New mold for 308

[nueces5]

Hello everyone, with a friend we want to buy a lyman mold, to start shooting boolits in our .308.
His rifle is a weatherby submoa and mine is a CZ 550 varmint. They are both 1:10
The molds that we have available to buy are:
311284
311291
311466
311041
We don't think about hunting, just target shooting.
What do you recomend me?
I was observing that 311291 is very similar to Lee 312-185, can I use these boolits on 308 if I go through sizing 309?
Thanks

[nueces5]

any ideas?
can you size 313 to 309? or is it too much?

[Maven]

You can if you first fill all the [lube] grooves with your favorite CB lube. However, it does require a bit of muscle, and unless you have a exceptional well-fitted top punch, you risk distorting the bullet nose. Sizing to .311" and the to .309" is more time consuming, but yields a better outcome.

[nueces5]

You can if you first fill all the [lube] grooves with your favorite CB lube. However, it does require a bit of muscle, and unless you have a exceptional well-fitted top punch, you risk distorting the bullet nose. Sizing to .311" and the to .309" is more time consuming, but yields a better outcome.
Thanks, I think I will try some and see what happens

[Mk42gunner]

I have shot a lot of Lee's 312-185 sized to .311" through my .308's. Both of mine were originally military chambers, not civilian, so if your rifles throats are large enough for boolit release it should work.

Robert

[waco]

I have had some good success with the 284 in my Rem 700 .308

[nueces5]

Thanks Waco and Gunner
Ok, we have divided the panorama, I believed that the 284 is more of a hunting mold, but in the short time I have been involved in making my own boolits, I think I learned that nothing is what it seems.
I was reading in previous threads, that a good one is lyman 311299, I have and use for 7.65 Arg 314299 and I am very satisfied.
I keep listening to them, I think I have time in my reload bench, it seems like it takes a long time for my range to reopen.
Cheers

[Bad Ass Wallace]

I use the 311284 in my 4 groove 1:10" 30.06. loaded with 3031 (31.5gns) and bullet sized to 0.310" I shot this 10 shot group. Mind, case preparation involves unifying the primer pocket holes, trimming to length, and outside neck turning to just true up the wall thickness.

https://i.imgur.com/SabiU6Dl.jpg

[Cosmic_Charlie]

I use the 311284 in my 4 groove 1:10" 30.06. loaded with 3031 (31.5gns) and bullet sized to 0.310" I shot this 10 shot group. Mind, case preparation involves unifying the primer pocket holes, trimming to length, and outside neck turning to just true up the wall thickness.

https://i.imgur.com/SabiU6Dl.jpg

That is impressive.

[Jniedbalski]

In my 308 axis I use lee .312 -160-2R . I size all my 308 cast to .311 they fit fine. I also use the lee .311 100 2R or lee tl.314 90 swc in reduced loads. I also have a noe 200 or 205 grain mold that shoots and loads fine at .311. I haven’t loaded any fast or hunting loads yet only loads from 800 FPS to 1,600 FPS. The 1200 to 1600 FPS loads I do use a gas check. The 700 to 1200 FPS loads I don’t use the gas check and use them for plinking at paper. I think I like the reduced loads the best but the lee 160 and the noe 200 gr also shoot very good to 100 yards for me.

[jaysouth]

My vanguard 2.0 in 308 does very well with the Lee 312-185 sized .311. I load them over 3031 or H4895. More accurate than the operator. Mine is the older one with 1:12 barrel 24 inches long. I also have the same mold with the gas shank removed. Powder coated and sized at 311, it is a great plinking load over 10-12 grs. Red Dot.

[popper]

For informal target shooting something from noe should work good. Lyman is small. 266 is good, 31-165a or c is good for me. Depends on range and BC.

[MT Gianni]

I have had great success with the 311466 in 30 calibers. The Saeco 315 @ 165 gr is a good one as well, but I am not sure how easy it is to import to the South. Quando estuve in Argentina hace mas que quarenta anos la aduana no era muy dificil de actuar con ellos. No se si es el mismo ahora. NOE has a good copy if you can import it.
https://noebulletmolds.com/site/product-category/308-311/311-179-fn-i5

[1hole]

I was observing that 311291 is very similar to Lee 312-185, can I use these boolits on 308 if I go through sizing 309?

First, the 311291 has long been recognised as the best (on average) cast bullet for .30 caliber; I doubt that Lee's version is (on average) any less accurate.

The only bullets I can think of that can't reasonably be sized down a few thou are Barnes' near solids. The .311" cast bullets won't care about sizing to .309. And it might not even be that much.

Mold diameters are not that precisely made and it wouldn't much matter if they were. Thing is, the hardest of our cast bullets aren't all that hard. Cast bullets are alloyed with antimony and tin, the exact "as cast" bullet size can/will vary a couple thou just with an alloy change!