Chamber casting Marlin 336

[zealful]

I am having a lot of issues trying to find out how is the best way to cast the chamber for these lever actions. Bolt I just break it down and can cast the barrel. Can even pound cast it in a filled case and then sloowly tap open the bolt and tap it all loose and out. Cerrosafe is simple in these too.

I am not sure I can pound cast lever action. Can I just lightly open the lever while tapping the top of the cast when finished? I don't want to stick it or break the extractor. I am really not looking forward to pouring Cerrosafe through a tube into the chamber as it looks like a lot can get messed up, or just spill in places you don;t want it to be.

I have everything to cast and reload 30-30 except my chamber dimensions. How is the best way to get them in a lever action?

[cwtebay]

You have my interest piqued. Is this a factory 30-30? If so, firing a factory spec round will give you chamber dimensions and using a fired case with a bullet seated somewhat loosely and long to ease a bullet to meet the lands will give you a starting point for COAL. If you're looking for headspace issues, a set of go/ no-go gauges are useful.
I have a couple of unknown / unsure of chambering lever guns that I have casted. Ace hardware sells a small, flexible steel funnel that allows one to fill the chamber with cerrosafe that I have found quite satisfactory.


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[MostlyLeverGuns]

You really don't need a pound cast OR a chamber cast to successfully load for lever guns. Throat diameter is important, try a .310 or .311 boolit and see how it shoots. You can measure many items and still a range session will provide the true answers. Don't overthink the process, one of the 'standard' 150 to 180 grain flat nose boolits designed for the 30-30, seated to work through the magazine (2.55" or so) sized to 3.10 is a good place to start, using a powder that gives you 1500 to 1800 fps. Then tinker with sized diameter, maybe .311 and powder types and charges. I have a bunch of Marlin's - 30-30's, 32 Special's, 35's, others; I expect under 3" groups FIRST time out for a rifle with boolit(size diameter, maybe style) and powder tinkering to get to well under 2 MOA. I have slugged bores and such but the information is has minimum useful application.
If you have a a 32 Special, I get good results with a .323, for the 35 Rem, .360 works best for my rifles.
I suggest you start with gas checked boolits in usual rifle calibers, 30-30, 35 Rem, 32 Special; with plain base boolits I have had little success over 1100 plus fps.

[Maven]

Good advice, MLG!

[popper]

Size to 311, use COWW or equal with GCs or WW/pure 50/50 for PB lite loads. 3031/4895/anything in that powder range will work for GCd. unique/2400/red dot for slow plinker loads. Hodgdon site had lots of load data. Seating depth is whatever your rifle takes, experiment with dummy rnds. No real reason to slug the barrel or do a chamber cast.

[RickinTN]

You really don't need a pound cast OR a chamber cast to successfully load for lever guns. Throat diameter is important, try a .310 or .311 boolit and see how it shoots. You can measure many items and still a range session will provide the true answers. Don't overthink the process, one of the 'standard' 150 to 180 grain flat nose boolits designed for the 30-30, seated to work through the magazine (2.55" or so) sized to 3.10 is a good place to start, using a powder that gives you 1500 to 1800 fps. Then tinker with sized diameter, maybe .311 and powder types and charges. I have a bunch of Marlin's - 30-30's, 32 Special's, 35's, others; I expect under 3" groups FIRST time out for a rifle with boolit(size diameter, maybe style) and powder tinkering to get to well under 2 MOA. I have slugged bores and such but the information is has minimum useful application.
If you have a a 32 Special, I get good results with a .323, for the 35 Rem, .360 works best for my rifles.
I suggest you start with gas checked boolits in usual rifle calibers, 30-30, 35 Rem, 32 Special; with plain base boolits I have had little success over 1100 plus fps.

This right here. I suggest 15 grains of 4227 along with this advice if you have any. A pound cast isn't all that difficult but is actually unnecessary.
Good Luck,
Rick