Lee c309-180-r

[MaxJon]

Hi all! I am very new to the hobby of bullet casting, I have been shooting some .30calibre as cast (LEE C309-180-R) bullets in my Mauser 98 .308 with varied success.
The problem i have is the bullets vary in weight from 178.5gr to 183grns.
Is it because i am ladle casting?
Is it the melt inconsistency/or lead too hot/cold?
Is it the quality of the mould?
Should i be sizing the bullets?
Would sizing make them more consistent?
Thinking of getting the (RCBS 82014) 180gr flat nose, made of cast iron.
Can anyone recommend a .308 mould for accurate paper punching at subsonic speeds <1100fps???
Any info be gr8!!! PLEASE HELP!!!
Casting your own is gr8! No copper fouling to worry about, u beauty!!!

[hipirn]

Hello mate! Since no one has yet posted a reply to your post, I'll give it a short go. First I don't cast much for rifle, but do long range pistol shooting with handguns, though the procedures are the same for either. First off casting good bullets is an exacting thing if good results are to be expected. Consistency is utmost here. Are your castings well filled with sharp groves and an absoultley flat base? Many beginers especially with Lee molds don't get the alloy hot enough and don't get the molds hot enough to make good sharp bullets. If the sprue doesn't lay on the sprue plate a second or two before it freezes you need to heat things up, both the molds and alloy, this is especially hard with the dip method making bullets as the fill/release sequence is slower ( with most of us) than if using a bottom pour furnace. The learning curve for good results with Lee molds is usually greater than it is for iron molds, but they can give good results. Most Lee molds shoot pretty well with little or no sizing. Sizing does not effect the weight of the bullet. Bullet lubricant can effect performance but is usually not much of a factor in subsonic loads. Hope this helps a bit. I have no experience with the RCBS 82014 but have shot many hundredsfrom one of their 165 gr. shilouette mold to great satisfaction... hipirn

[randyrat]

Hi all! I am very new to the hobby of bullet casting, I have been shooting some .30calibre as cast (LEE C309-180-R) bullets in my Mauser 98 .308 with varied success.
The problem i have is the bullets vary in weight from 178.5gr to 183grns.
Is it because i am ladle casting?
Is it the melt inconsistency/or lead too hot/cold?
Is it the quality of the mould?
Should i be sizing the bullets?
Would sizing make them more consistent?
Thinking of getting the (RCBS 82014) 180gr flat nose, made of cast iron.
Can anyone recommend a .308 mould for accurate paper punching at subsonic speeds <1100fps???
Any info be gr8!!! PLEASE HELP!!!
Casting your own is gr8! No copper fouling to worry about, u beauty!!!

Your at a varience of about 3% not too bad. Heat is your biggest enemy, keeping the same temp consistantly. The varience is temp of the melt and the mold, thats my guess.
Everything has to be consistant to make perfect weight bullets everytime
Sizing= .309 is a good start if not bore your sizer die out a .001
A plinkin bullet= try the C309-180R without any gas checks maybe learn how to paper patch. I never use gas checks for plinkin bullets, even with gas check bullet designs.

[MaxJon]

Hello mate! Since no one has yet posted a reply to your post, I'll give it a short go. First I don't cast much for rifle, but do long range pistol shooting with handguns, though the procedures are the same for either. First off casting good bullets is an exacting thing if good results are to be expected. Consistency is utmost here. Are your castings well filled with sharp groves and an absoultley flat base? Many beginers especially with Lee molds don't get the alloy hot enough and don't get the molds hot enough to make good sharp bullets. If the sprue doesn't lay on the sprue plate a second or two before it freezes you need to heat things up, both the molds and alloy, this is especially hard with the dip method making bullets as the fill/release sequence is slower ( with most of us) than if using a bottom pour furnace. The learning curve for good results with Lee molds is usually greater than it is for iron molds, but they can give good results. Most Lee molds shoot pretty well with little or no sizing. Sizing does not effect the weight of the bullet. Bullet lubricant can effect performance but is usually not much of a factor in subsonic loads. Hope this helps a bit. I have no experience with the RCBS 82014 but have shot many hundredsfrom one of their 165 gr. shilouette mold to great satisfaction... hipirn

tHANKS FOR HELP

[Crash_Corrigan]

I have never had much luck with the ladle casting method. I am a tried and true believe in the Lee 4-20 bottom pour spout furnace.

I usually rest the mold on the mold rest and allow a medium flow into the holes in the sprue plate and build up a generous sprue over the plate. Then I move to the next hole. I keep the mold an inch or bit more below the spout and air drop the alloy. Some guys move up the mold and leave it closer to the sprue. I have never tried that.

With ladle casting most guys tilt the mold over towards the spout of the ladle and invert both items in contact with each other until the mold is even and straight up. This allows for a constant and even flow of alloy into the mold. YMMV.

As the sprue cools it changes the color on the surface and usually a dimple appears where some of the sprue puddle is drawn into the cavity as the mold and alloy cools. When this occurs I open the sprue and dump out the boolits.

If I am skimpy with the sprue puddle I sometimes get rounded edges on the base of the boolit or incomplete filling of the cavity.

[45-70 Chevroner]

I have found what works for me is to weight 10 or 15 boolits and average them out and use that weight as a base and then weigh them + or - .05gr. I have only been weighing boolits seriously for the past 8 years. I joined the local cowboy shooting club and have found that weighing my big boolits (45-70) has made a difference in my shooting especially the 500 yard buffalo. I'm some what sure that weighing rifle bullets helps with accuracy, but there are some that say it does not make enough difference to spend the time doing so. To me it's just another step in the enjoyment of the whole process of casting and loading and shooting. Good groups or bad. I guess I've got casterites or some other kind of diease.

[DLCTEX]

I cannot get consistent weight from aluminum moulds with a ladle, which I believe is due to the rapid cooling of the aluminum and my fumbling with the ladle. The aluminum moulds have to be run hotter than steel in most cases(each mould/caliber is a law unto itself) for good fillout. Using a hotplate to warm the mould while pouring may be a way to keep the mould hot, but casting at a fast pace with hotter melt would be easier if you can make it work. I just use the bottom pour, works for me. Sizing should not change the weight appreciatively as you are just moving metal. not shaving it off. Consistent temp and good fillout are keys to consistent weight.
You don't state what alloy you are using, but a little tin added may help with fillout.

[TAWILDCATT]

that variation won't make much difference for plinking.try 13 gr red dot with that bullet.
I shoot a 1903 with 312-160 TL and 13.5 gr also 311291. and get 1 inch at 100 yds.
if the rain would stop I could try my garand for acccuracy with 30 gr 2520 using a Modern Bond 180 gr.

[madsenshooter]

For subsonics, one of the most accurate boolits you will find is the Belding and Mull 311169 or its Lyman cousin, the 311413. Both are know as the Squibb bullet and at <1250fps are very accurate. I don't completely understand why, but accuracy seems to disappear at much over that speed. In its day, at the slower speeds, people wrote articles about the bullet with titles like "One hole cast bullet groups".