Reinforces my love of cast bullets

[jonk]

I got 2000 jacketed pull down .311" bullets from Wideners a few months back at a great price. From pull down Mosin ammo.

Shoots like crud in my .303s, Argentines, 7.7 Japs, even the Mosins! Oddly they do well in my SKS with just enough 4198 to cycle the action, so they do have a use.

OTOH, my Lyman 314299 will shoot 2.5" groups at 100 all day long with all of the above. While some higher end jacketed bullets will do as well or better- on the bargain side of things, the cheap jacketed don't touch my cast bullets.

Life is good. :D

[bruce drake]

You spec out those bullets Jonk?

I've pulled apart both Russian and Romanian and some Polish 7.62x54R bullets (most all range from 146-149gr in weight as well) and sometimes those bullets are sized at .310. That slightly smaller size coupled with boat tails and the variable weights have given me fits for groups in both my 7.7 Arisakas and my No4 Enfields and my M44 Mosin but they shoot just fine in my P14 Enfield made by Winchester.

If the bullets were flat-based, you'd probably see an improvement with those jacketed bullets in the bigger bores of your rifles. I know when I shoot flat-based bullets in my Arisakas, Enfields and Mosins that the groups are a lot smaller as the bases obdurate to fit the grooves better.

But then, I save my jacketed bullets for the occasional trip to the range. Most of my shooting is with cast by preferance also.

Bruce

[Multigunner]

The only boat tail bullets that will shoot with accuracy from my Savage two groove .303 are bullets I pulled from a single lot of 7.62X54R, these 147 gr steel corwe bullets all miked at .3125, a bit larger than average for this caliber from what I've read.
Groups with these were as tight as the groups with 150 gr Hornady .312 bullets. Excellent grouping in fact at MOA or smaller out to three hundred yards.
I use a fairly stout load of IMR4320 behind each type of bullet, to give aprox 2600 FPS according to the loading data found in an old book at the library years ago. Haven't chrono'ed these loads but this seems to be the velocity produced.

Perhaps a medium velocity load would produce best results. Also a powder that gives the bullet a good kick in the pants to bump up well. I've used IMR4198 in loads for a 18 in barrel 7.92 Mauser carbine with great results, and I gave my remaining 4198 powder to a young friend just starting out in reloading for his .303 No.5 carbine, he also got great results from this fast powder in a short barrel.

You might try 4198 in a medium load with the longer barreled rifles, results might be better than you'd expect.

[303Guy]

Interesting. my two-groove shoots pretty well with 180gr with a small boat tail (chamfer, really). Those are Prvi Partisan bullets and are .310! They fit the two groove just fine with its .317 groove and .304 bore. The throat has a simple 3° taper from chamber to bore diameter, starting at .318". I use H4350/AR2209.

None of my Lee Enfields have a particularly large chamber. Excess headspace maybe but not my No4's. But then, those never saw combat. One is as new and the other would be if not a bit rust damaged. I really like the No.4. Mine are Longbranch Mk1*'s. Two of them two-groove.