8mm using 30

[Moonie]

I have a 30 cal mold that casts .311. I have slugged my 8mm and it comes out to .3105/.324. I was wondering about the possibility to use my 30 cal mold and patching up to .325+. Granted the nose on the 30 is only .301 so my thought is to patch the driving bands only.

Feasable, or should I just break down and buy an 8mm mold.

Opinions?

[docone31]

From my experience, The nose portion of the casting is critical to accuracy. Smaller diameter molds gave no accuracy, no matter what I did.
Get a Lee 8mm mold, and go to town!
The driving bands are not enough.

[45 2.1]

Depends on what your boolit is. If its a loverin design...go for it. If it has a long nose, it probably won't shoot well.

[Moonie]

its the lee 170gr. Yea, rifle isn't mine, its my kids step fathers, not really wanting to spend money on the project. Guess I can get one of the boys to spring for it.

Thanks guys.

[WILCO]

Yea, rifle isn't mine, its my kids step fathers...

If you've got the rifle in your possesion, then it's worth it to drop $20.00 for the mold.

[Fat-beeman]

if if my neighborhood stop by.I got 8 mm 215 gr cast for you to try.
Don

[Moonie]

WILCO, I agree but SWMBO disagrees...Besides, it isn't my rifle and not in my possession. I do have the dies to reload it however.

Fat-Beeman, I appreciate the offer but don't get down to Georgia anymore.

[Moonie]

Ok, I've decided to try anyway, will patch just up to the front band. Worst case it shoots like ****, I'm ok with that and can get a mold later. Currently all of the extra gun money is going to building my 6.8 SPC upper for this deer season.

[Zeek]

To get to 0.325 from 0.311, you'll need to add 0.013". Try a 2X20# paper wrap and you should get to 0.323", which should be close enough. Extend the patch all the way up the cylindrical nose, to right behind the point. The 0.301 nose will end up at 0.313", which should chamber (in the 8mm Mauser's long leade cone) just fine.

If that works just okay, then try the same using a 2X24# patch which will bring the bands up to 0.325" (still will work in your chamber throat) and the nose to 0.315" diameter, which WILL center your PPCBoo's nose very nicely.

In both cases seat out to a solid jam-in-the-leade LOA.
Enjoy, Zeek

[Moonie]

My concern with patching all the way to the nose was that the patch wouldn't get cut and might stay on the boolit affecting accuracy.

I may try both ways, my preference would be to patch nose.