bullet style for 30-06

[LAKEMASTER]

my next purchase will be a mold for my 06, is there a preference as to what style bullet to use for game such as, bull elk, pig, deer ect ?

ive found some 150/170 flat nose bullets and there cavities more on the pointier side. does it matter ? i assume ill never really shoot past 200 yards, but im curious if the flat tip affects the KE hitting the animal...


thanks in advance

[Lead Fred]

140000

I send this pill down range at 2500fps out the odd six barrel. It devastates bone on impact

Bought it for the 30WCF, which it does a great job with.

[LAKEMASTER]

so fred, with that round would i have to resize before lubing ?

im still a little unclear of the diameters for 3006. it looks like they range from 309 to 311.

to be completely honest, i saw these on the noe site and really really liked them.

i was heavy into air guns years ago and the best pellets ever were heavy flat heads. i cant see how this is any different =)

[MBTcustom]

It's no different. When shooting lead, a flat nose is all the hollow point you need, and if you push too fast, you can do more damage than you bargained for (see the link in my signature line).

I would like to recommend my 30XCB hunting bullet design from accurate molds: 31-160G
http://www.accuratemolds.com/bullet_detail.php?bullet=31-160G-D.png
It has been plug and play in the 06 and it's very easy to get accuracy quickly with this bullet.
A great deal of design went into it's construction and it has proven itself to be a very accurate, easy to use option.
For your purpose, I would recomend shooting it at 1900FPS. This will give superb accuracy, and solid hits on game without destroying too much of your prey.
Cast them out of COWW + 2% tin, and drop them from the mold into a bucket of water with sponges floating on top. Seat Hornady 30 caliber gas checks, and lube with White Label 2700+.
Enjoy!

[Doc Highwall]

Don't forget to anneal the gas checks.

[rondog]

Don't forget to anneal the gas checks.
Wait - what? Gas checks have to be annealed???

[Kskybroom]

#311284 hp
Works Good for me. But not to fast..

[Doc Highwall]

Yes I anneal all my gas checks, I takes the spring back out of the copper from when they were made and makes them more consistent when seating them. I shoot a lot of 30:1 alloy that is soft, and it helps prevent the nose of the bullet from getting marked and bending the bullet during the sizing operation.

Ask Goodsteel how it worked out for him.

[tdoyka]

140000

I send this pill down range at 2500fps out the odd six barrel. It devastates bone on impact

Bought it for the 30WCF, which it does a great job with.

this one i shoot out of my 30-40 krag. although i am not trying to get the 2500fps, it should be roughly 1700-1900fps. i think it would be great on deer out to 200 yards. elk and hogs, i leave up to those with more experience.

[runfiverun]

look through good steel's link, that is a great discussion on boolit design versus velocity.
you pretty much have to decide on velocity then work the alloy and meplat around to that.
other wise you are just shooting a big varmint rifle or a pencil sized hole poker.


deer are pretty easy to kill with ww alloy softened down and pushed to about 1900 fps, when doing this I like a big flat nose.
it's simple and effective.
now if you want/need more distance, or a more devastating wound channel, then velocity is your friend.

[GooseGestapo]

Don't over think it getting started.
get the Lee 170gr FNGC. Get the Lee .311" sizer kit but also get some 50/50 NRA blend lube. SPG is equally good. Start by pan lubing the bullets, and don't worry yet about annealing the gas checks. That's minutiae for us purists. Do get some gas checks. For plinking loads you won't need them, but will for hunting loads. The above won't break the bank, but will get you started.
I started casting 40 yrs ago, still have the mold, dies, pan and punch et from Lee I started with. Only mistake I made was with the .308" sizer. (AllI coulld find and didn't know better).
Ive killed deer, pigs, and misc other vermin with my cast boolits. Not to mention many matches won, and some records shot because of a near unlimited supply of quality bullets.

[richhodg66]

The Ranchdog bullet is good and works well on deer. So does the original Ideal 31141 and the NOE version with the bigger diameter nose (though that one is harder to chamber in my .300 Savage rifles)

I've recently begun working with the RCBS 180 grain flat point and it shoots well in a .303 Savage 99H I have so far. Haven't tried it in much else, but it has a good reputation and is heavy with a big flat nose. Oughta kill deer just fine.

[Budzilla 19]

200 grn Lee RNFP cast with a lot of tin, more than necessary probably, lots of copper, a bunch of zinc, (don't know where that came from), Hitek bullet coating, sized and gas checked, loaded to 2000 fps, pretty much the hammer of whatever your favorite superhero is! Not for the recoil sensitive for sure! Bolt gun for me only. I have pushed them harder. The accuracy was not there so backed the load down and had wonderful results! Just my .02 cents. Good luck to you.

[2wheelDuke]

140000

I send this pill down range at 2500fps out the odd six barrel. It devastates bone on impact

Bought it for the 30WCF, which it does a great job with.

