.32 pistol boolits in the 30WCF

[Marlin Junky]

Has anyone ever tried SAECO 325 in the 30-30? I'm on a quest to find an accurate plinking/short range varmint load for my Marlin 30-30's and this little boolit looks interesting. I bought some 313149's on the internet some time ago and am going to try a few tomorrow backed by 4 grains of AA#2 but I need a flat point for more damage to small fruit and vegetable munching targets like possums and raccoons. I also need the mold to drop a .313" to .314" tiny boolit because I want to size to .312" without wiping out the grease grooves and distorting my soft mini-boolits. Basically, I want to duplicate 32-20 BP ballistics and use a soft alloy from stick-on wheel weight metal... and not foul my barrel! Am I asking for too much? If this experiment produces satisfying results, I'm going to equip one of my Ballard rifled 336s with a laser sight and shorten the barrel to 18". Now that I think about it, would it be better to use a Microgroove 30-30 for such purposes? I've never owned a Microgroove 30-30. Do the MG 30-30's have more typical groove diameters in the .308" to .309" range?

Thanks for your input,
MJ

[StarMetal]

No, but I've tried my Star 30 cal TC nose in my 7.65 Arggie carbine and it shoots good. It also has enough diameter and lube groove to size it where you want it. Here's a pic of it and it's the one on the right. Weight is 100 grs and the one of the left is same design for 32acp and weighs 84 grs.

Joe

[Dale53]

There is a current, about to close, .314 98 gr Keith plain base bullet group buy six cavity mould that might be just what you want. You will have to act quickly as it is closing NOW as we speak.

The old .314" x 120 RF group buy may have a mould left (see "Willbird"). I have one of those and have been using them in my .32 mags both rifle and revolvers with really good results (in the .32 mag rifle can drive 1700 fps + with good accuracy and no gas checks and no leading). It should also work well for your intended results. It has a rather large flat meplat that should do well on small game.

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?t=6914

FWIW
Dale53

[Jack Stanley]

I've had good results using an H&G bullet intended for the 32-20 and loading them in the .308 at reduced velocities . I don't remember ever getting leading and accuracy was always good . I did load a few into 30-30 cases to see if I could find a load that would hit to the sights while regulated for a deer hunting load . Never did get them to print in the same spot as the heavy bullets but they did shoot well with no leading out of my Ballard barrel .

Jack

[rmb721]

I have used a Lyman #311316 with 10 grains of Unique, sized at .309 in 30/30 Marlin model 36 rifle as a plinking round.

[Jon K]

MJ,

Try the Saeco 322- 118 gr fp, it drops out about 314. I used it in a Uberti 32 WCF Lever, works good, sized .312, 5.5 gr Unique, accurate but my gun had a large chamber which was hard on brass. Same load works good in my T/C(tighter chamber), I also tried it in a Winchester 30-30, pushed it about 1730fps w/no leading.

Have Fun Shooting,
Jon

[woody1]

I have not used that boolit but from my archives: Lyman's 313249 or 311252 at around 81-83 grains with 3.1 grains of Bullseye gives 900-1000 fps. Across the yard accuracy is decent in any of the several 30-30's I've shot them in. The same load of Bullseye and a round ball and mag primer gave around 1100 fps. For a little more serious work any flat nose 100-120 grain as in Lyman 3118 or the previously mentioned .314 x 120 group buy and 7.4 grains of Green Dot will provide 14-1500 fps and squirrel killing accuracy - 7.5 grains of Unique does about the same. Microgroove? Size 'em as big as they'll chamber and they shoot fine. Regards, Woody

[Marlin Junky]

I didn't expect all the great input so soon... thank you!

OK, let's slow down a bit. Yeah, I'd love to have a beautiful 6-cavity mold that will accommodate both the 30-30 and the 32-20 but I don't know anything about these group buys and I'm not sure I really need a 6-cavity mold in the first place.

Regarding other issues: What diameter does Lyman 311008 drop from the mold? Jon K., I've never heard of SAECO 322. My SAECO catalog lists the following .32 pistol molds: 323, 325, 326 & 321 all in the 95 to 100 grain range? I think I want to go with a flat nose like SAECO 325 or Lyman 311008 but I need to know as-cast diameters before I lay down the Skins.

I think I like SAECO 325 'cause it looks like it'll fill the throat on my favorite 336 and it has a nice flat point for 'possum whackin' :-). One thing I know for sure though is that I want a PB mould and I think the Lyman 311316 is a gas check number that isn't available through the normal sources such as Midsouth and Midway.

MJ

[w30wcf]

Marlin Junky,

Bullets from my 3118 mold drop at .313" in w.w + 2% tin alloy. To achieve .32-20 ballistics with this bullet in the .30-30 I have had good success with:
5.5/231
5.5/N310
6.0/4756
6.0/Unique
6.0/Universal
6.5/Trail Boss
7.0/Blue Dot

Have fun.
w30wcf

[9.3X62AL]

I haven't had the good luck with the Lee Soup Can in the 30 caliber rifles that others seem able to conjure up. 30-06 is a non-starter, 30-30 is better but still not "good"--but the boolit really shines in a Micro Groove 30 U.S. Carbine caliber barrel in my Marlin Model 62 lever gun. It shoots considerably better than any j-word I've tried in the critter, and right up to "spec" velocity--1800+ FPS. Size/lube at .311", and go hunting. I haven't tried the boolit at velocities lower than 1400 FPS yet.

