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Thread: 308 bullets

  1. #1
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    308 bullets

    How far down can you size hard lead bullets.? I cast bullets for my 303 and size down a couple of thou to .311. Am looking at getting a .308, just wondering
    if a .313 bullet would size down to .308.?? saving the cost of another mold. ??

  2. #2
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    With enough force it will.
    Pistol & Rifle Shooting in the Highlands with Strathpeffer Rifle & Pistol Club. <StrathRPC at yahoo.com> or google it.
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  3. #3
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    Quote Originally Posted by tim56 View Post
    How far down can you size hard lead bullets.? I cast bullets for my 303 and size down a couple of thou to .311. Am looking at getting a .308, just wondering
    if a .313 bullet would size down to .308.?? saving the cost of another mold. ??
    strange thing is cast bullets....my verguiro shoots nicely with fmj but i had a real fight to make it shoot cast bullets.
    it shoots .323 in fmj so i ordered a batch of gas checked .323 bullets and loaded them up with 26gns of reloder 7.......zilch
    altered sights to 600 yds......zilch
    brought target to 50 yds .....zilch
    speed was around 2000 fps but this monster didnt like .323 cast bullets.
    ordered more bullets at .325 (as cast and not sized etc) he also gas checked them too....bear in mind lee only do .323 bullet sizing die as thats what you use to gas check them.
    same powder and with bigger bullets it hit point of aim and more or less as it would do with full metal jacket
    i ordered a special .325 lyman sizing die from the states for future use

  4. #4
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    308 cast

    Down to 311 or 310 should be fine in the 308...normally want 2 thou over bore size for cast.

    amc577

  5. #5
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    Don't bother, 3 thou' wont make much difference and you will probably find the ,308 bore up to a thou' oversize anyway. I've tried the Lee .312-185 in both my 7.5 Swiss (.3091") and my 7.62 (.3078") and the problem in both cases was the nose was too large and at any practical seating depth they still wouldn't chamber. The Lee 200 gr. shoots superb in both rifles by the way.

  6. #6
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    Normally the nose of the bullet casts about 8 thou less than the body. So your .313 bullet will size down to .309 or whatever on the main body but still be .305 on the nose. So it depends on the lead-in to the rifling. If the nose engages with the .300 lands on the bore when the cartridge is chambered, it won't go in easily. Might do weird things with pressures- someone here will know.

    If it chambers easily, with no rifling marks, I can't see there being a problem.

  7. #7
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    Many Thanks gents. Iv got some cast bullets i made a while ago for my 303 that haven't been sized yet so will get a die for 308
    and give it a go. A shooting mate has a 7.62x54R and i know he's after trying down loaded lead at 50m so may be able to check
    if they chamber. Tim

  8. #8
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    Sizing of bullets

    I have a collection of 5 or 6 different dummy rounds for some of my rifles...all for different bullets...the 7.5 x55 Swiss was the biggest pain of all for using cast....rifle had been rebarrelled in 1957 and presumably then withdrawn from service use. The Swiss regard a barrel at .30 as "worn out"...new barrel is around .296 and the lands come down to the case neck! I found just a couple of cast bullets which would chamber at all...loverin types. After a few thousand rounds, my K31 will now take most styles of bullet. NOE moulds have a specific mould for the K31...I brought one in from the States....tapers right down in the middle section. About 190gn with gas check.

    amc577

  9. #9
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    Dec 2008
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    Ashington, Northumberland
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    308

    I have been casting and using the Lee 155gr 312 GC bullet,
    sized to 313 for 303 and 311 for 7.5 Swiss and 7.62 Mauser,
    spot on at 100M,
    as said above, I had the same trouble with the 7.5, getting a bullet that did not jam,
    thanks,
    T

  10. #10
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    May 2009
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    The k31 is always going to be a suck it and see option unless you have a bullet with the same profile as the GP11 bullet, or you play with the length so it isn't jammed into the lands
    You Cannot Reason People Out of Something They Were Not Reasoned Into
    "Politicians like to panic, they need activity. It is their substitute for achievement" Sir Humphry Appleby

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