Best 308win cast bullet for multiple uses?

[emt1581]

I'm looking to order a Lee mold for my AR10's and 700P. Now my 49th edition Lyman reloading manual gives 7 different cast weights including... 115, 160,170, 173, 180, 190, and 200. Lee makes a mold for 160, 170, 180, and 200 so those 4 are my choices. If looking at a bullet for whitetail deer, black bear, defense, and distance target shooting, what is going to be all around the most versatile in regard to weight? Also, all of the loads call for a gas check. However, I powder coat all my cast bullets. Can I get away without a gas check?

Thanks!

[MT Chambers]

The most accurate cast boolit in my heavy barrel .308 is the Lyman #311332 at around 185gr., followed by Saeco #315 at around 175grs., the Saeco is a tapered design similar to some of D. Eagan's designs and can be seated well into the rifling. I don't know about the powder puff stuff, all my boolits are sized and lubed on a Star sizer and have gas checks installed if the mold is cut for it like the 2 boolits above.

[Lloyd Smale]

use the gas check. It will go bang without it but 99 percent of the time your going to get better accuracy with it. Especially if you pushing over 1500fps and for sure over 2000. Give you an example that I had just last week. 300 bo with 130 rcbs spitzer gas checks. With gas checks 1 inch at 50 yards for 5 shots. Without check I couldn't even keep them on the target at 50 yards. Bullets were pc coated cast out of 5050 mono ww so they were HARD enough. Load pushed them to just over 2000fps. Bullets that hit the target seemed to put nice holes in the paper so I don't think they were tumbling but they sure were going wild. If you loading hot enough to actually run your ar10 your going to be well past 2000 fps.

[popper]

Not Lee but works in my AR10 for the last 5 yrs. 31-165, any version. I use the C as I PC. 2400 fps from carbine and MOA @ 200 so far. LR308.

[kir_kenix]

What make and barrel length is the ar10? I have a carbine (16") dpms that will cycle loads that barely move the bolt carrier in my 20" sr25 even with the gas port all the way open. The in between length gas tube that Armalite uses is probably the most versatile, especially with an adjustable gas block.

I've found good accuracy in the semis with boolits weighing 165 gr+ for the most part. The 160 Lee comes out about 168 lubed and checked and is a good 100 yard plinker. It's also an excellent boolit in the 300 bo if you ever venture into those waters.

[emt1581]

Dpms Oracle is 16" and ceratac is 18". No clue what my 700p is.

[AnthonyB]

Popper, do you mind sharing the load info? I aka out to start cast in a S&W AR 10.
Tony

[robg]

Any Lee 150_180 work well in 308/3030 .

[AnthonyB]

Aka should have been am.
Tony

[emt1581]

I'm leaning toward the 180gr.

Thanks

[hwilliam01]

I have not quite gotten into casting yet, but love shooting cast bullets, so I purchased a bunch of these. I like them because they work great in my 30-30, .308Win, and 30-06. They are midrange in weight (maybe a little light by realistically weigh about 165), and with a flat point they are useable in tube fed lever action as well. One bullet....many guns. R.C.****** MOLD,#30-150-FN,30 CALIBER,155 GRAIN LEAD FLATPOINT,COPPER GAS CHECKED BULLET from Gardners Cache at: http://gardnerscache.com/30_155_lfp_g_c.html

[Keith 429421]

One mold I want to get is the Lyman 311299 200 gr round nose gas check 2 cavity mould after I get finished loading the 8mm Mauser bullets I cast to see how they worked out

[mehavey]

Both of these bullets work extremely well: