldn't be loose.

[brewer12345]

Much obliged.

[reddog81]

I had my first try with this mold today. Never used a lee or aluminum mold. The mold was well behaved, but I had a hard time getting it up to temp even with a hit plate. I suspect the small cavity size was the challenge. I ended up with a tad over 350 keepers, running 114 grains pre check and lube, all cast at about .311.

I plan to tumble lube and put through a lee 311 sizing die. Is it a bad idea to lube before putting the gas check on?

With those skinny little bullets it can be difficult getting the mold up to temp. Smaller bullets means more aluminum to heat up and less hot lead to heat the mold. Running the alloy hotter or at a faster pace can help.

[brewer12345]

Yup. I also probably could have had the hot plate could have been turned up higher. When I got tired of fooling with the soup can mold I switched to an iron Lyman 2 banger 158 grain mold that had been sitting on the hot plate. The second mold threw good bullets on the second fill. On the plate longer and hotter plus bigger cavities and a heavier mold with more thermal mass made it easier to get to temp and stay there.

For $20-something bucks including handles, I really cannot complain.

[Maven]

All, I presently have 2 Lee "soup can" molds, having just sold the 3rd, but none of them requires more than 750 deg. F (WW + 1% Sn) to cast well. Furthermore, I sometimes use a Lee .311" push-through sizer die to, well, size them and seat GC's, but have never lubed or tumble lubed them prior to doing so: Never a problem either.

Btw, I'm willing to part with the "as issued" one for $26 shipped. (The other one has had its GC shank removed and is a good plinker with 4gr. - 6gr. loads of CLAYS or a propellant of similar burning rate.)

[Soundguy]

I wouldn't expect you to need lube on a .311 for a 309 (310 ish) projectile. It would still seat the check though.

[trapper9260]

For a light boolit for 30-06 and 30/30 and 308 win I use the boolits i have for 32cal hand gun and just size them down for 30cal. Because i look to use them for small game also at short range use.