CBA Member From New England

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  • Last Post 12 April 2019
Johnshandloads posted this 10 April 2019

Hello everyone,

I am John, I joined the CBA in January and should have posted my 'howdy I am the new guy' post back then but I was a little shy I guess. I am in the North Eastern USA, in New England. 

I have been hand loading a few years and casting bullets for about a year or so. I enjoy it more than I should, but it is really one of the neatest things I have done (I am sure most of you probably feel the same). I feel like I enjoy casting  and hand loading more than shooting now. I also enjoy shooting more than ever now that I cast my own bullets and hand load my ammunition. I love casting, hand loading and shooting, pistols and rifles. 

I am currently working up loads in .308 Winchester with the Lee 150 gr flat nose bullet. I am getting great groups at 75 yards but 2-3 inches of bullet drop. I want to try a couple different bullet profiles and powders. Winter put the brakes on my testing. I am using cast load data from Lyman and the Lee reloading manual, again good groups but the bullet drop is large to me. If anyone wants to message me any suggestions on my 308 endeavors please feel free to do so. I know I should get a different mold if I want to go farther down range.

I tend to get 'long winded' once I am rolling so I will stop now.

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muley posted this 10 April 2019

welcome aboard Johnshandloads, I am in NE PA. I would suggest checking the match results in the Fouling Shot, noe that u are a member. even if u do not want to shoot competition, the information will help u in your endeavors.

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x101airborne posted this 12 April 2019

I don't want to dash any of your hopes, and experimenting is what keeps us young. But bullet drop at a given distance is just part of it. If you are able, sight in a rifle for what distance you want to work with and keep a journal of scope adjustments with each given load. If your scope is of quality, then adjustments are really precise. I found it helpful to keep a journal of loads and "dope" (scope adjustments needed for a given range) and use them in the field. It worked well for me and my load was only running 1700 fps. in a 30-06 but I could "dial a dog" (coyote) out to 200 yards very easily. The more you use your journal, the more you wont have to. It will become second nature after a while and you will start to instinctively adjust your scope to hit what you want. 

If you want to try a different bullet, feel free (and comfortable) to ask here. Only caveat is, you NEED 100 bullets to do a firm test. Two 5 shot groups wont tell you anything. You need to work through the good groups as well as the poor ones to know what your rifle needs.

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Redleged posted this 12 April 2019

The NOE bullet I mentioned is the 310-165-FN-H3 2 cavity GC (30XCB) bullet.

http://noebulletmolds.com/NV/product_info.php?cPath=30_343&products_id=911

The Lee 309 150 F bullet has worked well for me so far and I will probably buy the 309 170 F to see what I can get that to do. The NOE "30XCB" bullet has worked excellent for long distance shooting for a few people, I would love to get that mold if they get it back in stock.

Hi. That is an excellent choice and Larry Gibson has written a lot about that particular bullet. I have that mould in 2-cav with 1 ea  plain base and gas check, so PM me if you'd like a few to try, I'll be more than happy to send you some of each. I cast mine in Lyman #2 alloy and I've had good results with standard lube as well as powder coated. That bullet works very well in my '06s (M1 and  Browning B78.) Another great bullet for out to 200 yds is the Ideal 311413, just don't push it musch past 1600 fps. Hope this helps.  Ed

Growing old is mandatory, growing up, however, is totally optional!

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Johnshandloads posted this 10 April 2019

Thanks muley, I will check it out. 

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beagle6 posted this 10 April 2019

Welcome. You will find a lot of good advice here and in The Fouling Shot. Tell me more about your 308 project; powders, gas checks, lube, etc. The Lee 150 gr almost always shoots well in 30 caliber rifles. Are you looking for a plinking or hunting load.

Ed Harris did a wonderful article on cast bullets for military rifles and you can find it on the internet and it all applies to the 308.

FYI, I live in upstate New York so we are practically neighbors.

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JeffinNZ posted this 10 April 2019

Welcome aboard.

Cheers from New Zealand

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Johnshandloads posted this 10 April 2019

beagle6, I have been using Varget based on the Lee cast bullet reloading data and have worked up to 33 grains. The bullet is cast, air cooled, gas checked (Hornady 30 cal gas checks), powder coated, water quenched (when it comes out of the PC oven), sized to .309 though a Lee push through sizer. They have performed great, with no leading and no real issues other than drop, which is to be expected. I think I am getting close to the limit on the velocity but won't know until I start to have problems.

I bought Reloder 7 based on the Lyman load data and have only done a start load that was un-impressive. I am shooting a Remington 783 rifle that is basically new, though I have been shooting it a lot. These are purely target loads and for my own enjoyment. If I needed to hunt, then I could, but these are purely for target shooting. The 75 yard group with 33 gr of Varget is very nice. The bullet drop averages around 2.5 - 3 inches. I don't currently have any other rifle powder that is known to be 'good for cast bullets'. My long term goal is to keep reaching farther and be able to hit a steel target at 400 yards eventually. 

Before anything else though, I would like to hit my point of aim at 75 and 100 if that is doable. I can hold over and hit the target, but I want to improve that.

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Johnshandloads posted this 10 April 2019

Thanks JeffinNZ. I am happy to have a place to read posts from like minded bullet casters.

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Redleged posted this 10 April 2019

Hi there and welcome from TN! Ed

Growing old is mandatory, growing up, however, is totally optional!

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beagle6 posted this 11 April 2019

Sounds like you are well along on your journey to find a good load for your 308. I am a little confused by what you mean by bullet drop.

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Johnshandloads posted this 12 April 2019

x101airborne, thanks for the comments. I have had good success with FMJ bullets and understand the bullet drop, the lead bullet just seems to be dropping much more and faster than I would expect. I guess I will just do holdover for now because my scope is not meant for adjusting up and down over and over with the turrets, just a cheap 'hunting' scope that came on the rifle. I have some FMJ loads now that I have worked out the dope for and can hit a big plate at 400 yards consistently. I love all of it so I don't mind the experimenting. I think I will get a heavier bullet/different profile. I had my eye on an NOE mold that is supposed to be excellent, but I don't know when it will be in stock again. I will probably get another Lee mold in the meantime. 

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x101airborne posted this 12 April 2019

If you don't mind, what is the bullet mold designation? I might be interested in one myself as a fellow lover of 30 cal rifles.

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Johnshandloads posted this 12 April 2019

The NOE bullet I mentioned is the 310-165-FN-H3 2 cavity GC (30XCB) bullet.

http://noebulletmolds.com/NV/product_info.php?cPath=30_343&products_id=911

The Lee 309 150 F bullet has worked well for me so far and I will probably buy the 309 170 F to see what I can get that to do. The NOE "30XCB" bullet has worked excellent for long distance shooting for a few people, I would love to get that mold if they get it back in stock.

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