Home Forums Reloading Bullet Casting 308 with 225 gr cast bullets

This is an NOE mold I borrowed from a buddy. Gas check, spitzer (they call it a round nose but it’s spitzer profile) and no grease grooves. I was loading with IMR 4227 but not getting the velocity or accuracy I was hoping for. Would get an occasional 1” group at 50 yards but overall average was about 1.5” inches. Velocity was around 1400 fps.

So, I had a pound of IMR 8133 I acquired in a trade. Looking at IMR load data showed nothing for 308 but had loads for 243, 25-06 and a few other non magnum cartridges, all heavy for caliber bullets. I thought I might be able to make this powder work in 308 with a 225gr bullet which is heavy for caliber. I inquired first from my buddies at artfulbullet.com and they gave me a lot of advise and confirmed that I’d have a hard time blowing up my rifle with that slow of a powder.

I started by putting a known charge weight in a fired 308 case and dropped a bullet on top off it. It dropped in to the depth I was seating them with 4227, they fit in the magazine so they function great in the rifle.

I loaded one round with a CCI 250 LRM primer and went to the range to see if would fire. I really wasn’t sure I’d get good ignition and it would end up a squib round or hang fire. I held the rifle with one arm, shielded my face and fired it. No hangfire, no squib and no signs of any excess pressure, good to load more!

Went home and loaded 9 more for three 3 shot groups. First group at 100 yards was 1” and the second was 1.25”. Tried a 200 yd. Group to get an idea of bullet drop, It was about a 6” inch group strung out vertically. Velocity average was 1849 with an SD of 44. I think that may be the reason for the much larger 200 yd group.

I loaded some more with another .6 grains and 1.6 grains to see if I could lower the SD. Unfortunately, it was a bright sunny day and I couldn’t get any chrony readings. Groups were very similar at 100yards and tighter at 200. I saved enough from each load to shoot one more group on a cloudy day to get chrony readings.

Arfulbullet guys suggested a Winchester or Federal LRM because they are “stronger” primers but they are pretty much impossible to find now. I checked 4 different shops locally and they had nothing. I’m not going to worry about it much, this load is shooting better than any jacketed bullet I’ve shot in this rifle and this may be as good as it will shoot. It’s a CVA Cascade “hunting” rifle, not a target rifle so I’m not expecting .5” groups.

This is my deer rifle and load this year. Max range from my stand is 160 yards so this should be perfect.

Oh, one more thing, bullets are cast from “pure” wheel weights, gas checked and sized, powder coated and sized again to .309. I’m using a Lee Factory crimp die and crimping pretty heavy.

No grease grooves? Is the bullet made for paper patches?

He's powder coating.

A spitzer bullet, even cast of a soft alloy, may well exhibit indifferent expansion at around 1850fps, compared to a flat nose or hollowpoint. Keep us informed as to your results.

In my impetuous youth I shot a couple deer with cast spitzers and they died hard despite good bullet placement - but that could've been due to a lot of adverse factors. Too long ago to remember exact hardness and velocities, but it left a bad taste in my mouth re: sharp pointed cast bullets on game.

Correct, no grease grooves, powder coating acts like a jacket and prevents leading. These bullets are designed to be powder coated.

Yeah, I’ve been thinking and wondering about this and it will be slower than 1850 at deer range. I don’t have ballistics gel, maybe I’ll try wet magazines…

I agree with Gnoahhh regarding pointed cast bullets. For game I prefer flat faced cast. I shoot round and spritzers only at paper.
I’m impressed with the accuracy results you gotten with that rifle and bullet in the 308 however.

This bullet screams HP to me. I have a custom tool. Set the depth to the length of the bullet nose and let the base penetrate. Even if you lose the nose it will still work especially if you tailor the alloy to expand at your target speed.

I shoot 200gr and 220gr 35cal cast HP bullets at a 30:1 alloy. They expand beautifully and both have killed deer over the last 3 years. I shoot them around 1200fps in a 357 Maximum rifle.

The bullet worked! Shot a buck today at 130ish yards and dropped it in it’s tracks. I gutted it and gave it to a newly married couple that could use the meat. I told him the only thing I wanted was the bullet which did not exit. I purposely aimed for the shoulder and I think the bullet may have deflected up into the spine based on how the deer reacted. I could be wrong, may have smashed both shoulders. Anxious to see the bullet…

I ended up with a load of 43gr s of 8133 which brought the SD down to 21. I stumbled onto 1/2 box of Winchester LRM primers. A buddy pulled his reloading gear out of cold storage and set it up in my woodshop. As we were pulling stuff out of boxes we found the Win LRM’s, he said to use whatever I want…. I’m going to try them and I’ll just trade him CCI LRM’s.

Very surprised that the bullet did not exit…….that’s a lot of sectional density in a .308” bullet! memtb

I'm interested in seeing if the bullet expanded and if so, how much.

Its quite possible it did a wee bit then riveted if its too pointy and the speed and alloy were not in cahoots.

I haven’t seen it yet! I guess I’m going to have to pick it up…