What's the heaviest bullet any of you have put in a .308?

[neutron619]

Is that why I am the way I am?? I've been casting for 30 years or better.

It's perfectly safe provided you do it in a well ventilated area, don't handle food after casting without washing up first, and don't drop that hot metal on yourself. I run two molds and can cast about 100 bullets an hour at a leisurely pace. IT is a very gratifying experience to kill game with a handload utilizing a bullet you've made.~Muir

My dear Sir - if you felt I meant any slight on your character, you are very much mistaken!

I know it can be done safely by competent people, but I lack a well-ventilated area that isn't outdoors and I'm not confident doing it at this point. I also don't have a convenient source of range scrap or the like, and I haven't yet tried enough of other peoples' bullets to be sure what I'd want - the price of one even mould would be quite a lot in my current situation, let alone melting pot and other things. For now, that means it will remain something I'm going to do (private ownership of firearms being illegal when I get round to it notwithstanding) rather than something I'm going to do now.

One day, however, it'll be the whole package and yes, the resulting venison loin steak will be extra-tasty. After that all that will be left will be to form my own brass and build myself a rifle from scratch!

 

[Brithunter]

One used to be able to go to the scrap yard and buy scrap lead but I don't think the allow this any more under HSE (Health and Safety Gestapo ... sorry Executive ) so even getting the lead can be a chore and darned expensive here in the UK. The nanny state sticks it's oar in just about everywhere.

 

[Muir]

My dear Sir - if you felt I meant any slight on your character, you are very much mistaken!

I know it can be done safely by competent people, but I lack a well-ventilated area that isn't outdoors and I'm not confident doing it at this point. I also don't have a convenient source of range scrap or the like, and I haven't yet tried enough of other peoples' bullets to be sure what I'd want - the price of one even mould would be quite a lot in my current situation, let alone melting pot and other things. For now, that means it will remain something I'm going to do (private ownership of firearms being illegal when I get round to it notwithstanding) rather than something I'm going to do now.

One day, however, it'll be the whole package and yes, the resulting venison loin steak will be extra-tasty. After that all that will be left will be to form my own brass and build myself a rifle from scratch!

Relax Amigo, no offense taken.... tho my Ex Wife might have said you called it straight!
I have about 100 moulds right now from 5mm to 72 caliber and I cast quite a bit...not so much as I used to these days due to time constraints. I always cast out of doors. I don't see any time when it's OK to cast inside the house, myself with out dedicated ventilation (a hood). The tools are simple but the technique(s) take some practice. I hope you get to try it someday.~Muir

 

[eddie]

Recently made up a batch of 200 grain nosler partitions. Ran them through my steyr scout on Saturday. Good round on the range. 40 grains of imr 4895. Boar shooting this weekend, can't wait.

 

[neutron619]

Ah, damnit.
.
I'm afraid there won't be a round coming out of all of this research. I've just got back from having my rifle measured and unfortunately, it's a lovely German stalking rifle with a good action and nice wood... and a chamber that's 0.2" shorter than one would expect. My gunsmith-friend's opinion was that it was designed to shoot spitzer-bullets of between 100-165gr and no bigger. Chambering a round-nosed bullet of 200+gr isn't going to be possible for the same reason I couldn't get my first lot of 180gr RN cast bullets to chamber either - they're just too long and get stuck on the walls of the throat or the rifling (or something).
.
Thank you all for the suggestions and replies however - I do appreciate them. I'm going to put this plan on the back-burner and save it until I can afford one of the .300's and make it a reloading project for a few years down the line.

 

[Southern]

What is the ogive length of your good shooting 150-gr and 165-gr loads in your German Mauser?

If it is 2.20 inches (or less), that will work for the Sierra 190-gr BTSP or SMK.
Their ogive ( radius = 7x caliber ) is more blunt than some newer bullets ( radius = 9x caliber ), so they are shorter, have more bearing surface, which helps them stabilize in rifling of 1:12. You won't be able to drive them to 1,000 yard speed, but you are looking for hunting bullet at deer and boar ranges. Work up towards 40.5 gr of IMR-4064 for a safe load in even heavier cases.

 

[Brithunter]

Ah, damnit.
.
I'm afraid there won't be a round coming out of all of this research. I've just got back from having my rifle measured and unfortunately, it's a lovely German stalking rifle with a good action and nice wood... and a chamber that's 0.2" shorter than one would expect. My gunsmith-friend's opinion was that it was designed to shoot spitzer-bullets of between 100-165gr and no bigger. Chambering a round-nosed bullet of 200+gr isn't going to be possible for the same reason I couldn't get my first lot of 180gr RN cast bullets to chamber either - they're just too long and get stuck on the walls of the throat or the rifling (or something).
.
Thank you all for the suggestions and replies however - I do appreciate them. I'm going to put this plan on the back-burner and save it until I can afford one of the .300's and make it a reloading project for a few years down the line.

