Saeco 196gr. 30 cal mold

[leadhead 500]

I am thinking of getting one of the Saeco 30 cal. 196 gr. molds in a 4 banger to make some boolits for my 30-06 and wanted some opinions on this one how it shoots ETC. before I get it.

[Maven]

Pbhead 500, Are you referring to the RG-4 (bore rider, truncated cone nose) or its latest iteration? If so, it will be accurate IF the nose is wide enough to fit your rifle and you can size the body to fit. E.g., I had an almost new Cramer (pre-Saeco) RG-4 with a too-small nose which shot poorly. As an expedient, I "beagled" it and got a larger nose (but ugly CB's) and excellent accuracy. I later obtained a Saeco RG-4 which cast larger, both body and nose, and am very happy with it. If your rifle is like mine, you'll want the bore riding nose to be .301" - .302" for the best results.

[sundog]

If you are referring to the #301, it shoots quite well in several '06s I've tried it in. The 4-banger mould is well made and cavities are consistent. I consider my mould a very good investment.

[Le Loup Solitaire]

Hi, I have this design and use it successfully in my O3-A3 which has a 2 groove barrel. Since this configuration has the lands occupying 5/8 of the total bore circumference, it is necessary to use a "bore-rider" type design where the bullet body is relatively short and the nose is long; the long nose is positively guided by the broad lands. The RG-4 and its modern version the 301 is exactly what will shoot accurately, but the nose portion has to be at least .300-.301 or .3015-.302....as already pointed out. If it is sub .300 it will tilt in the bore and the accuracy will be poor. Beagling the mold works, but I would consider as well, "bumping" (the nose portion).. a proceedure recommended by R. Sears ( a rifleman writing for the Cast Bullet Assn and subsequently reprinted in an NRA publication. Another possibility, requiring care and patience, would be to lap the nose section(s). Col. Harrison, writing for the NRA handbook considered the RG-4 to be an excellent design for .30 cal and highly recommended it. LLS