I want to use cast bullets on a prairie dog hunt next spring and have a SAAMI 30-06 that is a proven shooter with a few designs that can cast .311” on the shank and w/ respect to bore riding designs, .302” on the nose. I'd actually rather not shoot a bore rider because, at least from my experience, while the bore riders can be remarkably accurate when everything is in sync, they can also throw too many flyers.
Any opinions on which 4-cavity SAECO design will likely provide the best results? I have enough Re7 to decimate the Wyoming prairie dog population but need an accurate cast bullet design and I need to be able to cast a 1000 or so high quality bullets in short order... which is the reason for an iron 4-cavity mold. Unfortunately, I only have experience with a selection of Lyman and RCBS molds. If I could get a 4-cavity 30-180-FN, (just dreamin') I'd be in good shape even though my copy of 30-180-FN does cast a heavy 193 grain bullet in WW metal. My RCBS 30-165-SIL is the bore rider I mentioned above that shoots really well... when it feels like it. Most of my Lyman molds (recent manufacture dates) are hard pressed to cast a .311” bullet, except for the possibility of my 311041... which has worn alignment sockets. I'm zeroing in on either SAECO #305 or 307. My concerns with #307 and #305 are that the former will cast undersize and the later will cast a nose too fat to chamber. I've heard good things about #316, but it looks kinda short.
Thanks, LBD