Home Forums Reloading Bullet Casting how fast

How fast should you be able to shoot a 165 grain out of a 308 with out a gas check? I am useing unique. Ten grains I beleive and I don't think the bullets are getting to the target at 50 yards in one piece.

What kind of lube and bullet (mould/diameter)? Might also want to try slower powder/filler since you have no gas check. What speed do you want?

I bought the bullets from Brass Plus, I don't know what kind of lube is on them. I don't care about speed, I just want to plink with them.

Hmmm..
Are you getting any lead between the lands and grooves; look for chunks or gator skin appearance. Usually when going for light your point of impact is very low from rifles. Have you checked to get a "group" at 25 yds? You should get 1,500 at least from this load. Some one else will probably chime in as I'm probably leaving something out.

1200-1500 is reasonable for a hard cast bullet with good lube for no leading and accuracy.

I'd move the target to 25 yards to see where it's printing.

10gr of Unique is probably around the 1300 fps mark, you could go as high as 15 gr for vel of about 1800 fps. Per the lyman cast bullet reloading book.

make sure you flair the case mouth when loading so you don't shave the bullet, that will affect accuracy tremendously.

First things first. Does this bullet have a rebated base to accept a gas check? While some people say the get good accuracy without a check at the lower velocities, this has not been the case for me in 53 years of shooting cast bullets.
If the bullet is a plain based model, then I believe that velocity should be kept right around 1400 FPS or a bit less for best results. I'm thinking some of the velocity estimates are a hair on the high side. I'm guessing you're getting about 1300 FPS with 10.0 gr. of Unique.
The idea to try that load at 25 yards is a good one.That load will be radically off if you're still using a full power sight in. Use a fairly large target to insure catching the bullets. Do bell the necks of the cases slightly as you do not want to damage the bases of those bullets, another good reason to use a gas check BTW. In his experiments, Dr. Mann in his book THE BULLET'S FLIGHT discovered that damage to the base caused great problems with accuracy. In fact, he felt it totally destroyed accuracy. The book is actually quite dry and boring, but there is good information if you're willing to stick it out.
Sometime, cast bullets can be quite puzzling. For example, you cam load a 110 gr. cast bullet to full velocity in an M-1 Carbine, but cannot reach the same velocity in a .308 or 30-06 and maintain the same level of accuracy. I never quite figured out that one, but belive it may have to do with bullet jump.
Two more things to check. Take a couple of those bullets and stick the nose into the muzzle of the rifle. They should not go in or if they do, be a snug fit. If they are loose, then you'll never get any kind of decent accuracy. The nose of the bullet should slightly engage the rifling for the best accuracy. At least it works that way in my rifles.
If the bullets are a proper fit, you should be able to get maybe 1.5 to 2.0 inches at 100 yards. At roughly 1300 FPS, trajectory will probably be a bit flatter than a .22 LR. Another thing that comes to mind, is you must be careful with your follow through.
Just what is the sized diameter of your bullets. Even though your bore is .308", your bullets should be at least .309" and preferably .310". Those diameters are perfectly safe.
Sorry if this all seems a little disjointed, but I'm trying to give suggestions as they pop into mind. I hope some of them will give you the results you're looking for.
Paul B.

Yes it does have the rebated base for a gascheck

In that case, if it does not have a gas check intalled, accuracy may not be very good. It might be OK at low velocities, but then again, it might not. About all you can do is try.
Paul B.

I haven't chronoed such a load, but my gut-estimate would be you're in the 1000-1200 fps speed range. That shouldn't be excessive for a plainbase cast bullet, BUT, there are alot of factors that affect leading and accuracy. You should start with a barrel that has been thoroughly cleaned to remove any and all jacket fouling. The cast bullets should be sized to the throat of the chamber, and typically at least 0.001" over bore dia. The bullet lube should be on the softer side, and the bullet also shouldn't be too hard. The base of the bullet should be flat.

The absoulte worst leading bullet I've ever shot was a commercial hard cast .357" 160 gr truncated cone swc w/ a bevel base out of a 35 whelen. I was using fairly mild loads, unique for 1500 fps. The combination of the hard bullet, undersize bullet, bevel base and crappy hard lube made for bullets that leaded in long strips in the barrel. It was a serious chore removing the leading.

While gas checks aren't always needed perse, they typically make for bullets that are less likely to lead, and are more tollerant of conditions that would lead to leading. I see them as cheap insurance if you don't cast your own bullets. When you cast your own bullets you can tailor the bullet alloy, lube and sizing to your gun, and hence plain base bullets work fine in many applications. But with storebought bullets, I see gas checks as worth their price.