03 Springfield load.

[PDshooter]

Shooting Lyman cast 31141. What is your powder of choice. Have the Lyman cast manual. Been using IMR3031 and 2400. Do you use dacron filler?

Thank you.

[Winger Ed.]

Do a little searching for 'the load'. It's 13gr of Red Dot.
It's pretty impressive what it'll do.

[iron brigade]

+1 on the load. Its a good one
But there are other loads you can try. Not sure how many different powders you have
16-2400
14- blue dot
13- unique
13- green dot
For plain base loads which I mainly shoot in 20 some military rifles I like these loads.
7.5-red dot
6.7-bullseye
8- unique
Lately I've been messing around with 28/20.
Got some great groups in my k31and Few 98.
I also powder coat and size at .312 in my 03 and most of my other 30 cal rifles but not my 303 and 7.62, or 7.65.
Hope this helps.
I B

[243winxb]

My 03 loved IMR 4895 with your bullet. Use Hodgdon Youth Load 60% & work up from there. No filler needed. Your 3031 should work also.

The Lyman loads with pistol powders didnt produce great accuracy, with or without kapok filler, for me. . Do use a Lyman M die. .310 diameter bullets. 50/50 lube.

Had a new GI barrel put on back in the 70's. Made a world of difference. Could hit 1 gal paint cans at 300 yards.

[Silvercreek Farmer]

Hard to beat 2400. Shoots sub MOA for us in 30-06 boltguns at 1950 FPS with powder coated Lee 170’s. No filler.

[Larry Gibson]

Start at 25 gr of the 3031 and work up to about 30 gr +/- and use a dacron filler.

With the 2400 start at 18 gr and work up to 22 gr. If shooting from a bench and loading so the powder is positioned constantly then a dacron filler probably won't be needed. If shouldering and shooting the rifle from various carrying positions and at different angles of fire the dacron filler would be my choice.

[earlmck]

Kinda' depends on what you are doing with that rifle. If, like me, you are shooting gongs out to 600 yards you will want to concentrate on the loads with 4895 or 3031 for those 2000+ fps velocities. If you are just shooting to 100 yards or not much more than "the load" and other similar can be lotsa' fun. For that type shooting I have also gone to a 115 grain boolit to save on lead as well as powder and it is a "grandkid approved" load for blasting tin cans.

[PDshooter]

Kinda' depends on what you are doing with that rifle. If, like me, you are shooting gongs out to 600 yards you will want to concentrate on the loads with 4895 or 3031 for those 2000+ fps velocities. If you are just shooting to 100 yards or not much more than "the load" and other similar can be lotsa' fun. For that type shooting I have also gone to a 115 grain boolit to save on lead as well as powder and it is a "grandkid approved" load for blasting tin cans.

Thank you.....Just blasting milk jugs at 100yds plinking loads, rifle was made in1918 serial # 1,7XX.XXX My dad bought it way back early 60s $15 DCM gave it to me 40yrs ago. Never shoot full house loads in it.

[Bad Ass Wallace]

Springfield 03, 31.5gn 3031 and Lyman 311284 sized to 0.310"

https://i.imgur.com/SabiU6Dm.jpg

[PDshooter]

Springfield 03, 31.5gn 3031 and Lyman 311284 sized to 0.310"

https://i.imgur.com/SabiU6Dm.jpg

Wow, that is great!

[Jack Stanley]

Milk jug safari's can be easily handled with Unique or 2400 with Unique being one of my favorites .

Jack

[Premod70]

Springfield 03, 31.5gn 3031 and Lyman 311284 sized to 0.310"

https://i.imgur.com/SabiU6Dm.jpg

Not bad shooting for 50 feet;-).

[ShooterAZ]

I use 18.5 grains of 2400 in my 1903's, with either the RCBS 165 SIL, the 311041, or the 311299. I would start with 16 grains and work up in 1/2 grain increments. The sweet spot is usually between 18-20 grains.

[Larry Gibson]

My M1903A1 National Match rifle at 100 yards with 19 gr 2400 w/dacron filler under the NOE 310-165-FN "30 XCB". Holding "X" ring after two sighters with sight adjustment then 10 for "record". This rifle with my Lyman 311041 will hold 10 ring with 5 - 7 Xs when loaded over 29 gr 4895 w/dacron filler. Sorry, no pictures of that.

308884

308885

[georgerkahn]

Shooting Lyman cast 31141. What is your powder of choice. Have the Lyman cast manual. Been using IMR3031 and 2400. Do you use dacron filler?

