The Arsenal Mold, 30 HVTH1 170 GR Sliver has arrived .311 FN

[Screwbolts]

Hello all, I am excited!

Last Tuesday 3-1-16, the mail man delivered a NEW 5 cavity mold from Arsenal Mold USA to my mail box.( I think it was $91.50 shipped) It is the new .311, 30 caliber 170 Gr Target / Hunting boolit design, offered by, Arsenal Molds USA, that they are calling the "30 HVTH1 170 gr Sliver". I talked with Jared of Arsenal as to what the name meant and this was his reply " 30 Cal, High Velocity, Target, Hunter, 1 for first design, there may be other sizes offered ".

I believe this boolit design will allow those that want push for high velocity cast boolit target shooting another quality boolit option for pushing the Standard higher. Being it has a meplat of .130 I believe it will make a great hunting boolit that also offers the cast boolit hunter and very accurate 170 grain hunting boolit.

This is a drawing of the Boolit and a photo of my mold after it had cast 22 lbs of boolits. The mold is wet from Sprueplate lube. The boolitz are casting @ .311 dia, with a .300 nose section that seams to taper smoothly to the 311 major portion. I have been shooting them in a 308 with a COL of 2.730. they nicely engrave the rifling and just touch the throat in my rifles chamber at that over all length. At 2.730 the base of the boolit is still well in the neck of a 308 Win.
Attachment 162972
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The boolitz with copper gas Checks and my alloy of 6 lbs of range scrap, 3 lbs of lino, 3 lbs of WW alloy are weighing 171.5 gr. the drop from the mold very easily with the one grease groove. The shank lets all gas checks snap on nicely and easily while sizing in the Star. The boolitz are dropping right at .311 and barley marking when sized in a .311 die. Noticeable difference in size mark when sized in a .310 die.
Attachment 162987

.310 sized boolit on left, .311 sized on right.

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3 boolitz sized .310
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Wednesday morning of last week 3-2-16 it was 19 degrees and breezy with a 23 MPH wind. With green boolitz less than 24 hrs old I had to shoot some. This is the first 100 yard target shot in 23 MPH wind and blowing snow that made it hard to see the aiming portion of the target at times with my 2x7 scope on 7x. First 3 cases had been fire formed in my 24" 308 barrel on my 1923 W98 action, this is a sporter rifle not target and the barrel is of unknown manufacturer, it is 1x10 twist. Load was 25 gr of Re7 (black Label) CCI 200, Hornady brass, Crony was low of 1990 to high of 2025 for 15 rounds. Did I mention it was windy and snowing in squalls at times. Boolitz were .310 sized, checked and lubed with simple green in my Star with a $tar die. These boolitz were still soft WD but not frozen. when seating the ACE copper checks some shaving of the shank was occurring. (This has stopped on the harder freezer aged boolitz, Copper, aluminum and old lyman checks all go on clean.)
Attachment 162990

This is another 10 shot group, same 25 gr RE7 but WLR primers. and I made a sight adjustment after the first 5 of 10 were fired. Why did I give it 3 clicks left to center the Box? left 5 are in 1.00 group, rt 5 are 1.25. total of 10 with 3 clicks of left made 1.75. This is at 100. The boolitz were cast on the 1st , water dropped, 24 hrs in freezer and then sized,checked and lubed in my .311 die in a lyman 450. WLR primer seem to be doing better with my (Black Label) RE7 than CCi 200 and Rem 9 1/2s.
Attachment 162991

One thing I have notice with either simple lube in my Star and Old Tamarac 50/50 in the lyman 450, the muzzle is wet with lube even at 2025 FPS, the one lube groove caries more than enough lube.

More to come, going to be trying some IMR 4064 and other powders in this old rifle.

I believe Arsenal Molds has a real winner here with this design, whether you are just looking for a good accurate hunting boolit or wanting to squeeze the last bit of accuracy from a rifle, or push the velocity to the limit.

I am looking forward to trying these Slivers in my 30/30, 325C Stevens and several different 06s as well.

Long live the Cast Boolit,

Ken

[Idaho Sharpshooter]

have you done any PC?

thanks,

Rich

[Screwbolts]

No on PC, not really an interest at this time.

Would you like a few to PC?

