1903A3 cast loads

[mac1911]

OK I been reading alover the place for cast boolit loads for my 1903A3. I quess I can say I am swamped.
End use is 100 yard target.
I have bullseye,american select,clays,varget,wc844/h335,H4895 just to name a few.
1. I would like to cast my own
2. Would like to not have to gas check so whats the max velocity average before gas checking is a must
3. like to use straight Wheel wheights
4. would like to keep cost down so it would be the best of Lee molds
5. prefer tumble lube if it will work well enough. I have had great luck with my 45acp tumble lube boolits. Time to try rifle loads.
Pure plink'n fun

[OBIII]

I use Unique for target loads. The Lyman 311291, lists Unique as being 12-16.5 grains. The Lyman 311041 lists at 12-16.5 grains. I have had success with the Lee 309-180-R in place of the Lyman 311291. It casts at .309-.310, so I tumble lube, gas check, and size to .309. I started with 11.2 gr of Unique and am working my way up in .2gr increments. Nice light plinking load at 11.2, and cheap (not gonna pull moa at 100 yards, but will punch a nice hole). If you are going to tumble lube and size, gas checks are a cheap way to go, and not have to worry about leading. Carolina Cast Bullets has a very nice 165gr gas checked boolit for relatively cheap. These are already sized, gas checked, and lubed (tumble) to .310. You could always resize them to .309, assuming your O3A3 slugs out at .308 (mine does). You can use other powders, but the cost per round goes up as most of them require a larger amount of powder. Good luck.
OB

[RU shooter]

03A3 6.0 grs of Bullseye and the lee 312-155 shot "checkless" at 100 yds. I also shoot these at 200 but there is some vertical stringing but it sure is fun ringing that steel with them .I use them for my off hand practice

44908

[frnkeore]

Record holding loads for the 311284/299 bullets are 19.0 - 20.0 gr of 4759. 28 - 30 gr of Varget gets shot in CBA matches, too. Niether load with any wads or fillers. Unique is always a good short range powder with any bullet especially the lighter ones.

Frank

[405]

OK I been reading alover the place for cast boolit loads for my 1903A3. I quess I can say I am swamped.
End use is 100 yard target.
I have bullseye,american select,clays,varget,wc844/h335,H4895 just to name a few.
1. I would like to cast my own
2. Would like to not have to gas check so whats the max velocity average before gas checking is a must
3. like to use straight Wheel wheights
4. would like to keep cost down so it would be the best of Lee molds
5. prefer tumble lube if it will work well enough. I have had great luck with my 45acp tumble lube boolits. Time to try rifle loads.
Pure plink'n fun

Well, you can shoot plain base cast bullets out of the 03A3 with light charges of most any fast powder. You will save a little time and a little $ by doing so. Chances are better than 50:50 it will COST you in either leading or poorer accuracy or both by doing it that way. You might be happier with one of the proven accurate recipes like using the gas checked 311299 or 314299 sized to about .310 over a mild charge of 4759 or 5744. A Lee substitute mold to consider would be the C312-185-R. The Lee push through bullet sizer system is very good. You can pan lube using any number of soft lubes.

[Jack Stanley]

I hear the paper patch guys can take non checked bullets above two thousand feet per second . For the most part , velocities above fifteen to sixteen hundred are going to need them . Experience might get you higher and the learning curve along the way will be valuable to you in the long run . I have a light non checked load that works quite well in my 1903A3 but it's probably in the eleven hundred range .

It all comes down to what accuracy and cost will you accept .

Jack

[mac1911]

What am I willing to accept
Accuracy : 100 yards within the "black" on a SR1 target.
Cost : I would rather not get into gas checking. Its just another expense of tools,equipment, componants
I have a few older 30-06 bolt guns I like to bring to cmp clinic type shoots at my club a few times a year. I. 2 tons of wheel wheight lead.
trying to get into it with just a mold.

[Jack Stanley]

That should be easy enough to do , I think I have enough elevation on my A3 that I can get my "gallery" loads into an SR1 . I'm thinking you could do well with a moderate weight bullet and about any powder near Unique .

Jack

[405]

Cost : I would rather not get into gas checking. Its just another expense of tools,equipment, componants
2 tons of wheel wheight lead.
trying to get into it with just a mold.

Well, a Lee push though sizer is not a bunch of equipment. But, I would recommend at least one cast bullet reloading manual like the Lyman. Then get one of the $20 Lee molds, cast, load and shoot.

[mac1911]

I went out today looking for some actual hard wood dowels to finally slug my barrel.......nothin no where!!
Looks like you guys talked some sense into me. I figure If I order the die,mold, resizer and 2k gas checks I will be set for a long long time....now to slug my bore.

[blackpowder man]

You will be happier using gas checks to meet your goals I think. My springfield likes 2400, sr 4759, unique and pretty much every .30 boolit I've thrown at it. Even the little lee soupcans will shoot at 100 yards. Lee sizer for $20 and gas checks at $25-27 per 1000 and you are set.

[WineMan]

Watch out for wood when slugging the bore. Better to have a solid brass or mild steel rod. If you are worried about metal to metal, a couple of wraps of blue painter's tape should do the trick. If you go wood, cut it into sections. In fact why slug? Most Springfield or RA barrels are pretty close to specs. Get a LEE 314 die and seat the Gas Check with it on any as cast 310-314 bullet. I pan lube but Liquid Alox (thin coats) is good too. Unique 10-12 gr, 2400 16-18 gr, 5744 17-19 gr (now $$). A pair of needle nose pliers to open the case neck up (just a hair of a bell is plenty). That will get you started, stopping is going to be the issue.

Wineman

[mac1911]

I figure I will slug it to fet the best possible size. If Im going through the trouble of casting and sizeing/gaschecking why not get the correct size. Its the only 30 cal I will be casting for.
maybe my mosin nagant in the future....but if I get the 1903 casting up to speed the mosin will sit even more.
Trying to c
slug tonight...pics and input later.

[Freightman]

Broke a hard wood dowel off in a FAL when slugging the barrel, took me a long while with a steel rod and large shop sledge to get it un-stuck. I lucked out and didn't damage the bore but I had been trying for a month to get it out and got to the point of it is coming out or I am buying a new barrel. Never going to use wood in a barrel again.

[mac1911]

funny I was looking at the aluminum rod at the hardware store.

[leadman]

Actually most of the time with mil-surp guns the throat dimension is good enough in my experience.

A Mosin-Nagant but be the exception.

[mac1911]

Ok so it took a little "just do it" but its done.

Ok so from the stickies I gather you want to measure the impression that the grove of the barrel makes on the slug correct.
It took 3 slugs and a little tinkering around but it looks like im getting
.3085-.309
Now what is the proper size bullet mold and what to resize to? I have lyman manual on stand buy as I want to order resize die and mold at the same time

[RU shooter]

get a .311 sizer . You gave us the groove dia. whats the bore dia. ? If you get a bore riding design bullet like a lyman 311299 for example that has to fit as well or you accuracy will suffer

[mac1911]

OK since I seem to be unclear on what needs to be measured
the smaller impressions into the slug are .300
the larger section of the slug are .3085-.309

[DIRT Farmer]

That sounds right, now take a round ball orother slightly larger chunk of lead and mesure the throat. With most cases, a .314 will chamber when seated in the case. I size to .312 for my 2 groove 03-A3

[mac1911]

How to you do the throat. Do you push it all the way through or just in a bit and back out ?