Sometime what you think won't work does .

[RU shooter]

Well I finally got all the copper out of the barrel of my new to me model 700 30-06 it's an old girl and from the looks of the bluing on the bolt don't look like it was shot very much in 50 years . I slugged up the throat of it .3105 for about the first .200 and down to .308 at the start of the lands . Measured those best I could they begin at .305 and tapper down to .302 in about half inch . Yikes ! Thought to myself my bore riders ain't gonna touch anything when chambered . And I was right all the noses were .301 . Well figured my Lee 155 and the Lyman 311413 would be ok maybe . Loaded up 5 each of the 4 bullets I had already cast up using my go to load in my old 30-06 17.5 gr of 2400 Bullets were the Lee 155 , 312-185 , rcbs 165 and the Lyman squib 311413 . All sized to .310 lube was 2400+ with a coat of BLL .

Shot it Saturday at 50 yds for its maiden voyage with cast bullets . To my suprise 3 of the 4 all shot very well In fact the two bore riders shot the best even though they didn't I engrave at all both between a 1/2 to 3/4" with the Lee 185 being the best . The 155 wasn't too bad either as usual the squib 413 placed last. Gonna try slowing that one down some more and see if it will shoot better . All in all I was pleased how it did with cast for its first go and again suprised how it shot with the bore riders without them being supported on the nose when chambered .

[runfiverun]

sometimes a long jump doesn't affect things all that much.
in the Argie rifles i have I designed a mold [loverign style] that went about 240grs it still won't touch the throat..
the 314299 still shoots better than it should in this rifle on top of 16 grs of 2400.
the nose still finds the rifling eventually.

[Shiloh]

sometimes a long jump doesn't affect things all that much.
in the Argie rifles i have I designed a mold [loverign style] that went about 240grs it still won't touch the throat..
the 314299 still shoots better than it should in this rifle on top of 16 grs of 2400.
the nose still finds the rifling eventually.

You are correct sir. Military relics have all kinds of tolerances/non tolerances.
They can be made to shoot quite well with cast. The Krag shoots better with cast than it does with jacketed bullets.

SHiloh

[RU shooter]

Yep you are both correct ! Once again I assumed before I even put one bullet down range . Now on to some further load development and back it up to 100 yds

[daschnoz]

I can't tell you how many times those 2 words "in theory" have bitten me in the as s, so smile and enjoy giving a bite back to "in theory".

[OS OK]

With 168 g. BTHP's seated to a depth I like, they jump a whopping .135" to the lands. But, when you work your loads out in order to launch within a barrel node it will do this all day.

[blikseme300]

The long jump into the generous throat of .458WM worried me at first but I am still amazed on how well the Ruger M77 shoots cast. As the expression goes: "In theory there is no difference between theory and practice, in practice there is." - Yogi Berra