How small can we go? (Sizing question)

[Blintersifrid]

So this may be a pretty basic question, but I'm a total rookie at this and seek the expertise of the group.

How small can one size a boolit without ruining it?
-0.002 to -0.003? More?
I assume that products of a .358 mould can be sized down to .356, since I saw people say that they did that, but how far is too far?

Explanation of question:
I am the owner of (as soon as I pick it up) a 7.35mm Carcano rifle, with a bore diameter of .299 or .300 (I forget exactly, since it has been *years* since we slugged it!), that my uncle can no longer keep. He was never able to really shoot it, since he could never find the proper ammunition (one of my best memories was giving him a couple of boxes of 7.35mm Italian-surplus military ball for Christmas one year). I plan on using the rifle, and that means I'll probably be casting boolits for it.

I can easily find .309-caliber moulds, but cannot seem to find .300- or .301-cal. Should I be able to size these down that much, or do I need to look into a custom mould? (Follow up question: anyone know of sizing setups that will do .300 or .301?)

If not, I'll have to purchase "J-word" projectiles to load the cartridges.

Thank you in advance for your responses - and for helping prevent me from only ever being able to shoot "those other things" out of the rifle!

'Sifrid

[Hamish]

I have sized .325 down to .314.

[Harter66]

Buckshot makes nice sizers. I have a couple of his push throughs they are beautiful pieces and are dead on for the sizing I requested. 1 is in fact 301 that I size cores for paper patch for.

I've read here many times that you can size a long ways down if the lube grooves are filled,it keeps them open. I have not tried to size more than .002-3 for a naked boolit myself.

[DeanWinchester]

I've sized a bunch of .459's down to .454 for 45 colt loads. No problems, although as stated, lube is paramount.

[DrCaveman]

For what it is worth, I tried sizing some .317-318 boolits down to .311 and it nearly broke my reloading bench. And the lube grooves disappeared on half the boolit

And my attempt ended with one stuck so bad I had to drill it out. A softer alloy may have helped. I know they were plenty lubed.

I removed the beagling from my mold, the boolits went back to 312-313 and sizing worked great

[Blintersifrid]

So it sounds like, if I lubed first (and it sounds like I may need to use something other than liquid Alox to do that - and isn't lubing going to be a whole kettle of new fish), I *should* be okay taking a nominally .309-caliber boolit down to .300-ish?

I'll have to look into Buckshot sizers - as soon as I get that rifle in my safe, anyway.

Thank you for your responses.

'Sifrid

[Harter66]

Buckshot is a member here just pm him he will get back w/a couple of paragraphs that amounts he won't make any standard production sizes and he prefers to work from actual bbl slugs it allows better accuracy for his part.

[lksmith]

I have sized Jacketed from .311 to .308 with no issues, actually came out extremely accurate.
Also have sized from .359 to .356 with no issues using WDWW that tested at 19BHN. Have even sized out of round 50bmg API rounds.
I always used the Lee push thru with no issues, plus they are cheap (comparatively)

[rintinglen]

I have taken 358-429 boolits down to .351 to use as plinkers in my Winchester 71. That's about .3595 as cast down to .351. Choose a design with deep grease grooves and lube with a conventional, as opposed to liquid, lube. You can pan lube if you like, rather than buy a lubrisizer, because you will want to use a Lee-type push through sizer die. It puts too much strain on the Lubrisizer to try it that way. I lube mine in a .357 die in a conventional sizer, then tumble lube, then push-size down to .351. I made my own Lee .351 sizer die by ordering a .338 sizer die and a 9mm push rod, then polishing out the die and sanding down the push rod until I got what I wanted. I think you could do the same with a 7mm die and a 30 cal push rod.