Hey all,
I'm new here but not new to reloading. I have just jumped back into casting and enjoy the feeling of making great ammo out of scrap lead. I finally got tired of reading and not posting back. I am interested in casting gas checked 30-30 and .308 the later in semi autos....... yeah bolt guns are great but I have come to terms with my practical, tactic-cool desires and I have almost all the guns I want, and I just need to find a way to feed them cheaper......
Todd welcome to the forum.
Don't shoot any auto's other than pistol or 22's so I can't help you much.
Ken.
Lee's various .30cal moulds are a good place to start inexpensively, especially the 113gr FNGC "soupcan" and 150 & 170gr FNGC's, and proven performers from Lyman include 311041 (170-180gr FNGC) and 311291 (180gr RNGC target bullet).
What 308 semi autos are you shooting?
I was thinking about a Lee 170 gr flat point mold with gas check for 30-30 and see how well it does with tumble lube or what ever lube I need to use. After that cast a 180 - 190 in .308, I have an 18" scout M1A (semi m-14) that I would like to try casting for, a FAL that I need to finnish screwing the barrel in and headspaceing (I have theGo & no go headspace guages and locking shoulders just busy) after that I would like to try running my NFA 1919 on a real heavy cast bullet to try to duplicate the early 8mm mauser load that they ran in Maxims. I can run it in 8mm also but I have .308 brass and the Romainian stuff I usually shoot out of it is berdan steel case.
By the way I made a fun load for my NFA UZI i wanted to keep it subsonic but cycle the gun the way I like. Slow enough to get double taps but much faster than a Sten and slower than a MP-5.
I'm reloading to save money and I had used Lee 6 cavities as a kid and liked them so I bought a 6 cav 150gr .358 mold for .357mag and dounsized them to .356 for 9mm and push them with 3.8 of Unique 1.100 OAL and they shoot great very, very smooth, my wife can dump 25rds in a silhouette at 25rds with one long burst.......... no lead and little smoke
Do I need to register in the Cast Boolits site separately? because when I go to sign in their they tell me that they have never registered. It appears that Cast Boolits and Gun Loads are connected am I wrong on this?
We share the same owner, but all three forums, Gunloads, Reloaders Guide, and Cast Boolits are each separate entities and need to be registered for individually.
Are you looking for target or hunting loads? Is your .30-30 a lever, bolt, or single shot? For target and varmint work, there is no better all around .30cal bullet than the little soupcan. My shoulder and rifles much prefer 150gr, but I have found good accuracy and performance with heavier bullets also.
My M1A and Garand are next on my testing list with 311291's, but I won't be able to start with them until we can find the range again next spring. The bullet was originally designed for target work with the Springfield and performs well on paper. I have worked up numerous hunting loads for my .308 bolt with various bullets.
Before you go any farther, you will need to slug you bores to determine what sizers you will need. That will save you a LOT of time and testing. You need a mic to measure the slugs as a caliper just isn't accurate enough.