.308 cast boolit weight?

[exile]

I am wondering what the best cast boolit weight would be for a Savage heavy barreled rifle in .308 with a 1 in 10 twist? These would most likely be powder-coated and shot at 100 yards max. for recreational purposes.

Specific mold recommendations from NOE and Lee would be appreciated as well.

Thanks in advance for your answers.

exile

[runfiverun]

150-165-170-180.
either of the lee's do fine in the 308.

powder coated..? well,,, I'd look at a new undersized as usual lyman.

[mwells72774]

I’ve had good luck with the lee 314-185 and check and sized to .309 with good accuracy

[waco]

Kinda hard to find a boolit in the 150-220gr range that does not shoot well in the .308
Lots of options......

[exile]

Thanks so much. In that case I will probably buy the 155 grain Lee in the six cavity and a 180 grain NOE. Has anybody tried the NOE 180 grain hollow-point mold?

exile

[Cherokee]

I've had real good luck with the Lee 312-155 GC pointed bullet in my MVP @ 100 yd.

[exile]

I've had real good luck with the Lee 312-155 GC pointed bullet in my MVP @ 100 yd.

Good to know the lighter boolit weights work well. A friend of mine likes his MVP in .556 very much.

You have all given me much to think about and I appreciate all the help.

exile

[Silverboolit]

I did a pound cast of my Howa's .308 chamber and the throat was .312. That said, I got a 198 gr spire point from NOE and couldn't be happier. I was using a 180 gr from Accurate sized at .310 and it worked well, but not as well at the 198 gr NOE. I think that the sizing had more to do with the outcome than the mold.

[waco]

That Lee .312-155gr works really well in my .308 with 2400 and SR4759

[Forrest r]

It's hard to beat the lee 6-cavity molds for the 30cal's. I use/shoot a lot of the lee 160-312's in my 1 in 10 and 1 in 11 30cal's.
https://i.imgur.com/5q8x3pR.jpg
I pc this bullet and use mostly pistol powders for 1600fps to 1800fps loads.

Another bullet that does extremely well in the 1 in 10 twist 308's is the m1 carbine bullet. Different mold makers have their own version of this bullet. I use a cramer mold/version of that bullet with almost any pistol powder. The cramer #50 pc'd/10-shot group @ 50yds with a 1 in 10 twist 308(stinkin flier).
https://i.imgur.com/BJ3ovpc.jpg

The little 30cal bullets save on lead and are just as accurate as their larger counterparts.

[quilbilly]

Every rifle barrel has a different personality. I have a Rem. 308 that shoots a number of 150's and 160's very well with several powders but my Mossberg 308 with the same twist (1/10) won't shoot any of the Rem. loads worth a darn but wants something new a little hotter (a work in progress) it would appear. Keep an open mind and be willing to think outside the box. In your case, I would limit your investment and try two Lee molds - the 160 RNGC and the 180 RNGC - then with one powder and one lube, start a ladder with each starting at 1500 fps and work up to 2100 fps. Once you have a feel for things, add another variable one at a time. You have embarked on an adventure with a lot of trigger time. Good fun and it is called the scientific method. I have always thought everyone on this board is a scientist at heart.

[exile]

Every rifle barrel has a different personality. I have a Rem. 308 that shoots a number of 150's and 160's very well with several powders but my Mossberg 308 with the same twist (1/10) won't shoot any of the Rem. loads worth a darn but wants something new a little hotter (a work in progress) it would appear. Keep an open mind and be willing to think outside the box. In your case, I would limit your investment and try two Lee molds - the 160 RNGC and the 180 RNGC - then with one powder and one lube, start a ladder with each starting at 1500 fps and work up to 2100 fps. Once you have a feel for things, add another variable one at a time. You have embarked on an adventure with a lot of trigger time. Good fun and it is called the scientific method. I have always thought everyone on this board is a scientist at heart.

Good advice quillbilly, scientists, poets, patriots, men of faith, we will probably need to be all those things in the days ahead.

exile

[robg]

150/160/180 Lee molds all work in my 308 savage .2400 is my choice of powder no fillers around 18 grains of powder

[exile]

Is a gas check needed on a powder-coated boolit? Would the uniformity the gas check provides to the base of the boolit contribute to accuracy?

exile

[popper]

The jacketed bench shooters seem to prefer 168gr sierras (or SMK) for accuracy so I chose the 31-165A (RNFP - that was designed by a couple guys here to fit the 308W) that works very well in my LR308 1:10 HBAR. For PC I modified it to the 31-165C. Last week I got to shoot @ 200, steel target and BDC scope = tad over 2". Not bad considering you are trying to center a circle on a circle. BC is higher than I thought, ~0.37 vs the 0.33 I assumed. The pointier boolits will give better BC but are harder for me to seat (flat seater plug). These are GC but I shoot a similar (145gr) PB PC'd (2100 fps) in the BO rifle with good accuracy @ 100 1.5 MOA. If punching paper for score I'd go with GC and pointy 160-170 boolits. For hunting possibility, choose the RNFP, just easier to work with. My alloy is 3-4% Sb with 1/2% Cu - just the Sb does work fine. Actually I have the 31-165A 4x Al. I'd sell for a reasonable price.

[atr]

In my .308 (1:10 twist) I shoot a 180gr cast sized 0.309...I don't find the heavier 200-220 grain bullets as accurate as the 180gr

[exile]

So, I purchased the NOE .312 160 grain fn (Ed Harris) mold in four cavity aluminium, two gas check, two plain base. I have had my eye on this mold for several years. Is this what they call a bore-riding design? What do you think?

exile

[runfiverun]

if it is cut properly yes and no.
it will have a short bore ride section, but the greater part of the bullet will be groove filler.

[marek313]

Another vote here for Lee 312-155. They work great powder coated in my 300 blackout.

[Bama]

I am wondering what the best cast boolit weight would be for a Savage heavy barreled rifle in .308 with a 1 in 10 twist? These would most likely be powder-coated and shot at 100 yards max. for recreational purposes.

Specific mold recommendations from NOE and Lee would be appreciated as well.



Thanks in advance for your answers.

exile

I have had good results using the Lee 200 gr GCed and PCed and neck sized. Arsenal also makes a 200 gr that is designed for PC that is extremely accurate.

[straphanger]

Anyone using 311291 or the NOE equivalent in .308? It always seemed to get favorable comments for 30-06 by Harrison and others. I am looking for a good 170 gr mold for both my M1s and M1As and was considering getting the .311 version from NOE and sizing to .310.