I just picked up a NOE copy of this mold with regular grease grooves. It drops 2 GC and 2 PB. I don't plan on sending them quite as fast, I was thinking more like 2200-2300fps out of the 30-30, .308, and .30-06. I just got the mold broken in, time to crank some out and then get to the rifle range soon hopefully.

[Lead Fred]

The only reason we made some speed demons was to try out the 2700fps lube we bought. (which worked)
never even shot any at a target to see how they grouped

Ive always used my gas checks right out of the check maker, you guys are killin me

[LAKEMASTER]

help me here, noe sells a 311 dia bullet (the one shown above) and its 311 dia compared to all of lees 309 30 cal molds.

so do i have to resize all bullets to fit 309 dia for my 30-06?

[runfiverun]

your 30-06 will most likely want 310 diameter.
the only rifle I have found of modern manufacture that has an issue with .310 is my 300 black-out made by AAC, and that is only on the flat drive bands that stick out too far into the ball seat area and start to get into the throat.
the chamber takes it just fine.

the wife's black-out will chamber 310 without issue and has a bit more ball seat length so will shoot some boolits at longer lengths that mine won't.
all three of our 30-06's will shoot 310 without issue [and I think the p-17 would like 311 better, I haven't measured the throat yet]

[2wheelDuke]

I'm sizing to .310 for all my .30cal guns, including my .300blk

[LAKEMASTER]

Ok so I need to resize no Maurer what.

I'm browsing molds and my head is spinning wondering why there's extreme opposites

[1johnlb]

I would size it as big as will chamber. The less you size down and the bigger it is when you chamber it, will give better success, down range.

Here's my 2015 season choice, NOE 311299rg.

140088

[1johnlb]

so do i have to resize all bullets to fit 309 dia for my 30-06?

No, unless your shooting a tight neck barrel. At least I don't. I have slowly but surely be sizing and gc all my 30s at 311. It gives you tighter clearance, tightening up my groups

[WRideout]

Boolit diameter is one of the big variables in this game, and just all depends. The books all say to size boolits to groove diameter, which would require you to measure your particular barrel (see the many threads on "slugging" your barrel). Diameter of cast boolits can vary with the alloy used, and the time elapsed since it was cast. I wouldn't worry too much about it, just size to groove diameter when you install the gas check, and go for it.

I shoot a Lyman 311284 in my Interarms Mark X 30-06, and accuracy is more than acceptable using the above boolit, sized .310 with gas check, over 13.0 gr SR4756. I haven't tried it on game yet, but I have no doubt it would work fine on deer.

Wayne

[GooseGestapo]

I'd used .308" to start with. Spotty results, but at that time, such was expected norm with cast. I started using a Lyman #450 in 1980 and had a .309" die. Results were better, but only "ok".
Started casting 78gr rn for .32acp, got a .311" die. Tried some 78gr rn over 5gr of Bullseye in .30/30 and was astonished at accuracy. Decided to try .311" in .30/30, and .30/06. Further astonished!
If loaded rounds chamber, they'll work!
I started casting for my .35rem Marlin M336 w/microgroove bbl. .358" boolits had been disappointing. Bought a .360" die... Voilà! 39.0gr of BLC2 gets 2,000fps+, and under 2moa with RCBS 200gr FNGC (casts @220gr!) With .125"x.375" hollow point, puts the smack on pigs and deer like the 200gr Corlokts and Sierra ProHunter, only I broke even at 150 boolits to include molds and 1000 gas checks.
Bigger Is better, as long as they chamber. Lee .309 molds typically cast .312, but can vary with alloy, and individual mold, even individual cavity.
I have other molds. Lee 2-cavity, $25, others $90and up. Do the math... Don't get me wrong. I have nearly 100 sets of molds, but over half are Lee.

[Blammer]

I like the 311284, worked well for deer for me.

[Djones]

Ok so I need to resize no Maurer what.

I'm browsing molds and my head is spinning wondering why there's extreme opposites

Lakemaster,

there is a lot of about reloading and firearms you will learn from shooting cast. This will make you a better reloader and hunter.

The guys who have been helping you on this thread are the who helped me the last few years and I have to date taken 5+ deer with my own cast Boolits.

Keep reading and try to get hands-on and the whole thing will come together for you.

Good luck

David Jones

[Blammer]

Lakemaster,

Here is what I would do.

Get NOE's 311041 mould. (or go to the bullet swap section and see if someone will send you a variety of 30 cal bullets, type and possibly sized differently.)

You'll need GC's (gas checks for this mould, get a bag from NOE too, save shipping)

If you have a lee universal neck expander get this from NOE.
http://noebulletmolds.com/NV/product_info.php?cPath=88&products_id=1509
if not you'll need to get something to flair the case mouth before seating the bullet.

