.30 Caliber Cast Hunting Bullets For Autoloaders

[scottnc]

Probably a well covered topic. Using the 7.62 X 39 in an SKS and an AR15. Since there are a handful of newer .30 caliber rounds with similar powder capacity to the 30 X 39 for the hunting AR some of you could probably make suggestions that'd save me from buying more .30 cal molds that don't kill well.

To ramble a bit - I have NOE molds for both rifles that shoot well and are of ~160 grains and have a small meplat (the likely culprit for what follows). The NOE bullet was a real game changer in SKS accuracy. Shooting well is one thing, killing game responsibly has proven to be another. Two deer down with the SKS, both bullets hit their mark and passed completely through. Neither bled worth a hoot. The first one bled not at all, convinced I had only creased the belly hairs I gave up looking after going back to look mid-morning the next day. Found it ten days later after coyotes told me where to look. Bullet hole was right where I had called it. Second one ran maybe 125 feet before stacking up, not bleeding until fifty to seventy feet into a cut-over overgrown thick with one inch samplings. Took three try's (and dumb luck) running a grid from the point of impact before finding blood. I am back to the 35 Remmy for the season. I want to try hunting pigs with the autoloaders but obviously need bullets that leave a good wound channel. The SKS likes a fat nosed ~160gr. GC bullet of .3155", the AR seems happy with a 155gr. GC'd at .309" and set out a bit long, crimped in the first lube groove.

[Winger Ed.]

You might try a softer alloy to promote expansion first.

Also, not all wounds bleed to the outside very much not matter what the critter was hit with.
I think the quickness of it dying is more related to which vital part is destroyed rather than blood loss to the outside.

[scottnc]

You might try a softer alloy to promote expansion first.

Also, not all wounds bleed to the outside very much not matter what the critter was hit with.
I think the quickness of it dying is more related to which vital part is destroyed rather than blood loss to the outside.

I agree. I've been dropping the bullets straight from the mold into water. Need to stop doing that I guess. You get used to deer not going more than a few yards before piling up or them dropping at the shot. These pointy bullets may not be the best choice for shots taken close to heavy cover if the order of the day for a small meplat is less initial shock and delayed bleeding. I sure don't want a repeat of loosing an animal until the next day (or later) with the warmish (from a meat preservation standpoint) nights during most of deer season here in central NC.

[gwpercle]

Try this ... a 50-50 mix of COWW and soft lead .
Air cooled . I was impressed with the results in 30 cal. riles shown on the Hunting Thread .
The boolits mushroom nicely but don't shatter or shed weight .
The examples of deer taken was impressive .
I used straight COWW untill I saw the results of 50-50 alloy and that's all I use now in bot rifle and handgun . I think the bhn is 8.5 , and works a lot better than straight wheel-weight alloy in a hunting boolit at 30-30 velocites .
Gary

[Grayone]

Probably a well covered topic. Using the 7.62 X 39 in an SKS and an AR15. Since there are a handful of newer .30 caliber rounds with similar powder capacity to the 30 X 39 for the hunting AR some of you could probably make suggestions that'd save me from buying more .30 cal molds that don't kill well.

To ramble a bit - I have NOE molds for both rifles that shoot well and are of ~160 grains and have a small meplat (the likely culprit for what follows). The NOE bullet was a real game changer in SKS accuracy. Shooting well is one thing, killing game responsibly has proven to be another. Two deer down with the SKS, both bullets hit their mark and passed completely through. Neither bled worth a hoot. The first one bled not at all, convinced I had only creased the belly hairs I gave up looking after going back to look mid-morning the next day. Found it ten days later after coyotes told me where to look. Bullet hole was right where I had called it. Second one ran maybe 125 feet before stacking up, not bleeding until fifty to seventy feet into a cut-over overgrown thick with one inch samplings. Took three try's (and dumb luck) running a grid from the point of impact before finding blood. I am back to the 35 Remmy for the season. I want to try hunting pigs with the autoloaders but obviously need bullets that leave a good wound channel. The SKS likes a fat nosed ~160gr. GC bullet of .3155", the AR seems happy with a 155gr. GC'd at .309" and set out a bit long, crimped in the first lube groove.

One thing I have added to my .30 caliber cast is a hollow point made with the Froster Case Trimmer. I use the 1/8 th drill bit and drill 3/16 th deep. The bullet I use is the Lee 312 160 sized to .309 and powder coated. Alloy is WW/Pure 50/50 air cooled. We will be happy with the results. I drive this bullet to 2000 FPS in a 7.62x39 with a 1/10 twist.

