NEWB w/mold ?

[Czech_too]

I've been reloading for a couple of decades and have now decided to give casting a try. The bullet mould I'm gonna try first is the Lyman 311008, used in a T/C Contender 32/20 barrel. T/C uses a .308 bore in these barrels. Now my question is, as I understand it this mould drops a bullet at .311 dia and I intend to size to .309 dia. It this doable? I haven't come across any rule of thumb regarding just how far down a bullet can be sized before problems arise.

I've read the Lyman cast bullet book and browsed thru some of the older post, but there is still a learning curve here. I'm sure that I'll have further questions to ask. Thanks in advance.

[Bret4207]

Welcome. First off that Lyman may drop anywhere from .310-.314+ depending on the mould and alloy. I'd measure a few before sizing. If your groove diameter is around .308 and the boolit drops .310, then I'd try them as cast- unsized. If they're up in the .311+ range then you'll probably have to size to get them to chamber. You can size down well over .01 if you have to, The boolit will enlongate and often it's a series of steps to get if there.

FWIW- I use lots of .32 cal revolver boolits in .308 guns. Most .308 cal's go closer to .309,.310 it seems, so you''ll have to do some shooting or measuring to figure it out. Also remember your sizing and seating die may require some modification if they are standard 32-20 dies.

[Firebricker]

That should work fine sizing down a few thousandths is common. As long as your lube groove's don't get distorted your good. The Lyman cast hand book is full of good info so that's a good start. Welcome and good luck with a new addictive hobby ! FB

[runfiverun]

in the throat of the t/c you might easily be able to get away with the larger diameter of 310 or even 311.
the throats of the t/c's are pretty generous for the most part.
i'd at least try one to see if they'd chamber in the as cast diameter first.

[Czech_too]

Checked the base dia. of the commercial cast which I've used in the past and find that it's .310, not the .309 that's shown on the box. So, I'll wait to see what the bullet drops at and take it from there. Still have to work out the alloy.

The throats on the .357 T/C barrels are generous, based on those I've seen.

[TCFAN]

I also use the Lyman 311008 boolit in my 32-20 T/C Contender. Out of my mold the boolits drop at .312 to .313 out of WW. I size and lube in a .312 Lyman 450 and then final size in a Lee .309 die.This works good and shoots good..............Terry

[Czech_too]

Well, after my first casting session, things look good! The bullets dropped at between .312-313 dia. Ran them thru a .310 sizer and don't see any distortion. Now to let the bullets 'cure' for awhile. If this was home brew I'd say 'condition', but it's not even close.

I'm already looking at another mould(s) but I have to show some restraint here, Maybe after the holidays and the property taxes are paid. In the meantime, hide the plastic.