Get a .309 sizer die. (see if NOE has a Lee sizer kit in that size)

MOST 30-06 rifles will shoot a .309 sized bullet well. It's a good starting point.

[725]

lakemaster - There is a relationship of the boolit diameter and the confines of your barrel that affect how the boolit flies. Far from cut in stone, it tends to be around .001 - .002 or so for the boolit to be larger than the barrel. There are so many exceptions to this "rule", it's hardly a rule at all. Knowing your barrel sizes vs. the boolit diameter is helpful. It's an easy task to determine. With a rubber hammer and a brass rod, push a slightly over barrel sized chunk of very soft lead through the barrel. Lube the barrel well. When it comes out the other end, carefully measure it to see what size your barrel actually is as opposed to what it should be. If the slug is .309, then a .310 boolit might work well. Might even have to go to a .311 boolit. At least you'll know what ballpark you have to work in. If the slug is .308, then .309 or .310 is where you have to start to look. As above, I bet a .310 will be just fine. It's experimentation that will get you to your best accuracy. Good luck.

[Ben]

Lee says their .30 cal. molds are .309"

That may be , that may not be.............
They can vary from .308 - .311" as cast.

You never know what a Lee is going to do until you cast with it ? It may or may not be perfectly round also ? ?

The NOE is completely different. I'm always surprised if Al's mold vary much more than .0005" with their bullets that they drop from the mold. More often than not, the mold that is spec'd at .311" will drop its bullets at .311.

Ben

[rondog]

Ok so I need to resize no Maurer what.

I'm browsing molds and my head is spinning wondering why there's extreme opposites
I feel your dizziness, I'm new at this game too! It's very daunting, trying to figure out what you really need and need to do. I agonized over which rifle bullet mould to buy, and finally did it, and now I'm not sure I got the right one after all.

[runfiverun]

and until you learn to measure a rifles throat you'll always be taking a stab at it.
I have tried to work around doing a pound slug since forever and sometimes I got it right and had good accuracy and sometimes I missed the mark and had so-so results.

it's aggravating to put together what you think will be a tack driving combination only to find out the best it will do is 3" at 100 yds.
then you throw those exact same rounds in the next rifle to get some fire-formed cases only to find out that, that rifle will do 1-1/2" groups with open sights.
and that the first [err second] rifle has a worn throat and needs something different to fit better.

it all works out, but you just bought another mold for your third [err second] 30-06.

[Deadpool]

200 grn Lee RNFP cast with a lot of tin, more than necessary probably, lots of copper, a bunch of zinc, (don't know where that came from), Hitek bullet coating, sized and gas checked, loaded to 2000 fps, ...

Zinc is a bad idea. A little (<1%) is alright if you're going to shoot them all soon, but don't expect any shelf life out of them, as they will corrode internally and crumble apart. You can replace zinc with copper using CuSO4, which is a good way to get copper in your alloy.

A lot of tin is a bad idea because they will age-soften. You want to know what your Antimony content is, and keep your Tin content less than that. 2% Tin and 3-4% Antimony is about perfect. You could get away with 1% Tin and 2.5% Antimony if they pour okay.

PC works better with larger diameter boolits because they're easier to stand up, and you'll get better accuracy with them when they melt down and not sideways. Likely the biggest problem with regards to accuracy in this area, is what the boolit base looks like when you're done. A target crown means nothing if your base is messed up.

With a 3.5% Sb and 2%Sn mix, made from WW (containing As) you can harden these to 30+ BHN, the hammer mentioned above. But when they contact anything extremely hard, they will shatter. Keep your hardness below 24 and you should be fine with most velocities over 1800fps.

I shoot a 220gr out of my 30-06 at 2400fps. It's way more energy than you need for killing deer, though.

[MT Chambers]

One word: 311041

[LAKEMASTER]

i will be getting the gc 311041mold.

im buying a house atm, closing in a few days.

shopping for loading equipment has switched to buying paint and moving boxes...

i dont like playing grown up... im only 23. =)

[CPL Lou]

This is my favorite 30 caliber boolit for everything from .30-30 to 300 Weatherby:

noebulletmolds.com/NV/product_info.php?cPath=30&products_id=582&osCsid=83rmrfv8l7n4s6dv3ldc41ei75

CPL Lou

[LAKEMASTER]

This is my favorite 30 caliber boolit for everything from .30-30 to 300 Weatherby:

noebulletmolds.com/NV/product_info.php?cPath=30&products_id=582&osCsid=83rmrfv8l7n4s6dv3ldc41ei75

CPL Lou

it didnt show up as more then the NOE page.

[CPL Lou]

Try this link:

noebulletmolds.com/NV/product_info.php?cPath=30&products_id=582

Its a copy of the RCBS 180FN

CPL Lou