308 sizing question

[compass will]

Rifle is a .308 savage, 1 in 10 twist.

Looking at the vast list of molds out there, and going by answers i received on my last question here. I have another question (or 2).

First, I got great recommendations on what lee boolit (312-185-1R) to use for paper patching, But what would you recommend if I want somthing that I can size in my Lyman and not paper patch.

309-160-1R?
309-170-R? (I could also use this one in my 30-30 Marlin Lever gun I think)
309-180-R?

Again, this is shooting paper at 100 and 200 yards.

For the .308, what lyman sizing die do you recommend. .309, .310 or .311?
(new gun, no I have not slugged it.)

I see some RCBS molds I am interested in also, but cash flow limits me to Lee molds at this time.

As always, opinions are always appreciated.

[Ben]

Obviously the best thing to do is slug the bore.

However, I've shot .310 bullets in 20 or more new modern .30 cal. rifles ( .308 Win. and 06's ) with great accuracy.

A .310 sizing die would be a good investment.

Ben

[docone31]

I second the larger sizing die. I size to .311. I got miserable accuracy with .309 in my .30s.
Lead is different from jacketeds. That is for sure.

[357maximum]

99% of the time I have the best luck with the fattest boolit I can chamber, but a bore slug and a pounded lead chamber "cast" should be in your immediate plans.

[oso]

99% of the time I have the best luck with the fattest boolit I can chamber, but a bore slug and a pounded lead chamber "cast" should be in your immediate plans.

Ditto! Let me add that the Lee C312-185-R works for my rifle sized .312-.313 and is not what I would use for paper patching.

[docone31]

I donno about that. I have the same Lee mold, size it to .308 and I get .3135 paper jacketing. I cannot get it to shoot worth anything yet as plain lead, but I am narrowing it down with paper.
That same mold produces great slugs when sized to .308 for my .303 British.

[NHlever]

I was shooting my ultra light 308 today, and got better results with the RCBS 180 fn ww, heat treated, and sized to .310 than I got with the Lee 150 FN sized to .309. I'm going to try the Lee at .310 in both my 30-30, and .308. That has normally been a very accurate bullet for me in other .30 caliber rifles.

[runfiverun]

.310 works fine in my 30's the older ones like A3-03 like .311
if you measure the inside of the neck of a fired case you will find that you can get a pretty big boolit in there, but to get it in the throat may be a different matter.
the rcbs 165 silhouette mold is a good one.

[compass will]

the rcbs 165 silhouette mold is a good one.

I was looking at that one, but I can get 3 or 4 lee molds for the price of that one, and the budget went bust just buying the rifle on Saturday. I might buy it after Christmas.

I need to pick one of the Lee dies and I want to order it tomorrow.

the 160g and 180g are "customer recommended for accuracy" on the lee site.

With the 1 in 10 twist the 180 might work out. I know it a "309" mold, but my other lees cast big, maybe because i lap them a little so the boolit falls out better.

I just went down and checked several boolits I have already sized with a mic. They all seem to be .001 larger then the sizer I am using (example .321 sizer and boolit measures .322. So I expect a .310 sizer might leave me with a .311 boolit.

[HeavyMetal]

You didn't say which Savge 308 you had purchased, but it must be a bolt gun.

Take a good hard look at Lee's 150 grain boolit designed for the 7.62x39. I've had some decent luck with this boolit in my 30x30 contender. The nice part is it comes out of the mold at 312! Lots of diameter to play with!

[compass will]

You didn't say which Savge 308 you had purchased, but it must be a bolt gun.

Yes, it's the 10fp, which is a heavy 24" barrel bolt action gun.

[docone31]

Will, I would go heavy. My reasons for that, I have had less loading issues with the heavier castings. Same with paper patching. I prefer to go with the heavier castings.
I tried the smaller molds from Lee. The .312 molds will size easily to .310-.311.
With your heavy barrel Savage, I would definately go with at least the 185gn .303 mold. It is not a real spire point, not a flat point either. The forward part of the casting, I get a reliable .301.
I have not however gotten great accuracy yet out of plain castings. With paper patching, I do get much better groups. I am still playing around with loads. So far, I use the starting load for the next higher weight bullet.
Sized at .309, I got keyholes, 20ft groups. Sized at .310, I got real close, but no cigar. Sized at .311, I got on paper. Some keyholes, some fliers. Mostly I think it is my casting rather than the casting design. These are with gas checks. With paper, sized at .311, I get better results. I am still playing around with paper thickness. I got five at 100yds, within the target. I was pretty pleased with that. I had spent many rounds just getting near the target.
I also sized my castings down to .304, wrapped them to .308, lightly coated them with lapping compound. I mean lightly.
Made the bore real shiney, seemed to make the entry to the rifleing smoother. It seemed to help the paper patched groups get smaller when sized to .311. With plain castings, I am still wasting powder. I can hit the berm from the shooting table. One goes to the right, one goes to the left, one goes waaaay up, none hit the paper. When I sized to .311 I got closer.
I do not like plinker loads. That is probably most of my problem. I have yet to go with smaller charges and filler.
Good luck. That savage is one heck of a shooter. I was going to get one before I got my Ruger Target 25-06. I had a savage 30-06 years ago. It was an amazing tack driver, right out of the box. The only thing I did was to remove the action from the stock, put a rubber washer under the front mounting screw, between the action and the stock. That relieved the barrel and made it free floating. Big difference with the same load.
I bet yours will be a sweetheart. Mine had a factory trigger. Not too bad all around.

[GabbyM]

I'm a little confused as to what you are looking for.
Target or hunting bullet?
Plain base or gas checked?
I've a few 30 caliber bullets here and would send you out samples of 50 packs for the shipping fee and price of gas checks. Just so I don't loose money.
Have a nice set of hunting bullets but my two target bullet molds need returned. Just junk.
Have a plan base 140gr Saeco , 150gr gc Saeco, 180gr that drops 195 finished RCBS fp.

My target bullet moulds are all junk.

I'll see what sort of warranty a few manufacturers give.

I'm pretty good at lapping molds. Shimming and peening with a center punch. All to get a usable boolit. But when they send you one that drops -.004” I don't even try to fix that.

[Char-Gar]

As long as the bullets is .001 over barrel groove diameter, the throat is the critical dimension. In the best of world the bullet should be exact throat diameter or .0005 over.

I have a scad of 30 caliber rifles with 4 of being in .308. I start with .310 bullets. Some rifles do better with .311 and still others all the way up to .313.