Help me choose molds and sizers for Milsurps.

[MikeSSS]

I'm wanting to cast boolits for the following:

6.5 Swede, 6.5 Carcano

1903 A3 2 groove 30-06, 7.62x54 Mosins, 7.62x39, 7.5 Swiss, .303 British, 7.65 Argentine

8x57 for a Turk and Yugo 48

I don't have the money to get all the molds I want, so I'll have to start with a couple molds and a sizer for each.

At present I'm thinking of Midsouth special order molds for 6.5 Swedish and 8mm Karabiner.

The other mold I'm thinking of is the Lee 312-155 2R. Thinking is it will shoot good in the 7.62x39 and do a passable job in the .303 and 7.65 and can be sized down to .309 or .311 for the 1903, and 7.62x54.

I might try the 312155 unsized in a No4 MK1 Faz 5 groove. The Lee 6.5 Swede mold might work OK unsized in the 6.5 Carcano.

So, to start I'd get the three molds and a sizer in .309, .311 and .323. Midsouth doesn't list a Lee sizer in .266.

Lube would be Alox, I'm comfortable using it.

What do you think and am I overlooking anything?

Thanks.

[Phil]

Hi Mike,

If you want to shoot cast bullets in an Carcano, you need a much bigger diameter bullet than .266". Those that I have checked run from .268" to .273" in the grooves. I'm looking for a M41 or M38 in 6.5 but they sure are getting expensive any more!

Heh, heh, heh, you will never have enough molds. It's like a disease, the search for the holy grail, it just never stops! I'll bet that I'm not the only one who has bought a firearm simply because I've found a beautiful mold. Then, you have to have a firearm to shoot those beautiful bullets in. And so it goes.................

Cheers and good shooting,

Phil

[mag_01]

---Hay Mike I use mostly Lee molds----recommend---Lee 160/.309 use that for 30-30 and 7.62x39---comes out of mold about .3105---size to .311-gas check and leave it at .3105----The Lee 200 for .308--sized .309----the Lee 185 for mosients--sized .312 also the Lee 175 for 8mm sized .325 and the Lee 130 for 7mm---there are 2 other molds for the 7.62x39 that may be good 155 and 160--I don't have those.----good luck ----- welcome to the world of casting---Mag--

[Urny]

Welcome, Mike. Those Lee moulds will probably do the job on most of what you have, with the probable exception of the Carcano and some Mosin and Lee Enfield rifles. Lyman's 314299 is a great place to start for the latter two. Other than a costly custom job, haven't an idea for the Italian. Push through sizers and liquid Alox work well.

[Wayne Smith]

1) Slug your barrels, both muzzle and through,

2) Chamber cast with Cerrosafe available from Brownells. It's easy and gives you lots of information.

With those two telling you the condition and size of your bore and chamber you can choose your own bullets intelligently. Until you do that, you and all the rest of us are only guessing.

[mag_01]

---Mike found some loads for a starting place for the moisents (I have 5)----including the Mod. 39-which won me a lot of trophy's in years gone by. I find 18grs./2400 behind a gas checked Lee 185 sized .312 to preform well in my rifles. Only bore I checked was the 39--slugged out at .3105---thus the .312 gas checked boolit--about 2ths. over bore is a good place to be. Filling the throat for better performance is easy to do---just shoot larger Dia. boolits until you find 1 that wont chamber---at that point you have reached your limit on filling the throat. I have found that my 91-30 dated (1900) has the tightest throat and leaves marks in throat area on cases--and is a little hard to chamber---Gun shoots clover leafs at 50 yrs. off the bench---the 39 (1942) shoot raged 1 hollers at 50 yrs. and the 91-30 (1942) shot 1/2 inch groups all with the 18grs. of 2400 off bench open sites

--For some strange reason my 8MM load is also 18grs. of 2400 behind the 175 boolit sized .325 g/c and shoots pretty good. Shot some yesterday at 35 yards. and groups where about an inch to an inch and a half off bench open sites--the 2 rifles used where Yugo M24-47 and the Turkish Mauser in 8MM---

Its a shame we cant all take all of our guns to the range and shoot them all---what a project that would be---I find myself taking more than I can shoot-----I will shoot 3 or 4 hrs and then find myself tired or hungry and have to pack up and go home---Get out and shoot my fellow casters---Enjoy--------Mag

[NVcurmudgeon]

My candidate for the universal .30/.31 caliber boolit is Lyman's 314299. I bought this mould originally for my .303 British, and it delivered very good accuracy when sized .314". Next was the .30/06 Springfield, sized at .310" the 314299 has quite a few wins for smallest group in shoulder to shoulder and postal matches. Well, I don't need a wall to fall on me to recognize a pattern. Now 299 also does good work in a .309" Krag, sized .310", and the .311" Argentine Mauser, sized .312". A friend tried numerous boolits in his 7.62 X 39 CZ, and the sample boolits from my 299 gave the best accuracy. I guess it's about time to hitch up a mule to the trigger of the MAS 1936, and try 314299 in that one.

[yodar]

I'd give my left n*T for a 314299.

Currently my Lee 155-2R can work for Lee Enfield, MN 91/30s and SKS by varying the alloy.

I plan on using it on my K-31 too, on the advice of someone more expert.

The bullet drops at 312 and with a pound of magnum shot in the pot many will will drop as high as .315 and will be so bright people will ask if you are chrome plating your bullets.

I have a group order being assembled my a fellow list member on another list for 6 cavity mould of this bullet. He needs about nine more.

Yodar

[plasma]

I have been using the 314299 for my 91-30 mosins. I have 3 of 91-30 and they as well as the other 5 or 6 I have slugged the bore on were all 0.311 or 0.3115. I size the bullets to 0.312 and this seems to work well.