Recommend mold for 30.06

[daloper]

Looking for a mold for 30.06 I have not reloaded for this and I only cast for my handguns. I have what is needed to make hard ones. Don't know if I need to get a mold that needs GC or not. Any help or recommendations would be appreciated.

Doug

[brewer12345]

What do you want the load to do?

[one-eyed fat man]

The Lyman 311284 atop 21.0 grains SR-4759 has been my favorite for decades. Dependably accurate in all my .30-06 rifles and with a velocity of 1900 fps, a useful hunting load as well.

[Winger Ed.]

The Lyman 311284 atop 21.0 grains SR-4759 has been my favorite for decades.

I keep coming back to that one myself.
Its accurate, and you can push it up around full house .30-30 speeds.

[bmortell]

I haven't been doin rifle as long as handgun, but probably do want a gas check unless you want revolver speeds. first for my 30-06 I got the lee 170 it works fine except the gas check shank was too big, idk if that's common or not. then I wanted something heavier cause 170gr at "cast speed" is still mild recoil so might as well take advantage of going heavier, the 170 even with keeping the gas check inside the bottom of the neck theres just not a whole lot sticking out the case,
cast rifle bullets are very efficient at getting weight per length compared to jacketed.

so I researched around and seen the 311284 is a good heavy classic for it, I looked on accurate molds and seen 31-215LG and 31-220LG, the 215 is closer to original and 220 is "strengthened" by having shallower lube groves and deleted scraper grove I think its called. I got 220 to be stronger around 2k and I mainly pc or pp so I was fine with smaller groves. with 220 at 2k speed I could get very good penetration on basically any animal and same ft-lbs recoil as a 243. or plinking rounds at 1700 are pretty mild.

so im happier with heavier molds, and h4895 36-38gr seems best in my gun with the heavy. the 170 with 20gr 2400 was great too but id probably pick that if I was more just target or critter oriented, I did get a deer with it but I feel weird shooting a deer with something that has such mild recoil when I can easily afford to go higher.

edit: I was typing before the earlier answers popped in and we all voted 311284 in a row lol

[skeettx]

Lyman 311291 and 20 grains of 4227
Yum!

[lar45]

The Ranch Dog 165 works great lubed with 45-45-10

[Tom W.]

I have an old 2 cavity Ranch Dog mold I bought many years ago. It's a 165 gr. fn TL design and it shoots well, but as I just have single shot rifles I prefer the very old single cavity 160 gr rn Lee. Both are gas check designs.

[John McCorkle]

Depends on what you want to do with it too...16 grains of 2400 is a good starting point for several molds.

I load about 5 grains of titegroup behind a Lee 314 90 grain swc (sized down for my gun) for fun little mouse fart loads....very fun

Sent from my Moto G Play using Tapatalk

[Tracy]

I like the 311041 in '06 as well as .308 and .30-30. 173 grain gas checked flat nose, designed for .30-30 but works well in the other .30s too.
Agree on the 16 grains of 2400 too. And you can go quite a bit higher if necessary.

[brewer12345]

I shoot 3 boolits in 30-06: the lee soup can 113 grain flat nose (over 12 grains of unique), the 150 grain lee flat nose (over 25 grains of 2400), and a 195 grain flat nose with a big meplat (over 25 or so grains of 4198). The first is a extremely low recoil plinker that I will shoot some critters with eventually, the middle one would kill deer but I have only shot at paper, the last put the hurt on a doe last fall.

[Hick]

Lee C309-170GC and Lee 309-200GC-- both have shanks that are a prefect fit for the gas checks I buy. The 309-200GC is especially accurate in my M1 at 400 yards using 34 grains of IMR 4895 and 3/4 grain dacron fill (1900 fps).

[lotech]

I've used bullets cast from Lyman #314299 for years in the .30-06, .308, and .30-40. They shoot accurately cast of wheelweight or harder alloy and sized to .311". I did some limited work with #311284 years ago. It's a good bullet, but I found overall accuracy not quite as good as #314299.

[gwpercle]

The Red Dot Load , C. E. Harris , 30-06
Lee C308-170-F , C309-180-R , c309-200-R (any one will do nicely)
sized .309
13 grains of Red Dot
Large Rifle Primer
No fillers
Seat and crimp boolit in crimp groove

If you have some Red Dot (or Promo) sitting around give "The Load" a try in your 30-06 .
I Like It !!!
Gary

[trixter]

In 1988 I bought a Lee C-309-150 F, and have used it ever since IIRC I am still using 12gr Unique, I know that is a little hot, but I gascheck them and they go where I point them

[daloper]

Good recommendations. I have 2400 ,4227 and lots of Red Dot. Thanks to everyone.

[NC_JEFF]

I like the Saeco #315 or the Lyman 311299. I'd like to try a Lee but never have.
Jeff

[daloper]

Does anybody powder coat for rifle or standard lube with my Star Sizer?

[ShooterAZ]

One of my favorites in the 06 is the RCBS 30-165 SIL over 18.5 grains of 2400. Another favorite is the Lyman 311299 over 34.5 grains of 4895. The 30-06 is generally pretty easy to work with, and is usually not very fussy with cast loads.

[jimb16]

311299 and 311291 are my favorites.