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Thread: 230 grain in 30-06 looking for advice for a moose hunt

  1. #21
    Boolit Man
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    Click image for larger version. 

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ID:	223703 Just to give you an idea of expansion of cast bullet. 35 cal. 220 grain.Details in pic.

  2. #22
    Boolit Mold
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    Very nice Goshawk I am already jealous them flat tops do very well for expansion I need to get out and test mine to see how they do.

  3. #23
    Boolit Grand Master Tripplebeards's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Goshawk View Post
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Name:	D24777E3-AA1F-4E16-8142-7DADDBE6191A.jpg 
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ID:	223703 Just to give you an idea of expansion of cast bullet. 35 cal. 220 grain.Details in pic.
    looks like there isn't much difference in mushroom diameter and weight retention between your two alloys.

  4. #24
    Boolit Buddy
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    I have only killed one moose in my life and that was with a bow and arrow. It was the Alaskan variety up in Fairbanks. I'm betting your lead bullet is at least as good at killing a moose as my arrow was. You put it through the lungs and I'm sure you will be fine.
    USAF (Retired) 1985-2005

  5. #25
    Boolit Master
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    I'm in the the flatter nose camp. We have the smallest of the moose family here in Wyoming, they are still pretty big when they are 30 yards away, I'm guessing a hit anywhere that won't put it down on the spot they are going to find a nasty place to lay down and die.
    Doug
    .................................................. ........................................
    Sticks and stones may break my bones but hollow points expand on impact.

    Taxidermists are cheaper than surgeons....keep shooting

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  6. #26
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    My experience with Shiras Moose tells me they are moving after they are dead, their brain just hasn't got the message yet. My concerns with the bullet shown are that too hard an alloy may explode on the shoulder blade leaving no penetration, too soft may mushroom there. Best shot would be to break the bone just under the shoulder but it is difficult to do. I would experiment with alloys and go for one that stays together. See if a slaughterhouse will let go of some fresh bones of an old bull.
    [The Montana Gianni] Front sight and squeeze

  7. #27
    Boolit Mold
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    OK got to the range finally and it was not the most accurate and was at least a foot pattern at 100 yards if not more at times but then I just reloaded with the lee classic and I did allot of things wrong when loading that I will fix for the next time I reload with this boolit. I only used one 43 grain IMR4350 powder charge in all boolits this go round. This was a learning experience for me and understand that I can do better next time reloading.

    use all the same cases and weigh to see they are the same as best I can
    anel case necks
    make sure all cases are same length
    sort boolits by weight and length and reject any with defects
    use my new press and dies and do full length sizing
    I will expand on loads in stages from 43 min to 47.7 max in .5 stages
    weigh each finished loaded rounds to see if they match

    So is their something I missed above that I should also be trying to do?

    One thing I did notice when cleaning the barrel was that it really was not very dirty after 50 rounds I ran the brush and lubed patch through anyways but honestly it really did not need to be done. I do think powder coated and gas checked bullets are the way to go for me just have to get consistent in my reloading setup.

  8. #28
    Boolit Master

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    Not many have had much luck with accuracy and the 230gr Lee 30 caliber mold, including me.

  9. #29
    Boolit Grand Master Tripplebeards's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Nomad666 View Post
    OK got to the range finally and it was not the most accurate and was at least a foot pattern at 100 yards if not more at times but then I just reloaded with the lee classic and I did allot of things wrong when loading that I will fix for the next time I reload with this boolit. I only used one 43 grain IMR4350 powder charge in all boolits this go round. This was a learning experience for me and understand that I can do better next time reloading.

    use all the same cases and weigh to see they are the same as best I can
    anel case necks
    make sure all cases are same length
    sort boolits by weight and length and reject any with defects
    use my new press and dies and do full length sizing
    I will expand on loads in stages from 43 min to 47.7 max in .5 stages
    weigh each finished loaded rounds to see if they match

    So is their something I missed above that I should also be trying to do?

    One thing I did notice when cleaning the barrel was that it really was not very dirty after 50 rounds I ran the brush and lubed patch through anyways but honestly it really did not need to be done. I do think powder coated and gas checked bullets are the way to go for me just have to get consistent in my reloading setup.
    Did you slug the bore? If your boolits are a 1/1000's go 2 or 3 thousands over bore diameter.

