Options for a Savage #4 .303 British

[dabsond]

I have a Savage #4 that slugs at .316" It is a two groove barrel. What are my options for sizing some .324 lee down to .318 or so. I have the lee mold and wonder if it would size down that far for the #4. I use the .312 lee mold, beagled to .314 for some other rifles. I don't think I can get another .004 out of it. Would ordering a custom .318 sizing die be the way to go? Thanks in advance.

[Jack Stanley]

I ordered a mould from LBT to make bullets for a rifle I had that needed .318" bullets .

A little closer to what you are working with I have a Savage number four mkI that measures a touch over .316" . The good part is it will chamber the .318" bullets I used in the other rifle just fine . Accuracy is very good as well , partly because I have a .317" expander plug and partly because ( I think ) that I use a Redding neck bushing die with a .340" bushing . Once cases are fireformed and I don't overwork the necks with sizing the bullet is held in the most centered spot and helps accuracy .

I think I'd get a push through die to size that much but you could try it with what you have . Have you measured the inside of your fired case to see how big of a bullet you can use ?

Jack

[dabsond]

I will probably have to go with a .317. Measured the inside of a couple of fired casings. .317 at the most.

[Jack Stanley]

That is what I would start with then . Another thing that helped me untill I got a neck bushing die was set the full length die to only partial size the case . That way I sized only part of the neck and didn't push the shoulder back .

Jack

[PAT303]

I have a Maltby 2 groove the same,in mine I shoot .316 dia CBE boolits with .305 nose,the neck ID of fired cases is .316 so they are a nice fit.Shot with 2205 or 2207 powder it will shoot 2'' round groups or less at 100 all day. Pat

[leadman]

I have a couple of Arisaka 99s that run large also and my mold drops at .314". I coat them with the Hi-Tek Red Copper and can get them up to .316" and they shoot pretty good.
I don't have any on hand right now but plan on casting and coating some in a couple of weeks if you are interested. They are from a Lyman 314299 mold. Fish are biting right now so I'm at the lake alot.

[dabsond]

If you could spare some for me to try, that would be great!

[tomme boy]

Do a impact slug cast of the throat and have Tom @ Accurate Molds make a mold for you just for that rifle. Email him on what you are doing and want. He can then offer suggestions on which mold he may already have to use or to modify.

[dabsond]

I may just do a chamber cast and go grom there.

[curator]

I'd second Jack Stanley's advise. Send your throat slug to Lead Bullet Technology. LBT moulds are cut to the configuration of your rifle's throat making boolits cast from them much easier to get accuracy at as high a velocity as your alloy will permit. Nothing against Accurate molds (I have several and they are very good) but my experience with Veral Smith at LBT for accurate cast rifle boolits is outstanding. I also read this guy's experience on Steve Regwell's .303 british website. http://www.303british.com/id37.html

I tried several of these "experiments" with success.