Lee 312 185 1R anybody use it?

[MikeSSS]

Found a brand new Lee 312 185 1R GC single cavity mold today in one of the boxes of stuff.

Tonight I brushed it with Dawn, brushed it with 90% alcohol and smoked it with wood matches. The first boolit came out looking fine and so did the others as long as I didn't let the mold or lead overheat.

The plan is to use this for the .30 milsurps, etc with 16 gr of 2400 and probably some lighter loads too.

Anybody shoot this and if so how does it do?

Anybody shoot it with no gas checks and with light loads?



Lead, were gonna need more lead.

[Buckshot]

..............It's a very usefull slug in a LOT of 30 cals. Lee shows it as usefull in 303's, Argentines and other fat 30's and that may be if you have a skinny FAT 30 :-) It's utility for the 30's is really (IMHO) in it's fatter then normal 30 cal moulds, nose OD. I do have a tight barreled M91 Argentine but it would be useless in any of my other Argentines, M91-30 M-Ns or the M44.

...............Buckshot

[skeet1]

I shoot it in my 03-A3 the bore riding nose just fits my gun. I use SR4759 but the 2400 should be a very good choice.

Skeet1

[Obmi]

I haven't cast one yet but i got it for my mosin nagant.

[HABCAN]

In my experience, most LEE moulds cast undersize with MY WD'd WW's alloy. You probably will have to 'beagle' that mould to cast for a Mosin, as I did to cast @ .314 for my L/E .303. NOW the rifle LOVES that boolit, at all velocities! I want to get a second mould (used, cheap!) to drill out the GC base @ 5/16" dia. and make a PB boolit for low-vel trials/plinking. 'Unbeagled', I'd PP. So many moulds, so many variations, such FUN!

[Larry Gibson]

I've an old single cavity mould for tthis bullet. It drops a 16-18 BHN alloy (AC) bullet at .313 - .314 on the driving bands and .302 on the nose. I does really well in a couple worn '06 barrels that will take that size nose. It really shines in my .31s with decent bores (.303, 7.65 and 7.62x54R). Attached are two of it out of my Finn MN. The one has the data on the photo and the other is my standard load using 4895 with a dacron filler with that rifle. You can see how I corrected the sights and then shot a 10 shot group (all with the iron sights at 100 yards). It is a good bullet.

Larry Gibson

[MikeSSS]

Shot the Lee 312-185 with gas checks today in a butchered Arg. 7.65 over 16 gr of 2400. Distance was 100 yards, too much wind at 1:00 direction, too variable and light drizzle. The rifle was sighted in for 123 gr JSP bulk bullets made for the 7.62x39 so I expected it to hit low, it did. ( it does pretty well with the Winchester bulk .311 123 gr JSP's )

I only had 9 cartridges, first was on the paper, the next two missed the paper low. Then I held above the target and shot the last six with no wait for cooling. The six shots were in a 3.6" group, the best five in 2.5".

After that I shot ten Lee 312-155 R over 16 gr 2400. These holes looked different than the 185's, the 185's were more visable. The 155's threw one flyer 5" to the right and two 3.5" to the left. Five went into a group, 2.45". The 185's don't throw flyers, the 155's do.

I won't beagle the mold, it will be used sized for skinnier .30's. Next is to get a fat .30 for these "big-bore" .30's.