Ken

[Screwbolts]

The rifle I am using to shoot Sliver was an orphan on Gunbroker for several weeks a year ago. Well all orphans deserve a chance and quality home so off went $300.00 and this 1923 Polish W98, with a 24" 308 barrel had new home. (Barrel is marked 7.62, only marking on barrel) I harvested a couple deer with it last fall using a NOE 311-155 FN. the powder charge was 24.5 gr of either 4198 or Re7, both Cronnied 1990 with the NOE. This little buck was DRT 120 yards, quartering away, Boolit entered right behind last rib rt side and went forward most likely into spine in neck. This photo was taken right were it fell.
Attachment 163010

All the boolitz I have shot are sight sorted only for visible flaws. Non have been sorted by weight.

This is a 15 shot group with FL sized and trimmed range pickup FC brass, 25 gr. Re7, CCI 200, .311 sized , COL 2.690 all shooting for now is 100 yards, will move back to 200 yard bench in future.

Attachment 163011

This is another 10 shoots with 33.5 gr of IMR 4895, CCIs, didn't crono this load but it shows potential. load info in photo, Hornady brass. There are 4 boolit holes in the line touching the dot.

Attachment 163012
Bummer, photos of groups are inverted, what happened?

Ken

[flint45]

Looks pretty good nice boolit Imay have to get one of those.

[Screwbolts]

Got some more shooting in yesterday, re shoot 26 gr of (Black Label) RE7, may have to shoot some of my older Yellow Labeled RE7 to compare.

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Also re shot 25.5gr of re7 in Hornady cases.
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26 gr re7
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First group with IMR 4198 25 Gr. 10 shoots in 1 5/8". 1.625. best 10 shoot group over 2050 FPS from my Mauser rifle with 1x10 twist barrel.

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Loaded rounds and a boolit for eye candy

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Some how I attached another photo/file, sorry, not sure how to delete it.

Ken

[Screwbolts]

Today I re shot the 25 gr of IMR 4198 along with 25.5. and 26 gr loads.

A different WLR primer was used today, last loads were with current production WLRs. I got out some older in yellow box WLR primers, the old silver ones. The first thing I noticed was a higher FPS reading and the 25 gr group was very GOOD, IMHO.

Attachment 163144

Next I loaded the same cases with same primers but 25.5 gr 4198, 2180 FPS and it just wasn't as good a grouping.

Attachment 163145

Then once again same items but 26 gr of 4198, more of a group and 2240 FPS.

Attachment 163146

all are 10 shot groups, I believe this 10" twist rifle is showing it prefers 4198 over Re7 wirh the 30HVTH boolit. That is with powders in this range, I plan on going back to some slower powders to reshot them to this velocity and maybe slightly higher.

Ken

[Screwbolts]

I just realized I have had the cart ahead of the horse! You see, I have shot more than 10 pounds of Arsenal, 30HVTH 170 gr Slivers thew my Orphan 1923 Mauser with a 7.62 marked barrel, what I thought was a .308 barrel. On the 22nd day of the 3 month of the 2016th year I finally did a pound cast of the Orphan's chamber throat / lead / Barrel. What I found with my whack on a pure soft lead boolit cast in my Arsenal 311331 was an eye opener.

My Orphan does indeed have a 7.62 chamber that is 2.050"+ long, then there is .200" of .312 throat leading into a .3085 bore. I would say a rather loose 7.62 chamber, it should easily except any NATO ammo from anywhere.

Unfortunately, it isn't really a close fit or good match up for my Arsenal 30 HVTH Sliver projectiles. Being it has a .312 throat that is .200 long. IMHO, I need Cast boolit of at least that and IMHO .3115 would be better. ( I think the late Frank Marshal Jr would agree) My mold is right on spec at .311. It has been fun pop en all them primers in the Orphan but the pound cast clearly shows to me, that I have tried to use the wrong diameter of boolitz from .310 to .311 many sized in my 312 die, to keep them as cast diameter are just to small from the gitgo for my Orphan's large .312 throat..

Well I am going to try and eventually get the cart back behind the horse. Because on the Arsenal website there is a note stating " other diameters are available, please make note at checkout." This also explanes to me why the NOE 311-155 RF that drops from the mold at .3125 with the same alloy shot so well. Once again " Big Is better"

I believe, just looking at this photo you can see the throat is notably larger that the bore.

Attachment 164249

Clearly, I have had the cart ahead of the horse, and that folks is why my old Stevens 325C in 30-30 out shot my Orphan with the Arsenal 30 HVTH 170gr Sliver Boolitz. The Stevens 325C has a short..310 throat and a 308 bore, not to mention that there 12 twist.

Ken