311299 30.06 Seating Depth Question

[StrikerOmalley]

Does anyone have any experience working with different seating depths when loading the 311299 bullet in 30.06? Specifically, anything longer than what is listed in the Lyman Cast Boolit Handbook?

I'm using a NOE variant and I'm sticking to the exact OAL that shows up in the Lyman guide (3.167"). Overall, it seems like it will work just fine. I checked my headspace and I'm at just about .10" off of the rifling. My gas check is below the case neck but I'm fine with that.

Is there any difference in bullet to bore proximity when looking at cast boolits instead of copper jacketed bullets?

Thanks in advance.

[Ben]

StrikerOmalley

Welcome, as I see you now have your 8 th post. You'll enjoy this forum ! !

Jumping " free bore " with a cast bullet into the rifling sometimes isn't the best thing. Many of us obtain excellent results with allowing the cast bullet to " softly " bite into the rifling when the bolt is closed. Be certain that the bolt closure isn't stiff, this could allow the rifling to bite into the bullet and hold it when the loaded round is withdrawn, spilling powder into your action and causing a big mess for you to have to clean up. If you see light engraving marks on the bullet and the loaded rounds can be removed from the chamber easily, you're about right with your seating depth.

Shooting jacketed bullets with this method is a " No - No ", but cast bullets are many times softer than a jacketed bullet and this technique causes no safety concerns. Try it.

Again a lot of problems erupt when people try the same identical rules with jacketed bullets that they do with cast bullets & vice - versa.

Shooting cast bullets is an entirely new game with new rules.

Ben

[1Shirt]

Ben is right from my experiance. Just kissing the lands is probably where I get my best accuracy in most of my rifles. AND, yes, seat them to long and open the action with the blt stuck spills pwdr, and makes a mess to clean out. That is from experiance.
1Shirt!

[sundog]

Very good explanation, Ben.

[StrikerOmalley]

Gents,

Thanks for the advice. It sounds like sticking to the Lyman manual will be fine as far as safety goes, but I might get better performance with a bullet seated a little shallower.

[runfiverun]

i try to get my boolits as far out of the case as possible.
ben's post says pretty much why i am limited in some instances.
i have had some boolits barely being held in the case by the gas check, but the nose was aligned in the rifling and would extract from the chamber.
the nose in the rifling simulated neck tension so the load was not affected by poor ignition.
other times i need to feed from the magazine,or from the tube [on a lever gun]
so thats where length is limited.
fortunately the throats on those guns aren't usually rediculously long so they are still pretty accurate.
getting the throat filled,and having the boolit started as straight as possible will aid in accuracy [in my experience]

[Shiloh]

Ben is right from my experiance. Just kissing the lands is probably where I get my best accuracy in most of my rifles. AND, yes, seat them to long and open the action with the blt stuck spills pwdr, and makes a mess to clean out. That is from experiance.
1Shirt!

Ask me how I know about powder in the action? I also have engraves boolits.
My problem has been solved with pulling the boolit out, but one may point upwards to diminish potential mess.

Shiloh

[W.R.Buchanan]

I have to interject here. The OAL of this boolit/ case combo is only an issue if the round doesn't fit into the magazine.

311299 is a Bore Rider design. It is designed to have the nose section ride on the bore IE the lands. That is the .299 part. The .311 part gets engraved into the driving bands at firing.

The nose section is designed to guide the boolit and keep it's axis coincident to the bore of the rifle. The driving bands seal the bore and impart rotation to the boolit.

When the round is chambered the boolit's nose section is introduced into the bore. The only jump that occurs is the distance the driving bands have to travel before they engage the rifling and fully seal the bore. A Gas Check is required on this boolit to further seal the bore and to prevent leading of the bore.

The correct place to crimp the case onto this boolit is in the top lube groove, as illustrated in the pic below. The driving bands are not in contact with the bore until after the round is fired. This is true for both .30-06 and .308, and I use this boolit for both. Pretty sure it will work in a .30-30 as a single shot also, as the front driving band is the same width as 311041. another point of operation is that when seated to this depth the gas check is still in the case neck and not hanging free in the case. This also prevents the check from being knocked loose and falling into the powder charge.

Randy

[Finnmike]

Tip to those that get a stuck boolit and powder in the action; I keep a can of compressed air with the fine tube in my range box. It's invaluable for blowing powder out of the chamber and lug recesses, as well as everywhere else.

[jed]

I've just ordered this mold and hope to get the accuracy out of it as I have with the 31141. Seating that bullet after collet neck sizing and shooting at different coal has not made much difference. Hope this new mold shoots as well' just over half an inch to one inch at 100 yds.

[Ben]

Why use a crimp ? ?

[grouch]

I've used a couple of 311299 molds, neither of them recent. Both of those had .303 noses, and gave you very little space between engraving the lands on the nose and having the gas check below the shoulder. The .299 nose must be a recent innovation, and to my mind probably not a good one. Both the molds I used shot very well.
Grouch

[Larry Gibson]

Why use a crimp ? ?

Gas gun.

Larry Gibson

[Gunor]

Interesting reading.

Sounds as if cast and jacketed have some similiar 'good ideas' on seating.

Typically when I seat a long range bullet in my 308 palma gun - it is usually touching the lands or just off (0.005). I have also noticed that when I seated Sierra's 168 for an M-14 magazine length - they shot just the same as leaving them long (touching the throat).

BTW: Leaving the bullet too long - and then extractiing it - powder spills....

Bullet Jump - It is a factor in J bullets also. They also make LTB - Length Tolerant Bullets (Berger for one) - Just to fit in M-16 mags. Nice for 300 rapid.

Neck tension: 0.002 neck tensions is typically what I use in my target rifles. Using a Sinclair Neck Expander - after sizing -works for me. Love the Lee Collet die.

After reading Larry Gibson a little bit - and these forums: Neck tension and bullet jump are very similar between cast and j-word.

Edited - addtional opinions

OAL - Doesn't matter unless you have Magaizine or loading issues

Then, also consider where the base of the bullet is in relation to the junction of the case neck.

Geoff in Oregon

[Frank]

Make sure you seat the bullet not below the neck. Otherwise, you will have to reduce your velocity.

[madsenshooter]

Tip to those that get a stuck boolit and powder in the action; I keep a can of compressed air with the fine tube in my range box. It's invaluable for blowing powder out of the chamber and lug recesses, as well as everywhere else.


I'm going to have to do that. There's no powder spill like one into and AR15 action. Small balls will lube it up, stick powders will stop it cold.

[Frank]

madsenshooter:

Quote:
Originally Posted by Finnmike

Tip to those that get a stuck boolit and powder in the action; I keep a can of compressed air with the fine tube in my range box. It's invaluable for blowing powder out of the chamber and lug recesses, as well as everywhere else.

I'm going to have to do that. There's no powder spill like one into and AR15 action. Small balls will lube it up, stick powders will stop it cold.
Dacron eliminates that problem. [smilie=1: