Home Forums Reloading Bullet Casting Cast Bullets for a .30-06 Mannlicher Schoenauer?

I have a full stock 21 inch barrel M/S carbine that has a repaired cracked stock wrist. I want to use the rifle on deer in fairly close-in situations with 100-150 yard max ranges. I am considering using cast bullets to hold down recoil, and give some lethal punch at the same time.

What do you think of this scheme?

Do cast bullets feed well out of the M/s rotary mag? My model is of 1952 vintage.

I reload smokelesss only and do not plan to boil up my own lead. Is there a commercially available lead bulet that would be satisfactory for my purposes? I am a little fuissy about acuracy and would like some thing I could rely on at about 1.5MOA.

Thanks for any tips.
1B

1B: I have very good service from bullets cast from the RCBS 180 FNGC mould. They cast at about 190+ grains from wheel weights. I would be very surprised if your MS did not feed them perfectly but have not had opportunity to try them in that rifle. If the rifle feeds 220 grain round nose jacketed loads that cast bullet should feed as well.

Any load that is accurate within your intended ranges and gives you 1700 fps or greater will do the trick with minimal strain on the rifle.

I think you can easily get loads good enough to kill deer but to get 1.5 inch groups may take a LOT of work.

1B:Dry Creek bullets sells the RCBS 30 cal FPGC,AND is right next door in West (B.G.) Va. Good luck(I shoot a 1952 M.S. 30/06,but cast my own)

Lylebynite,

I would be glad to hear about your experiences with that rifle and cast bullets. Loads, performance in terms of stopping power and accuracy etc.., I am set up with a RCBS Rock Chucker and most of the common doodads, will I need any special devices for loading cast bulklets?

Thanks for the tip.
1B

1B: by my standards the only additional equip.you need to start loading commercial cast bullets is a Lyman M die. A flat nose bullet seating punch if you don't have one,,)there are alternatives to both to get the job done, but That's my choice. My 1952 M.S's( I have 3) are all the 24"barrel half <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cool.gif" alt="" />'stock models. The one Used for cast has the double-set triggers and "as issued open sights"..It is used specifically for iron sight only local competition,and has never been "off Pavement". I'M shooting homegrown Lyman 311284,214 gr ready to shoot in our alloy,sized 309. over 17.8 gr Alliant #2400. (worked up from 16.0 Gr.) The rifle outshoots my ability, as my #1 buddy as proved xx times shooting it..My 67 yr old eyes really struggle any more with the open Irons..I did not note that the Dry Creek website shows that bullet sized at 308...May work for you ,but wouldn't be my first choice,check and see if they will go bigger,or get them unsized,and use a lee push throuigh sizer on your press. Cast bullet making/ shooting is a stone blast, but keyboarding about it wears me out,so this is all for now.. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cool.gif" alt="" /> Lyle

Assuming the rifle shoots accurately with jacketed bullets, there is no reason that a 3 shot 1 1/2" group at 100 yds should be a herculian task with cast. I've shot such groups with my Ruger 480 revolver, and have shot 1" 5 shot groups from my 350 Rigby. Nothing fancy was done to either gun, nor were special molds used.

The only caveat is commercial cast bullets are often sized too small, and the lubes are too hard. But if you can find a good commercial cast bullet, you should have no problem achieving your goal.

1B,
You have a very fine rifle and I think you will be pleased with it's performance in the hunting field using flat nosed cast. I use Lyman's 31141 with 25 grains of IMR-4198 in my '06 Mannlicher-Schoenauer for a velocity of 1750 fps. Average accuracy for 8 groups has been 1.86" at 100 yards. I took a bobcat last season with this load while deer hunting, and it feeds very slick from my rifle.-Joe