I have two 308 Winchester rifles. One is a 1-10 twist Rem 40x. The other is a Rem 700 VS with1-12 twist.

I have two Lyman moulds (311291, 31141) for .308 (or whatever cast diameter is). I haven't shot a cast bullet in 20 years, and was thinking of getting back to it.

I was wondering if there was a more streamlined 30 cal CB bullet for the 308 Win. I was thinking of the RCBS 180 grainer. Is there a ~200 grain gas check bullet that would work in a 308 Win neck (no lube outside case)?

Thanks in advance.

Carboat, take a look at the HBC thread.

Catboat,
www.castboolits.gunloads.com
and you can get theya from heya.

Catboat,
I'm curious to know the rationale behind your desire for there to be "no lube outside the case". I'm shooting a Lyman 311467 lubed with NRA/Alox. Seated out to a COL of 2.73" which exposes a lot of the lubed surface. My results off the bench from an out-of-the-box Rem 700BDL have been most satisfactory. I consistently get 1 moa. I see a lot of mold designs that look like they would not result in exposed lube, but have never tried one. What's the advantage...???
Thanks,
Don

I don't like exposed lube on hunting ammo or even competition ammo (dust storms are common in my part of the world), however, if exposed lube bothers you, you can either use a hard lube or else leave the exposed grooves empty. With a hard lube, it's not a big deal unless you carry the rounds in your pocket or something like that.

I guess it would depend on how you want to use that cast bullet. Exposed grease grooves can pick up dirt which over time can damage a bore.
The RCBS bullet (#30-180-SP)is a good shooter as are Lyman's #311334 and #311644 which has special lube grooves on the nose which must be hand lubed if you want lube in those grooves. I've never bothered to lube those forward grooove and the bullet has shot just fine. Another bullet I like is the RCBS #30-180-FN, which is a flat nosed bullet that has proved to be most accurate in several 30-30, .308 Win. and 30-06 rifles to 200 and 300 yards. In ne .308 rifle,I got consistant 1.5 MOA at 200 yards and 2.5 MOA at 300 yards, and this from a Winchester Model 70 sporter, not a high priced target rifle. I'll admit that conditions with wind and light were almost perfect the day I shot those groups, but still, it shows the quality of the bullet. I believe that all the above mention bullets can be seated in a .308 case without the base of the bullet protruding into the powder area provided the nose fits the bore properly. Most of the bullets I mentioned will run close to 190 gr. in wheel weight metal.
Paul B.

Two bullets, two rifles.

Which will work best? Start by finding out which bullet fits each rifle. Take one of each bullets - observe how it fits into the muzzle. For example the 31141 that I have is loose (the bore riding portion when inserted in the barrel of my 7.62 nato 40X). Not good - the bore riding portion should have light engraving. Next drop (one at a time) a bullet into the chamber and lightly tap it into the rifling with a 12 - 18" long rod. Use a cleaning rod to tap it back out. Look to see where it engages the rifling. Look just back of there (the throat) for light engraving - if you have it you've got a good fit - it should seal (obdurate) well, hence probably much more accurate. That's where I start.