sizing Lee C285-130 for 6.5 Carcano

[corvette8n]

I been thinking of getting this mold(LEE C285-130-R DBL CAVITY)
to size down to .269 for my Carcano and 6.5 Jap, I know I could get the cruise missle mold but I was looking for about a 130-140gr bullet.

All of my other molds are the Lee alum. one, and I like using them.
Is the sizing process going to take off too much lead?

BTW Buckshot made the .269 sizer for me.

[Wayne S]

You should be asking what is the OD of the bottom [smallest OD] of the lube grove.,
I'll check mine the next time I go to the shop, A Saeco 7 MM mold has a grease grove that mesures .245 OD at the bottom IF you take it down to .269 thats .024" or about 1/2 the normal depth.
Check and see what the openion of a GCed and tumble lubed in 45/45/10 mix is good for and if that meets your needs

[bruce drake]

I've been thinking about doing the same thing. Buckshot made me a .269 sizing die last year as well! Has anyone else on the forum done this?

Bruce

[swheeler]

Not exactly, but have done it with 7mm soup can sold by Midsouth. It has to be loaded to very short COAL, 2.5" but feeds from magazine OK. I sized at .272" and .270".

[Pepe Ray]

FYI;
I've reduced the RCBS 300 gr. 45-70 boolet down to .44 mag. w/o loosing all of the lube grooves.
1st. It should be done in several progressively smaller dies and
2nd. The lube grooves MUST be first filled with lube before ANY sizing at all.
If they are so filled the lead groove bottom must move inward somewhat.
Pepe Ray P.S. It puts a LOT of strain on the sizer.

[madsenshooter]

NEI makes a 130gr .270 mold. I don't mean .277, .270. Their as cast diameters usually run a few thousdanths larger than what they list, could be just what you're looking for.

[Buckshot]

..............I resized the Lyman 8mm Loverin 323470 from and as cast .325" down to .314" through a Lee push through in one fell swoop and it worked great.

I lube-sized it .323" before sizing to the smaller OD. It was for an Argentine with a .304" bore I couldn't match with anything I had. The re-sized Lyman did very well in it. Wasn't NOE talking about redoing the former Lee GB, 6.5mm Kurtz?

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

[madsenshooter]

I think I read a post recently that BaBore had the 6.5 Kurtz Buckshot mentioned above ready.

[missionary5155]

Good morning
Until I finally got a 265 grain caliber .41 mold I routinely sized down 265 grain .430 boolits to shoot in my .41 Dan Wesson.
I also used to size down .458 for my 43 Spanish (.443) and it worked well. I first lubed the .458 boolit then sized to .452 then to .443. After I tumbled lubed them. Seem to shoot well enough to produce 4" grioups at 100 yards from my old Spanish Rolling Block.

[Andy_P]

I haven't sized down that 7mm bullet, but I have sized the RCBS 150gr 270 (0.277") to 0.270", gas check and all (thanks for the custom sizer Buckshot!), and it works well.

IMO you will lose too much of your lube grooves if you try to size down 15 thou - I have what I consider barely enough left when reducing the RCBS bullet by 7 thou. Lube grooves at made to a certain depth for a reason and when you cut them by 50%+ you run a risk - but to be fair, it might work just fine.

Then there's the question of what gascheck would work - you could not size down a 7mm gascheck that much, and a 270 or 6.5mm gascheck would not fit.

I'd buy the 170 gr "Cruise Missile" mold. If you're ok with a plain base design, have someone mill about 0.255" off the top of the mold (to the bottom (top?) of the last lube groove) and you'd have about a 135gr PB bullet. Much cheaper than a custom design from Mountain Molds (but of course I can't say how it would shoot).

http://www.midsouthshooterssupply.com/product_images/006-6.5SWED.jpg

NEI does list a 130gr 0.270" plain base bullet mold, but it's near $100, and from what I've read about their recent "service" record, I'd be cautious with them.

[madsenshooter]

I think I read a post recently that BaBore had the 6.5 Kurtz Buckshot mentioned above ready.

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?t=74848

[HORNET]

You could take the approach that Geargnasher did....http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?t=73781 .

[Calamity Jake]

I've done the same as Buckshot, taken the 323470 down to .315 for an oversize mosine just size GC, boolit and apply lube in a.325 first then push thru a .315.

It'll work the same for you and your .284 down to .269