8mm hunting boolit

[JDL]

I thought I had found hunting boolit utopia when I cast my first batch of 8mm Karabiner. I've never had a mold that cast any easier than this Lee and very few of any make approach it. The base is past the shoulder of the case when seated for my rifle. After trying powders ranging from Unique to MR-3100 and not finding any that would group less than 2.5" at 50 yards, I'm about ready to give up on it.
The Lee C324-175R shoots pretty good with preliminary testing and although the nose is pretty round, I can use a flat punch and make a .170" meplat on it. What are your thoughts on how this boolit would perform on W/T deer with a max range of 100 yards?

[Larry Gibson]

The Lee C324-175R shoots pretty good with preliminary testing and although the nose is pretty round, I can use a flat punch and make a .170" meplat on it. What are your thoughts on how this boolit would perform on W/T deer with a max range of 100 yards?

If you are pushing it to 1800 - 1900 fps it should do as well as any .30/31/.32 cal of similar bullet design. It will do even better if you cast it soft and HP it to 1/8" deep with the 1/8" Forster HP tool.

Larry Gibson

[leadman]

If your alloy is soft enough to deform with a top punch this might be part of the problem with the Karabiner. I found I had to let the mold cool longer than others and also to water quench the alloy. Some of my boolits were bent slightly.
I get groups around 2" at 100 yards with the Karabiner in my old Swedish Rolling Block.

Don't have any experience with the other boolit.

[UBER7MM]

I've had similar experiences with the 8mmKar boolit. I can't get a good group at 100yds. Is it the case that I'm not getting the boolit to stablize at low rpms with fast powders? Any advise would be helpful.

Thank you,

[shredder]

I had the same problem with my 8mm Karabiner boolits too. I have to seat mine very deep to get the bolt closed on a loaded round. My rifle shot 12 inch patterns with the Kar boolit. I tried Puf Lon, that super expensive ballistic filler stuff, and to my utter amazement the groups tightened right up. I use 33 grains of H4895 with a 1.6 cc lee dipper of puf lon (full almost to the case mouth) then seat the boolit to compress. I regularly group 2 inches or so for 5 shots at 100 yards with my apeture sights. That is more than good enough for me.

Since these are hunting loads and a couple of dozen will go a long way, I don't mind using puf lon. My regular practice loads would never contain anything that expensive though! It actually works as described, I just never ran into a load that needed it before. My theory is that the exposed section of the boolit was getting cooked pretty good from the powder ignition before the boolit got going and with the puf lon present, that is not happening. I think the puf lon is protecting the boolit base by keeping all the powder aginst the flash hole and behaving as a giant gas check. However it works,I do not really know, I just know that it does make a huge difference in this load for me in my rifle.
I use hornady gas checks and reluse' tumble lube formula on my 50/50 ww pure lead alloy. They weigh 237 grains ready to shoot.

[TCLouis]

I plan on using the 175 grain GB FN GC in front of 21.5 of 4749 unless I find a better (faster and still accurate) load.

[JDL]

I have been toying with the C324-175R by putting the small flat on the nose and then drilling a 3/32" hollowpoint about 1/10" deep. This should greatly help the killing power of that small round nose. I would have tried some out today but, with Issac threatening and 30-40 MPH winds it really wasn't a good for tests. Maybe next week for the tests and I'll try a few more loads with the Karabiner.

[9.3X62AL]

BruceB Softpoint w/the Lee 324 x 175?

[Blammer]

I like the loverin style in 8mm. This one shoots very well.

http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g81/blammer8mm/Cast%20boolits%20fun/DSCN7989.jpg

same boolit different angle
http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g81/blammer8mm/Cast%20boolits%20fun/DSCN7991.jpg

a target at 100yds and a boolit that hit a gallon water jug at 100yds

http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g81/blammer8mm/Targets/DSCN8418.jpg
http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g81/blammer8mm/Targets/DSCN8419.jpg

[frankenfab]

Where did the loverin boolit come from? What mold?

[1Shirt]

I am having good luck with the RD in 8x57 over 20 gr. of 2400.
1Shirt!:coffee:

[runfiverun]

looks like a noe to me.
i have thier 140 gr with the lee lube bands and the nose looks very similar.
it's definatly not the lyman it's nose is rounded,and the drive bands are different.

[JDL]

Looks like an enlarged version of the 311407.

[UBER7MM]

I had the same problem with my 8mm Karabiner boolits too. I have to seat mine very deep to get the bolt closed on a loaded round. My rifle shot 12 inch patterns with the Kar boolit. I tried Puf Lon, that super expensive ballistic filler stuff, and to my utter amazement the groups tightened right up. I use 33 grains of H4895 with a 1.6 cc lee dipper of puf lon (full almost to the case mouth) then seat the boolit to compress. I regularly group 2 inches or so for 5 shots at 100 yards with my apeture sights. That is more than good enough for me.

Shredder,

My COAL is 2.78" and there's a lot of greased lead in the body of that 8x57 case that the gas check doesn't protect. 33 grains of H4895 sounds about right too. I was thinking of 35.0 grains, but I'll give your formula a try. Thanks for posting your experiences.

Good shooting,

[Blammer]

it's NOE's 323407 that wt's about 195gr.

http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g81/blammer8mm/Targets/323407.jpg

[izzyjoe]

i've had good luck with the Karbiner using Reddot in my '88 commish.

[UBER7MM]

I plan on using the 175 grain GB FN GC in front of 21.5 of 4749 unless I find a better (faster and still accurate) load.

That sounds like a winner to me. Share this season's results with us.

Good hunting,