Lyman 30 cal mould need help with choice!

[shredder]

I have some christmas cash burning a hole in my pocket. I already have 2 .30 cal Lee moulds and want to upgrade to one of the Lyman offerings. I shoot a mauser actioned custom barreled 30/06 that measures exactly .308.

The contestants are : )Imagine a drum roll and a trumpet flourish!)

MOULD #1

Lyman 30 Caliber, 210 Grain, RN, GC Double Cav Bullet Mold /Mould BN# 311284

Lyman .30 Caliber ( .311" Diameter) , 210 Grain , Round Nose, Gas Check. This is a double cavity bullet mould.

Bullet # : 311284 (Gas Check)

Grain: 210gr

Double Cavity # : 2660284

Originally designed for the 30-40 Krag but has become the standard 30-06 bullet. Excellent accuracy


MOULD #2

Lyman 30 Caliber, 195 Grain, Taper MXL Double Cav Bullet Mold /Mould BN# 311679

Lyman .30 Caliber ( .311" Diameter) , 195 Grain , Taper MXL , Bullet Mould. This is a double cavity bullet mould.

Bullet # : 311679 (Gas Check)

Grain: 195gr

Double Cavity # : 2660679

A new 30 caliber 195 grain gas check mould designed by John Ardito. Features a bore riding nose which tapers up to meet the driving bands.

Mould #3

Lyman .30 (311"Dia) 180 Gr PT GC /Mould BN#311332

Lyman .30 Caliber, 180 Grain PT, Gas Check Bullet Mould. This is a double cavity bullet mould.

Bullet # : 311332 (Gas Check)

Grain: 180gr

Designed for 30-40 Krag and 30-06. Good accuracy



I primarily want to punch paper at the range but deer hunting is likely so any experience with any of these boolits would be most welcome. I have done some searching and read lots of posts so anything new I can gather to push me to one or the other.

The bore riding 195 grain design looks very interesting as does the 210. The bigger boolit seems to have a reputation for accuracy. The 180 is interesting to me as well because my barrel is rifled 1 in 12", where the standard for 30/06 is 1 in 10". I am not sure if the big logs will shoot well but I am pretty sure the 180 will be OK. I currently shoot 170 gr FN and 160 gr RN and both shoot reasonably well. In that 1.5 inch range if I do my job.

[ShooterAZ]

Sorry, I had to add one to your list. I like the 311299 in my 30-06's. They are all milsurps, 1903's & M1 Garands, and this boolit shoots very well in all of them.

[geargnasher]

180 grain minimum. Pick the design that matches the rifle's throat the best. "Reputation for accuracy" is subjective to the individual mould and rifle combination, and is a factor of FIT.

Gear

[Blammer]

get the 311332

[catboat]

I'll toss in a curve for you.

What is your rifling twist? If it is 1-10", then any of the moulds (up to the 311284 at ~ 210++ grains) would stabilize. If your rifling twist is 1-12", then you may want to think of a mould in the 170-180 grain area.

Second curve, why Lyman?
http://www.grafs.com/retail/catalog/category/categoryId/459?

Have you considered the RCBS 180 grain .309 mold (flat point or "pointed). very good molds in the $70 range. SAECO makes excellent molds. The SAECO #315 (tapered 175ish grain) is VERY accurate. The 180 grain SAECO is great too.

There are also excellent molds available on this website by NOE (night Owl Enterprises, which take in account some issues Lyman had with some of their designs-which were a little small diameter sometimes), such as the NOE version of the 311284, 311299, 31141 and others. You may also find a "Ranch Dog" design in the 170 grain range, which has many positive reports (but is no longer made-maybe someone will sell one to you.).

It's always fun to spend other people's money. Good luck. Let us know which mold you select.

[shredder]

Thanks for the responses everyone. All things considered, I went for mould #3 the 180 gr 311332. Of course I also ordered the Lyman handles and even treated myself to a copy of the Lyman cast bullet handbook while I was at it.