30 caliber, 150 grain

[Shopdog]

On another forum there was a general discussion about cast,and is it worth the effort. So I grabbed this and shot it. NO FOULERS,3 shots literally as fast as I could pull the trigger,and rack it.

Bone stock 2016 R700 CDL SF,30-06. No bedding or free float. Did put a Ernie the gunsmith trigger spring in but that's it. Load is a book starting JB load of Varget behind a Lee 150,probably 2400+ FPS.This is my heavy load,walking varmint rig. It is embarrassingly accurate. This is a 3 shot "mag dump"..... @100yds. fast as I can shoot. 1st two in the same hole,yanked shot 3.

[Shopdog]

The above load is sort of a plinking load. Saying,it's not a dedicated target load. No milled bases,no nose tapering,and not spun looking for out of spec bullets. These are run of the mill stuff. It's a pretty hot load,and a skinny barrel.... so 3 shot,no fouler groups are what it's about. I have heavy barreled target rigs that shoot bughole 5 shot groups but am way past lugging them around in the field.

The above will turn a crow or Ghog inside out.

[centershot]

For the life of me, the internet is nothing but discussions of 150 grain jacketed for deer hunting in all flavors of 30 cliber rifle. But NOTHING for 150 grain cast bullets for hunting. IS there some secret i havent been told?

YES, there is! Bullet casters are almost the smallest group of shooters, second only to the swaging community..........I think

[delftshooter]

Lyman #311440

RCBS 30-180-FN

Could someone explain why going by the confusing responses here what makes the RCBS bullet better for hunting with then the lyman one? Im late to the party, havent loaded for a rifle yet, but my "winter" project is trying to figure out a cast hunting bullet for my 30-30. I dont group 170 gr JSP very well, but the 150 grain JSP and JHP just shoot like laser beams for me, and the theory here is a good one.

[Kai]

30 caliber small for deer? What caliber do you hunt deer with? 22 cal would be small but even that will kill a deer.

[versa-06]

The RCBS bullet is a little heavier by averages & it has a broader nose (meplat). My RCBS 30-180 checked & lubed averages 203 grains. -06

[delftshooter]

The RCBS bullet is a little heavier by averages & it has a broader nose (meplat). My RCBS 30-180 checked & lubed averages 203 grains. -06

However, what makes the 150 grain cast bullet "an inferior hunting choice" if it groups better in a particular rifle, or feeds better in a particular rifle? Its not like the 150 grain cast flat point is going to be inferior to the 125 grain jacketed options in say 300 black out for deer hunting out to 150 yards.

[versa-06]

I don't recall it being called inferior. The 150 if it is too soft it may not give the penetration one might need on a quartering shot due to weight. Then again if it is too hard it may pencil through & not produce the bleed out needed to put the animal down quickly. But it will work. Hunting doesn't always offer the preferred shot. -06

[Kai]

I don't recall it being called inferior. The 150 if it is too soft it may not give the penetration one might need on a quartering shot due to weight. Then again if it is too hard it may pencil through & not produce the bleed out needed to put the animal down quickly. But it will work. Hunting doesn't always offer the preferred shot. -06

To soft. To hard. Same goes for any cast bullet.

[Tatume]

im just curious as to whats what because a single shot bolt action is no real good use for deer hunting.

Having killed uncountable deer over decades of hunting exclusively with single-shot rifles, I disagree.

[pworley1]

311466

[centershot]

im just curious as to whats what because a single shot bolt action is no real good use for deer hunting.

If they were still alive to talk about it, the deer I've killed with my .54 caliber muzzle loader would strongly disagree with that statement!

[versa-06]

I own several single shot rifles & hunt with them frequently. Kills'em Dead!!

[versa-06]

Kai; Too soft big bullet exits anyway. Too hard big bullet (Meplat, Diameter) tears up Jack & exits anyway. -06

[Digital Dan]

If hunting where shots over 200 yards may be required, the cast bullet is inferior.

My .45-70 disagrees.

[Willie T]

I mostly just lurk in the weeds but I had to log on to this thread.
First- To respectfully disagree with the comment indicating a single shot is no real good use to deer hunting. If you can’t get it done with the first shot you are doing something wrong.
Second-deer are not armor plated. A Gas checked Lee C309-150F cast with Lyman No2 with a muzzle velocity around 2100 fps is bad medicine out to 150 yards to any whitetail or mule deer that walks.

[txbirdman]

Having killed uncountable deer over decades of hunting exclusively with single-shot rifles, I disagree.

So would more than a few bison.

[pipehand]

Centershot, I have met with, and shot with many casters. Never have met a swager IRL.
Also, the only deer I've killed with a 30-30 was with an RCBS 30-150FN. It worked great. I'm sure there have been plenty of deer dropped with 45.2's 308 Hollow point that drops around 146grains with the big hollow point pins. I haven't connected with one yet with that boolit, but I'm confident it would work well.

[JDL]

The first 2 deer I killed with cast were taken with Lyman 311466 pushed with 18.2 grains of IMR-4227 for 1724 fps out of my .300 Savage. First one was about 30 yards and he stumbled and trotted for about 30 yards and fell dead. Second one was right at 200 yards on a pipeline ROW and he ran across and fell about 5 yards into the woods. Both were pass throughs although the gas check was caught by the skin on the entrance on the second one.
You see, I was ignorant on what was needed for killing deer with cast bullets in 1976. I bought a Lyman 31141 at a gun show a short time later and found it made a better wound channel, like 2-3" holes through the lungs. Our whitetails aren't hard to kill and I think a flat point from 165 to 200 grains in .30 cal. will anchor them when put in the right spot.

[Baltimoreed]

I’ve been reloading lead 193 gr gc Hunters Supply boolits for my 03s and Krags. Never shot any game with them but they smack our club steel pretty good.