which caliber to load cast bullets

[rp85]

hello;

wish to start shooting cast bullets again.

have several 30/06, 308win. & 30/30. will only load for one caliber, can't keep track of everything if i load for all. 30/06 and 308win. are bolt action rifles. 30/30 are marlins.

hope to use only 2400 powder. do have a good supply of green dot and a small amount of red dot.

which one do you all suggest i load for. have the lee 190gr mold, rcbs 180gr. fn mold and the lee 180gr. rn mold. all are gas check designs.

accuracy not speed is my goal.

thanks for any input.

rp

[462]

Can't help with a suggestion for just one caliber, because I load for all that I have. However, 2400 should work well for whichever you pick.

[Maven]

13gr. Red Dot or 16gr. 2400 is C.E. Harris' "universal" .30cal. cast bullet load, thus allowing the use of at least 2 of the powders you have on hand.

[94Doug]

That is a tough one...depends maybe on what you hope to accomplish. I'd consider a 311041 or 311291 type and load for all 3.

Doug

[williamwaco]

If it were me, I would choose the 30-30. I believe the long neck and the smaller case capacity are better for cast bullets. And the Marlin will be a lot more fun for plinking.

BUT:

If you are interested in tack driving accuracy, choose the most accracute of your bolt guns.

[Fly-guy]

All three by all means. IMO, 30 caliber is one heck of good choice. All you should have to have to load all three would be 1 long and 1 short "M" die and of course dies for each individual caliber. It sounds like you proabably have all the casting equipment to produce 30 caliber boolets.

I shoot all three and have had excellent luck with all of them.

[reloader28]

Personally, I'd load for all 3 calibers and try the 2400. It seems to be a very good universal cast boolit powder and I usually keep a bunch on hand.

Don't know about the other 2 molds, but I have the RCBS 180gr SP and it works good enough for me. At least I'm happy with it. I think it will shoot better if I kick it up a touch more, but right now I'm getting 2150fps with 1 1/2" at 100yds (IMR4198 in 30-06). I have flattened the nose on some of these boolits and they shot just as good.

[HARRYMPOPE]

the 180FN though it has a small nose generally would be a good bullet for all three in medium velocity loads.2400 is a good powder choice.I agree with maven on the 16g universal charge.I have used 16g in the 308 and 30-06 with 180- 200g bullets except the 30-30 i only used 150 and 180g bullets.

[9.3X62AL]

I load for both 30-30 WCF and 30-06, and both are unalloyed delights with cast boolits. It would be VERY tough for me to choose one over the other.

2400 powder is a great choice for cast boolit rifle fuel. It is by some distance my most-used powder, period.

[frkelly74]

In for one , in for all. Same boolit, same powders, same equipment as for loading jacket bullets except add the M die. Just pick one.

[Bret4207]

The RCBS 30-180FN will work fine in all 3, 16.0 2400 in the '06 and 308 and back it off to about 10.0 gr in the 30-30 and work up.

[NHlever]

I load for both 30-30 WCF and 30-06, and both are unalloyed delights with cast boolits. It would be VERY tough for me to choose one over the other.

2400 powder is a great choice for cast boolit rifle fuel. It is by some distance my most-used powder, period.

I fully agree with Al on this one. I would choose the 30-06 over the .308 because the case responds to lower pressure loads better. By that I mean that it takes less pressure to get a good seal in the chamber, and the longer neck makes boolit mold selection easier. I load for all three, and enjoy them all, but I do tend to reach for both the 30-30's, and my 30-06 most often. When I hunt though, I often reach for the .308 more oten. Marlin lever guns are a jinx for me for hunting. I have carried one, or another literally hundreds of miles hunting deer, bear, and wild boar (Russian), and have never had the chance to shoot anything when using a Marlin. My 309''s are also lighter, have better sights, and are a bit more handy than my lever guns. I have shot a number of deer with the old family Winchester 30-30, mostly with cast.

[blackthorn]

Quote "In for one , in for all. Same boolit, same powders, same equipment as for loading jacket bullets except add the M die. Just pick one. "

+1--BUT--also get a dedicated note book for each rifle, then make and keep copious notes on each one!!

[1Shirt]

I would probably go with 308, close call with 06 however.
1Shirt!