700 5R mil-spec .308 and cast

[subsonic]

I want to shoot cast in my Remington 700 5R mil-spec .308. It shoots very well with 175SMK j-words over 43gr of Varget. But since SMKs aren't getting any cheaper, I'm looking at cast. I would like to shoot plain bases out to 100yds, to maybe 300yds, with great accuracy. If y'all tell me I'm in for a fight with PB, I could be convinved to shoot GC. I don't plan to hunt with it, but I guess I'd rather have a flat nosed boolit if I can, JIC. This rifle has 5R rifling with 1:11.25" twist.

I have ~400rds through it so far with jacketed. The bore is very smooth and copper free at the moment. A .300" pin gauge will slide about half way up the bore from the chamber. A .299" will drop into the muzzle.

I was playing with my Hornady lock n load COAL gauge and a threaded case to "feel" how far I can go with different pin gauges and found a .301" will go about .6" from the case neck. I need to measure more, but a .310" boolit will chamber with Winchester brass. .309" fits in my Lapua brass, .310" might.

.308" case necks look to be about .300" long.

Any suggestions? Off the shelf mold? Powder choice? Etc?

This will be my first "serious" attempt at cast accuracy.

[Jack Stanley]

Many years ago I bought a Remington "police" rifle in .308 that was rumored to be a contract over run for one of the armed forces . I had LBT cut a 160 grain SP type mold for the rifle and gave it a moderate charge of Reloder seven . The rifle did very well with that even out to two hundred yards .

While I never tried that one without gas checks I think it could have been done easy enough . Lots of mold makers out there that will cut one for your rifle and several off the shelf you could try . If you have a mold , try what you have at the velocity you want and go from there .

Jack

[Herb in Pa]

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?t=126053

[Doc Highwall]

I have a Remington 40X in 308 Winchester that I shoot the SAECO #315 bullet it is a 175grTCGC. My load is 22,2grs of AA5744 with a Fed 205 primer, Lapua Palma cases with small primer pocket. My best 5 shot group at 100 yards is .305" and at 300 yards is 1.610". Alloy 30:1.

[Larry Gibson]

A PB'd bullet will limit you to under 1600 fps "with great accuracy". Suggest you take alook at the Lyman 311299 or the RCBS308-165-SIL. Both are excellent bullets for the .308W. If you can find a 311466 of preferably the .311466U it will do even better.

Use well fire formed NS'd cases, size .311 and use a good lube such as 2500+ or Javelina, use quality GCs and make sure they are seated to the bottom of the shank and square, Use a medium burning powder such as RL- upwards of Varget and use a 1/2 3/4 gr dacron filler.

Hold hard, shoot straight and use a smooth trigger pull:D

Larry Gibson

[subsonic]

Did you say 311466?
http://i1179.photobucket.com/albums/x386/Dennis_Doza/b6f43326.jpg

What is the "U"?

FIL owns the mold so I can't look right now.

[Larry Gibson]

The "U" after the mould number means undersized. My 4 cavity 311466U drops them exactly at .311, my 2 cavity plain 311466 drops them at .313 with the same alloy (80-20 linotype - lead). The one is perfect for my .30s and the other perfect for most of my .31s. The 311466U is my choice for my HV loads in my Palma .308W. I'm pushing it at 2600+ fps with 1/5 moa accuracy (10 shot groups) out to 300 yards (farthest tested so far).

Larry Gibson

[subsonic]

What weight of 311466 do you shoot?

I seem to recall there being a few variations. But maybe I'm mistaken.

[Larry Gibson]

What weight of 311466 do you shoot?

I seem to recall there being a few variations. But maybe I'm mistaken.

The 311466U's run 153.5. The 31466's run 158.5. Same alloy (80/20 lino/lead) and both fully dressed. Other than diameter and weight both appear identical in design.

Larry Gibson

[subsonic]

Looks like I'm going to get an NOE 311466 2 cavity to play with.

[Larry Gibson]

Be advised on the 311466 in my .308Ws I size the 1st and most of the 2nd driving band at .300 so it will chamber with the GC still in the case neck.

Unsized on left, sized on right.

Larry Gibson

[subsonic]

I was going to ask about that.

How much does having the base in the powder matter?

What are you using to size the front bands?

[MT Chambers]

All the best cast bullet groups shot in cast bullet competition(with fixed ammo .308) are shot at 1800 to over 2000fps, with gas check bullets, and i believe that Saeco #315 is a good place to start.

[Larry Gibson]

I was going to ask about that.

How much does having the base in the powder matter?

What are you using to size the front bands?

I have found generally if the loads are at 1800 fps or lower with an alloy of 15 BHN or higher then "riveting" doesn't occur. However, depending on the powder and psi, gas cutting can occur. Also if a filler is not used contamination of the powder from the lube can also happen.

The 311466 fits the 30-30 and 30-06 necks perfectly with GC at the base of the neck and the front driving band at or just off the leade. 311466 is one of the very best designs to push to HV BTW.

If sized to .311 - 313 and used in shorter necked .303, 7.65 Argie, 7.7 Jap and 7.62x54 it can be seated to the base of the case neck and chambered because rifles for those generally have longer throated chambers.

It is not hard to make a nose sizer for use in the lubrasizer and with a flat base punch it really seats and squares up the bottom of the GC.

Larry Gibson

[MT Gianni]

I shoot the 311466 in the "06 and get good accuracy with only lubing the first three grooves. This won the NCBS 400 yard match with FWFL, aka Felix Lube. Great info on the front band sizing.

[tomme boy]

Ok, so what about the canted rifling in the bore that this rifle has? Is the canted, ratchet, or whatever its called today rifling going to case a problem?

[subsonic]

If someone has a pic of a die like this it would be great.

I think that not smashing the nose and sizing it square would be a trick.

Do you cut the profile of the nose into the plunger of the sizer die? And how do you stop at the second band every time.

[Larry Gibson]

Modified a H die to take a Redding, Wilson, Hornady, RCBS neck sizing bushing. The I die diameter was partially turned down to the smallest size expected to use. The washer holds the bushing in the H die under the retaing nut of the 450 lubrasizer. The bushing "floats so the bullet nose stays centered as it is sized. I use a top punch with a meplat just a tudge larger than the caliber/GC diameter. If not sizing down too much the sizing goes quite easy. I also size, lube and seat the GC prior to sizing the nose.

Doc Highwall should get credit for this H die modification.

Larry Gibson

[subsonic]

I had thought about using neck bushings as sizers before, but not like that.

Pretty neat. Thank you for showing that!

Do you have a travel stop or do you just go by feel/looks on the depth?

[Larry Gibson]

The stop on the 450 is adjustable for the "I" die (punch in the H die) when sizing cast bullets and is used the same as in this application. The "I" die also pushes the bullet back out as usual.

Larry Gibson

[subsonic]

Thanks a bunch Larry! I will post results when I get around to testing (playing).

[subsonic]

Got the NOE mold today. Looks nice!

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?p=1353913#post1353913

Now I just need to get off my butt and cast/etc!

I may load my current batch of .309" 311466 just to see how they do.