Ben
05-05-2013, 05:09 PM
I've enjoyed shooting cast bullets from my SAECO # 301 for several years now. It is clearly one of my favorite .30 cal. cast bullets !
About 2 yrs. ago, I sent my 2 cav., SAECO # 301 mold to Buckshot to have the front cavity HP'd.
I was very happy with Rick's work and have killed deer with bullets from that cavity and shot many nice groups also . The target below is a good representation of what the gas checked version of the # 301 will do :
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v494/haysb/Photo0034.jpg
The rear cavity continued to cast a solid bullet with a g/c shank.
For several weeks I've been " OFF & ON " as to the idea of plain basing that cavity. That would still leave me with a gas checked hp from the mold's front cav. that Buckshot hp'd.
Today was the day to " Get it Done ! "
I said to myself .....
" You'll never know unless you try it."
So I went to work with my drill press.
I'm very happy with the work.
Bullets are nice and round on their base at .3125 ". I size just about all of my .30 cal. plain base bullets to .311 ". The nose on this one is .301".
The bullets with no lube now weigh 199.8 grs. So I guess I can say that it is now a 200 gr. cast bullet.
Now for some range work with some of my favorite plain base loads in bullets of this weight in my 30-06 and 308 Win. rifles.
Anyone want to make any early prognostications ?
Ben
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v494/haysb/001-56.jpg (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/haysb/media/001-56.jpg.html)
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v494/haysb/003-51.jpg (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/haysb/media/003-51.jpg.html)
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v494/haysb/010-24.jpg (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/haysb/media/010-24.jpg.html)
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v494/haysb/011-25.jpg (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/haysb/media/011-25.jpg.html)
About 2 yrs. ago, I sent my 2 cav., SAECO # 301 mold to Buckshot to have the front cavity HP'd.
I was very happy with Rick's work and have killed deer with bullets from that cavity and shot many nice groups also . The target below is a good representation of what the gas checked version of the # 301 will do :
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v494/haysb/Photo0034.jpg
The rear cavity continued to cast a solid bullet with a g/c shank.
For several weeks I've been " OFF & ON " as to the idea of plain basing that cavity. That would still leave me with a gas checked hp from the mold's front cav. that Buckshot hp'd.
Today was the day to " Get it Done ! "
I said to myself .....
" You'll never know unless you try it."
So I went to work with my drill press.
I'm very happy with the work.
Bullets are nice and round on their base at .3125 ". I size just about all of my .30 cal. plain base bullets to .311 ". The nose on this one is .301".
The bullets with no lube now weigh 199.8 grs. So I guess I can say that it is now a 200 gr. cast bullet.
Now for some range work with some of my favorite plain base loads in bullets of this weight in my 30-06 and 308 Win. rifles.
Anyone want to make any early prognostications ?
Ben
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v494/haysb/001-56.jpg (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/haysb/media/001-56.jpg.html)
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v494/haysb/003-51.jpg (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/haysb/media/003-51.jpg.html)
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v494/haysb/010-24.jpg (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/haysb/media/010-24.jpg.html)
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v494/haysb/011-25.jpg (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/haysb/media/011-25.jpg.html)