TomBulls
08-24-2012, 09:09 PM
Adventures in extreme amounts of swaging on lead bullets.
I have been shopping around for a bullet mould in .314/.315 diam. for my '43 91/30 MN (bore is .3135/.314) and have not been able to find anything affordable. There are lots of custom moulds out there, but I don't have (read: don't WANT to spend) the big bucks for a custom mould. So what to do about it?
I have a Lee 170gr RNGC mould in .323 diam., Lee .310 diam., and a Lee .312 diam. mould., and Lee sizers in .311, .314, and .323. I would rather have the bullet slightly too big than slightly too small, so the .310 and .312 moulds are out of the question. Enter the .323 mould and the .314 sizer.
I use the .323 sizer to seat the gas check and do the initial sizing of the cast bullet, and then I run it through the .314 sizer die. The finished sizes are in the neighborhood of .3145/.3146, so that makes something of a difficult fit for a .30 cal. case neck.
After FL sizing the cases (note: will only be neck sizing after the initial firing) I ever so slightly flare the case mouth with my .323 M-Die. I don't size the entire length of the case neck, just enough to get the tip in :-P. The bullet had to be seated very deeply because it was touching the lands in the throat area. The seating depth seems extreme, but if the jump from case mouth to lands is not too far, given the significantly larger diameter of the bullet, then I think it would work just fine.
The swaged .323->.3145 bullet has some exceptionally smooth and shiny bearing surfaces, and I think it will do a good job of riding the bore. My only big concern is that the bullets may not hold enough lubricant to make it all the way down and out the barrel. I had to use the .32 cal. gas check on the .323 bullet, and it doesn't seem to be warped out of shape after passing through the .314 sizer. To be honest, I was shocked that I was even able to close the bolt after bubba-rigging this setup. Heading out to the range tomorrow, so I'll let you guys know how it shoots.
-thomas
I have been shopping around for a bullet mould in .314/.315 diam. for my '43 91/30 MN (bore is .3135/.314) and have not been able to find anything affordable. There are lots of custom moulds out there, but I don't have (read: don't WANT to spend) the big bucks for a custom mould. So what to do about it?
I have a Lee 170gr RNGC mould in .323 diam., Lee .310 diam., and a Lee .312 diam. mould., and Lee sizers in .311, .314, and .323. I would rather have the bullet slightly too big than slightly too small, so the .310 and .312 moulds are out of the question. Enter the .323 mould and the .314 sizer.
I use the .323 sizer to seat the gas check and do the initial sizing of the cast bullet, and then I run it through the .314 sizer die. The finished sizes are in the neighborhood of .3145/.3146, so that makes something of a difficult fit for a .30 cal. case neck.
After FL sizing the cases (note: will only be neck sizing after the initial firing) I ever so slightly flare the case mouth with my .323 M-Die. I don't size the entire length of the case neck, just enough to get the tip in :-P. The bullet had to be seated very deeply because it was touching the lands in the throat area. The seating depth seems extreme, but if the jump from case mouth to lands is not too far, given the significantly larger diameter of the bullet, then I think it would work just fine.
The swaged .323->.3145 bullet has some exceptionally smooth and shiny bearing surfaces, and I think it will do a good job of riding the bore. My only big concern is that the bullets may not hold enough lubricant to make it all the way down and out the barrel. I had to use the .32 cal. gas check on the .323 bullet, and it doesn't seem to be warped out of shape after passing through the .314 sizer. To be honest, I was shocked that I was even able to close the bolt after bubba-rigging this setup. Heading out to the range tomorrow, so I'll let you guys know how it shoots.
-thomas