303 british

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  • Last Post 10 July 2020
jimfain posted this 08 June 2020

I had a load for a British SMILE III of 27 grains of IMR 4227 for an 185 cast bullet from a RCBS mold that shot excellently in Ohio about 25 years ago.  I shot the load in Colorado and the bullets go through the target sideways.  I varied the power to IMR 4895 from 24.5 to 38.8 grains in  .5 increments and all the bullets shot side ways.    How do you slug the chamber and the barrel? The mold drops a bullet between .311 and .312, I do not size the bullet trying to get the largest bullet.  The bullets are gassed checked.  Any ideas.  I am a new member and I hope that I have filled this out correctly.  Any help would be appreciated.

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beagle6 posted this 08 June 2020

I assume you are talking about 2 different rifles. Most Enfields in my experience run .314 and up. .318 isn't unheard of..Slug your barrel. That most likely is your problem. There is all kinds of advise on how to do it so I won't bore you. Clean the barrel, oil lightly and use a SOFT lead slug. Sounds like you have a micrometer and know how too use it. Good luck.

beagle6

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Brodie posted this 09 June 2020

Jim,  Real Quick to slug the barrel : Grease barrel with vaseline or just oil it good, drive a soft lead slug down the length of the barrel from the muzzle.  You can use a steel rod or a zinc one either is available at the hardware store, if using steel wrap some electricial tape around it in a spiral so the rod can't touch the bore.  I use egg shaped fishing sinkers just  a little larger than the barrel.

To make a pound cast: Fill an empty fired case (dead primer) with lead to the middle of the neck, place a soft lead bullet in the neck, chamber the case and pound the bullet down from the muzzle using that metal rod.  DO NOT TRY TO USE A WOODEN ROD!! The soft bullet should upset and make a copy of the throat and maybe even a little of the rifling.

Good luck

B.E.Brickey

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Ed Harris posted this 10 June 2020

Easy way to do pound cast of throat is to pull a 158-grain LRN .38 Special bullet from a factory load, drop it into the chamber neck, pound it into the neck and throat with a 3/8" brass rod until the rod stops against the shoulder cone, then tap out the slug to measure the neck and throat diameter.

 

73 de KE4SKY In Home Mix We Trust From the Home of Ed's Red in "Almost Heaven" West Virginia

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JeffinNZ posted this 10 June 2020

Load the fattest bullet a spent case will hold if you can.

Cheers from New Zealand

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pisco posted this 10 June 2020

I have stoped worrying about the bore , fill the throat the bullet will swage down 

sounds like you need a fatter bullet I was fighting with under size bullets and work on .316” and have no worries in my smle s 

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Mike H posted this 10 June 2020

With all due respects to previous posters,there is more to this problem than bore and bullet diameter.At some stage undersized bullets will give trouble I  know,however bad barrels,lubrication and over stressing bullets with too much propellant cause most of the trouble.I shot a RCBS 180 gr Spire point gc in a number of rifles,sized .312” and it was barely .312”.Unfortunately many 303 barrels are in a shocking condition,corrosive primers and incorrect or lack of cleaning will ruin a barrel very quickly. 
Perhaps you may be able to find some different bullets,but in the meantime I would try some lighter loads,say 16 grains of 2400 or 17-18 grains of 4227.

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Wheel Weights posted this 10 June 2020

1. slug the bore

2. cerrosafe cast the chamber and throat.

3. measure

4. you'll have your answers.

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pisco posted this 10 June 2020

The 16gr of 2400,ar 2205 seems to work well my own experience is if that don’t work nothing will 

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jimfain posted this 23 June 2020

All,  I want to thank you all for taking the time to help me with my 303 problem.  I really do appreciate all your comments.  Here is where I am so far.  I bought some gerrosafe and slugged the chamber, the throat and the barrel.  I measured the length of the case, the length of the case throat and the length of the barrel throat.  I have incorporated all those dimension and seated the bullet .001 from the rifling.  I am trying to find a .316 diameter mold, a.315 sizer that will work with an RCBS lube-a-matic and a top punch that fits the mold, so far I have not had any success. I am looking for a bullet weight of 170 grains are so.  I have changed my lead mixture from linotype to a two pounds of linotype with one pound of pure lead mixture trying to get a softer bullet that will expand and fill up the barrel.  In order to help that, I have gone from IMR 4895 to IMR 4227 hoping to get a sharper bump behind the bullet.  Any help or comments on finding a mold and sizer that would work with my RCBS handles and Lube-a-matic would be appreciated as well as any comments on my progress to date.

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Mike H posted this 24 June 2020

Pleased to see you are getting on with it,I would like thank Ed Harris for his tip on slugging the throat with a 38 lead bullet,when I was casting a few days ago,I started with some scrap lead and cast a few RCBS round nose bullets,have only checked one barrel so far,it was 315+ a fraction.

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pisco posted this 25 June 2020

Cbe in Australia would have a mould to suit

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hanover67 posted this 05 July 2020

Hollowpoint Mold can open up an existing mold to a larger diameter. I had this done once and it produced bullets just the size I wanted and I was using range scrap.  Their website is hollowpointmold.com and Erik is the owner. His phone number is           (541)738-2479, email is [email protected]. I forget the cost, but it is something like $30 per band on the bullet - that may be wrong. For example, you could open up a .313" bullet to .315"

My SMLE has a .313" bore, so I'm OK with a mold and sizer (Lyman '313")  Lyman does make a .314 sizer die as does RCBS. Neither list a .315" die, but maybe RCBS can make one on special order.

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JeffinNZ posted this 06 July 2020

Erik does some great work but it would be cheaper just to purchase the correct size mould.

Cheers from New Zealand

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Brodie posted this 07 July 2020

If you want a .315 sizing die, why don't you just buy a .314 and open it up .001".  I did that with a stick, some crocus cloth and a stick.  I went from .457" to .460", and they shot a whole lot better.  The die worked just fine in my lyman 450.

B.E.Brickey

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pisco posted this 08 July 2020

Why don’t you just buy a .315 die makes life easier 

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GP Idaho posted this 08 July 2020

Jim: Check the offerings at [email protected]  Al has several moulds available for the fat thirty's. Gp

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Bohica793 posted this 08 July 2020

Tom at Accurate Molds will cut the mold to the exact size you want.  He has a wide selection of 30 caliber designs to choose from and his turn around time is usually within two weeks.  Accuratemolds.com.

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skeet1 posted this 10 July 2020

If you need a .315" sizing die, Buffalo Arms sells them and other custom sizes. They are a bit pricey though.

 https://www.buffaloarms.com/315-custom-lead-bullet-sizing-die-for-lyman-rcbs-lubrisizers-bac315

Ken

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pisco posted this 10 July 2020

I wish they were that cheap over here

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