Thank you.

Using this same, exact bullet in my 1903 I use 26.5grains of IMR3031 and PuffLon filler. At 75 yards this gets the great majority of bullets in a pie-sized paper plate. Note that mine is an un-touched or accurized U. S. Rock Island Arsenal Model 1903, S/n 311xxx, which left the factory in 1918 -- one year before my dad was born :)! Other than bore-cleaning and the drop of oil here & there -- it's as I bought it.

[cwlongshot]

My best to date ever cast bullet load came with my '50's sporterized Springfield a RCBS 30-180 fn bullet powder coated sized 310 seated ontop of 2400 @ 1600 ish. Five shots under 1/3" @ 100 yards with a 1-4 post reticule scope.

CW

[405grain]

cwlongshot: I've been interested in trying the RCBS 30-180-FN in my 30-06 (pre-64 Winchester model 70). I haven't been able to locate any information on how deeply to seat this bullet. I'm wondering if having the gas check below the case shoulder would be an issue? What's the OAL on your loads with this bullet? Naturally, I'd have to adjust the cartridge OAL to fit my chamber, but I just wanted to know if the gas check should be even with or below the case shoulder.

[cwlongshot]

Keeping the gas check in the neck of a case, is an old practice before we had crimp on style, gas jacks. There was a real danger of losing that gas check, so keeping them in the neck held them on better. Today. It's not a real huge concern with gas checks available today like gator checks that I use. I'll check the OAL but as you said, it's determined by the action/rifle.

[Larry Gibson]

If the GC is eated below the neck gas cutting can be severe enough to affect accuracy. However, keep in mind "accuracy" is relative. Accuracy with some is just getting some semblance of a "group" [usually not defined as to size nor number of shots, just something like "it groups well"] with minimal use of whatever powder they have at 50 yards or so out of a milsurp. Also, there are many who just plink with cast bullets. Seating the GC below the neck and probable loss of accuracy isn't noticeable to them nor meaningful. That's what they want and do and that is fine with me.

Accuracy to others is the best and tightest groups [usually 5 shots] at 100 yards they can get with some effort at casting good bullets and load development with bolt or semi milsurps or SS, bolt and lever sporter rifles with good sights or scopes. Then there are the CBA folks and longrange shooters where excellent cast bullets are a must as is attention to detail in loading.

I have done enough actual accuracy testing of this subject to always suggest the GC, at least the top of it, remain in the case neck if best accuracy is to gotten. As we can see from the photo [taken from the NRA Cast Bullet Supplement] sever gas cutting can occur with some loads. The picture shows two recovered 311284s fired from a 30-06 with the same load. The left bullet was seated with the GC in the neck. The right bullet had the GC below the neck. Note the very good condition of the still relatively uniform drive bands and the GC is still affixed on the left bullet. We see on the right bullet the drive bands are misshaped and no longer relatively uniform, the GC is gone and sever gas cutting can be seen. The bullet on the right may be "as accurate" as the one on the left in a milsurp rifle at 50 yards but at 100 yards or beyond it will not be as accurate and thus, can definitely be "an issue". That gas cutting can be mitigated to some degree by the use of a filler such as dacron [some loads do not require a dacron filler nor is one recommended for them] but accuracy can still suffer.

Thus, if the accuracy you get seating the GC below the neck is acceptable to you then it's not "an issue". However, if you want the best accuracy then keep the GC, or the top of it, in the neck.

308936

[SSGOldfart]

If the GC is eated below the neck gas cutting can be severe enough to affect accuracy. However, keep in mind "accuracy" is relative. Accuracy with some is just getting some semblance of a "group" [usually not defined as to size nor number of shots, just something like "it groups well"] with minimal use of whatever powder they have at 50 yards or so out of a milsurp. Also, there are many who just plink with cast bullets. Seating the GC below the neck and probable loss of accuracy isn't noticeable to them nor meaningful. That's what they want and do and that is fine with me.

Accuracy to others is the best and tightest groups [usually 5 shots] at 100 yards they can get with some effort at casting good bullets and load development with bolt or semi milsurps or SS, bolt and lever sporter rifles with good sights or scopes. Then there are the CBA folks and longrange shooters where excellent cast bullets are a must as is attention to detail in loading.

