Comparing the 185gr to 200gr 7.7 cast bullet

[BJung]

I have the Lee .312-185gr mold and am casting bullets from it. But, I like the design of the 200gr .309 mold. I think it casts a tad larger and I can PC it up to .311-312. Or the bullet will bump up to the size. My question is, how well will the 200gr bullet shoot compared to the 185gr cast bullet to encourage me to buy that mold? Has anyone tried it and compared the two?

[Larry Gibson]

I don't PC, ergo, I don't bump up an under sized bullet with it. I do however shoot the C312-185 and the 314299 cast bullets in my 7.65 Argentines, 7.62x54Rs and my 303 Brits. I find the C312-185 does as well out to 300 yards as the 314299. However, past 300 yards the 314299 performs better accuracy wise.

[405grain]

You didn't say what caliber you're shooting? (7.7 Japanese, 303 British, 7.62x54 Russian, or 7.65 Argentine) So far the most accurate bullet that I've found for my 7.65x53 Mauser has been the Lyman 311289. This bullet casts at just over .310" and was intended for use in .308 caliber rifles, but I powder coat it and then size it to .3125" It typically shoots into one ragged hole about 3/4" in diameter at 50 yards. I have tried the same process with the Lyman #311299 but the nose gets too big in diameter to chamber. This can be a problem with bore riding designs. About the only way you'll find out for sure if the 200 grain 309 mold will work for your application is to try it. If the nose gets too fat to chamber you'll either have to size the nose, or use a method which powder coats only the driving bands. Keep in mind that if the nose section of a bore rider is too small and doesn't properly fit the barrel lands, the bullet will likely be pretty inaccurate.

I'm jealous of Larry. They closed all the nearby public lands so the longest range that I have access to is only 100 yards. Sure wish I could try out some loads at 200 to 300 yards.

[Kraschenbirn]

I doubt if there's any hard and fast answer to the question...too many variables from gun to gun. My Longbranch #4Mk1 and M1909 Argie both prefer the Lee C312-185 out to 200 yards while my Finn-captured M91/30 (Tula 1937) likes the 314299, PC'd and sized back to .314. At the same time, my buddy's T99 Arisaka doesn't seem to care for either and shoots best with the Lee C312-160. Go figure.

Bill

[Larry Gibson]

[QUOTE=.......I'm jealous of Larry. They closed all the nearby public lands so the longest range that I have access to is only 100 yards. Sure wish I could try out some loads at 200 to 300 yards.[/QUOTE]

If you ever get over this way let me know and we can arrange shooting to as far away as you'd like to do.