Decision: 308 Winchester, But...

[jcren]

Have you tried the Lee .312-155 2r 7.62 bullet? Seems a lot of people like this bullet for loose mil surp on up to 303 Enfield.

[Motor]

I size all my boolits for .308" barrels .311" and get excellent results. Fact is I only use one boolit a Lee 160gr 2R TL.

I now powder coat them but that didn't change my loads or the accuracy.

I admit I didn't read every post but it seems you have a "fit" problem.

You do need to test your chamber fit to make sure you have room to chamber a .311" bullet.

How about neck size? Are you swaging when seating? Are you over crimping (if crimping at all).

Motor

[BCB]

Have you tried the Lee .312-155 2r 7.62 bullet? Seems a lot of people like this bullet for loose mil surp on up to 303 Enfield.

Thanks...

I may give this one a try and size to 0.311"...

So far, the 311041 checked only sized and lubed with liquid alox is showing some promise--yet, not exactly what I am looking for...

Bore riders seem mostly out of the question as the bore in the Encore is simply to large of diameter...

BCB

[Swede44mag]

BCB you might want to check out this sight I have bought springs and other items from him in the past and he has a lot of good info on TC's.
http://www.bellmtcs.com/store/

JMHO might be able to figure how to solve what sounds like a head space problem to me with the extractor giving you fits.

[Bama]

You may want to try nose riders like the Lee's that have been fully powder coated. Just measured several weights and as cast they are .300 but go up to .304 on the nose section with single coat.

[BCB]

Have you tried the Lee .312-155 2r 7.62 bullet? Seems a lot of people like this bullet for loose mil surp on up to 303 Enfield.

Would you have any idea what top punch might be used for that boolit?...

Thanks...BCB

[BCB]

BCB you might want to check out this sight I have bought springs and other items from him in the past and he has a lot of good info on TC's.
http://www.bellmtcs.com/store/

JMHO might be able to figure how to solve what sounds like a head space problem to me with the extractor giving you fits.

Yea, I am familiar with the site. I have ordered springs etc. from him in the past for my Contenders. I am thinking about ordering a spring for the trigger on this Encore. The pull is dreadful...

Just curious, why do you think headspace would cause the extractor to go under the rim, letting the case in the barrel, when opening the barrel.

Thanks...BCB

[BCB]

Thanks all…

Today, I put the Encore in the gunsafe. I finally have accepted there is little or no sense flinging lead downrange and just having more disappointment when I look at the targets…

There is little doubt the bore in this 308 Winchester barrel is too big and there is a real lose area when pushing a slug through it…

A bore rider can be inserted in the end of the barrel up to the first driving band…

I called T/C and they want the entire firearm sent back—receiver and barrel. I said “NO” to this and went about my business. Yet, that may be an option on down the line…

On another thread, several posters are suggesting a heavier boolit. A member of this site has offered to send me a few 311299’s to try. So, I will do this when I can arrange the deal…

I also have a Lee mold ordered that will be a 311” size and I am going to size that boolit to 0.311”. That might be enough to fill the bore and help with accuracy—who knows…

So, when I put the Encore in the gunsafe, I got out the Contender 23” carbine in 6.8mm SPC cartridge. Went to my range and shot a firearm that shoots nicely. You don’t need both thumbs to cock the hammer and you don’t need 8+ lbs. of pressure to pull the trigger!...

Put the rifle on the bench and sighted it in for the N.O.E. 279-124-FP as I had it sighted-in for the Hornady 120 SST for deer. Three shots at 50 yards and I pulled out the QuickLoad printout I keep with those cast boolit loads and made a final adjustment…

I was hitting my life-sized steel groundhog silhouette at 250 yards with the holdovers on the Burris ‘scope. How pleasant!!!...

I still have hope for the Encore, but it has taken more work than any other firearm I have owned. And, it still isn’t shooting near satisfactory…

Time will tell if it stays in my gunsafe or the barrel goes by the wayside…

Thanks…BCB

[dondiego]

You could sell the rifle or just the barrel even.

[BCB]

You could sell the rifle or just the barrel even.

Yep, that is an option also for sure...

I do have lighter trigger/hammer springs ordered for it so being able to pull the trigger in less than 5 seconds (!) might help a bit also, but I am pretty certain the barrel is the culprit for sure...

Time will tell with the different boolits and a bit lighter trigger...

BCB

[runfiverun]

if your just gonna let it sit it might as well sit at TC's shop getting a barrel.
how you screw up 300X308 is beyond me.
maybe Remington is making their barrels.

[BCB]

if your just gonna let it sit it might as well sit at TC's shop getting a barrel.
how you screw up 300X308 is beyond me.
maybe Remington is making their barrels.

I reckon so…

I am going to try some 311299’s and a boolit designed for the 7.62x39 that is supposed to cast at 0.312” diameter. I am then going to size to 0.311” and hope it will chamber. Maybe my neck expander won’t open the case neck enough—I don’t know—too damn many parameters to try to work-out…

If these 2 attempts don’t help with accuracy, then I guess I will have no choice but to send it back to T/C and hope for the best. OR, I guess selling the entire set-up is also another option. But then, one won’t know if it was the barrel or the receiver or both that is/was causing the problems…

Also, sending the dang thing back would require taking the ‘scope and rings and base off and putting the rear sight back on. If I put a lighter trigger spring it in, I will probably take it out too as T/C would problem remove it and put a factor one in it again. I purchased the receiver as a pistol setup without a barrel. I bought the 308 rifle barrel separately. I don’t know if this will matter as I will only be sending in the steel with no stocks or forends as I am not going to send my Boyd walnut wood with it. Plus, I have no idea how one even sends it back—how to package it etc…

Oh well, guess we’ll cross that bridge when I get there…

Thanks…BCB

[BCB]

I just cast some CTL312-160-2R boolits and I sized them to 0.311"...

