Is the 8mm custom mold a good one?

[Tumtatty]

Anyone use this mold from Midsouth?

Comments?


I'm thinking about it for my K98

http://www.gracekernersville.org/ebay/8mmKar1209.jpg

[Ben]

I really like mine :

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v494/haysb/8%20mm%20Cast%20Bullets/3.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v494/haysb/8%20X%2057%20mm%20Sporter/3333.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v494/haysb/8%20X%2057%20mm%20Sporter/1000.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v494/haysb/8%20mm%20Rifle/1.jpg

This is what I'm shooting the 230 Karbiner out of , an 8 X 57 mm sporter that I've built :

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v494/haysb/8%20mm%20Rifle/IMG_8588.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v494/haysb/8%20mm%20Rifle/IMG_8587.jpg

[Tumtatty]

Wow!

That's pretty awesome!

[Freightman]

I like mine, but to get it into my Mauser and Hakim I have to size the nose down to .308 after I have sized it .325 but it is worth the extra step.
My rifle don't look that good but they are as issued, good shooting, my Hakim will put 10 in the ten ring as fast as you can get back on target. Extreme Hakim OOORA! It is the way to get the range to yourself pretty noisy

[ARKANSAS PACKRAT]

Ben, Freightman,
What size does the nose cast on your mold, I see .3125 on the drawing, I'd like the "real" result. I have looked at that mold for my 32-40, but was afraid the nose would be too big. Wondering how far I'd have to size it.
Thanks, Nick

[Freightman]

The nose on mine is .315 and the body is .328 it weighes 240g also it is huge but is accurate after sizing. I think I got an oversize one but I am happy. I had a 98/22 that it would fit but the Turk and Hakim is a little tighter than it was.

[Ben]

ARKANSAS PACKRAT

Just checked the nose on the Karbiner.....mikes at .3187

Checked a Lee 8 mm cast nose for comparison, quite a difference, it mikes at .3136

Both bullets were cast from W/W's with about 3% tin added .

Ben

[ARKANSAS PACKRAT]

Thanks Ben and Freightman, I believe I'll order one and give it a whirl, body size I can fix, the nose might work as is at .315. That would give me a "heavy" to try.
I'm working on a martini, got a long way to go, parts to make, and stock it, too many toys, not enough time!!![smilie=1:
Nick

[Ben]

I found this photo, might be of some interest. I took the Lee 8 mm Karbiner bullet and tapped it about 4 - 5 inches down the muzzle of my 8 X 57 and then took a cleaning rod and tapped it out. It is easy to see the nose is engraving well in my particular barrel.

When I was building my rifle , I shot this photo before I ever fired any of the Karbiner bullets from my rifle.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v494/haysb/8%20X%2057%20mm%20Sporter/1.jpg

[Char-Gar]

The bullet in question was one of our first designs and group buys. Lot of us have that mold including myself. The fat nose is not a problem if you are using a well used mil-surp rifle with a worn throat. In fact, the bullet was designed for such a rifle.

In my primo Persian 98/29 I have to seat the bullet way down in the cast for the bullet to chamber, as the nose is too big to engrave on the rifling at .311 bore. Some day, I will get a nose die and size it down to about .312 or so. But, even seated so deep it produces outstanding accuracy in my rifle over 18/2400.

[xsquidgator]

Newb question, but how far into the case do you seat the bullet?

I just bought the Lee 8mm Mauser mold, the only one they seemed to have, about 170 grains. Didn't look right when I made an inert test round with the bullet seated so as to cover all the lube grooves (cartridge on the right side). Also, when seated this way, the base of the bullet is down at the bottom of the case shoulder. (With 150 JSPs I'd made, my only previous 8mm Mauser reloading experience, the base of the bullet only went to the bottom of the neck)
http://wagneth.googlepages.com/cast8mmmauser170gr-I.jpg

Seating the bullet so that the base of the bullet is about where I'd expect it, some of the lube grooves are exposed (left side of picture). I tried seating the bullet further out of the case so that the bullet would be closer to the rifling and more accurate, but the picture on the left seems to be about the least amount of bullet I can get away with being held by the neck tension.

So, if you were using this cast bullet, would you seat the bullet to one of these two depths, or something else? I don't have any load data for 170 grain lead bullets so I'll be working up a load from something safely below the published loads I do have for 170grain jacketed bullets.

[Tumtatty]

I'm new as well but I have couple suggestions for you:

1) don't use published load data for jacketed boolits. Check the Military loads forum on this site. I started with 16gr of #2400 for my enfield and it works like a champ.

2) The seating depth is something you can gauge for your individual rifle. Here is an easy way to do this:

Get a thin dowel and, with your bolt closed, slide it down the barrel until it stops.
Get a razor blade or knife and mark the spot by making a cut n the dowel where it stops at your barrel tip.

open the bolt and using another short dowel gently push one of your cast projectiles into the throat until it just touches the rifling and stops. Hold it there gently.

Take the long dowel you marked and put it back down the barrel until it touches your boolit. Mark this with your razor blade. You have just found your OAL! I've read that you take .004 off the measurment and that is your prime seating depth.


I probably got this wrong, but I'm sure the other guys will straighten me out.

[Tumtatty]

I really like mine :

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v494/haysb/8%20mm%20Cast%20Bullets/3.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v494/haysb/8%20X%2057%20mm%20Sporter/3333.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v494/haysb/8%20X%2057%20mm%20Sporter/1000.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v494/haysb/8%20mm%20Rifle/1.jpg

This is what I'm shooting the 230 Karbiner out of , an 8 X 57 mm sporter that I've built :

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v494/haysb/8%20mm%20Rifle/IMG_8588.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v494/haysb/8%20mm%20Rifle/IMG_8587.jpg

What's the powder load for this bad boy? Can you use #2400? That's all i have at the moment.

[Tumtatty]

What's the powder load for this bad boy? Can you use #2400? That's all i have at the moment.

[Rick N Bama]

What's the powder load for this bad boy? Can you use #2400? That's all i have at the moment.

I'm getting good accuracy with this boolit & 18grs of 2400. YMMV.

Rick

[Ben]

Tumtatty :

That ( 2400 ) may very well be all you'll need.

Ben