Casting for my 30-06

[mattd]

First time rifle casting. My Savage 110 in 30-06 slugs at .308 with one at .3075. My lee 170g FN cast between .310-3125 on a single bullet, the GC is .320. Is it possible to shoot these without sizing? Accuracy might not be the best, but is it safe? It would be nice to avoid the sizing step if possible.

[mroliver77]

The boolit should be fine but .320 on the check? Some of my .30 cal checks would not touch a .311 size die.
With a proper check these should shoot great. I run my 06's .310 or .311. I size to fit the throat as long as the throat is bigger than the bore. As an example, some guys size .316 to shoot in their .311ish bore guns as the throats in some older military rifles are grossly oversize.
J

[bbwhais]

I would not try going over .002 what your barrel slugged at. The Lee sizing system is quick, easy abd the least expensive rout to go. Just tumble lube, press the boolit throught the sizer with the gas check, using your press, and relube with liquid alox. Let the boolits dry for 3 / 4 hours then load. Excessive leading due to over sized boolits is a pain not to mention the real possablity of excess pressure due to the extra push to squeeze the boolit down to bore diamiter. Hope this helps. A little extra work in sizing will make your gun happier and keep you around to enjoy the sport.

[mroliver77]

Oversize boolits do not cause leading. Lead and lead alloy is very soft and as long as they fit in the throat there will be no pressure problems with normal cast boolit loads.

[RickinTN]

My Hornady 30 caliber checks do measure .320" before being installed on a bullet. My question for the OP is how are you going to install the gas check without sizing? I know you could use a die which is bigger than the bullet, and it would only crimp the check onto the shank, but this wouldn't be eliminating the step. May as well size the bullets while installing the gas checks.
Good luck,
Rick

[youngda9]

Don't shortcut anything in the process of loading ammunition. You need to pass the boolit and check through a sizer to seat the check to the bullet. It's cheap and simple with a lee push through sizer.

[mattd]

i pulled the bullet from the dummy round and the check stayed in the case. guess i'm getting a sizer.

i was playing with OAL with the dummy and at 3.062 (if i remember right) i just started touching the throat. i started to get resistance closing the bolt and i covered the nose in marker and it was getting scuffed. i'll have to measure the nose diameter, and maybe make a chamber cast, when i get home, but if my throat is as tight as my barrel, maybe even .309, would it make sense to go with the 309 lee sizer, and hone it out if needed? or, get the 311 and be slightly over throat size, and seat into the throat?

[RickinTN]

A bullet over throat size won't chamber. Before I bought a sizing die I would probably gently tap a bullet into the throat and then gently tap it out from the muzzle end. Then measure your bullet to see what the throat diameter of your chamber is. Lapping a Lee sizer out to a larger diameter is no problem as long as you go slow. This is certainly a case where too big is just too big. Unless Lee has recently added a .310 sizer kit they don't offer one, and this I don't understand. A .310 sizer may very well be the most common size needed.
Good luck with your measurements and sizing,
Rick

[Char-Gar]

There are two ways of doing things, the right way and the wrong way. Why don't get started on the right way, by sizing your bullets to .310. Do it with gas checks attached of course.

[W.R.Buchanan]

I agree with everyone who says do it right. It is not that hard and not that expensive.

Randy

[Pb2au]

Char-Gar hit the nail on the head as usual.
The 30-06 is a friend of the cast boolit, the Savage 110 is fantastic rifle, so your path is an easy one. Sized correctly, with good load development that rifle should be scary accurate. I know cuz my Savage with the same boolit you are using is a joy to shoot.

[Moonie]

My Savage Edge 30-06 likes that boolit.

[Char-Gar]

I find it remarkable (that means worth the time for me to remark), that so many folks come to this board looking for short cuts and the easy way to shoot cast bullets. They then come back with a laundry list of problems and wonder why are not working for them.

I am getting sorta old around the edges, so maybe this is just a cultural trend of younger people today. They have computers do what used to be done with paper, electric motors to raise and lower their car windows, micro-wave ovens that cooks in just minutes and so on and so on and so on. The folks today, seem to want to do everything the easiest way possible.

For the record, I am glad we have the horseless carriage, flying machine and telephone. The jury is still out on all the rest of the stuff. :-)

[W.R.Buchanan]

Char Gar: Ditto, on the rest of the stuff!

Change for the sake of change is counter productive.

Randy

[waksupi]

If you are going to do things half fast, stick with jacketed bullets. Not so much to know with those.

[Harter66]

Matt,
I have a 110LH in 06' also it was a journey but worth the trip. There was gobs of old fouling,then I had lead fouling 4'' in front of the chamber to 4'' from the muzzle w/heavy lube stars. Turns out I had to lap a little for the roll mark depression. Now it shoots fine . I do shoot plain base as cast at .314, but this 65' has a lead/throat so long the lands are all but untouchable. For example the flat base of a 180 round nose stays well over .350 out of the neck when used as a ogive/land depth gauge. A 150gr btsp set in the case mouth and the bolt closed falls out of the case if you bump it. Its also pretty touchy about that sweet spot. I skipped over GC to PP's though.