Ideal 311413

"The Squibb", or 311413, was described in the 1929 Ideal catalog as "perhaps the most accurate gas check bullet yet produced". I will have to leave confirmation of that claim to a better shot, as my 100 yard results look like this:

Target showing 1.75 inch 100 yard group.

6.5 grains of Bullseye fills less than 20% of the .30-06 case, so if you decide to duplicate this light target load, please be very careful that you don't drop a double charge. At 1115 fps, the trajectory recalls a baseball, but if you are shooting at known ranges where you can dial in the sights, it can be lots of fun. There is almost no recoil or muzzle blast. It does have a tendency to tease, printing tight clusters before throwing a flyer (damn that Gaussian distribution!). Still, 1.75 MOA remains respectable.

You hunters, who want more steam, can use Col. Townsend Whelan's recommendation of 23 grains 4198, for about 1700 fps. That is near the upper limit of its stable fight envelope.

Many older Lyman molds cast quite a bit oversize - 0.313" or 0.314" is common - so look for those marked U (undersize), S (small), or Ex S (extra small). My "S" mold casts at 0.310", and the "Ex S" 0.309". The less you have to size them, the better they will shoot.