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Thread: What Lee mold for 30 caliber?

  1. #1
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    RogerDat's Avatar
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    What Lee mold for 30 caliber?

    Looking for an inexpensive mold for 30-30, 308, 306, and 300 WBY mag. The 30-30 and 300 WBY are stuff that I will load every once and awhile for family, just plinking ammo for the most part. But 30-06 and 308 are just to try and cover other common cartridges while covering family needs.

    Lee has 170, 180 and 200 grain. My inclination is toward the 170 or 180 grain. I have a 160 for sks that can be sized down for a light 30 caliber.
    Scrap.... because all the really pithy and emphatic four letter words were taken and we had to describe this source of casting material somehow so we added an "S" to what non casters and wives call what we collect.

    Kind of hard to claim to love America while one is hating half the Americans that disagree with you. One nation indivisible requires work.

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  2. #2
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    I have the 309-170 FN with gas check for my 30-30. It works great.


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

  3. #3
    Boolit Man
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    The c312-185-1r works best in my 1903 and 30-30 Handi rifle with reloader 7.

  4. #4
    Boolit Grand Master Harter66's Avatar
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    The 312-155 for your SKS might be just the ticket . It worked well for me in in a Savage 325C and 110 in 30-30 and 308 it's not big enough for my sks though.
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  5. #5
    Boolit Master
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    I get excellent results with the Lee C309-170 GC in my 30-30 , and the Lee 309-200 1R (GC) in my M1 Garand (30-06)
    Hick: Iron sights!

  6. #6
    Boolit Buddy
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    I like the lee 150 for a lot of uses. For some reason it has listed load data for all the 30's in the new Lyman cast manual.

  7. #7
    Boolit Buddy
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    Lee C309-170-F drops 181g. Would be my goto if i could only have one mold. I would also check out the C312-155-2r. I agree with harter66, best accuracy in savage 30-30.. The C309-170-F if you will be hunting. If you have both of these one will probably work .

  8. #8
    Boolit Master
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    Got Lee 309 molds 150fngc/160rngc/180rngc they all work well in my 308 and a friends 3030marlin .

  9. #9
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    Quote Originally Posted by greenwart View Post
    Lee C309-170-F drops 181g. Would be my goto if i could only have one mold. I would also check out the C312-155-2r. I agree with harter66, best accuracy in savage 30-30.. The C309-170-F if you will be hunting. If you have both of these one will probably work .
    Seems like lot of agreement on the 170 grain. http://www.titanreloading.com/30-cal...ld-c309-170-f-

    With a fair amount of suggestions for the 312-155-2R and I have to wonder if the TL312-160-2R that I already have could fill that lighter weight need just as well as the 155 does? I originally bought the 160 grain because with PC post sizing it becomes a decent light plinker for 303 Enfields. And would work in SKS well in the SKS.

    I generally load an NOE 200 grain in 314 for the Enfield which I doubt would size down to a 308 well. The Lee 312 are reported to size down fine.
    Scrap.... because all the really pithy and emphatic four letter words were taken and we had to describe this source of casting material somehow so we added an "S" to what non casters and wives call what we collect.

    Kind of hard to claim to love America while one is hating half the Americans that disagree with you. One nation indivisible requires work.

    Feedback page http://castboolits.gunloads.com/show...light=RogerDat

  10. #10
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    JonB_in_Glencoe's Avatar
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    I also like the 170gr FN.

    I think Lee tightened up their specs when they went to the new design ...but as you can, they use to be all over the place.
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  11. #11
    Boolit Master

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    I like the Lee 170gr for most 30 caliber, the 312 155gr for semi-auto's.

  12. #12
    Boolit Master
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    The Lee 160 gr RNGC shoots incredibly well (sub MOA on my good days) in my 308 as well as the 30/30. My RCBS seater die for the 30/30 is the cowboy style and actually puts a small (1/8") meplat on the nose of that boolit. When I did a terminal ballistics test on that boolit from my 30/30 at 40 yards and an MV of 1600, the boolit got 14" of penetration and began tumbling at 5" leaving a very impressive wound channel in the soaked, compressed phone books.

  13. #13
    Boolit Master


    williamwaco's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by madoktor1 View Post
    i have the 309-170 fn with gas check for my 30-30. It works great.


    Sent from my iphone using tapatalk
    ditto!
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  14. #14
    Boolit Mold
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    I shoot the Lee 170 FPGC in 30-06 and 308. Shoots real well in both. Cast boolits from old WW mixed with range pickups from the silhouette range (so boolits fired from BP cartridge rifles), and also cast from alloy similar to Lyman #2. Sized in .309 lee die, and final weight with GC is about 180gr. Both alloys shoot great from worn 1903 with lyman sights. I tried a couple powders and use low end load of IMR3031 around 30gr (16000psi) I think. Also RE7 was good too at low end. Worst 10 shot 100yd is within 2" - 2.5". Gun shoots better clean and cold.

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Abbreviations used in Reloading

BP Bronze Point IMR Improved Military Rifle PTD Pointed
BR Bench Rest M Magnum RN Round Nose
BT Boat Tail PL Power-Lokt SP Soft Point
C Compressed Charge PR Primer SPCL Soft Point "Core-Lokt"
HP Hollow Point PSPCL Pointed Soft Point "Core Lokt" C.O.L. Cartridge Overall Length
PSP Pointed Soft Point Spz Spitzer Point SBT Spitzer Boat Tail
LRN Lead Round Nose LWC Lead Wad Cutter LSWC Lead Semi Wad Cutter
GC Gas Check