.309 patched to .311 bore ??

[barthmonster]

Newbie question don't laugh...

Can you use a cast bullet (boolit?) of .309 diameter for a .30-cal and patch it up to fit a 303 british which is a .311 (nominal, it would need slugged from what I've read) ??

Or does paper-patching not increase the daimeter that much ??

I'm confused on why people seem to paper-patch and then size afterwards. Also amazed the paper doesn't smear off or something...

[zuke]

That's exactly what I'm a gonna be a doin!

[barthmonster]

At least it will keep my Enfield from gathing dust like it has been doing...

I like the peep sights on the thing. Never forget when my son who was 11 at the time, busted a Milk Jug wide open from the bench at 100-yards with it !!

[6.5 mike]

Some size to allow for the final size after wrapping, padawg for example. Others wrap then final size, me for example. It depends on what your mold drops & what the barrel tells you it needs when you slug it or what throat size you can use. 2 examples for me; lee 405 gr fb drops at 0.455, 2 wraps of tracing paper brings it up to 0.4605, load & shoot. This is in a pedersoli sharps. Another is O3A3, lee 200 gr rn drops at 0.3095 2 wraps tracing paper then sized to 0.311. It also fattens up the nose to fill the throat in this one. One , because of the mold doesn't need sizing, the other brings the body down to the size I need, it lets me fit the boolit to either the bore or the throat or in some cases both.
Look for posts by docone 31, 303 guy, Jeffinnz, just to name a few, alot of good info on the .303 brit. Hope this helps, mike

[docone31]

If you cast to .308, size it to .308 to make it consistant, then wrap with two wraps of notebook paper, this will give .317-.319. I wrap wet and it shrinks like no tomorrow.
This I then size. Your Enfield will possibly be happy with .314. It might take .316, but you can flap wheel the Lee .314 sizeing die to .316.
Use Auto Wax to lube to size. No more than to make it shiney. A dab will do ya.
Use start load data for the powder for the comparable weight jacketed load.
I prefer 4895, or 4064.
Works for me.

[pdawg_shooter]

I have found over the years that I get better "long range" accuracy if I size to bore diameter +.001/.0015 before patching. For my .303 SMLE I size to .304 and give it 2 wraps of 16# printer paper. After drying I lube with BAC and run through a .314 die and load.

[WILCO]

At least it will keep my Enfield from gathing dust like it has been doing...


Lee 2-Cavity Bullet Mold C312-185-1R 303 British (312 Diameter) 185 Grain 1 Ogive Radius Gas Check

http://www.midwayusa.com/viewProduct/?productNumber=562844

[6.5 mike]

+ 1 Wilco, that's a very flexable mold for 30's & fat 30's ( 303, 7.7, 7.62 x 54, & 303 sav). :drinks:

[barthmonster]

Thanks to all, very good info...

That Lee mold looks just like the one I got in .308 this last week. so far it drops nice, but my test boolits look shiny and wrinkly like it was too cold. More experience needed there I think. They drop out okay after smoking it with a candle though which made me happy...

Cast bullets (with much work) at near-jacketed velocity, who would have thought it !!?!

[docone31]

With Lee molds, you do not smoke them, you heat them.
That mold is what I use for my .303 Brit paper patching. The .30cal, which is close to that in design, I use for my .30s.
In both cases, I size to .308, wrap with notebook, or printer paper, then size to either .309, or .314 depending on what I am loading for.
And, yes, jacketed velocities with lead!
I use those molds for my zinc castings also.

[303Guy]

You don't mention if it's a two-groove or five? It seems that a well used five-groove develops a pretty near ideal throat and bore for paper patching. With luck, you won't need to size the case necks much if at all for PP. It takes far less neck tension to hold a PPCBoo. The PPCBoo slips into the neck quite easily and the paper friction holds it there. It does mean custom neck sizing dies but that's not really a problem. I happen to make my own.