lee enfeild troubles

[otd]

hi all, this is my first post on this very informative forum and like most i am seeking advice. i am very new to bullet casting so this is all uncharted water for me. i am casting a 185 gr.boolit with a lee mold for my 2 groove lee enfeild that has a barrel that slugs .3125/6. i have tried shooting these boolits as cast (.314 ish) with lla and gc's infront of imr 4198. i worked up to 24 grains and was having reasonably good accuracy at 50 yards.btw boolit was seated to just kiss the rifleing. however after moveing the targets out to 100 yards i noticed the accuracy got very poor and a number of shots were tumbling. it was suggested to me that lowering my powder charge to 17 or 18 grains may solve this problem but that is below my loading manuals start charge. and to just confuse me more another gentleman at the range suggested i increase the charge to "bump" the boolit up to seal the grooves better.does anyone here have some advice on the direction i should go. thanks in advance..

[iron brigade]

What do they measure on the nose? If they are less than .303 you won't get them to shoot. Depending on what type of .303 you have they may still be too skinny. Two groove barrels like 'em stout.
I have to agree with this statement. I have the same problem with my two Enfields. both rifles have excellent rifling, but rather larger groups and key-holing. bullet is 314299.
http://noebulletmolds.com/NV/product_info.php?cPath=31&products_id=386&osCsid=ed5hfkg2r3idbet5pt6ubr1ua3 I am going to order this mold and see if that helps.

[Outpost75]

You didn't say what alloy you are using, but 24 grs. of 4198 is a suitable charge if the bullets are 12-15 BHN and fit. Many. 303 rifles run large in the groove and. .314 may not be large enough for your rifle.

An easy check is to poke a bullet nose-first into the muzzle to see if the forepart is large enough to be guided by the lands. If the bullet nose enters the muzzle easily and is not visibly marked there is no hope for real accuracy. Most .303s will need a bullet with a bore riding forepart at least .303", a worn barrel .304 or more.

I would also cast your chamber and measure the diameter of the unrifled section ahead of the case before the rifling starts, and obtain a bullet with driving bands of that size. I expect that diameter will be larger than .314" and. 316" is not at all unusual.

[nhrifle]

I tried that Lee boolit when I first got my Enfield but could never get what I wanted for accuracy. The Lyman 314299 is what I currently feed it, sized in a .314 die with GC. With either reduced or full power loads that boolit/rifle combo will clean a 200 yard NRA target.

[otd]

thanks for your quick responses. i just measured a few of the cast boolits with my calipers and they measure .303 on the nose and i cannot insert one into the muzzle nose first without meeting great resistance almost immediatly. although i am not sure how good of a test that actually is lol. my casting aloy is wheel weights and range scrap from our indoor pistol range. hmmm, perhaps i will be mold shopping in the near future. thanks again for all your advice.

[shredder]

I tried that Lee boolit when I first got my Enfield but could never get what I wanted for accuracy. The Lyman 314299 is what I currently feed it, sized in a .314 die with GC. With either reduced or full power loads that boolit/rifle combo will clean a 200 yard NRA target.

This has been my experience with those boolits as well in my No1 Mk111 Lee Enfield.

[goofyoldfart]

OTD: you might as well try them if they are .303 on the nose. then again, try bumping the nose a slight bit in your lubrisizer. aiming for about .305 on the nose. then shoot them and see how they do. Iffen' that don't work THEN look at new molds. never hurts to try. good luck. God Bless to you and yours.

Goofy aka Godfrey

P.S. also, check the 2nd to the last sticky at the top of the first page. awful good info, there. Good luck.

[zuke]

Slug your bore again. My 2 groove Savage measure's 305/320

[otd]

well, i took zuke's advice and slugged my barrel again and now see where i went wrong. i did not measure the first slug properly. i used a magnifying glass this time to ensure i was measureing the correct spots on the slug and what do you know it's grooves are .317 at the deepest spot and the bore is .303-.305 depending where it's measured. my boolits at the thickest spot only measure .313-.314 as cast and the nose is .303.

[zuke]

:2_high5:

[samwithacolt]

I just went through the same thing with a no 4 mk 1. I have the lee .312/180 and the lyman .314299. I have a no 4 mk 2 on the way, and the mk 1 is outa here. The mk 1 pretty much needs a custom mold, and lee does'nt seem to understand or care.(I have bunch of lee molds, I'm not knocking them in general).

[MtGun44]

Rule of thumb is .002-.003 over groove diam for rifles. . . . . . .

Bill

[zuke]

I just went through the same thing with a no 4 mk 1. I have the lee .312/180 and the lyman .314299. I have a no 4 mk 2 on the way, and the mk 1 is outa here. The mk 1 pretty much needs a custom mold, and lee does'nt seem to understand or care.(I have bunch of lee molds, I'm not knocking them in general).

Paper patch

[Artful]

Paper patch

or dry tumble powder coat 'em

[gwpercle]

.317....might be a good reason to give paper patching a try. Man that's a generous bore, no wonder you got tumbling. This is why Lee-Enfields give you gray hair and make you talk to yourself. Although I don't know why I like No. 4 MKI's best , they look cool.
Gary

[skeet1]

otd,
Don't loose heart with the discovery that your Lee mold is to small for your Enfield. That mold is a very good mold for .30-06 and other .30's when sized .310-.311. It works great in my 03-A3.

Ken

[docone31]

paper patch.
You will not turn back afterwards.

[blixen]

Paper patching has been recommended to me for my .303s and 7.7 Japanese. But it requires buying another mold/sizer--about .308 to match the bore + .001. Then patch that upwards to .002" over groove size.

Is that approximately correct?

[Hardcast416taylor]

Have a talk with Accurate molds tech support. Chances are excellent they can modify an existing mold to a larger dia. for you at no increase in mold price.Robert

[303Guy]

My one two-groove has a rust textured bore and I find those two driving faces cut into the boolit. One way to get around the deep grooves is to use a fibrous filler that forms a wad behind the boolit. That seals the grooves and stops gas cutting.