I have done enough actual accuracy testing of this subject to always suggest the GC, at least the top of it, remain in the case neck if best accuracy is to gotten. As we can see from the photo [taken from the NRA Cast Bullet Supplement] sever gas cutting can occur with some loads. The picture shows two recovered 311284s fired from a 30-06 with the same load. The left bullet was seated with the GC in the neck. The right bullet had the GC below the neck. Note the very good condition of the still relatively uniform drive bands and the GC is still affixed on the left bullet. We see on the right bullet the drive bands are misshaped and no longer relatively uniform, the GC is gone and sever gas cutting can be seen. The bullet on the right may be "as accurate" as the one on the left in a milsurp rifle at 50 yards but at 100 yards or beyond it will not be as accurate and thus, can definitely be "an issue". That gas cutting can be mitigated to some degree by the use of a filler such as dacron [some loads do not require a dacron filler nor is one recommended for them] but accuracy can still suffer.

Thus, if the accuracy you get seating the GC below the neck is acceptable to you then it's not "an issue". However, if you want the best accuracy then keep the GC, or the top of it, in the neck.

308936
Well said Sir,
We tend to forget accuracy is different base on what the shooter is doing.

[GregLaROCHE]

Mine always liked 3031.

[35 Whelen]

13 grs. of Red Dot has always worked very well for me giving pretty decent accuracy even in a bone stock 1903A3.

https://i.imgur.com/0SIw3Gql.jpg https://i.imgur.com/Znz9RnSl.jpg https://i.imgur.com/6Dv1n76l.jpg

AL2400 too-

https://i.imgur.com/FHDLc53l.jpg

But the real "sleeper" for me has been AA#7. I picked up an 8 lb. jug at a gun show several years ago. I had no idea its application, but at $85 I couldn't pass it up, and I'm glad I didn't.

https://i.imgur.com/83M7mQml.jpg https://i.imgur.com/YmS7agNl.jpg https://i.imgur.com/UvR4WIpl.jpg

It's been great in my 7.5x55's too.

35W

[405grain]

Well I guess the only way to find out what is going to work is to see what fits in my particular rifle. I'll split the neck on a 30-06 case so that it holds the bullet, but will allow it to get pushed back into the case with some pressure. I'll seat the RCBS 30-180-FN out pretty long, then chamber this "dummy" round. When I extract the dummy I'll be able to see if the chamber will allow me to seat the bullet with the gas check at, or ahead of, the case neck.

I'm interested in seeing how the 30-180-FN will preform in the 30-06 because it has a long bearing surface with a short & fat nose. Though it's more widely known as a good 30 caliber hunting bullet, these attributes should contribute to it being an accurate cast bullet. The goal here is to try and shoot a 1" group at 100 yards. I've been using IMR-3031 with a dacron filler and the Lyman 311299, and have been getting close, but haven't quite cracked that elusive 5 shot, 1" barrier yet. The Military Rifle sub-forum probably isn't the right place to be asking these questions, but cwlongshot mentioned using that bullet in that caliber, so I thought I'd ask about the seating length.

[gwpercle]

I like the following 30-06 loads in my 1903-A3 Springfield
(2 groove barrel ) with the 31141 w/ GC

Red Dot : start - 10.5 grains ... Max. - 13.5 grains
My Pet load is 13.0 grs. Red Dot - no filler is required . " The Load"

Unique : start - 12.0 grains ... Max. - 16.5 grains
My Pet load is 15.0 grs. Unique . No filler required .

My Pet loads are accuracy loads not high velocity loads .
Gary

[GooseGestapo]

I’ve got two...
200gr Lee .309 (.311”) over 34.5gr of H4895 or SW-PrecisionRifle. Gets 2,050fps and cycles my M1 Garands. Quite accurate. Roughly duplicates the original.30-40Krag ballistics.

160gr Lee .310” .(311”) over same powder charge. 2,100fps. Cycles an M1.

16.0gr of Unique under a Lee 150gr .309” FNGC. Duplicates the 13.0RedDot load. My first cast bullet efforts circa 1975!

Cheap fun! Primers are the weak link. With Powder coated bullets, bullets AND powder, cost less than just the primer...
(WW alloy and SPG lube unless powder coated).

[Streetwalker]

In my 03/A3, I use a derivation of the old Jim Carmichael 300 Win. Mag. practice load for match rifle shooting. I use 20 Gr. of Reloader 7, magnum primer, no filler, L.C. Match '06 brass, under the RCBS 200 gr. sil. bullet. I have used this load for years and it shoots tighter than I can hold. Tough part is finding Reloader 7, let alone, primers, unfortunately.