blixen
11-25-2012, 03:35 PM
I, novice boolit maker, loaded up some 30-30 rounds for my Marlin 336 (microgroove) with a 3-9x airgun scope and my Stevens 325B bolt action in which I just replaced the extractor.
I sized to .311 and .314 from the same Lee C-312-185 mold, (except beagled for the .314s). All gas checked. Paste wax/alox tumble lube.
Here's what I learned:
-- Neither rifle will chamber the .314s (which work great in my Argentine and SMLE).
-- The Stevens gave me 1.5" group at 50 yards with 7 grains of Red Dot with .311s seated way deep into case. But I had to crank the rear peep way up.
-- Stevens shot lousy (like 6 inches) with 10 grains of Trail Boss.
-- The Marlin put the .311s, pushed by 10g of Trail Boss, into less than an inch at 50 yards! (With jacketed projectiles, the Marlin has preferred just about anything to TB, including Unique and 2400.
-- I thought that I would put the largest diameter possible in the Marlin to compensate for the Microgrooving and assumed that .311 wouldn't be wide enough for good accuracy--BUT 1" at 50 is OK enough for me.
-- No soot on Red Dot cases.
--!! Microgrooved barrels seem to have a bad rep for poor accuracy with cast. But this particular old Marlin is good one--it groups better than most of my bolt actions. I can only put the accuracy down to it's rockin' blaze-orange camo sling (that's attached directly to the magazine tube, no less.)
I'm wondering if the Lee 312-155-2R boolit would work better in these short-throated rifles. I think its meant for the SKS, but has anyone used it in a thutty-thutty?
I sized to .311 and .314 from the same Lee C-312-185 mold, (except beagled for the .314s). All gas checked. Paste wax/alox tumble lube.
Here's what I learned:
-- Neither rifle will chamber the .314s (which work great in my Argentine and SMLE).
-- The Stevens gave me 1.5" group at 50 yards with 7 grains of Red Dot with .311s seated way deep into case. But I had to crank the rear peep way up.
-- Stevens shot lousy (like 6 inches) with 10 grains of Trail Boss.
-- The Marlin put the .311s, pushed by 10g of Trail Boss, into less than an inch at 50 yards! (With jacketed projectiles, the Marlin has preferred just about anything to TB, including Unique and 2400.
-- I thought that I would put the largest diameter possible in the Marlin to compensate for the Microgrooving and assumed that .311 wouldn't be wide enough for good accuracy--BUT 1" at 50 is OK enough for me.
-- No soot on Red Dot cases.
--!! Microgrooved barrels seem to have a bad rep for poor accuracy with cast. But this particular old Marlin is good one--it groups better than most of my bolt actions. I can only put the accuracy down to it's rockin' blaze-orange camo sling (that's attached directly to the magazine tube, no less.)
I'm wondering if the Lee 312-155-2R boolit would work better in these short-throated rifles. I think its meant for the SKS, but has anyone used it in a thutty-thutty?