I use a 3 lb drilling hammer. https://www.google.com/webhp?rls=ig#...rilling+hammer
Just enough oil(or grease) to coat the surface. You don't want dry, bare steel.
If I hunted I would definitely be envious.
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I use a 3 lb drilling hammer. https://www.google.com/webhp?rls=ig#...rilling+hammer
Just enough oil(or grease) to coat the surface. You don't want dry, bare steel.
If I hunted I would definitely be envious.
Attachment 126521Attachment 126522Attachment 126523
So far I've chickened out on doing the actual pound cast. Just very worried about getting this massive chunk of lead stuck or somehow damaging the bore. From other posts, I can't remember where, I sort of know what a Winchester M70 458 throat looks like so I decided to do an expirment using my set of pin gauges. I made a very shortened Hornady case gauge by drilling and tapping a .458 case and then shortened it so that the long pins will measure the chamber down to 2.5 inches, the length of a 458 case (photo 1). I did measurements in 1/1000 increments (incr. of pins) and recorded the length from case head to end of pin. I started at .451 (.450 slides freely through bore) and measured up to .488, then plotted the results (photo 3). I simplified the plot as photo 2.
It seems to me that these results should be almost equivalent to measurements from an actual bore-cast. It also seems to me that there is no good way to fit a 350 gr bullet to this throat. The driving bands on most .458 boolits (ranch-dog, noe, lyman) is .460 which occurs at 3.0 inch from case base, i.e. 0.5 inch into throat. The short 350 gr NOE (460 350 RF2) would have to jump almost 1/2 inch before contact.
Does anyone think this data is useful to bullet selection? If I go for an Accurate custom (e.g. 46-360J) what sizes should I specify? Would I have learned anything more / different from an actual pound-cast?
Thanks,
Don
Ok guys sorry but I am totally lost as to what is being shown to me.
OK I did my 1st pound cast today, I did this on my new Savage 111 Trophy Hunter 338 Win Mag.
Question for those who Know what they are doing:
- are most throats tapered? I measured the cast, the largest diameter was .348 and it tapered down to .338 ( I measured this with a pair of Brown & Sharpe calipers) I'm going to take the cat to work and measure it with both Micrometers & the comparator.
- I'm guessing the "rough" ring of lead that formed at the end of the casing and before the throat shows the total depth of the chamber? This ring measured .065" in length.
Thanks
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goodsteel that is good info as I always thought one and done but you make sense with doing it three times. Thanks for the explanation.
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Has anyone done this with a steel case? Will it work? Rifle is a Mosin, case is copper-washed surplus.
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great info
Dumb question. Can you do a pound cast in a semi-auto rifle? I have a Remington 740 Woodsmaster in .30-06. Planning on beginning my hand at casting for that rifle before I dive into my new 7mm Rem Mag.
Just wanted to say thank you for the info. Whilst I have hand loaded for years in 308 I have just started to down load and use cast . I am saving this page as I have learnt a great deal.
Why not a cerosafe or Rotometals chamber alloy cast?
learn something new everyday , thanks for the info
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Nice to hear from you goodsteal .
Years ago my old gunsmith friend (R.I.P.) put me on to sulpher/grafite for chamber casts. Works great as long as you do not ignite the sulphur :D
Just want to add another reason to do a pound cast over cerrosafe casting; if you have an old military rifle that has a pitted chamber I suspect the cerrosafe could lock in those pits and you'll wind up melting it to get it out!
I'm going to try this with my enfields. It will make a mold selection easier
An outstanding article. Clear description and great pictures.