Perhaps it's time to get that other .30 cal they don't need to be as expensive as perhaps you think .

 

[neutron619]

What is the ogive length of your good shooting 150-gr and 165-gr loads in your German Mauser?

If it is 2.20 inches (or less), that will work for the Sierra 190-gr BTSP or SMK.
Their ogive ( radius = 7x caliber ) is more blunt than some newer bullets ( radius = 9x caliber ), so they are shorter, have more bearing surface, which helps them stabilize in rifling of 1:12. You won't be able to drive them to 1,000 yard speed, but you are looking for hunting bullet at deer and boar ranges. Work up towards 40.5 gr of IMR-4064 for a safe load in even heavier cases.

I'm afraid I don't know and I don't have any way of measuring it.

I guess there could be one other possibility going on here: we used some very soft lead cast bullets seated in fired cases to do the measurements yesterday. This was so we could see if there was any imprint of rifling or other mark made when they were loaded. Theoretically, they should have gone down the throat of the rifle without any trouble, but when we chambered them, we were seeing damage to the driving bands from closing the bolt - which was very hard to open again afterwards. The bullets had to be pushed out with a rod. I wonder whether the bullets weren't in fact sized properly and that an actual .308" diameter jacketed round might fit. Even a bullet like this:

http://www.midwayusa.com/product/69...in-round-nose-box-of-100?cm_vc=ProductFinding

has a slight taper on it above the cannelure, whereas the cast bullets were effectively cylindrical right up to the nose. Perhaps that means the Sierra bullet there might actually chamber, since the front part won't be in contact with the barrel walls. I guess this might be what you were getting at, in a roundabout kind of way.

Perhaps it's time to get that other .30 cal they don't need to be as expensive as perhaps you think .

There's a Mark V on GunTrader for £495, but when you add up scope and all the rest of the kit, it's probably nearer £1500. That's beyond me at the moment, but having had encouragement from you, others here and my gunsmith friend yesterday (whose argument was basically "if they'll give you a .30 for deer, why do they care what case it comes out of"), rest assured it'll be going in as a variation or a new calibre on renewal in a few years when I've saved some pennies. Bit much for Roe, but I suspect I'm not going to change my mind. I can always justify it as a range gun if I have to...

 

[Southern]

If you have not run a gauge into the breech to check the distance to the rifling, it is time to do so.

Do your standard factory loads of 150 and 165 gr close easily? If so, then things are all right. Do they shoot well?

What I was saying is that if you have a 150 or 165 grain round which it shoots well, set the dies for that and seat the 190 GK to the same distance off the lands. Work up a mild load, and watch the chronograph to be safe on pressure. I would want the 165 or 190 about 0.115 off the lands, but I tell you that just for reference, as it is not critical. Bore alignment of the 190 is one of its big plusses.

Your problem with the cast bullets sounds like something else - oversize bullet, etc.
Seat a flat base bullet backwards in an empty case and push it in to the lands to get a close idea of that depth.

 

[Greener Jim]

It may be an old thread but I've just found it and I thought the friend that started this should weigh in!!

As you know Adam it's now a 45-cough 120 cough. At some point mate we'll get out in your neck o woods and you can have a go with the olde world rifle.

Or option B, get the variation, sell the .308 and get a 45-70 built on a mauser/enfield action
Take care fella.

 

[Muir]

It may be an old thread but I've just found it and I thought the friend that started this should weigh in!!

As you know Adam it's now a 45-cough 120 cough. At some point mate we'll get out in your neck o woods and you can have a go with the olde world rifle.

Or option B, get the variation, sell the .308 and get a 45-70 built on a mauser/enfield action
Take care fella.

I've got a Siamese Mauser conversion in 45-70. Awesome rifle. I've shot 530 grain cast bullets made for the 458 Win Mag through it and that was.... fun..... but the rifle really shines with a 300-ish grain bullet over a case full of 4895. The brass doesn't last long but deer fold like a card table. Best yet, in the load shoots sub MOA.~Muir

 

[Southern]

Just buy some Remington or Federal 180-gr RN and take a big deer or boar in the woods as the baseline of performance. They shoot well, good bullets ( made for .30-06 ), and good price.

 

[gecko13]

The old 200gr Nosler Partition. Do they even make it anymore? Decent velocity and just hammered pigs, drilled into them like a pencil.