Someone suggested a larger diameter boolit as the barrel on the 308 Winchester seems pretty sloppy with some of the measurements...

My question: The diameter of the pictured boolit in front of the lube grooves is 0.305". Will this be to big to shoot down the barrel of this 308 Winchester?

If I can get the boolit to enter the case and if I can get the loaded round to chamber. Of course, a dummy round will be made first...

Thanks...BCB

[runfiverun]

should be okay.
that little area right there should sit just in front of the case mouth, which is 310 in most rifles anyway.

[BCB]

should be okay.
that little area right there should sit just in front of the case mouth, which is 310 in most rifles anyway.

I used one of those Hornady O.C.L. gauges of which I make my own Modified Cases for it...

I have no problem getting the case with the boolit to chamber and I do have an O.C.L. for the aforementioned boolit...

My concern is the front of the boolit measures 0.305". Will this be too big of a diameter to put down a bore that is 0.300"-0.302"...

This boolit sort of becomes a "bore rider" but is much bigger than the bore...

I'm wondering if the 0.004" over bore will be too much and cause excess pressure, even with super light loads...

Thanks...BCB

[Scharfschuetze]

That .305" bore riding diameter might be a tight fit, but I thought that your groove diameter was .303" from previous posts. Barrels are surprisingly good at swaging down boolits that are slightly oversize if they chamber OK. Many loaders who size their boolits to the throat diameter of their chamber are doing this all the time. Many old timers from my youth all shot their boolits unsized saying the rifle did a better job sizing than anything else. There's probably some truth to what those old timers were saying.

Just start your load a little lighter than usual to compensate for the increased friction and lead displacement and then work up. You'll be good to go. That is what I was alluding to in my first post by suggesting a 314299 Lyman design.

Good luck! I hope that you can finally get this barrel to shoot well.

[BCB]

That .305" bore riding diameter might be a tight fit, but I thought that your groove diameter was .303" from previous posts. Barrels are surprisingly good at swaging down boolits that are slightly oversize if they chamber OK. Many loaders who size their boolits to the throat diameter of their chamber are doing this all the time. Many old timers from my youth all shot their boolits unsized saying the rifle did a better job sizing than anything else. There's probably some truth to what those old timers were saying.

Just start your load a little lighter than usual to compensate for the increased friction and lead displacement and then work up. You'll be good to go. That is what I was alluding to in my first post by suggesting a 314299 Lyman design.

Good luck! I hope that you can finally get this barrel to shoot well.

I may have been a bit shaky when typing the bore diameter! It is closer to 0.302". It is difficult to measure the bore diameter on a slugged boolit as the the blades on my calipers are nearly the same width as the imprint on the boolit. Still the barrel is large as boolit riders for the 0.308" caliber simple fall into the muzzle...

The 311299 that I am trying now, does not...

Thanks...BCB

[BCB]

As indicated in my post #28, I pretty much am sure this Encore 308 Winchester barrel will not shoot cast boolits—period…

So, the past week I have been messing with jacketed bullets—150 SST and 165 SST. Benchmark and IMR-8208 powders—no reason for either powder except they have worked well with my 6.8mm SPC Contender…

Posted a couple of groups I fired yesterday and today—just messing with the 2 powders and a middle-weight charge. NO fine tuning yet. The 3 group picture is only at 50 yards—getting on paper basically. The pic showing 2 groups is at 100 yards—both a tad less than an inch. Don't even know if I will try to fine tune it at all...

It is obvious from the groups this Encore barrel will shoot jacketed bullets…

I was rattling my groundhog-sized silhouette at 250 yards with no problems at all. And that was having Quick Load and Quick Target doing all the work for me…

Oh well, the barrel might be good to trade for another Encore barrel or sell outright as I am considering a custom barrel in 30-40 Krag for an upcoming project—probably next spring. I have acquired a fair quantity of once-fired 30-40 Krag brass so I am ready to give it a try…

And so it goes…

Good-luck…BCB

[JohnH]

Yep, that act's like a couple Encore barrels I have and one I let go to someone else. Jecketed? Great. Cast? Not so good don't even describe it. Yet two weeks ago I bought an RCBS 95 grain mold to give my 243 Pro Hunter barrel a test run and it shot fine groups for a first time run. I loaded 50 rounds with 8.5 grains of Red Dot. Fired one twenty round group and a second thirty round group. At 50 yards about 70% of the shots fired were in a hole that could be covered with a quarter, the remaining 30% opened the groups to between one and a half and two inches. The flyers were vertically strung. I going to load up another 50 with something slower. This barrel is carbon steel (blued) the barrels I've had no luck with are stainless. Shouldn't make any difference but I'm beginning to become superstitious. My Contender barrels are all blue, a 357 a 44 Mag and a 30 Herrett. All throw cast better than I can hold