Versatile .30 hunting bullet?

[Smoke-um if you got-um]

Ranch Dog's 170 FP is excellent. Bought it to use in my 30-30 but ended up using it in a Savage 30-06 SS bolt gun. Accuracy was excellent in this rifle with 27.5gr 5744. I had to adjust the cartridge O.A.L. a couple of times to find where it would feed properly but it was worth the effort. This particular rifle will shoot it sub M.O.A at 1900-1950 fps. I shoot it as cast and finger lube with undiluted liquid alox for my hunting rounds. To keep the top end clean so it won't pick up lint and grit from my coat pockets. I just tumble tube the practice rounds cos they go to the range in a box. I seat the gas check with a Lee sizer that is the same diameter as the as cast bullet. Some believe in liquid alox, some do not, opinions vary all over the place. This particular combo does not lead at all in this rifle. It has many hundreds of these loads thru it and I have yet to find any leading. I use the old Lyman #2 formula for all my hunting rifles. Enjoy and good luck.

[Bluehawk]

ANOTHER for the RCBS 180 FN GC MY one 94 Win LOVES it SHoots well with VARGET

[Sagebrush7]

All the Ranch Dog C311-170 are gone. You can still get the 165 gr, don't wait!

[kir_kenix]

Another vote for the RD, either in the 165 or the 170 form. The 311041 is another great choice. Both are accurate shooters that perform well in game. Can't go wrong with either of them.

[Blammer]

Here is my versitile hunting boolit.

It kills deer.



It kills squirrels



311284 out of my 30-06

it's the middle two

[JDL]

Blammer, how fast are you running them and how far do the deer usually go when shot with the 311284? What alloy and do you modify the nose or use it as dropped from mold? Thanks

[fatnhappy]

I'm partial to the 311290 mostly because my .30-06 prefers it over other designs. A 311284 or 314299 would fall into the same weight range.

At the end of the day, the older I get the heavier I like my hunting bullets. I believe you'll be well served to pick anything from 170 grains on up that shoots well.

[missionary5155]

Howdy
I am stuck on the RCBS 180 grain RFN GC for all my caliber .30 hunting except in the .300 ACC. Cast of 50/50 plus a little tin from my 06 it smacks like a hammer and makes a very nice exit hole for leaks. I do not do any shoulder shots but would not hessitate if that was all there was. I hunt river bottoms and thick stuff so I seldom see anything past 50 yards.
Mike in ILL.

[Blammer]

1850 fps per my chrono, its WW alloy air cooled I do nothing special to them in the way of heat treating or adding "special" alloys.

I use it as it's dropped from the mould, no nose modifications.

The deer I shot above ran about 75 yds, typical for a heart shot doe around here.

the squirrels on the other hand are bang flops.

[castshooter-too]

Bluehawk; whats your starting load for varget in the 30-30 if you dont mind me asking?

[singleshot]

The RD boolit has as good a ballistic coefficient and better terminal performance vs any 30 cal boolit I've used. I highly recommend it if you can get it.

[Shotgun]

Guys, many thanks for your replies and suggestions. I do have a related question. Being lazy and cheap I'm thinking about casting my .30 cal. bullets out of straight WW, either as dropped, water quenched or oven hardened. Any suggestions on casting methods of WW for the bullets you've suggested? Also, one of the posters referenced soft-nosed bullets. I very vaguely recall reading an article in one of the gun magazines about pure-lead noses topped (base end) with harder lead. Is that the process you have in mind or something else. If you can just refer me to a thread here I'd be thrilled. I have about 500# of pure lead and nearly a ton of WW ingots...

[JIMinPHX]

Water dropped usually give me a little bit better accuracy, but not that much. Air cooled gives me much better expansion. Soft tipped would be the best of both worlds, but they are not the easiest thing to make.

I've had good luck with the 150-gr Lee flat point @ around 2,300fps for hunting & 1,200fps for plinking.

[Reverend Recoil]

My vote is for the Lyman 311299 and 311284. They both shoot well and feed from the magazine better than a flat point bullet. The Lee C309-200-R may work well but I have not tried that one yet.