IDEAL 308206 -170gr - Does Anyone Shoot This?

[Cooter]

I picked up this old mold recently, and tried using the search function to locate information on it, and/or load information.

From reading the forum, it seems that certain bullet/boolit designs benefit from being driven at certain velocities.

I have found references to a 308206 that casts a 125gr LRN bullet/boolit but the one I found takes removable mold handles. Mine is old enough to have integral mold handles that are part of the mold itself.

Before I start playing around with this and trying reinvent the wheel, I thought I'd ask you guys and see what you had to say.

Thanks for any information or even he said, she said on this one.

EDITED TO ADD:

Looks like I may have answered my own question. I resorted to looking at the Ol' Buffalo Bullet Mold Tables and looking to see if it listed the IDEAL/Lyman mold that was #206 instead of looking for the 308206. Seems it's listed as a 311206.. Using the search function I found a couple threads to read thru that may have the answers to the questions.

Here's the boolit:
http://www.three-peaks.net/images/311206_125g-170g.gif

I'm learning that if I want to check an Ideal/Lyman mold to make sure if I can't find the exact mold number to start looking for the "standardized Ideal/Lyman number" that follows the caliber/diameter number and double check myself that way. Also picked up on the tidbit about Ideal/Lyman renumbering their molds so if a mold was originally XYZ43 in the old numbers but they kept it, it'd appear as XYZ043 in the new numbers as well.

[Bret4207]

I think that's one of the early boolits designed for the Krag. There was a big article in one of the Gun Digest a few years back on all those old designs, might be a Horace Kephart design. Flood gate might know.

I'd think that boolit is going to have a lot riding on how well the loaded round lines up in the chamber. The nose looks too small to offer much support. After thinking about it I'd treat it kind of like a long SWC and forget the nose for support entirely. Maybe see if the front band can be seated out into the seat a little to line things up. And I'd aim for speeds of 1200 fps at first. Have to see if you can get the fit right before bumping things at all.

[HORNET]

I've got the 35 cal version of that design (don't recall the number offhand) and BOY does that thing eat lube.....You might want to look at loads for the 155 Grain (my alloy) 308241/ 311241 as a starting point. Those do very well out of a Rem 788 in .30-30 over 11 gr of 2400. About rimfire speed to judge from the time lag from shot to impact, very low recoil.

[Bent Ramrod]

I tried it in my 1903 Springfield. With 13 gr of IMR-4227 it shot well, also with 16 gr of SR-4759. You can't increase the powder charge much or the shooting goes all over the place. On the other hand, if the velocity is too low, the boolit starts tipping.

[Cooter]

Thanks for the info gentlemen.

I should've asked before I bought it, but being it was an old looking mold in good shape, I grabbed it up just on account of because.

I wanted to do some plinking/smallgame loads for my 06, but I was figuring on using a sized round ball to do that.

On the other hand 1200fps doesn't sound too bad for punching paper. I am pretty excited at the prospects of trying it out though.

Least now I've got somewhere to start thanks to you guys.

Thank you

if it doesn't work out for me, anyone know the best way to long term store a mold, with the intention of not touching it again for a loooooong time? Basically to put it on the shelf and let the kids figure out what they want to do with it in 50 years, but forget about it until then. Might end up being an old trinket that they'll get a smile out of or something.

I was thinking about disassembling what I can, applying antisieze to the screws, dunking the handles into melted beeswax, and the metal into melted wheel bearing grease. Letting it cool, and then vacuum seal it with the foodsaver.

[Bret4207]

Noting wrong with getting a mold "just because". As for storage, a little RIG and the vacuum sealer should do it.