Best long range .30 bullet?

[Lonegun1894]

So I got this wild hair to try and see how far away I can consistently hit a target, and thought you enablers would have good suggestions. What I've been using so far is a Lyman 311041 and a Lyman 311413, and while both are good, I know neither is the best, so what do you all suggest? The rifles in question will be bolt actions in .308 Winchester or .30-06, but I'm not sure which of the two or it may be both. And the targets will be steel plates, paper, or whatever happens to be a convenient target as this project moves along. The ranges involved will be out as far as accuracy allows, which to be honest, I don't have a set distance I have my heart set on, but rather just want to find the limits of me and my rifles without the bullet being a convenient excuse. I have reached out past 1K with jacketed, but want to find the limit with cast. So, what mold would you all buy if you wanted the best possible accuracy at the longest possible range, and please lets try to figure out 1 or 2 that are best, because while that is probably reasonably affordable, I really can't afford to buy 50 different molds for this project. So what would you get if it was your money we were spending on this? Thank you all in advance.

[waksupi]

220 gr. Loverin.

[Budzilla 19]

I’m having good luck with the Lee C312-155-2r out to 475 yards! Hitting an 8” plate at that distance. There will be someone along shortly with way more experience than me in this endeavor!! Good luck to you

[charlie b]

Mine depend on when they go subsonic. With a 1/10 twist .308 I find best accuracy at 2000fps or less. For the two bullets I shoot the most that means 500yd on most days. NOE 310-165 XCB, Acc 31-210E Eagan Mk3 profile. There is a 230gn version of the Eagan that might carry further.

I have upped the vel to 2400fps but groups open up a bit. At 2200fps they are ~2MOA. At 2400fps (XCB) around 3MOA for me. I should mention all my bullets are powder coated. I keep in mind that the Hodgdon max vel for a 215gn jacketed bullet is ~2200fps. At 2200fps the Acc31-210E should be good to 600yd and might reach 700 before getting too slow. I have not tried it since I just don't load it that fast. I'd rather have a 5" group or smaller at 500yd than a 10" group at 600yd. So, I load to just under 2000fps and keep the range to 500yd or less.

If you have a 1/12 twist then I'd start with that as you can drive the bullets faster.

There are many choices that are proven out to 500 and 600yd (depending on muzzle vel). The XCB, RCBS165SIL and 200SIL, Lyman 200gn 311299. I picked the Acc31-210E because I wanted that weight and I could order the mold so it would fit my rifle after being powder coated.

You might consider trying some. Montana Bullet Works can cast you up some from a variety of molds they have on hand. I did that when I started, ordering some of the 165SIL and 311299 bullets. They all shot very well from my rifle.

This group was shot last month. I usually try to get a group on paper every two or three trips to the range.
300343

PS You can see my wind doping was not perfect. The aimpoint was at the right edge of this portion of the target.

[Lonegun1894]

Thank you all for the suggestions.

[charlie b]

You should consult with a few others. For example, Larry Gibson has done a lot of competition shooting at 600yd.

Lots of info in here if you look around a bit.

[Lonegun1894]

You should consult with a few others. For example, Larry Gibson has done a lot of competition shooting at 600yd.

Lots of info in here if you look around a bit.

Yes, Sir! I'm hoping a few more people chime in, and I will wait til a few more do before I go ordering the next mold to do this with. I mean, there's lots of good advice from all of you above, but we are just scratching the surface in terms of people here who have a lot more experience with this sort of thing than I do at least, so I was thinking wait and see who else speaks up, and I bet someone brings up something that I didn't even know to ask that will be very relevant in this project. So I'm thinking I need to just sit on my mold money and shut up and listen to y'all and learn. I mean, so far, I have been able to reach out to about 600 with the 311413, and keep it on a B-27 target, and sometimes a pie plate on a good day, but I have no doubt that better is possible.

[nueces5]

I was shooting a few weeks ago for the first time at long range with boolits
use a loverin design, as they say above. The 311466, 152 grains, which goes very well with my rifle, a cz varmint, 1:12
Lubricated with orange magic, previous PC, aluminum gascheck that I do with 0.15 inch aluminum
I used a Argentinian powder similar to 3031, and they came out with 2500 fps, getting hits at 700 yds
I have not tried other designs in long range, but the next one will be 314299

[405grain]

I haven't shot at "long range", but so far I've gotten pretty good 30 caliber cast bullet accuracy with the Lyman 311299. I have other 30 caliber molds but this one has shot the tightest groups in my rifles.

