Lee .30 150 gr TL PB first try

[MikeSSS]

This is a group buy bullet that took a long time for the molds to arrive. It can wiggle in the case some as Maven noted in another post.

At 100 yards, over 7 gr of 231, lubed with Alox and unsized these bullets got the following results from a not cleaned enough 1917 30-06:

Twelve shots produced two distinct groups, the larger one was left of the smaller group. Six shots were in a group of 2.91", the other six formed a 0.93" group.

All used the same point of aim (blurry front sight and very blurry orange target).

After that leading caused the rifle to throw shots 8 to 10 inches away from these groups.

The bullets have been sitting around for a long time, they were probably cast from wheel weights and probably water quenched.

The rear sight was set on the 700 yard setting.

Got the sacrifical Chore Boy brush out and got the lead out.

I'll try again but think there is not enough full size surface on these bullets to prevent gas leaking and cutting and so they will always have a leading problem.

[MikeSSS]

This is for the group buy 6 cavity mold of the 309 150 tumble lube, plain base boolit, 309 150 TL PB.

Update: Loaded some for the 30-30 Winchester 94, ten over 9.0 gr 231 and another ten over 7.0 of 231. The 7 gr loads felt better.

Shot the ten 9 gr loads at 33 yards offhand, the sights were very blurry as was the target, to these old eyes. The first shot from a clean barrel was very low, I raised the rear sight as high as it could go and shot the other nine, the best 7 were in a 3.2" group, the other two were low. The "group" was low and to the left. Low was expected for light loads in a rifle made for much hotter loads.

Next I shot the ten 7 gr loads, again at 33 yards and again seeing multiple front sights. This was again offhand and I pulled a couple but the best 8 were in a 2.66" group.

At home I cleaned the 1967 Canadian Centennial 26" barreled 30-30 94 Winchester, it had lead and needed Chore Boy on a brush with CLP to get the lead out.

I'll shoot some of these 309 150 TL PB's at a hundred yards off a bench and then probably melt down most of the other ones and cast some gas check boolits that hopefully will give less leading.

This boolit has only one driving band to seal the gas and that's just not enough.

The Winchester needs to come apart for diamond filing, stoning, emery clothing and Simi Chroming. It runs pretty rough and it's easy to lever it open so fast that the carrier throws the front of the cartridge up into a stovepipe. Slicking it won't cure the stovepiping, only levering it more slowly to the front will be that cure but I'm pretty sure I can get it to be a lot smoother. But, heck, taking it apart and tinkering with it is half the fun anyway.