I shoot a .38 cal tumble lube bullet(TL358-158-2R) and it works just fine at low velocity. ( this is the link to see the bullets I am talking about-)

http://www.leeprecision.com/catalog/browse.cgi?1026265752.635=bullmol2.html


Wonderful plinking round. I would like to have a six cavity made of the same shape as TL358-158SWC to use as a plinker or small game round. Maybe fall from the mold at .309 with ww. One could make a jillion at a time and lube a jillion at a time while you sleep.Would anyone else like to go in on a project like that?

Better still, would one of you experienced guys like to do it? I would buy 1 or maybe 2 molds. Opinions, Dale

Either the TL314-90-SWC or TL314-85-WC should be workable for light loads if rounds loaded with them unsized will chamber. That little wadcutter's already available in a 6-holer. If you're not going to load them hot, conventional grooved bullets like the 311-100-2R would likely work OK with tumble lubing, and the nominal diameter's closer to usual .30 caliber. I'd be interested in a mould order if I hadn't just gone in on the 6-holer "oil can" purchase. I'm experimenting with those tumble lubed and unchecked as well as checked. Haven't got enough experience yet to report anything, though. Tried 'em first with that auto grease that I've quit using because of oil migration (and was too big a PITA to apply by hand.) My first load ended up at much too high a velocity (~1900 FPS) for the unchecked ones, but gave only a light "wash" of leading still. Gonna try Liquid Alox and Johnson's Paste Wax.

That Johnson's Paste Wax, BTW, works well to lubricate the string slots in a bone guitar nut. It's not black and messy like graphite or moly.

My best results along these lines have come from a Lyman 130 grain PB intended for the .30 carbine. The lighter bullets have sometimes given me good accuracy at 25 yards, but have been disappointing at 50 and beyond. Liquid Alox has always worked for me at PB velocities even on bullets with conventional lube grooves.

Were I to be setting up such a project, it would be a RNFP 130 grains casting at least .312. This would work for the CAS with .32-20s and the coming Marlin .32 H&R, the milsurp folks with .30 Carbines and at least some SKSs (works in mine, anyway), and for all the folks wanting subloads in anything vaguely .30 cal. You could make it microgroove if you wanted to, but I'd like a wider front and rear band.

You should not have any trouble getting 25 such moulds spoken for. I'd take one just because I'm tired of cranking them out one at time.

I dug my mould out. It's Lyman 311410. Only change I'd make to it would be to give it a meplate instead of a round nose. The RN don't bother me none, but some folks get nervous shooting such in tube mag rifles.

You might also go to www.mountainmolds.com. Dan has a couple of interesting bullets under his .30 cal. typical designs and his design program is really fun to play with.

Thanks for the replies. great minds MUST think alike! LOL I have a 311410 4 cavity- one of my very favorite molds. It is easily the most accurate bullet in everything. Not powerful but wonderfully accurate. Cheap to shoot too!

If I could have one of these in tumble lube and it worked just as good...... I just want to 'lube' 3 handfuls of bullets while I sleep!

As to using the .314 bullets in .308 bores. Does that work ok? That would save a lot of time,trouble and expense. But still, it wouldn't be what I've dreamed of. And I am getting too old not to do my dreams.

Yes, a small flat point on the nose would help with tubular mag worries....

I am uncertain if I would want one that big- .309 or maybe .310 would suit me better.

I am shooting a .357 microband now- I like it. Can't push it too hard....yet. thinking about heat treating a few and pushing the envelope though.

Shouldn't be a problem shooting .314" cast bullets in a .308" bore, IF the loaded rounds will chamber freely.

My test is a simple one. If I can thumbpress a bullet into a fired case, I'll shoot it. When I was playing with a lot of milsurp junk, I frequently loaded that way, being too cheap to buy dies that may have cost as much as the rifle. .314 bullets are too big for any of the .308 bores I have around.



Sizing just is not an issue for me where I can use Liquid Alox and one of the $10 Lee pushthrough dies. The process is so fast that I don't begrudge the time at all.



My feeling is that it would be very difficult to get enough orders for a group buy for a very specialized mould for .30 plinkers and very easy to get the orders for the same bullet casting large enough to be multi use.



btw, I use Lee 356-153 2R for a general purpose 9mm/.35 cal bullet. They surplused some six cavity moulds a while back and the one I got casts just over .358. I just cast them and give them a bath in Rooster Jacket. Long as you keep your velocities down, that's easier and less messy than Liquid Alox.