Howdy all,
I'm new to casting and new to the forum, although I've been lurking for some time prior to joining.
I've recently added casting to my reloading arsenal and have been casting 9mm but decided to try my hand at casting some rifle boolits. There's a wealth of information, opinions and options on the web that I've been sifting through but I'm struggling with settling on a mold to try.
My goals are strictly plinking at this point with a max range of 300yrds. However most plinking will be done between 100-200yards. The rifle I will be casting for is a new Savage Axis in 308win.
I'm very new to this and have read concerns about bullet length, seat depth and OAL in relation to rifle throat depth. Since I'm a noob, I am unsure if this concern is something I need to worry about when picking a mold. If it is, I need guidance. I've been eyeing the Lee C309-170-F or the C309-180-R molds, but am unsure if these bullets will be too long and/or if they will be accurate in my rifle.
On a side note, I'm casting with lead of unknown hardness/origin. I've got ~60lbs of unknown lead that was given to me that I've been casting 9mm with, and recently purchased 130lbs of lead the seller claims is wheel weight with some added tin. My fingernail says this lead is harder than my other 60lbs, but outside of that I can't accurately say what composition it is.
I have been powdercoating the 9mm bullets and it has been working well so far, so I plan to do the same for the 308.
Any help is appreciated!