[405grain]

I was just about to suggest hollow pointing your existing bullets, but Greyone beat me to it. It sounds like your alloy is too hard. Try air cooling instead of quenching with your current alloy. Before you try anything else, do some experimenting with those air cooled bullets. A side by side comparison with your current water quenched bullets, shooting both into something like soaked newspaper or phone books, should give you an indicator if the air cooled ones will be better for hunting. If the air cooled bullets still aren't expanding enough, then try hollow pointing with the air cooled alloy and see how that works. I'm betting that simply allowing your alloy to air cool will solve your problem without having to buy any new molds.

[scottnc]

Went straight to water cooled bullets to try and toughen the bullet nose. The SKS feeds nice and slick so softer may be fine in it. The AR . . . think of a 1911 feeding semi wad cutters.

I've already considered making a few hollow points since I have access to a collet equipped lathe. Used it a few years back to hollow point some RCBS .35-200-FN (82028). Never went so far as to bother loading any though, that bullet of straight WW in the 35 Remington has proved to be big medicine on whitetail. Both .30 bullets meplat are perhaps too small at .110" and .130" for an 1/8" hole? I'll make up a sampler of a smaller diameter HP's and do as 405 suggests - it sounds like a fun way to burn up an afternoon. Question, where does one get newspaper these days? As for using phone books, my phone book is the size of a Readers Digest and 3/16" thick ;-p I'll ask around.

[Texas by God]

I am learning as I go as well. Previously I have used the Lee C309150F in the 30-30 and it worked well, the buck fell just a few yards after the shot. That was with straight wheel weight alloy.
This year, I'm using range scrap. I've killed two bucks so far, one with the 38-55 and one with the 6.8 SPC. The 250 gr. .377" Lee bullet did not expand(that I know of)- but it doesn't need to. The .278" 135 gr. left a wound channel that seems to indicate that it did expand a bit.
Neither deer traveled much more that 20 yards. I do believe that I will try to break some shoulder bones on the next deer that I take- hopefully using my 44WCF with 200 gr FN.

Sent from my SM-A716U using Tapatalk

[Larry Gibson]

I also use a Lee Group Buy mould for the C314-150-FN in both my Russian SKS and my Mini Mk X Mauser. I load them to 1850 fps over H4895 and both are excellent hunting bullets. The FN feed 100% in both rifles. Accuracy is excellent. For deer/pig hunting I would cast them of COWW + 2% tin then mixed 50/50 with pure lead. I'd let them AC and age 10+ days before lubing, GCing and loading. I also would HP the bullets after loading with a Forster 1/8" HP tool.

307885

[scottnc]

I also use a Lee Group Buy mould for the C314-150-FN in both my Russian SKS and my Mini Mk X Mauser. I load them to 1850 fps over H4895 and both are excellent hunting bullets. The FN feed 100% in both rifles. Accuracy is excellent. For deer/pig hunting I would cast them of COWW + 2% tin then mixed 50/50 with pure lead. I'd let them AC and age 10+ days before lubing, GCing and loading. I also would HP the bullets after loading with a Forster 1/8" HP tool.

307885

Larry, you know what? Looking at your Lee bullet I see no reason my NOE's can't have their noses trimmed back to make them look the same. If they prove to function okay modifying and HPing a hundred or so of each bullet wouldn't take but a few minutes once the lathe is set up. Use them as-is for paper punching and banging steel.

[405grain]

scottnc: You're right, no body reads an actual newspaper nowadays. Old (free) phone books aren't a thing any more either. Back in the day we'd soak a pile of these in a wheelbarrow full of water for a couple of days, then stack them up to form a target. Not only could you judge the penetration of a bullet from this, you could also see what it's expansion would be like. Sometimes I'd even get "scientific" and put a piece of 1/2" or 3/4" plywood about an inch and a half into the front of the stack to simulate "bone". I guess everybody gets they're news from either a phone or computer today, so those old methods are a thing of the past. I don't want to hijack your thread, but this has opened up a train of thought: what to use for low cost terminal ballistics testing in today's modern age? I'll start a new thread on this topic and see where it leads.

[whisler]

There are times when I would suggest using a computer for a target. No usable info on penetration/expansion, but possibly a bit of satisfaction. "I told you, crash one more time and you're done for." LOL

[scottnc]

In asking family members who live in various megaopolis' I am being told they no longer receive a phone book. Don't have land lines either. The county recycling centers are an open door bin kinda deal, it might pay to load up the dog and drive by a few to see if someone has cleaned house of stacks of old magazines and such. And, tis the season, we're getting a couple seasonal catalogs every day.