picking out moulds

[Mtman314]

Okay guys I'm A bit confused here, I was looking at moulds for my 303 british .311 and my 8mm mauser .323. I'm also aware that 7.62 tips work in my 303 yet if I look the 303 molds are .312 and .311 in lee and lyman says 314. then in 8 mm rcbs has a 120 gr 310 cadet lyman has a 165 gr .323 and lee carries a 215gr karabiner and also a 8mm maximum 225gr besides the .324 size. Now are all these usable for me in my calibers or is there something I'm missing here. my german mauser won't shoot decent without at least a 175 grain in the tube. I may have found a mould for #1 buckshot though. Am having difficulty looking for 44-40 moulds in on-line catalogs. Would probably be easier through a magazine.

[yodar]

Okay guys I'm A bit confused here, I was looking at moulds for my 303 british .311 and my 8mm mauser .323. I'm also aware that 7.62 tips work in my 303 yet if I look the 303 molds are .312 and .311 in lee and lyman says 314. then in 8 mm rcbs has a 120 gr 310 cadet lyman has a 165 gr .323 and lee carries a 215gr karabiner and also a 8mm maximum 225gr besides the .324 size. Now are all these usable for me in my calibers or is there something I'm missing here. my german mauser won't shoot decent without at least a 175 grain in the tube. I may have found a mould for #1 buckshot though. Am having difficulty looking for 44-40 moulds in on-line catalogs. Would probably be easier through a magazine.


SELECT THE LEE 312-155-2R mold
In this mold strait wheelweights will come out .312-.313 mas o menos for your .30 caliber guns

The lee 312-155-2R will cast for your SKS and will work for .303 british and 7.62 x 54 IF you add a pound of magnum shot to reduce shrinkage. My Lee mould delivers a sizable percentage of .313-.315 bullets from such a casting process

I cant help you with the other calibers

yodar

[GabbyM]

First I'd find out what the bore size of your 303 Brit is. Some are fairly large for the 312 bullets.
Then I don't have one but have heard good things about Lymans 8mm 323470 Loverin bullet. If your 303 ends up wanting a fat bullet over 314 you can two step size the Lyman 8mm bullet down for it and cover both guns with one mold. If your 303 will use a 314 x 303 or under bullet then the Lyman #314299 is the go to slug IMO. But the Lee C312-185-1R would work too. You need to slug the 8mm too. Maybe you've some 00 buckshot laying around?

[Buckshot]

.............Yup, slug those rifles first as that will take all the mystery out of what it will take for them to shoot.

.................Buckshot

[Bret4207]

Okay guys I'm A bit confused here, I was looking at moulds for my 303 british .311 and my 8mm mauser .323. I'm also aware that 7.62 tips (What is a TIP?) work in my 303 yet if I look the 303 molds are .312 and .311 in lee and lyman says 314. Slug your bore, but my bet is .314 or bigger then in 8 mm rcbs has a 120 gr 310 cadet Ignore that lyman has a 165 gr .323 For the 32 Winchester Special and lee carries a 215gr karabiner and also a 8mm maximum 225gr besides the .324 size.Get the Karibiner if you can, very good in 8x57 Now are all these usable for me in my calibers or is there something I'm missing here. my german mauser won't shoot decent without at least a 175 grain in the tube. I may have found a mould for #1 buckshot though. Am having difficulty looking for 44-40 moulds in on-line catalogs.The Lyman 427666 or any .44 Special/magnum boolit will work if sized to your bore and within 44-40 weight ranges-ie 250 gr and under more or lessWould probably be easier through a magazine.

Slugging your bores will tell you what you need to know. Go .002+ over bore size in your sizer and enjoy.

[Mtman314]

[QUOTE=GabbyM;490715]First I'd find out what the bore size of your 303 Brit is. Some are fairly large for the 312 bullets.
Then I don't have one but have heard good things about Lymans 8mm 323470 Loverin bullet. If your 303 ends up wanting a fat bullet over 314 you can two step size the Lyman 8mm bullet down for it and cover both guns with one mold. If your 303 will use a 314 x 303 or under bullet then the Lyman #314299 is the go to slug IMO. But the Lee C312-185-1R would work too. You need to slug the 8mm too. Maybe you've some 00 buckshot laying around?


Not just laying around, but I got some. Why, is there a way to slug a barrel accurately at home? So I not only should slug my guns, but also each of the kids? then sort the cast bullets accordingly. This is probably the problem with my german mauser since it won't shoot a bullet lighter than 175 grains accurately.


also bret I don't have a sizer yet. I'm just starting to get into this.

[runfiverun]

the sizer is the last thing i get when starting to work with a rifle....
it's usually moldd,or rifle first, then g/c's[or not] then vary my alloy some, to see what the mold will do to fit the rifle, then finally get a sizer in the size i need.

[Mtman314]

I'm actually considering getting the kit from Lyman for 220 bucks. Any other outfits out there that sell a reasonably priced kit?

[GabbyM]

[QUOTE=GabbyM;490715]First I'd find out what the bore size of your 303 Brit is. Some are fairly large for the 312 bullets.
Then I don't have one but have heard good things about Lymans 8mm 323470 Loverin bullet. If your 303 ends up wanting a fat bullet over 314 you can two step size the Lyman 8mm bullet down for it and cover both guns with one mold. If your 303 will use a 314 x 303 or under bullet then the Lyman #314299 is the go to slug IMO. But the Lee C312-185-1R would work too. You need to slug the 8mm too. Maybe you've some 00 buckshot laying around?


Not just laying around, but I got some. Why, is there a way to slug a barrel accurately at home? So I not only should slug my guns, but also each of the kids? then sort the cast bullets accordingly. This is probably the problem with my german mauser since it won't shoot a bullet lighter than 175 grains accurately.


also bret I don't have a sizer yet. I'm just starting to get into this.

Yes the 00 buck is soft lead about 32 caliber and should make a good slug. Fishing sinkers or what ever you find. Then you have to scrounge up a wood or steel rod that will fit down the bore. Oil the bore and ball first. Their are instructions on this around.

Once you know what size you need you can get a Lee sizer die to fit into your load press. No more bullets than a rifle will go through you can pan lube them or use paste wax or liquid alox that comes with the lee die.

[armyrat1970]

Midway sells bore slugging stuff. And good advice about slugging the bore. I think it is a general practice for cast bullets to be at least .001 over bore size. Larger is even better as long as the bullet will chamber. Many moulds cast over size depending on your alloy and the amount of shrinkage. You may not even need a bullet sizing die. Slug your bore first. Drop some bullets through your mould. If they come out a little over your bore size, try them in a dummy case set at the Min or Max OAL you will be loading. If they chamber with no problem you should have no problem. If they won't chamber than you will need a sizer. But get one that sizes to at least .001 over the bore diameter.
Of course a lot of these steps are unnessary if you're not looking for a real tack driver. But if you want the best accuracy from the weapon all of the steps are necessary.

[Mtman314]

Just wanted to let you all know I got my first mould today. Its a single cavity brass mould. I still need to get a Lee Handle to use on it. Got most of what I need to run my first batch of lead to cast ingots. Picked up three used muffin tins today. Plan to clean them up with Brake Cleaner before attempting to use them. Have a cast iron sauce pan and also a cast iron 5 quart I'll probably use them this week while the temp is running in the fifties.