[Rapier]

The trick is to use a bullet design such that the design does not float the nose when it comes over the curve in the top of the trajectory. The RN or fLat point is made to break the air evenly over the nose, thus allowing the bullet to come over the curve streight. The RCBS Silhouette design is an example, they come in 150, 165, 180. for 2,000 t0 2,400 fps range, Saeco also makes an excellent 200g with a bevel nose design. I have shot the 30 cal 165, 180g and 200s in long range silhouette competition using a case capacity from the 300 Savage to the 308 W case.
I have found that most anything is accurate to 100 meters, but at 200-300 meters the accuracy gets very iffy without a good bullet design.

[Petander]

Best BC comes with the long,heavy bullets.

A good BC does not guarantee accuracy but I limit my 168 grns to 300 meters and go 220 grn from there. Wind etc come to play all differently when you reach out.

[andrew375]

I've used the Lee 200gr at upto 500 yards with good results.

[nueces5]

Searching a little about this topic, I found this note
https://loaddata.com/Article/LoadDevelopment/RCBS-Silhouette-Cast-Bullets/469
Despite not reading the entire note, the information it leaves me is that this type of design, silhouette, would be more precise since it leaves the nose on the beginning of the lands and valleys.
I found a 200 grain rcbs for sale on Ebay, and I see that it is very similar to my lyman 314299, so I already have one that fulfills that function. I'll have to test it at long range.

[remy3424]

I would try whatever Larry says.

[GregLaROCHE]

If you can get different varieties of boolits from Montana Bullet Works, that would be the best place to start. Not all guns shoot the same and having the chance to try out different boolits, will save cash experimenting on different molds.

[Drew P]

210gr Berger VLD HPBT. Sorry I couldn’t help it.

[Lonegun1894]

210gr Berger VLD HPBT. Sorry I couldn’t help it.

You’re not wrong, it just doesn’t solve this particular problem.

[MT Gianni]

I found I ran out of receiver sight adjustment with the heavy bullets at 400 yards. I went to the 311466 and Saeco 315. I would go with the Saeco if pressed to only have one.

[lotech]

I've had very good results in .308s and .30-06s with the regular #314299 and the same hollowpointed by Eric Ohlen, but the hollowpoint probably wouldn't be very good for long range because of the poorer BC. Another excellent bullet has been the Eagan MX3-30 ARD at around 200 grains. This may be the most accurate .30 caliber design I've run across so far, but lately I've doing some work with the SAECO #301, about 200 grains in ww alloy. I've had this mould more than thirty years. I started using it again recently and have gotten some fine groups with it but not enough to say it's the best I've worked with at this point. Still, very promising results in a couple of .308s.

[barrabruce]

Can I ask then
If you can’t get there supersonic.
What bullet transitions the turbulent zone best.
And would it be best to fall back through that zone when the bullet is at the flattest part of it trajectory.
Maybe in 200 to 400 yard range.

[DonHowe]

I found I ran out of receiver sight adjustment with the heavy bullets at 400 yards. I went to the 311466 and Saeco 315. I would go with the Saeco if pressed to only have one.

That's where a Long Range Soule tang sight is worth it's weight in gold! Or an external adjustment scope.

[Dragonheart]

The trick is to use a bullet design such that the design does not float the nose when it comes over the curve in the top of the trajectory. The RN or fLat point is made to break the air evenly over the nose, thus allowing the bullet to come over the curve streight. The RCBS Silhouette design is an example, they come in 150, 165, 180. for 2,000 t0 2,400 fps range, Saeco also makes an excellent 200g with a bevel nose design. I have shot the 30 cal 165, 180g and 200s in long range silhouette competition using a case capacity from the 300 Savage to the 308 W case.
I have found that most anything is accurate to 100 meters, but at 200-300 meters the accuracy gets very iffy without a good bullet design.

Absolutely correct, and the reason is all cast bullets come out of the mold lopsided/non-concentric. Now it's time for those to chime in and say, "not my bullets they are perfectly round" but before you post, roll your perfectly round cast bullet on a concentricity gauge and post the video.

Non-concentric has nothing to do with the alloy, a quality mold or experience of the caster. It has everything to do with the physics of the cooling process; a poor quality mold could make it worse.

For full power accuracy at long range a bullet must be concentric, otherwise it will start to wobble and when it does the wobble only gets worse.

To help offset the issue, rifle bullets with maximum barrel contact and minimal nose typically work the best. A perfectly installed gas check can provide a flat perpendicular base and powder coating a jacket.