What cast bullet would you recommend for deer in .308?

[vincyr]

A conversation with my supervisor at work today got me thinking about getting into casting bullets for my .308 win, mainly as a money saver(I have a couple possible sources for free lead), but also with a little bit of that "what if I cant get any bullets some day" possibility in mind. Since I have no experience with cast bullets and their terminal performance, I was wondering what would be a good bullet choice for deer sized game.

 

[Art Eatman]

I've loaded 169-grain lead gas-checks as plinker/practice loads for my '06. 20 grains of 2400 gives about 1,800 ft/sec. That's enough to go all the way through Bambi. Droopy trajectory, though. With my scope sighted in for 2" high at 100 yards for my full-power loads, the gas-checks hit about 18" low.

Lots to read up on in the learning curve for casting your own bullets.

 

[rcmodel]

1. Buy this.
http://www.cabelas.com/product/Lyma...gclid=CMC1_Y3p-boCFa5r7AodayAADw&gclsrc=aw.ds

2. Read it cover to cover several times.

3. In the mean time, pick up a 170 grain flat point mold, some .30 cal gas checks, and figure out how to alloy & cast "Lyman #2 Alloy".

4. Go kill a deer with your homemade lead bullets.

rc

 

[Dthunter]

Try visiting the "cast boolets" site. They are a wealth of info reguarding this very subject!

I have taken lots of game with cast bullets, they work fine.
Flat points transfer thier energy quicker. More abrupt cross section gives the bulletore resistance when penetrating.

With the 308win, I have been using the Lyman #311299, 200 grain, bore riding style bullet.
With lots of reading, testing and experimenting, i have managed to get Jacketed velocities from this bullet. It really flattens the deer! Lol!

The only Draw back with this cast bullet design is that you donot seat the bullet very deep into the case. The bullet nose gets centered in the rifling, aiding in accuracy.
When the loaded cartridge is that long, it cannot be functioned through the magazine. Some shooters dont like that.

The secrets about shooting cast bullets is all about proper fit and alignment.

When things work out, its tremendously satisfying!
I have shot targets with 1-1/2 to 2 MOA accuracy out to 900 yards with this bullet! Fun stuff!!!

I dont hunt at ranges like that though. I limmit myself to distances that allow the remaining velocity to facilitate bullet expansion.

This is only fair to the game we hunt.

I shot this Mule Deer Doe at 230 yards

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Hope you like the pictures!

 

[Gunner11]

Lead 308s

I have hunted with cast bullets for over 25 years, favourite mould in 30 cal is the Lyman 31141, 175 gr flat nose followed by a lee 180gr rn. My casts come out at 180 185 gr depending on alloy for the lyman, and 170 175 for the lee.
The lyman mould is fiddly to get casting properly, so at a session I usually cast 2-300 and get about 200 useable, mould is slow to heat up and once hot you have to keep to a rhythm, to fast or slow, wrinkled or frosty bullets.
The Lee mould is much more forgiving.
My 3030 hasn't shot a jacketed bullet in 20 years, and with an aperture sight I get 1.5 in groups at 100. Probably shoot 60-70 rnds per month, (have a pig and are solving a feral goat problem).
Just bought a 308, with the intention of feeding it lead as well as jackets for the long range stuff.
Bare in mind the 22 like trajectory of a cast bullet and they work as well as anything if they connect without all the associated meat damage.

 

[Dthunter]

Vincyr:

I just want to make sure that you know that you dont have to shoot lead bullets slow like most people do. Thats the easy way to shoot them. If thats what you want, then fine.

But do your homework and you can shoot some cast bullets like I described in the above post as fast as a jacketed bullet.

The 308 win is a great and very capable cast bullet shooter!

My 200 grain Lyman 311299 travels at 2345 fps average. And thats no 22lr trajectory!

Either way, enjoy cast bullet shooting! Its great fun!