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Cast bullets in .308
Posted: Wed Jan 13, 2016 12:38 am
by Alpha1
I have a project for 2016. Its a .308 target rifle I'm going to mess with. I have .308 rifles that perform perfectly well with jacketed bullets. So I thought it would be a bit of fun to have a play with cast bullets
(they don't like me referring to them as cast boolits apparently)
Any way I have been looking on NOE website no I don't know what NOE stands for but Adam does. They have a couple of moulds that look promising. Id like a loverin to start off with I think.
So I'm looking for any info on shooting cast in .308. Should I be looking at gas checked moulds or will plain base work the ranges I have access to I'm looking at 500 yards maximum.
The rifle will not be used in target rifle set up it will be on a bipod with a scope on it rested on a back bag.
Re: Cast bullets in .308
Posted: Wed Jan 13, 2016 7:44 am
by dromia
Gas checked to be on the safe side if going out to 500 yards.
Re: Cast bullets in .308
Posted: Wed Jan 13, 2016 8:32 am
by ovenpaa
I am moving more and more to cast bullets for shorter distances so I will watch this project with interest and look forward to updates.
Re: Cast bullets in .308
Posted: Wed Jan 13, 2016 8:58 am
by Alpha1
NOE have a mould on offer at the moment it's one of there monthly specials I'm tempted to buy one for this project. I'll post a link later.
Re: Cast bullets in .308
Posted: Wed Jan 13, 2016 9:17 am
by dromia
Why just the "shorter distances"?
Re: Cast bullets in .308
Posted: Wed Jan 13, 2016 9:22 am
by ovenpaa
dromia wrote:Why just the "shorter distances"?
The only reason is the rifle ranges I shoot allow me to shoot to 100 yards then with a jump out to 1000 yards and more and the only intermediate distance is 800 which I seldom shoot. To shoot medium distances would mean finding yet another club with suitable facilities.
I have shot 1000 with cast in a .303 however it was sketchy at best.
Re: Cast bullets in .308
Posted: Wed Jan 13, 2016 9:34 am
by dromia
Like all things you need to understand what is going on to get cast boolits to shoot well at 1000+ yards. It is not difficult but a sound understanding of cast boolits, the alloy properties and behaviour is necessary.
What fun!
The 303 is a particularly good long range target round for cast as there is a better cast boolit selection than jacketed for the calibre.
Re: Cast bullets in .308
Posted: Wed Jan 13, 2016 10:18 am
by Mike95
GC a must....want them sized at .310/311. Dodgy Rog does an excellent Loverin at 155 gn. Shellhouse does a good bore rider at 170 gn. Buy an M die for neck expansion when reloading.
Mike95
Re: Cast bullets in .308
Posted: Wed Jan 13, 2016 10:25 am
by dromia
Gas checks are not necessarily a must, it depends on many factors, I shoot plain based boolits at 2000 fps with accuracy i quiet a few rifles, on the other hand my No4T won't shoot plain based boolits at any velocity.
Boolit diameter will ultimately depend on his rifle and the actual freebore/groove/bore dimensions.
Re: Cast bullets in .308
Posted: Wed Jan 13, 2016 12:43 pm
by Alpha1
I'll be slugging the bore before I make a start that will tell me the diameter of bullet I need. I'm thinking of something in about 180grain preferably a Loverin.
Most of my shooting will be done at 100 to 200 yards with the occasional shoot out to 500 yards.
Will wheel weights suffice or should I be looking at mixing a different alloy.