    In the short time I've been casting I can tell you that you definitely just can't pick a powder grain and charge and expect tight grouping. Cast is definitely not like j words where if you just pick a powder like you did and shoot you would shoot at worse 2-2 1/2 groups. I'd tell you to try two different powders and work then up and down. I've powder ladder tested two different rifles so far and have had the worst groups being 6-7" and then the best being sub to 1.24". Seems to me cast is a lot more finicky and likes a specific velocity per how hard or soft your alloy is.

    Is the gun proven? What I mean have you shot MOA or smaller groups with jacket bullets with this rifle? The reason I asked is I just went through this with one of my rifles. The best group I could get with cast was 2" at a 100 yards. I then glass bedded the action, lightened the trigger, and installed a better quality, higher powered optic. It shot a 1.24" group with the same load afterwards and shot sub MOA with a different cast boolit load (.8").

    No offense intended but all the things you said you should have been doing are not things I would have never done to begin with. That's the whole reason of reloading...Consistently so your more accurate.

    I would also take into consideration the above post about the boolit your tring to use is not accurate and a lot of posters said they would not use it and to find a flat me plate boolit.

    I'd spend another $20 on a different Lee mold at the least and start over. Research and find out what 30 cal boolits are accurate in your caliber and buy that mold.

    At least it was a learning experience for you. It will be rewarding once you find the right boolit/ load combo. Good luck on your journey.
    Last edited by Tripplebeards; 08-03-2018 at 06:42 PM.

  10. #30
    Boolit Master
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    I'd use the heaviest cast FLAT POINT you can find that is accurate and stable, I have shot big moose with cast boolits and like the heavier cals. like .35 and up to the 45/70 and 50/90. I find that the bigger the bore, the softer you can cast the bullet and get good expansion and penetration. With your '06 you will need to use a harder cast boolit and limit shots to 150 yds. or so.

  11. #31
    Boolit Master trapper9260's Avatar
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    I do not know if this might help.Some years ago my brother and I was to do up a steer and I had my Rem 7600 30-06 with me just in case there was a problem with the steer and had my 44mag RH. The halter broke and the steer start to have a mind of its own.I was not far from it but I use a 210grs cast that is from Lyman mold and had cast that boolit years ago, it drop in its tracks and could not find the boolit till one of my coydogs was chew on the bone of the neck. My brother seen the boolit in the bone and pull it from the boy and told me about it and then I took the boolt out of the bone and there was not much left to it, hope this will help for what drop a over 1,200lb steer .
    Life Member of NRA,NTA,DAV ,ITA. Also member of FTA,CBA

  12. #32
    Boolit Master trapper9260's Avatar
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    I forgot to state also there was a farmer that had a beef cow to take down but wanted to try to save the calf that was not born and ask me about if I could help him to try to save the calf.So I use the same 2 guns i stated in my other post and shot the cow in the shoulder and I was about 50 yrds away from it and use the same booilt I stated also before and the cow drop and then I finish it off with the 44mag and we open the cow and got the calf.it was alive at the time but found out 2 to 3 days later it died.The farmer said that was the first time he had done this and had the calf alive.He was happy with just that.but felt bad it did not stay alive. The 210grs boolit is the biggest boolit I have for 30cal.So it works for all I will use it for. hope this will help also for what you looking to use.
    Life Member of NRA,NTA,DAV ,ITA. Also member of FTA,CBA

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Abbreviations used in Reloading

BP Bronze Point IMR Improved Military Rifle PTD Pointed
BR Bench Rest M Magnum RN Round Nose
BT Boat Tail PL Power-Lokt SP Soft Point
C Compressed Charge PR Primer SPCL Soft Point "Core-Lokt"
HP Hollow Point PSPCL Pointed Soft Point "Core Lokt" C.O.L. Cartridge Overall Length
PSP Pointed Soft Point Spz Spitzer Point SBT Spitzer Boat Tail
LRN Lead Round Nose LWC Lead Wad Cutter LSWC Lead Semi Wad Cutter
GC Gas Check