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Guys I have been casting for over 40 years, and have a older buddy who is wanting to shoot cast in his .348 Model 71. I have never cast any for this caliber, I assume I need a 350-352 diamter bullet, gas check or plain base, if plain base I will powder coat them most likely, also do I need a sizer.
Also I have a .358 200gr mold, 6 cavity, would this work just sized down to .350-.352?
Lyman #3
Attachment 324404
Lyman #48
Attachment 324405
Lyman #44
Attachment 324406
Accurate Molds has several bullets labeled for the .348 that have roughly similar noses, but differ in weight by varied shank lengths. These are in Tom's catalog in the 35-220 to 35-300 range.
When we did a chamber cast of Pop's Miroku, we found the nose contour of the 250B was a perfect fit. In retrospect, we'd probably consider something lighter - 220C maybe - since chasing really big stuff isn't in the cards.
I personally would not mess with a plain base for that round. Low intensity is not really what the .348 is about.
Thanks for the reply guys. I need to get with him and slug his bore, the go from there. He is wanting to stay in 200-225 gr range, and these will probably be used only for plinking and shooting some steel silhouettes.
I went through exactly what you are describing8 or 9 years ago when I got my Model 71. The 358 boolits probably won't work without resizing the nose. It will jam in the rifling. The Browning copies are even more picky in this regard. You will want a .349 or .350 sizer. I recommend the Accurate 350-220B, but the RCBS 200 grain boolit is also pretty nice. I do not recommend the Lyman 350-447. I had poor accuracy with it, though I have since read that it works well at lower velocities. For powder for full hunting loads, I like 4895 or WW-760 they have given me the best accuracy, much more so than 4350 and slightly better than 3031 or WW-748. I have read that Varget also works well, but availability was spotty when I was working up my loads and I hoard what I have for my .308.
Attachment 324421 The first 4 are Hornady Jacketed bullets, the last two are Accurate 35-220B's.
For a fun plinker, and I must say I have shot more of these than anything else. Take a 358-429, size and lube it .358, then size it down to .350. I usually do it in two steps, .355, then .350, but it's not really necessary. Then load it over 13 grains of Red Dot. Shoots well at closer ranges--I had intended to use it for chickens and turkeys in lever action rifle competition--and no gas checks to mess with. Plus the recoil is much lighter. The only fly inn the ointment is that it shoots much lower than the full power loads.
Attachment 324422
PS, whenever you find .348 components for sale--grab them. They are not often available, and are usually pretty dear when you do find them.