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Hi guys! I'm looking for a mold to make boolits for my Marlin 336. Does anyone have experience with the RCBS 30-180-FN bullet? I'm using the rifle for Cowboy Lever-action Silhouette matches and need to have some punch for the 200 meter rams, so I'd like to stay around 170 - 190 grains bullet weight. What are your experiences in this range? Or, how about the SAECO 180 gr FP?
Thanks,
Patrick :smile:
Patrick
I am currently feeding 2 turty turties(win94& HR 158) and a 308 Spanish mauser sporter with the BRP 311-180 SIl. It is very accurate and it knocks my various scrap steel plates down real well. They are not regulation by any means but it knocks them down with authority. The nose on BRP's version is a tad fatter than RCBS's version and fits MY toys a bit better. The boolit engraves in my mauser like it was designed for that gun in fact.....it wasn't but it would be hard to prove otherwise. :smile:
I posted you a link to it in case you are interested in that route. It is the third one down on the left side of the rifle designs page.
http://www.castboolits.gunloads.com/...ad.php?t=58620
357maximum, do you shoot that boolit with a gas check or without. centershot SAECO makes a 140gr plain base boolit and RCBS makes a 150 gr plain base for cowboy action shooting, maybe you could have BRP make a mould that has the gas check feature removed or 357maximum could answer if his mould shoots good without a gas check. I am in favor of a heavier boolit myself.
The 30-180-FN may be a little heavy for your use (trajectory wise) at 200 meters as mine runs 198 grains lubed with check....but, it definitely has the punch to knock 'em down at 200 yards. It's a good shooter.
Too bad the old 30-170-FN went by the wayside as that would have been about right.
As is, my .30/30 gets a pretty steady diet of 30-150-FN HPs but I'm not slamming steel./beagle
Thanks for the replies guys!
357 Max, thanks for the link, I've sent an e-mail to inquire about their product.
Doc, I'm not shooting Cowboy action, I shoot Cowboy Lever-action Silhouette matches, check out the link below. It's great fun but you need to run full-power ammo, unlike Cowboy Action shooting. Those 200 meter rams weigh over 60 lbs!
http://www.lasc.us/LASClevermatch.htm
Beagle; So the 180 gr RCBS/Saeco bullets will feed and function in a Marlin 336? I'm not concerned about trajectory, the targets are at known ranges and I have time between stages to adjust my sights.
centershot , I was not aware that you could use gas checks or jacketed boolits in cowboy silhouette.
My 180fn runs heavy also @195 gr. It is a shooter.
Doc, hope this helps. RickQuote:
Originally Posted by Doc Highwall
NRA Rule 3.1.3 Cowboy Lever Action Silhouette Rifle - Listed below are the three classes of Cowboy Silhouette Rifles. The below listed rules apply to all classes of rifles. (The intent of these rules is to establish a match for common hunting carbines and other lever action rifles. The match is focused toward shooters who enjoy shooting hunting arms and do not want to make the investment required of other specialized types of shooting competitions.)
1. Rear sights may be open sights, receiver or tang sights manufactured for the rifle they are mounted on. Front sights must be a post or bead, may be hooded or if interchangeable may use post inserts only.
2. Barrels must be original or may be relined. Original barrels re-bored to a larger caliber are allowed. Any safe trigger is allowed. Stocks must be of original configuration.
3. Ammunition may be loaded with smokeless or black powder, using jacketed or cast bullets, with or without gas checks. All bullets must be flat nosed suitable for tubular magazine use. Any cartridge causing target damage or deemed unsafe may be banned.
My Marlin 336 .30-30 loves the RCBS 30-15FN and 34g of the real old H-4831. The boolits in 3:1 alloy from my mould weigh a tad over 160g with gas check. Velocity is 1753fps.
centershot, I ordered and just received this past week both the RCBS 180 FNGC and the RCBS 150 FNGC for my Winnnie 94 30-30 for Cowboy Rifle Silhouette. This rifle has an excellent bore but it measures .3096" and of the 10-12 moulds I have in 30 cal only my SAECO #311 160 gr TCGC casts large enough, it shoots this bullet surprisingly accurately but due to it's pointy nose has to be single loaded, a no-no in Cowboy Silhouette.
The new RCBS 180 gr FNGC casts my alloy at .310", :mrgreen: happy days are here again. The RCBS 150 FNGC casts at .3088", :-? yesterday I shipped it off to Erik at Hollow Point Molds in OR to have the driving bands opened up to .3105".
Both of these moulds after my usual cleaning in denatured alcohol and pre-heated started dropping perfect bullets right from the start, both are high quality examples mould making.
I haven't fired either of these boolits yet but if your interested I'll post some results once I get that far with them.
I also have the RCBS 180 gr SPGC and this is the most accurate boolit my 308 single shot has ever seen. On a day when I can do my part this boolit with air cooled WW shoots @ 2000 fps into 2" groups at 200 meters from the bench. But again, a pointy boolit and it casts a bit small for 30-30.
Rick
I shoot it with the check...never have tried without. I think Bruce at BRP will remove the check for you.Quote:
Originally Posted by Doc Highwall
I have the 30-180FN and it feeds well through my 336 Marlin. It has a narrower meplat than some of the ones I have seen, but I believe it will work for me! It throws a 5 bullet average weight of 192gr. with ACWW with check, lube and Alox.
Doc Highwall: I shoot in the Cowboy sillouett quite often. According to the SASS regulations you can use GC's for long range but you can not use jbullets. Nor can you use GC's for the main shoot. That being close up shooting. GC's can be very dangerous bouncing off a steel target set at 21'.
centershot: I use the RCBS 30 180 Sill. FN in my Mod.94 25" barrel this gun was made in 1925. I use 20 gr. of BW36 which is a reclaimed millitary powder. This powder is one level below 3031 on the burn rate. I seat the bullet to the seat grove and it functions flawlessly. through the action. Good luck. Oh and this load puts the boolit down range at 1750 FPS MV.Quote:
Originally Posted by centershot
PS I would not remove the check that mold cost $74. If you want one without a check use a Lee C309 180 and remove the check your self. That boolet works quite well also.