Recently picked up a Rem. 770 bolt gun in 30-06 and loaded up some test loads for it using a couple different cast bullets I had at the time. I was using mixed brass by Win. Rem. and Fed. along with CCI LR primers and I use three different powders Alliant 2400, H-4198 and Unique. The two bullets I used were the Lee .309" 170 gr. FP and the Lee .312" 160 gr. TL RN both powder coated, gas checked and sized to .311".
Targets were shot at 50 yds. as that is as far as I can shoot around here in the back yard range without making a day trip to the public range. All load data came from the Lyman Cast Bullet manual #4 except for the H-4198 loads which I substituted for the IMR version in the manual, started low and worked up. Below are the groups but none were much larger than 1.5" and some under 1". I had some issues with my chrono reading when the sky was overcast so I missed a couple reading but I found some useful loads and some others to work with a bit further.
Target #1 Low: 1698 High: 1715 Average: 1709 Spread: 16.8 SD: 6.78 Target #2 Low: 1731 High: 1761 Average: 1747 Spread: 29.99 SD: 11.61 Target #5 1727 fps. average 3 of 5 shots recorded.
Target #8 Low: 2277 High: 2309 Average: 2292 Spread: 31.71 SD: 15.39
Enter a new mold, I recently picked up the NOE 165 gr. 30 XCB and cast up a batch to try out in the 30-06. I really like this bullet for target shooting and hopefully if things go as planned I will soon have access to a 500 yd. range locally.
Cast up about 150 of the NOE 165 gr. 30 XCB bullets from the new mold I had purchased. I only had a limited time to work with them so I just coated about ten each using Super Durable Clear and Popping Silver Vein gas checked and sized them to see how they would turn out. I cast a random set of samples during the casting process and after they cooled I measure and weighed each set. The bullets across the sampling weighed between 167.0 and 167.3 grs. Two bullets from the 3 cavity mold using my micrometer measured .311" while the third bullet measured .311.5" The powder coating added around .002" to the diameter before sizing. Bullets were cast from 50 /50 alloy quenched right out of the toaster oven, gas checked and allow to age for three weeks before loading and shooting.
I ended up sizing these bullets to .309" due to some clambering issues .311" was a bit tight with the fatter ogive of the NOE bullet vs. the two Lee bore riders. I coated these with Smokes Clear and Eastwood Silver Vein.
I've found the load I plan on using 35.0 grs. of H-4198 and have loaded up enough to last me awhile. Average MV for 5 shots was 2279 fps. I have another 2.0 grs. to play with load wise but I'm happy where I'm at, for now. After I had fired about 50 rds. the bore was still nice and shiny.
Great groups!!!! Awesome results out of that rifle. 1,2, and 5 are definitely worth revisiting. Thanks for the writeup!!!!
1 & 2 will make good general purpose plinking loads even a decent hunting load with the Lee 170 gr. FN bullet. As far as #5, if I'm going to burn that much 4198 an get basically the same MV as 20 gr. of 2400, I'm going to go ahead an go with the 35.0 gr. load, just makes more sense.
Going over this post and having the honor to pick Larry Gibson's mind. That bullet is definitely one of the best if not the best for HV cast rifle. Larry shoots a 30x60 with that bullet with awesome results. Is that Rem 770 a 1-14 twist? It seems RPM plays toll for accuracy in cast lead HV rifle
@Eagle Eye Shooting I've communicated with Larry quiet a bit on various forums about various cast bullets in different rifles mainly my Mosins using the Lee .312" 185 gr. RN. which shoot really well in my M44 an M91/30 and pretty much everything else I've tried it in.
My 770 actually has a 6 groove 1-10 twist bore, if there are any issues with RMP induced instability it probably will show up at longer ranges but I don't have the ability to test that yet and on average I'll never shoot more than 100 yds. anyway around here and I'm pretty sure I can hold MOA at that range. Hopefully if the two gentlemen I met over the weekend get there property cleaned up I will have a 500 yd. range I can test the accuracy theory out on.
Here is the old girl, I got $250 in it.
This is a great group nice looking bullet also
Thanks, Willie, hope life is treating you well these days. The Silver Vein from Eastwood an Super Durable Clear from Smokes over on Cast Boolit's is becoming two of my favorite powder coats to use, they especially look nice in Nickel plate case. I'll have to take some pics of those this weekend in my 45 ACP and 357 Mag. loads.
The Silver Vein needs a little more shaking to get a good coat and it looks like the bullet needs tapping to remove excess powder when its coated but I don't and it comes out really nice once it starts to flow and is finally cured.
I picked up one of the 770’s in 30-06 for my grandson to use and was extremely impressed with the accuracy. Never shot any cast through it, but for a $200 rifle (used) to shoot under moa at 200 yards consistently, with just about any load was impressive. And that was with the cheap 3x9 that was on the rifle when I got it.