mold recomendations

[Centaur 1]

I posted this over in the cast boolit section but some one suggested that I post it here as well since I'll be casting for a Marlin 336.

I need some help so I’ll explain my situation and hopefully you guys will point me in the right direction. I’ve had a palmer hot pot for the past 35 years, and I’ve used it for fishing sinkers and lures. Recently I’ve came into possession of approximately 300 pounds of range lead from a friend who works at an indoor pistol range. The mix is about 60% cast .45 acp/.38 wadcutters and 40% jacketed bullets. I’ve been melting small batches since my pot only holds 4 pounds at a time, for ingots I’m using a mini cupcake pan. I fill them ½ full and get 12 mini ingots per pot. Then I place them into 12 separate piles and continue this way until a 5 gallon bucket of bullets is smelted. I’m now left with 12 piles with one ingot from each batch. Now I remelt each pile one at a time, flux the lead, then pour the mix into a full sized cupcake mold, it make a 2 ¼ pound ingot. Before I get started I plan on trading in some BassPro shop reward points for a lee 20 pound pot.

So this is where I’m starting and this is what I’m up against. I’m disabled and on a fixed income, so funds are limited. I just want to make plinking ammunition so that I can go shooting without breaking the bank. The two guns that I want to start with are a Marlin 336ss 30-30, and an AR-15 in 9mm. The 30-30’s barrel measures exactly .308” diameter, I haven’t checked the 9mm yet, but will soon. Since I’m not looking to make anything fancy and all shooting will be at short range at cans and spinning targets, the ammo only has to be “accurate enough” to have fun. I’ve already been making 30-30 loads using Hornady short jacket 100 grain bullets on top of six grains of bullseye, so this is where my mind is at in regards to type of load. Due to my limited funds, I would really like to buy molds that produce a bullet that is shootable without having to buy even more equipment to resize and put on gas checks. I’m hoping that due to the extremely low velocities, that I won’t need gas checks, and since I’m not trying to win any shooting matches that resizing won’t be necessary.

So that’s my situation, now I’d like to hear suggestions on which bullet molds to buy that’ll meet my needs. I’ve already been advised against buying a mold for light 115 grain bullets. I was thinking that they would just use less lead, but I’m told that they can be real finicky to get to shoot accurately. I’ve been told that I should just get either a 150 or a 170 grain bullet and either will shoot well using bullseye. So anyway I really want to hear suggestions on what to buy for both guns, there are so many choices that I don’t know where to start, especially in regards to standard lube grooves or tumble lube grooves and which is more apt to shoot well in a micro-groove rifled barrel.

Thanks in advance for any and all help………….Mike

[1shot]

I am a relatively new caster but long-time handloader. Thought I knew a lot about firearms before I got into casting and I'll pass on what I've learned so far.
Regarding the Marlin 336 (Same as my Marlin 30AS) it has a very short throat, I mean its a funnel! Pick the wrong mould and you'll have a bullet nose which will heavily engage the rifling if its crimped in the crimping groove, not fun when you attempt to eject a live round and the bullet is "pulled" by the rifling!
I used some Lee moulds, which have given me oval bullets of 0.002 oversize on the nose, and the above problem- a tight squeeze required to chamber although I'm sure any rifle with a longer throat would feed nicely.
Today I shot a silhouette match using RCBS 30-150, these fed and shot nicely- although I have yet to perform extensive accuracy testing.
See if you can get bullets from different moulds prior to buying and don't listen to anyone who tells you Microgroove won't shoot cast! My 30AS slugged .308 and cast at .311 without gaschecks and using 10 grains of Unique have yet to show any sign of leading.
Regarding Gas checks- I've really hurt my poor head on this one, the short answer as to what they actually do is.. No-one really knows how they work, they just do.
Lubrication? Same deal, no-one can give a straight answer why or how- it just plain works.

Supposedly the RanchDog mould has been designed for the Marlin, if I could re-run the last year I would go that route..
Hope I've cut through some of the alchemy and black magic- this really is fun and will give you such a huge, silly grin when it all comes together.
Good luck!

[Centaur 1]

Thanks 1shot, I appreciate you taking the time to type such an extensive reply. I've heard mention of the short throat and I've scrutinizing the bullet pictures that they place next to the molds to try and see if this might be a problem. I've also heard that microgroove will shoot, they just don't like bullets that are marginally undersized that might work in cut rifling. I'm not too worried about a mold that's slightly undersized, I used to be a tool and die maker so I can just lap the mold to make a slightly larger diameter bullet. Since I just want a plinking load, I was interested in the 113 grain flat point. It seems like people either love or hate this bullet, so I might just wind up buying the 150 grain. Thanks again.

