Ranch dog 311-165 for '06

[John McCorkle]

Got this mold a bit ago, am excited to get some venison on the table.

Plan to use it in a 06 (I know it was designed for 30-30) plan to powder coat and use a gas check.

I don't ever get long shots on deer in North Louisiana where I hunt. 100 yards would be amazingly far...most shots are 35-50 yard shots.

My question is alloy and velocity targets? 50/50 with a touch of tin pushed to 2100?

I guess how I get there (load, powder charge and type etc) will be my main testing development but wanted to poll the audience on any experience with this boolit or one similar and what alloy/velocity it will work well for short ranges. Expansion is always desired but with the WFN don't think it should be a problem unless I'm driving it too fast or on the opposite end too hard.

I nearly always take the high shoulder shot and anchor them home....woods are too thick and soggy bottom too close to have them run a mile and track them before dark.

So, any suggestions? Any experience with the ranch dog molds in 30 cal?

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[bluejay75]

Go a couple 3-4 inches to the left of that. Save them shoulders. Clip a neck bone and he won’t move.

[John McCorkle]

Go a couple 3-4 inches to the left of that. Save them shoulders. Clip a neck bone and he won’t move.

Well played, whar is the margin of we on that neck shot? I'm tossing as pretty short distance so most loads worth hunting with can get pretty specific accuracy wise...the high shoulder shot is about grapefruit sized...I can hit grapefruit sized target most any day and at nearly most ranges (if I can't I shouldn't be shooting that load or that range)

If I remember right that neck column enters in at the base of the neck roughly Midway to just above Midway through the width of the neck...and is about an inch and a half wide at that point? Sound accurate or is there more to it?

Base of the neck would work well as it doesn't Bob around like the extended neck or head does.

You tried this shot? I've only done high shoulder and boiler room hits but tacked a few double lung hits through tough briar patches and had to pull them out again through it all....got a bit tired of that scenario in the dark and cold. Would rather spend that hour and a half processing the animal and getting it in the cooler

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[rking22]

I have killed several with that bullet in very similar alloy at 50 ish yards. 1750fps was plenty enough to drop all but one in their ttacks with that high shoulder shot. It is close to the spine and gives good cns shock while allowing a killing shot even if a fee inches off in any direction. The one that ran went 20 yards and tipped over,was a few inches low, so wound up being a double lung. That bullet will work well, but I woun't drive it 2100fps for a 100 yard hunting area. I have the same terrain and quit ramping the load up when I get the accuracy I want. I like to hunt, load development is a chore, ymmv

[John McCorkle]

I have killed several with that bullet in very similar alloy at 50 ish yards. 1750fps was plenty enough to drop all but one in their ttacks with that high shoulder shot. It is close to the spine and gives good cns shock while allowing a killing shot even if a fee inches off in any direction. The one that ran went 20 yards and tipped over,was a few inches low, so wound up being a double lung. That bullet will work well, but I woun't drive it 2100fps for a 100 yard hunting area. I have the same terrain and quit ramping the load up when I get the accuracy I want. I like to hunt, load development is a chore, ymmv

Awesome, if I can go that low in velocity i may be able to use a load of 2400 and get to 1800 fps at the muzzle... shouldn't be difficult to get an accurate load in that big case with 2400.

Do you see evidence of expansion at that velocity with that alloy? You using air cooled 50/50 or something different?

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[bmortell]

I got a deer with a 170gr flat point PC GC, 20gr 2400 for about 1800mv alloy was 2.4 ant 1.5 tin air cooled, hit 100yds behind the shoulder towards opposite thigh bone and caught the bullet unlike most people, expansion was minimal at that impact velocity. probably would of expanded at 25-50yds fine but I moved to 1900mv range with 4895 cause shots are likely there

[rking22]

Those were either 1.5/1.5/97 or 50:50 we to plain, and air cooled. No idea if they expanded or not, 2 inch hole torn thru lungs and about a 3/4 inch exit. I break bones, ribs at least, and have full confidence in what that flat point can get done. Mine were shot out of a 30 Remington M141 , think that was a 24 inch barrel. If memory serves it was 1.6 cc scoop of RL7 for about 1750. I hunt CLOSE and pass on any shot that is not 99.9999999% certain, one shot per customer is the goal.

[missionary5155]

Good morning
One possible issus will be "if" your particular barrel has a tight lead area. The RD Molds were designed for Marlin fat chambers to get the proper alignment with the bore. So you are looking at a fat nosed slug.

On one rifle we had to nose size the slugs so they would chamber into the lead (throat) or deep seat them. Needless as accuracy was more important I take that extra step. Nosed sized they chamber easily and are well centered in the bore before ignition.
Corn crunchers are not tough to drop. Been using muzzle loaders, revolvers and recurve bows for 30 years down in river bottoms and have fed a bunch of people venison each year when we are up north there.
Smack those shoulders with your slug or a double lung shot and that bean eater is yours.

"Basket" was taken last November at 25 steps with a bow. I hit him a bit high so missed the top of the heart. But the shaft went clean through between ribs. He leaked a good bunch out of his right side. Lost his rack in early tussles with other fellers. Took well over 100 pounds off him. Near 3 foot backstraps made for some great eating.
Mike in LLama Land

[Dinny]

I push that bullet to 1800fps in my 300BLK and have decent expansion and great accuracy with COWWs. As others have mentioned, 2100fps is fine but anything over 1700fps will work well enough.

Thanks, Dinny

[jmort]

RD made two designs
The "fat" one described for older Marlins
And the newer version for everything else including current production Marlins

[John McCorkle]

RD made two designs
The "fat" one described for older Marlins
And the newer version for everything else including current production Marlins

How does one tell them apart?

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[rking22]

There is a drawing on the mold page for each mold, just compare dimensions. Also look at the notes toward the bottom of the mold detail page. Referring to NOE site.

[ole_270]

Haven't hunted with it yet, but have used a plain based 311-165SC bullet powder coated at 1740 fps ahead of 28.5 H4895 in a worn 308. Mold was purchased for my grandsons Marlin 30-30 and I tried a few of them out in the 308. Lately I've switched to the NOE version of the Saeco #315 and pushing it to 21-2300 fps. Probably hunt with that one some this fall.

[444ttd]

i use a 1898 spr armory in 30-40 krag in the (.311") 165gr ranch dog with 25.5gr of h4198. it will go 1930fps avg. i use 10 lead and about 1 tin(12+/-bhn).

it is death on deer. i shoot them behind the shoulder and they are dead right there. (i'm still waiting for day that the deer runs) my son has shot deer about 173 yards(laser range finder), but i shoot them close up, about 40-50 yards is the longest, about 30+/- yards is the shot. the RD goes right thru the deer, even the 173yarder.

[bluejay75]

JM. The bones at the base of the neck are pretty wide. The area I’m referring to is grapefruit size and if you’re a little back you get shoulders. If presented a broadside shot I’m neck shooting. Facing me neck between the shoulders. Away from me base of neck. I don’t need capes and you can’t eat horns.

[jmort]

I honestly think the RD would perform like a champ sub-sonic, at 1050 fps

[dmitch]

Below is my thread in 2013 regarding the 311-165 RD in my 30-06. I have found that bullet to be very effective for much of my deer hunting.

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/show...est&highlight=

[richhodg66]

Worked fine for me. This was cast of 50/50 plus 2% tin in front of 28 grains of IMR 4895 and a tuft of Dacron in a .308.

[crappie-hunter]

I cast mine with lyman#2, near max charge of ww748 out of a 30/30, have taken at least three with that load never recovered a bullet, shot through the lungs and never had one go more than three big hops and DRT. works for me.