Lee/Midway TL309-230-5R in 3006

[aganger]

Would 50~55 grains of 860 be a good starting load for Lee's 309 230gr in my Savage 3006 with 1n10 twist? I have several 8 pound jugs of this stuff. I also have 231,Varget,4895,4350, and 2400. Just wanted to try something slow. One of my older Hodgdon (25th) say for 250 g bullet use 59~61.

Best Regards
Aganger

[leadman]

Are you putting a gas check on this boolit?

I have the same mold and shoot it in a 300 Whisper and my Savage 30-06. I have gone up to 1,900 so far in my Savage with the same mediocre results.

You may want to start with the 4895 or 2400 first, especially if you are not installing a gas check.
I have also found I have to wait for a period of time after cutting the sprue before I drop the boolit from the mold. The nose was bending on these.

Good Luck.

Good Luck.

[aganger]

leadman, Thanks
Yes gas checks are used. I drop them in a bucket of cold water with a cloth on top the bucket with a hole in it. I will see how they go thru the crony and let you know.

[leadman]

I use a bucket of water the same way. I added 1" squares of foam rubber that aborb the water and kinda float at different levels. This slow the boolits descent and keeps them from getting knicked up.

I'm going to lap out my mold at the front driving band as they only cast about .307". I hope this will help with the grouping.

[aganger]

Crony results was 120 fps range of ten shots with a couple shots the same speed.1725 fps average with 50 yard 4 inch group with 58 grains of 860. Bullets were ice water dropped sized thru a 311 with gas check. The bottom band was the only place bullet made contact with the sizeing die. All bullets when thru the target and into a 6x6 I had sitting behing the target. All were straight into the target and not turned sideways. I will try your suggestion of 2400 and see how that goes. I also am thinking about the front band being bigger by few thousands.

[Doc_Stihl]

I just ran a couple dozen of these through my encore this week. Mine were cast in WW with 1lb of pewter added to a 20lb pot. Ice water dropped. Sized .311 with Carnuba Red and a gas check.
My brass was neck sized without the expander and then expanded with a .310 M Die.

I loaded mine over Unique (can't remember the charge right now) and accuracy was right around 1" at 100.

I also loaded a dozen over 2400 of varying charges starting at 14gr and going up and accuracy was around 2.5".


I forgot the chrony but I'd estimate all mine were under 1300fps.
I'm planning on loading up some with WC872 (nearly the same as WC860) and trying that. My encore seats these with the gas check just barely past the neck.

[GunFun]

That sounds promising. Did you manage to find your Unique charge data?

[quilbilly]

Yesterday I was at our club range when a young shooter came by with his brand new Ruger precision rifle in 308 to shoot for the first time at 100 yards. When I was about to leave, I offered him a chance to shoot my plain base 200's at 1350 fps so he could experience a cast load. They wouldn't go into battery so he shot them in my Mossberg. Looking at the cartridge when he pulled it from the chamber of the Ruger, it was clear the Ruger wasn't meant for that long a boolit extending beyond the case. I thought that to be interesting, anyway.