[NickSS]

I have been loading lead bullets in 9mm and 30-30 for over 40 years and as a result have some opinions. First the 30-30 I have six of them (at least as I have not looked in my attic in a few years and I may have a couple up there I forgot about). I have found that they all shoot lead bullets that are sized to .311 or .312 very well. My favorite bullet molds are a Lyman 311041, a Lyman 31108 and a Lee 170 gr fp. The Lyman 311041 and Lee bullets I shoot with gas checks at elevated velocities mostly for 200 yard silhouette matches so that they well knock over steel targets. I have also had good accuracy with them using 8 gr of red dot or 10 gr of Unique. My silhouette load is 18 gr of IMR 4198. All six of my rifles will fire these loads into groups that range in the 3 to 4 inch size at 200 yards from a bench rest. My favorite small game and plinking load for the 30-30 is the Lyman 31108 bullet which is a plain base flat point bullet desighed for the 32-20 years ago. It is listed as a 115 gr bullet but my cast slugs for range scrap such as you have weight heavier at around 120 gr. I size them to .312 and load them over 5 or 6 gr of Red Dot powder. Accuracy in all of my rifles (including two micro groove Marlin 336s) ranges around 2 inches and under at 100 yards (I guess my rifles have never suffered from the problems you read about). This bullet is a fine small game load as well as a good tin can shooter. All my bullets are lubed with 50-50 bees wax and allox and I have never had any leading problems. The only bullets that I have ever had bad accuracy from in a 30-30 was some commercial cast 165 gr bevel base flat point plain base bullets. They came sized to .309 and lubed with a hard commercial lube. No matter what load or what gun I tried them in all I got was poor groups of around 4 to 6 inches at 100 yards. I ended up melting them down and recasting them in my molds and then they were accurate. As for 9mm I shoot a Lyman 120 gr round nose or a Lee 120 gr TC bullet in my pistols. I generally use Unique powder and size them to .357. I have also shot some of the lee TC bullets as cast with Lee Liquid allox for lube. I got leading with them until I double lubed them then they worked fine for me. I mostly shoot them with 4.5 to 5 gr of Unique.

[izzyjoe]

if your on a buget like me (and some other people on here) you might try the lee 170gr. for 30-30 it shoots well in most of my .30's. and the moulds are cheaper, but can be made to work well ,you have the skill. but that and a can of unique and you'll be shoot'n for awhile!!:cbpour:

[Centaur 1]

I thought that I'd give an update. I bought the lee 150 gr fp mold. The first thing I did was run a .3115 reamer into the back of the mold to remove the gas check step, leaving just enough metal to create an extra lube groove. Right off the bat I can tell that I need better equipment. I'm still using the Palmer hot pot that I bought 35 years ago to make sinkers with. it's really hard to pour the lead through the tiny sprue hole. I managed to make enough bullets to load up some for the next time I go to the range. Thanks for all the help that everyones given me.

[Jack Stanley]

I have a load for my 30-30 that is close to yours that works in my old four groove Marlin and a Remington bolt rifle . It's a Lyman 311466 with the gas check left off , a light wash of liquid Alox and a push through a .311 die . I could probably forego the sizing since it's close but in the Star die I give it one ring of lube to be sure . Winchester large rifle primers , six point five grains of 700X and any case make I happen to have . I forget the overall lenght the loaded ammo is made to but the bottom ring is about even with the base of the neck .

As for the nine , I can't help ya much . I found an old H&G that drops the number seven style and have been using three and a half grains Bullseye . The only way I can get it tested is when my friends and family bring a pistol to use . Sorta limits testing doncha know . 8-)

Jack

[Ben]

Centaur 1 :

Please show us some pics of your " as cast bullets " from your modified mold where you've removed the g/c shank.

Ben

[MtGun44]

As far as 'no one knows how GCs work' - I'd have to disagree with that. In rifles they
provide a hard, square base and a solid strong fit to the barrel on the steering end of the boolit,
especially important at high velocities and high pressures.

I do not find any use for them in PISTOLS, but they are very useful in rifles beyond moderate
to low power loads.