Finnicky .338 Spectre upper - might PC be able to save the day?

[theTastyCat]

Hey all - to make a long story short, I've been trying for years to make my .338 Spectre run correctly. I've burned through 500 300-gr. SMKs trying to get it correct and it's been back to the manufacturer several times.

BTW, .338 Spectre is much like 300 Blackout but it's .338 cal and will shoot 300-grainers I'll always be shooting mine subsonic and suppressed.

I *think*, *think* I may have the issues worked out. However, I *really* want to find a way to shoot cast out of it so I can shoot it as much as I want. Unfortunately, I've had terrible luck with chambering; at one point, it wouldn't even always chamber SMKs!!! I think that is figured out how, though.

I am desperately looking for a mold that will work; it's hard to imagine anything being more conducive to feeding than an SMK, but I can't find any heavy .338 mold that begins to look like that.

- * THE QUESTION * -

I've asked a guy on barfcom who's got the Accurate 34-310B if he might be willing to send me a few of his boolits so I can PC them. Would PCing make them any slipperier/smoother or make them want to chamber any more than otherwise? I had some Hawk thin-jacketed bullets with exposed, round lead noses that would hang up and deform on the locking lugs; I am hoping SO much that PC might give me an advantage here!!!!

OK - enough. Thanks for reading, all!

[popper]

noses that would hang up and deform on the locking lugs Big problem with the 300BO/223 lugs. You may have to enlarge the feed ramps. The straight nose section is 0.010 smaller than the drive bands so the PC shouldn't be a problem. Cast works fine in my AR10 but the BO is another matter. I did play with the mag & use an adj. GB to get proper functioning in the AR10. Boolit is the 165C. I'd shoot some hand chambered to make sure no problems with PC, then try from the mag for feeding.

[theTastyCat]

Great popper - thanks so much. I've been through so much trying to get this rifle working and I'm willing to try anything if necessary!! I will certainly do just what you've said. Much appreciated!!

[Jaybird62]

I think you are out of luck with cast boolits of any type. The twist rate for the .338 Spectre is too fast for even water-quenched Linotype. My experience is that it will lead heavily owing to the hardness of bullets not being able to engage and hold the rifling for the first several inches of the bore. Lots of leading.

[Hamish]

I am reading postings in various places on the net that when Boolits are PC'd, the user is able to use lesser powder charges. In essence, they are "slicker".

[ipijohn]

I am reading postings in various places on the net that when Boolits are PC'd, the user is able to use lesser powder charges. In essence, they are "slicker".

They feel like they are slicker when they go through my Lee sizer BUT they consistently chronograph 20/25 fps slower than 45/45/10 in anything that I shoot them in with the same powder load.