Mold suggestions for .41 Swiss?

[3006guns]

I had a gunsmith friend give me a Swiss Vetterli not long ago. Externally it would probably be "good", but the bore is almost perfect! So I'm looking to convert it to centerfire then form some cases from 8mm Lebel. Now the hunt begins for a mold. I have yet to slug the bore, but most of the information I've come across indicates a .429-.432 size is fairly common. I could use a .44 pistol bullet, but would like to find something in the 290-300 grain range which is closer to the original weight. Are there any readily available molds or am I looking at a custom job worth as much as the rifle?:confused:

[kywoodwrkr]

The forums at the British Militaria ordered a group buy for this particular rifle.
I have one on order with them.
Look for Michael in NH here and PM him and see if they have any extras ordered.
They were caught up in the LEE fiasco as well so don't know exactly where their order stands either.
If they don't have any extras, let me know and I'll amke arrangements to either send you some from mould when it arrives or loan it to you for your own use.
This one is my third mould.
Previous two were stolen-that's a story worth of a whole book!
I have six Vetterlis and two have been converted to CF.
Bores range from new to sewer pipes.
I use 348 Winchester brass but since Grafs has or had 8mm Lebel, I might see if it works better.
www.swissrifles.com (http://www.swissrifles.com) has some information in their forums on these critters.
Good luck.
DaveP kywoodwrkr

[3006guns]

45nut, I meant to put this post under the "special projects" category...just wasn't paying attention!

Dave, Thanks for the information. I'll try to contact those folks and see what the status of the molds is. Thank you also for the offer of some boolits and I may take you up on that, although I'd prefer not to borrow your mold. I really appreciate your generosity, but have a problem with borrowing other people's equipment. I always take very good care of any shooting gear but with my luck something would happen. It does show the amount of faith and trust in this group is far above average though! Let me know when you get a few cast up and we'll get shipping and so forth taken care of. Thanks, George:-D

[jhrosier]

.... I could use a .44 pistol bullet, but would like to find something in the 290-300 grain range which is closer to the original weight. Are there any readily available molds or am I looking at a custom job worth as much as the rifle?:confused:


http://www.leeprecision.com/graphics/bullets/c430310r.gif
Lee has a C430-310RF mould which I have heard works in the .41 Swiss.
I have the mould but have not used it yet.

Jack

[Trapshooter]

I've had decent luck with the 310 Lee bullet. I have a Keller made rifle with a much smaller bore, and ended up with a custom sizer to squeeze them down to .420. I also tried a plain based 300 grain truncated cone bullet from one of the local custom casters. It is a bit of a trick to get the overall length right to feed from the magazine without a somewhat rounded nose. The Lee feeds better than the TC in my rifle.

Trapshooter

[Andy_P]

I use the Lee 310gr mold and get very good results. Its main shortcoming is that to get the desired 2.200" OAL (so it will feed from the mag), you either need to seat it well out, or be lucky enough to have a gun with a throat that will chamber brass that is in the 1.650" to 1.675" range (like me). For the Vetterli I'd prefer that it not be a GC design (not needed at these pressures), but that's minor.

The twist rate in a Vetterli is 1 in 26", so be careful how heavy (read long) a bullet you use. There are molds for the 43 Spanish that drop bullets in the 370gr range (are fat and long) and they might not stabilize past 100 yds, if even at that range.

[3006guns]

Thanks to everyone for the input......I looked the Lee mold as it was the only thing currently available. I didn't like it for one reason (brace yourself)...the appearance. I was trying to find something closer to a RNFP and the lee looked like a hogshead barrel to me. Stupid reason though as performance dictates shape! Since the Vetterli is sensitive to OAL when using the magazine and the Lee works, it looks like I'll need to place an order.

Dave, if you're serious about casting a few from your mold (mould) when you have time I would sure appreciate it. Please shoot me a PM if you get a chance. Thanks again everyone!

