| Posted: Sun Nov 9th, 2008 11:05 AM |
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Slingshot
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Hello all,
Got a question some of you casters can maybe answer. I am casting lead for my 30/30 winchester. Lyman mold 31141 174 Gr. FP I am new to casting rifle bullets and want to know if this is normal or irregular.
I am sizing them to .308 and the lube grooves before sizing are deep, after I size them it crunches the lube grooves and makes them shallow, the lube is in there but not a lot. Should I bump it up to .309? or will it not make a difference ?
thanks,
Slingshot
____________________ A nation of sheep will beget a government of wolves. - Edward R. Murrow
National Rifle Association Member
Illinois State Rifle Association Member
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| Posted: Sun Nov 9th, 2008 02:37 PM |
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wheezengeezer
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you might use an oversize die to crimp the gas checks and lube the bullet with minimal sizing first.then size down to .001 to .002 larger than groove dia.you will get better accuracy with a bullet sized as minimal as possible and a bit larger than groove dia.
____________________ I was raised in the 50's on gunpowder and jackrabbits.salt and pepper wooda made'em taste better
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| Posted: Sun Nov 9th, 2008 03:35 PM |
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runfiverun
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you just sized them boolits down about .003 and the lead has to go somewhere.
your rifle would probably do better at 310 size. if you only have the 308 size and your rifle wil shoot it fine i would lube the boolits and then size them.
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| Posted: Sun Nov 9th, 2008 08:43 PM |
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miestro_jerry
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I size my CBs to .309 and .311 depending on which rifle or Contender I am loading for. I use a Star sizer most of the time, but once in a while my RCBS. The GCs should not be a problem, I seldom have a GC problem with the sizers that I use.
BTW, my Marlin 336 in 30-30 and my Spanish FR8 in 308 Win, I size to .311, The bore on the 336 is factory spec because it is new, while the FR8 is just a worn barrel.
Hope this helps,
Jerry
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| Posted: Sun Nov 9th, 2008 09:42 PM |
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Charley
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I find most of my .308 diameter rifles shoot better with bullets sized .309 or .310. Not a waste, just lap your sizer a bit and go up in size.
____________________ TANSTAAFL
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| Posted: Mon Nov 10th, 2008 12:45 AM |
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72coupe
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You might try adding a little tin and antinomy to your mix. This will cause them to harden some and shrink more.
____________________ Reloader since 1969.
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| Posted: Mon Nov 10th, 2008 03:04 AM |
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miestro_jerry
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With bullet casting, it really is a matter of many things, instead of just one.
I size larger than the spec'd bore, or can I suggest do a casting of my chamber/bore and work from that point. Brownell's sells the alloy to do a chamber casting.
I use three alloys, WWs with 1 pound of Tin added to 100 pounds of WWs, Lyman #2 Alloy, which is 90% Lead, 5% Tin, 5% Antimony and Linotype which is 84% Lead, 12% Antimony and 4% Tin. If you want further hardness, try a pinch of Arsenic for every 5 pounds of alloy you want to cast. Do such things in a extremely well ventilated area and exercise the utmost in safety.
For sizing I can go from .001 to .003 over the "standard". For Gas Checks, the ones I use for my 45 ACPs and 45 LC are not the same ones I use for my .458 rifle bores, there is a difference. Most other work well between rifle and pistol bullets. There have been many debates over the difference between the Lyman type and the Hornady types of gas checks. There are some differences, but I like the crimp on or Hornady type, even thou for a few calibers I do use the Lyman type.
For Lube, I can suggest many brands and types, I can suggest White Label Lubes, http://www.lsstuff.com/lube/index.html and http://www.voodoo-lube.com/, many people have their favorites, but I figured out my own lube, so I make my own. I am not related to LS Stuff or to Jeff with VooDoo Lube., but I have tried the LS Stuff' lubes and they work well. Making my own lube is not really cheaper than buying some from one of vendors out there, I just like to have more control over my cast bullets.
Listen to all of the advice here, generally there is no wrong answer, but different avenues to finding a solution to your situation. With me, it comes from doing bullet casting since the late 60s and taking notes along the way.
It is all experimentation to find out what works the best for you. When you find what works for you, write it down, when it doesn't work, write that down also. Some times my "doesn't work well attempts" are a cure for another problem on another day.
Hope this helps,
Jerry
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| Posted: Mon Nov 10th, 2008 02:24 PM |
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wheezengeezer
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filling the groves with lube before sizing will keep them from deforming.as said before,oversize bullets will work best.
____________________ I was raised in the 50's on gunpowder and jackrabbits.salt and pepper wooda made'em taste better
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| Posted: Sat Nov 22nd, 2008 03:25 AM |
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miestro_jerry
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Wheezen,
I agree with you. I size mine .001 or .002, some times .003 over. They work well.
Jerry
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