First rifle mold

[Doby45]

Just ordered up my first rifle mold:

http://www.midwayusa.com/viewProduct/?productnumber=574963

Also got myself my Lee push through sizer in .309 but I slugged my new Rossi 308 and the bore is closer to 309 so I wanted a 310 but one was not available. SO I plan to just open the 309 sizer up to 310. Can't wait to try my hand at my first actual rifle loads, I am not counting my AR 223 ammo.

http://media.midwayusa.com/ProductImages/Large/574963.jpg

[Buckshot]

..............I have to let you know that that first mould will not be alone very long! :-)

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

[Moonie]

I just sorted a batch of this exact boolit and ended up with 40 keepers to paperpatch for my sons 30-06. We will be shooting some we already loaded up in the morning. They are good looking boolits. Also my first rifle mold. Buckshot is correct, this one will not be my last, need one for 8mm, 224 and 6.8 as well.

[Doby45]

Lemme know how they shoot for ya.. :)

[mooman76]

Just don't size to have your bigger bullet unless they are too big.

[Moonie]

I did go out shooting with the oldest son this weekend, not the paperpatched boolits yet (haven't setup to patch as of yet) but did have some we had loaded earlier. I believe the load was around 9gr of Unique boolits were unsized tumble lubed with 45/45/10 and then pan lubed with Dar. I double lubed them because since I plan to shoot them paperpatched I didn't get any gas checks. They shot pretty well for the informal plinking I did with the son, first time he had ever shot the rifle.

Oh, and absolutely NO leading of any kind, these first boolits were water dropped as well, the ones to be paperpatched will be air cooled.

[Doby45]

I should have my stuff on the 2nd and then I will get some cast up and pics. :)

[Echo]

Buckshot is correct, this one will not be my last, need one for 8mm, 224 and 6.8 as well.

Well - I'll bet there won't be just ONE for each of those...

[Moonie]

If Mehec makes some in those cal's my SWMBO will get real upset real quick.

[Doby45]

Would anyone happen to have a starting load for the 170gr boolit in 308 using H335?

[Doby45]

Well I got my mold today. Went out and cast a few so I would have some to play with. I have a few questions.

1. How do you put on a gascheck IF you do not require sizing? Mold is dropping between .310 and .311 and could more than likely be used as dropped. Or, do I just get my sizing die opened up to .310 and roll with the larger size and the ability to seat a gascheck?

2. Say I go ahead and size to .309 (which I did for the boolits in the picture) and install gaschecks (which I also did), do you see any problem with the long seated boolit? That keeps the gascheck in the neck and the boolit even seated that far out still is not touching the rifling in my initial tests.

http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b327/Doby45/Mobile/dee2bf97.jpg

http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b327/Doby45/Mobile/7b47d049.jpg?t=1277952404

[excess650]

I would recommend that you size as large as will chamber without resistance(in the neck), and seat the bullet out to touch or lightly engrave the throat or rifling. I lube and size some in a .311" die that doesn't touch the bullet, but crimps the gas check in place. If you seat so the bullet is hard into the rifling or throat, you run the risk of leaving a bullet when trying to extract a live round.

Make up a dummy round with unsized bullet and see if its tight in the neck. It would be even better to make a throat impression, or have other dummy rounds with larger diameter bullets to see what your rifle will accept.

My only .308(Sako), which I've NOT shot cast in, seems to have a fat, tapered throat, and will easily accept a .311" bullet. Designs Like the RCBS silhouette bullet, Saeco 316(?) Lyman 311644 and Lyman 311679 have tapered ogives that should be conducive for a good fit in my .308.

Get the fit right and finding accuracy will be easier. Try some of the Unique, 2400, 4759, or AA5744 loads at moderate velocity first, and then progress to higher velocity loads.

[Moonie]

I would open up the .309 to .311, you can always get another, they are fairly cheap.

[Doby45]

Yhea, I think I am gonna open it up and try some 10-11gr Unique rounds.