[Trapshooter]

Depending on the shape of your throat, bore diameter, and bullet diameter, you might be able to use 42mm case length rather than the 38mm case from military ammunition. The 42mm cases were used for sporting ammunition, to allow for proper overall cartridge length with lighter bullets. There is quite a bit of info on the web, to augment what you find here. I used 348 Winchester brass, chopped off at 42mm.

Trapshooter.

[JeffinNZ]

CBE does one specifically for the .41 Swiss.

www.castbulletengineering.bigpondhosting.com

To to "more pages", "new designs".

[3006guns]

The big brown truck showed up this evening and dropped off my new Lee .41 Swiss dies......have to order that Lebel brass next. The catalog plainly stated that no load info was given with this set (understandable).....so why did Lee think to put a dipper in the set??? Doesn't seem to make sense, but at least they came with the shell holder like all the others!

Since I'm helping a family member work on his house it might be a little while before I get a chance to play with this Vetterli, but what the heck... shooting in the snow can be fun....if you watch where your brass lands.[smilie=1:

[Trapshooter]

+1 on the dipper!! In the set I got it was a micro miniature thing, which was obviously of no use with the dies. The only thing I could think of was that it was to retain the shell holder in the plastic case for shipping.

Trapshooter

[smokemjoe]

CBE has 2 molds for the 41 Vetterli,look under new designs for 2007. I designed one that cast a .435 and wt. 316 with a step in the bullet to crimp to. its the .437JW mold. Also he has one that looks like the 45-70- 405gr. that cast at .437 and is 380 gr., Cast for the bigger Vetterli bores but I size them down to .430 to .432. Both work very good, 12 gr. unique, I run my cases at 2.550 or 2.560 to take up the long lead in the throats in these rifles. I wrote a 2 page story up in the Fouling Shot on mine a few months back. Joe

[3006guns]

Thanks for the good info Joe....I need to check into several possibililties now! Maybe you can help with something else...if forced to use .44 pistol bullets (for now), what would be a good trim to length for case trimming? I've seen it mentioned in several posts, but need a good place to begin (in inches not milly meters!:???: George

[Spector]

I use the Lee 310 cast bullet in my Vetterli and modified .348WIN cases trimmed close to 42mm. I have been very pleased with this set up. I got one of the Lee custom Vetterli molds, but have never even tried it yet as I am so pleased with the Lee 310 grain bullet. I did polish out the left side of the elevator where the big meplate was bearing down hard when I loaded them thourgh the loading port. Now they load like a dream into the magazine.

According to Indiana's new centerfire rifle regulations for deer hunting I'll be able to use my Vetterli this year if I trim my cases to no longer than 1.625''.........Mike

[3006guns]

Mike,
Forgive my ignorance, but how is the case length affected by your hunting regs?:confused:
George

[Mayor]

Try Bernie at Old West Moulds, just do a search.
He's a super guy and really resonable. And he will make you darn near anything.

[smokemjoe]

Whats old west address, Walt made me some fine molds and I didnt know anyone took them over. The Lee mold is exc. one to start with.

[Mayor]

Whats old west address, Walt made me some fine molds and I didnt know anyone took them over. The Lee mold is exc. one to start with.

Type in:

old west moulds

The browser will do the rest!

michael over on the martini enfield site also has a group buy on a mould for this caliber and i bet he has some over runs when they come in............

[SwedeNelson]

Whats the martini enfield address?

Swede Nelson

[Mayor]

Sorry I wasn't subscribed to this thread!

Her ya go:
http://p223.ezboard.com/British-Militaria-Forums/bbritishmilitariaforums

[Spector]

I normally run my cases at a length of 1.689''. Newly established Indiana centerfire rifle cartridge regulations limit case length to 1.625''. The case length I'm using works great with the Lee 310 grain .430'' GC pistol bullet.

I didn't get my sight work done on my Veterli so I deer hunted with my Ruger Bisley instead........Mike

[mazo kid]

Mayor, I wasn't able to find a group buy for the Vetterli mould on that forum. Can you be more specific or post the thread address? Thanks. Emery