mold for browning .348

[jwhite]

I am sure this has been discussed here before but I did not have much luck with the search function. What molds seem to work the best for the short throated brownings? I currently have a old Ideal that casts a nice 195gr bullet but i would like to have something a little heavier around the 250 gr mark. Has anybody designed a mold with Mountain Mold's specificaly for the browning? I am also wondering about the LBT 250 gr mold anyone have any experience with that one? Also wondering if there might be enough interest for a group buy in .348?
Thanks
Jerry

[C A Plater]

NEI has a 225 grain GC mould for the .348. It's number 106 and they have a round nose 250 grain one number 108.

[Bullshop]

NEI has a 225 grain GC mould for the .348. It's number 106 and they have a round nose 250 grain one number 108.
I have both of those molds and both work very well.
One little problem I ran into with the 250 gn was that even with cases at suggested trim length when crimped in the crimp groove the oal was too long to cycle through the action in the Brownings. It would however cycle through Winchesters. It is just a whisker too long and the nose hangs up on the mag tube so the lifter cant bring it up to chamber.
The solution was to trim about .015" off new cases and all was well. It is worth it though cause its a very accurate boolit. The 250 also has more meplate than the 225, but that 225 is wonderfully accurate.
There has been more than a few moose taken here by customers with boolits from that pair of molds.
BIC/BS

[BrushBuster]

Jwhite:
I have had great success with the NEI-108 mold in a original Winchester M-71. I found that by "Beagling" up to .350 the smaller dimensioned nose was engraving nicely into the rifling and giving this boolit a great start. As Bullshop mentioned you may have some cycling considerations but worth the trouble. Slower powders like ReLoder-19, IMR 4831, H4831 and AA3100 have worked best for me, and for moose (or deer) hunting this heavy boolit at 2000+ is highly effective. The meplate is relatively small, making it a good choice for experimentation with soft nose casting, and this is where I hope to improve an already fine boolit.

Nice to hear that the .348 is still knocking them over in Maine, and if your willing to deal with its fussiness regarding cast bullets, it's a fine bush rifle. Casting and handloading for it has allowed me to keep my iron sight "shooting eye" in form, and I'm ready for fall. :-D

[beagle]

Think that I have all of Lyman's .348 design now. The big 280 grainer you're looking for is the 350482. It's a clone of the 358009 except in the .348 version.

I have a 350457HP that shoots quite well for me and also a 350447HP that shoots well. The 348-200-FN does all right also.

Personally, I haven't had any problems with the short throat on my Browning other that affecting seating depth. The assuracy is there even with the short throat./beagle