Trouble sizing to 0.361 for Enfield No2

[Jaak]

I am trying to replicate the original 38/200 load for the Enfield No2 using the NOE mould that is dropping bullets sizing .364 - .365. When I first started gathering the tools to reload this cartridge I slugged the barrel and found it measures .362 at the grooves so I bought the .363 Lyman lubesizer die.

I have since learned that for this revolver one should size the bullet for the cylinder, not the barrel. I have now slugged the cylinder and found that it measures .360". Looks like I need a .361 lubsizing die but I am having a hell of a time finding anyone that makes a .361 bullet sizer of any kind, much less the Lyman lubesizer that I would like to use.

Any advice?

[Tatume]

Hello Jaak,

First, it is specifically the chamber throat that you need to fit. The cylinder has six chambers, and each chamber has a throat. The throat is the portion of the chamber through which the bullet passes when it exits the chamber, crosses the barrel/cylinder gap, and enters the forcing cone of the barrel.

Your bullets should be sized approximately 0.001" smaller than the chamber throat diameter. Assuming you accurately measured the throat diameters to be 0.360", you would ideally want your bullet diameters to be 0.359" or maybe slightly less.

Lathesmith is a member here who makes sizing dies. He does very high quality work at a fair price.

[Tatume]

P.s. 0.358" sizing dies are available from RCBS, Lyman, Redding and Lee. They would probably serve.

[Thin Man]

I have been through that challenge and was also unable to locate a .361" sizer so I created one. Your starting point will be a .358" sizing die, several wood rods about 1/4" diameter and several pages of sandpaper. Cut a section of the rod about 4" long, then cut a slit about 1 " down through the middle of one end. Cut a strip of sandpaper about 1" wide and long enough that when inserted into the slit and wrapped around the rod you can barely fit the paper into the die. Connect the solid end of the rod into your electric drill and polish the inside of the die until it arrives at your diameter goal. This will take a lot of time, sweat, sandpaper and frustration but you can have your .361" sizer if you are committed to this frustrating chore. You can use unsized boolits to test your progress along the way by sizing and measuring a few until you get success. It may be your experience that your die may spit out .361" boolits while the die will pin gauge measure at .360" due to a "spring back" action by the sized boolit. This is not a bad thing - think about all the die honing labor you will save from not having to continue working to open up your die. Other people may suggest faster or easier ways to create your die and that is a good thing. I am well satisfied with my sizer even though it seemed to take forever to get it to the final diameter.

Proper sizing die diameter will improve your boolit fit and grouping. Only recently I needed a .259" sizer to create fatter boolits for a Savage Sporter 25-20 that made only fair group sizes. I started with a .257" sizing die and opened it to .259". My 77 grain boolits cast in a GB mold drop at .259" and are not reduced when the GC and lube are added in that die. The groups my rifle makes now are tighter than ever before. Now this rifle will be tasked to reduce the 'yote population around here. Good luck with your project.

[Thumbcocker]

If your cylinder is smaller than your barrel you could have accuracy issues because the boolit will be too small after being sized down by the cylinder. You might consider casting the boolits from a real soft alloy and hoping they slug back up after getting smooshed down by the cylinder. Outpost 75 has lots of information on .38 S&W loading and some experience with it in top breaks. The Brits had their own ideas about revolver dimensions and did some things I don't understand.

[Outpost75]

DougGuy of cylinder honing fame can also hone for you a bullet sizer. He did this for me to match my corrected .455 Webley cylinder he did, honing a .454 sizer die to true .455. Should be able to take a .358 to .361 without any issues.