Saeco # 301

[Ben]

I have not had this mold long. I acquired it for use in my 1903 Springfield , 2 groove barrels, as I've read that in those barrels it has shot well. I've still not had the time ( or better.....made the time ) to fully evaluate the potential accuracy of this bullet in my 2 groove barreled guns.

Can you share some of your experiences with the # 301 ?

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v494/haysb/SAECO%20%20301/005.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v494/haysb/SAECO%20%20301/006.jpg

Here are my bullet " numbers " after being gas checked and passed through a Lee .311 nose 1st sizer :

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v494/haysb/SAECO%20%20301/004.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v494/haysb/SAECO%20%20301/003.jpg

[cbrick]

Fine looking bullets Ben, good pics also.

I can't tell you anything about two groove barrels but the 301 is nearly the same design except weight as the 311 (no crimp groove) which I have shot a lot of in 30-30's and 308's. In leverguns it needs to be single loaded (too pointy) and it probably wouldn't make a great hunting bullet either because of the point but shoot good it does.

301 is listed as 196 gr and 311 as 160 gr.

Rick

[BCall]

I dunno about the #301, but I have a remarkably similar Lyman 311334 that I have had succass with in my 2 groove. The nose is a touch smaller at barely over .300. While I would like it fatter, it hasn't seemed a hinderance at lower velocities yet. My 2 groove is a brand new barrel (I've shot less than 300 rds through it since having it put on),and may be a touch on the tighter side. The 311334 has shot as well or better than anything I have used as of yet. This one is sized .3115 with a homemade check.
http://i258.photobucket.com/albums/hh259/blcall/SN851815.jpg

[Ben]

Billy,

Yes, I've also read many good things about the 334' in 2 groove barrels.

Seems ( from what I've read ) that a bullet with a single lube ring in the rear and a lot of nose seems to work well in 2 groove barrels ?

Ben

[excess650]

I've shot the #301 in my 1967 vintage Remington 700 30-06, mid 1950s Husqvarna Lightweight in 30-06 and my K-31 7.5x55 with worn throat.

My K-31 liked 22gr AA5744, the same charge as the Saeco #315. I'm not saying that there isn't a better load even with the same powder, but it was pretty impressive on silhouettes at 500m. This is a pretty "soft shooting" load.

I didn't do a lot of work with the Husqvarna, but my notes show very good accuracy with AA2015 in the 29-31gr range. At 32gr it barely stayed on 8-1/2"X11", so I guess I found its limit. With AA5744 it shot very well in the 24-26gr range. I consider 1 to 1.25moa pretty good for its pencil thin barrel.

I worked up to a higher velocity load in the Rem700 that seemed to want to shoot one-holers consistently. 29gr AA5744 recoils pretty stoutly and the rifle will shoot this load accurately until its too hot to touch. Results on the silhouette range at 385m and 500m were such that I got a 25min tipped base, Burris Signature rings with inserts, and a SWFA scope with 150+min of elevation. I've shot it to 1000 yards and was pretty impressed.

My mould casts boolits similar enough from cavity to cavity to consider them identical. It may not be the most efficient from a BC standpoint, but its a great design.

The Saeco #311 has a tapered nose design vs the parallel nose(single diameter) of the #301

[HARRYMPOPE]

I hope you have good luck with it.i shot it in a very accurate 30 BR 15 years ago. the mold was perfectly round and proper dimensions and yet never grouped as well for me as i thought it should.it always baffled me!I had another last year that in a 30-06 that also shot MOA or thereabout with the RCBS 180 SP and 311299 refused to shoot under 1.5 with it.

George

[Ben]

George,

That sounds more than a little bit disheartening.

Ben

[BCall]

Billy,

Yes, I've also ready many good things about the 334' in 2 groove barrels.

Seems ( from what I've read ) that a bullet with a single lube ring in the rear and a lot of nose seems to work well in 2 groove barrels ?

Ben

Not sure if the single lube groove is a must, but in the NRA cast bullet manual Harrison stated that boolits with long bore rider noses and shorter bearing sections did well in 2 groove and 5 groove barrels while 4 groove did better with a more 50/50 proportion. I dunno how true that is as I have shot some really good groups with the 311299 in 4 groove barrels, but I do know that the 311284 did not work nearly as well in my 2 groove as the 311334 did.

[HARRYMPOPE]

George,

That sounds more than a little bit disheartening.

Ben


i just wonder if it was me not giving it a fair chance.i sure like the quality of the molds and the bullets shape.

PS-

still no production date on the taper dies yet.

George

[BCall]

i just wonder if it was me not giving it a fair chance.i sure like the quality of the molds and the bullets shape.

PS-

still no production date on the taper dies yet.

George

Taper dies? Did I miss something?

[Ben]

OK George,

The wait will be worth it.


_________________________

Billy,

I too have read that bullets with the long bore riding nose and short bearing surface at the rear of the bullet does well in a 2 groove barrel. I'll know soon !

Ben

[Maven]

Ben, For what it's worth, I have the Saeco #301, whose as cast diameter is the same as yours. Although it casts well enough (needs a higher temperature than other molds though), accuracy in my .30-06 (Win. Model 70 Westerner) has been a bit disappointing. While #301 can produce quarter or even nickel sized groups @ 50 yd., they're more the exception than the rule. By way of contrast, I have a CBE 185gr. brass mold, which looks like #301 except for flat nose/meplat, that will easily shoot into a quarter or nickel at the same distance using the same components. Btw, I believe Harrison and others found that #301 (nee RG-4) can run out of lube* if driven too fast, but a smear of liquid alox on the bore riding nose should remedy that. In short, I'm giving serious thought to selling my mold as accuracy hasn't been much better than the Lee 30-150-TL group buy bullet.


*Molly (Ken Mollohan) has questioned whether CB's actually run out of lube.

[Ben]

Maven,

As to the sale, that may be 2 of us if I don't have any better luck than you fellows have had.

Ben

[americanjack]

i know this is a older post so sorry .if you have any of these 301 boolits sized up and lubed i would love to buy say 20-50 of them to try in my 03a3 before buying the mold thanks please pm me