I recently came into possession of a couple good 32 caliber moulds--Lymans #313631 and #311316. I have yet to try these in the 30 caliber rifles, but both have been given test drives in the Marlin (Ballard-rifled) 32-20. The barrel is new, so it's a little soon to say what the rifle will wind up liking--but the rounds are certainly "minute-of-jackrabbit" to 75 yards right now. Velocities ran ~1400-1500 FPS. Both of these designs are gas check equipped, and seem to be out of print via Lyman. Once Dan at Mountain Molds gets back up and running, he could likely reproduce such a design, or NEI might have something available too.

I didn't at first understand the appeal of the 6-cavity moulds--then I used a couple of them, and they are fine tools that produce a BUNCH of boolits in very short order. Their real utility is for pistol shooters that consume a LOT of boolits in a hurry, but anyone whose hobby time is limited can benefit from the fast production that a Lee 6-banger can enable.

[Marlin Junky]

John,

Do you suppose there's any chance the modern (currently available) version of 3118 (311008) may drop a fatter bullet?

Thanks for your help,
MJ

P.S. I think I'll pass on the Lee 6-cavity molds for now because I've heard they may exhibit poor dimensional consistency; and, since I'm an accuracy buff, I'd rather not cast two or three noticeably different lots of boolits in one casting session. So, I think I'll stick with the RCBS/Lyman/SAECO two bangers for now.

[Jon K]

MJ,

Here's 2 links: Saeco #322 118 gr FP

http://www.midwayusa.com/eproductpage.exe/showproduct?saleitemid=158957

http://www.grafs.com/fc/product/14807

Midway is out of stock until 7/11/06 and Graf has it in stock, read the reviews and look at picture on Midway.

I had the Lyman 115 gr and it had little or no grease grooves, and the smaller, you size it, the smaller the gooves get. I like the generous grease groove and bullet design of the Saeco, and I really like the way the Saeco molds are built and perform. Just my opinion. I don't think the will be any noticable difference in recoil between a 115-120 compared to a 95 grain bullet in a lever.

Have Fun Shooting,
Jon :castmine:

[w30wcf]

MJ,
I think there is a good chance that current 311008 molds will drop w.w. bullets at .313:-.314" dia.

w30wcf

[KYCaster]

Lee 312-115 group buy sized 309 and GC'd atop 8.0 Trailboss gives me 1370 fps and a 1.6" five shot group at 25yds. and 5.1" at 100. Same boolit w/20.0 WC680 goes 1785 and puts five in 6.1 at 100.
Lee 314-120 group buy (same one Dale mentioned) w/8.0 Trailboss puts ten in 2.13" at 25 (nine in 1.5")(didn't chrono this one).
All were ACWW from a Win 94 with Williams 5D rear and Lyman globe front. The 115 drops out of round .311-.314 and the 120 is a PB and drops at .314.
Either should be a great 25yd. pest or squirrel round. If I didn't already have one, I'd be calling Wills to see if he still had a 314-120.

Jerry

[Marlin Junky]

Jon K.,

Thanks for the links.

I'm leaning toward a 2-cavity SAECO#325 at this point but may also put in an order for #322. I need to see how the Lyman 313249 samples I have loaded work out on Thursday. The boolit design needs to be compatible with my 336 that has just about an 1/8" (or a bit less) of throat. I also want the lil' boolit to have a bit thicker base than 313249 so it's less prone to rocking out of alignment when seating.

I haven't heard much about RCBS's offerings in .32 pistol caliber. I really like RCBS molds and they are a few bucks cheaper than the harder to find SAECO molds.

BTW, I own the Lee "soup can" and it shoots tiny groups from my scoped M70 at 50 yards, but for now I want a 32-20-like PB boolit mold for my Marlin 336's. I'd rather save my gas checks for the heavy stuff such as SAECO 301 and RCBS-30-180FN.

MJ

[Dale53]

Marlin Junky;
>>>P.S. I think I'll pass on the Lee 6-cavity molds for now because I've heard they may exhibit poor dimensional consistency;<<<

That hasn't been my experience. In fact, I have found the Lee six cavity bullet moulds to exhibit VERY close tolerances between cavities.

Dale53

[Junior1942]

In fact, I have found the Lee six cavity bullet moulds to exhibit VERY close tolerances between cavities.Dale53So have I. Don't remember which one, but one of my 6-hole group buys casts the EXACT same diameter bullets from all 6 cavities.

[Marlin Junky]

Who would I need to contact regarding 314-120 molds? Do the boolits from 314-120 size easily to .312" without wiping out the lube grooves?

MJ

P.S. There's another possibility out there: RCBS 32-90-CM. Has anyone tried it in the 30-30?

[w30wcf]

MJ,

I lube the larger diameter bullets in a .314" die, then I run them nose first into
a .311" Lee push through die mounted in my reloading press. That works very well and it takes very little time to reduce them , in my case, to .311.

w30wcf

[Marlin Junky]

John,

Are you still talking about 311008? Assuming 311008 is long enough to be pan lubed, can it be lubed then sized base first into a .3115 to .312" 450 die successfully?

MJ

[klausg]

MJ- I have a 3118 that I use for my .32 H&R, mine throws straight WW at .311-.312 so I had to 'beagle' it. As near as I can tell the 311008 is just the re-named version of my mould. I pan lube exclusively, soon to change once I get the right H & I dies, and my mould has deep enough lube groove that they shouldn't get wiped out. If you want, PM me your address and I'll 'de-beagle' my blocks and send you some to try. It's a really nice little bullet in the .32 H&R. Good luck in your search.

-Klaus