Need help finding x54r casting mold

[kygen]

I haven't slugged my bore, since she is still in jail until the 23rd, but I am looking for the correct mold in order to cast my own projectiles if I choose to do so. I have no idea which mold to go with, but I know it needs to be .310-.311, and I would like to start out with a 150 grain. If anyone could point me in the right direction, I'd appreciate it.

http://leeprecision.com/bullet-casting/rifle-bullet-molds/bullet-mold-double-cavity/

http://www.lymanproducts.com/lyman/bullet-casting/select-mould-rifle.php?styleRef=cat06#anc

[Carsgunsandchics]

Quick question fr you is what is the rifle? And a note is you hope is specs out at .310-.311 some rifles are larger than that depending on what it is and when it was made.

[kygen]

Sorry about that, this is a Type 53

[Cowboy T]

That's going to be 0.310 to 0.312. May run larger.

I use Lee's 312-155-2R in a Russian M91/30. Seems to work pretty well. Boolits drop at 0.3135", which works out nicely in this rifle. The 312-185-1R for .303 British should also do well, even though it's a little heavier than your spec.

Remember that since you're talking about cast boolits here, you do want them to be a little wider than the nominal anyway. Actually, you want them to be the largest diameter that will still physically chamber in that gun without catching or otherwise hanging up, so don't be afraid of a mould that drops 'em a little too big. That's what sizing dies are for, and Lee makes a good, inexpensive system to do that. Lyman's and RCBS's (the Lubrisizer type) are also good, of course, if you have 'em already.

[thenodnarb]

I love my lyman 314299. Its a 200 grain mold though. We usually shoot heavy for caliber bullets when casting so that we can achieve the best performance with the least velocity. You aren't going to be able to push the 150 grain cast bullet to 2600 FPS without accuracy going to hell. But a 200 grain bullet going maybe 2000-2200 max will give you good performance comparable to a FMJ load(not trajectory but energy). Be sure to size at least .001 over groove diameter. Some even go to .002 or more over. The Cast Bullet(CB) will be swaged down to size and be much less likely to strip and cause leading. You have to work your load up just like always, but pressure increases a bit more initially due to the oversize bullets.

You'll need a really good lube too. Alox aint gonna cut it here. Either powder coat or do some research as to which lubes work best for rifle. I made my own that works out to at least 1800 fps.

Also, get a gas check design. non gas checked just aint gonna cut it unless you keep them down in the 1400 fps range or less.

[AandO]

I too was going to do the same a few years back and have a (new, unused with lube) Lee sizing die for just that purpose. I also have a bunch of the Surplus 147-49 gr steel core bullets if you are interested @ .08 ea. They avg .311 diameter

Let me know, I have no use for these at this point . We can work out something agreeable to us both.

PM me if interested......

[sl0re10]

I haven't slugged my bore, since she is still in jail until the 23rd, but I am looking for the correct mold in order to cast my own projectiles if I choose to do so. I have no idea which mold to go with, but I know it needs to be .310-.311, and I would like to start out with a 150 grain. If anyone could point me in the right direction, I'd appreciate it.

http://leeprecision.com/bullet-casting/rifle-bullet-molds/bullet-mold-double-cavity/

http://www.lymanproducts.com/lyman/b...eRef=cat06#anc

when you find out what diameter you want; do a search for the bullets themselves for sale that meet your needs. I've noticed the cast bullet sellers tend to mention what cast model they used to make their product.

[rsrocket1]

You really need to slug your bore. If you load for shotguns, get a box of Hornady #00 buck. The lead is dead soft, the balls are 0.330" and make for perfect slugs in .308, 303, 7.62x39, 54 and a bunch of other calibers. I got a set of Lee C312-185-1R double cavity molds and they dropped at 0.3135. Unfortunately my 91/30 slugged at 0.314". When pressing Hornady 30 cal gas checks on them through the Lee 0.314 sizer, the bottom of the bullet was the only part sized. I shot them anyway and they shot quite well with 10.1-11.8g Unique. At least there was no keyholing at 27 yards and no leading of the barrel after 15 shots.



I have since beagled the mold so that it drops 0.315" x 0.318" and opened the sizer to 0.315". My next test will be to shoot these sized to 0.315" without gas checks.

If you are daring, you could even try some of the Lee pistol molds for 32 caliber guns. If your bore is really tight (like .311), you might be able to get away with beagled or powder coated .308 cast bullets, but if it is surplus military, it's likely to be 0.312-0.314" in which case you will need to start with at least 0.311 molds.

[Cowboy T]

You'll need a really good lube too. Alox aint gonna cut it here. Either powder coat or do some research as to which lubes work best for rifle. I made my own that works out to at least 1800 fps.

I find that liquid Alox works pretty well in rifles, actually. One just needs to use enough of it. That means a fairly heavy coat so you don't run out of lube halfway down the barrel.

Also, get a gas check design. non gas checked just aint gonna cut it unless you keep them down in the 1400 fps range or less.

Does anyone make a non-GC rifle bullet mould in this diameter? I know all the Lee ones are GC style; not sure about the Lymans.

Whether to actually use GC's will depend on several factors, velocity being one of them. Bullet size and hardness will also matter quite a lot. With the proper amount of liquid Alox, the proper sizing for my bore, and the correct hardness range, I am typically shooting at 1,700 fps through the .357M levergun (158gr LRNFP with plain base), and about 2,000 fps through the .44M levergun (200gr LRNFP with plain base). No gas checks are used with either. The .357M levergun has a 16" barrel, and the .44M one has almost 20". So far, no leading problems.

That said, I also know that a typical Mosin M91/30 has a 29" barrel. That's at least 9" more barrel than my longest levergun. When I've shot the 155-grainers through my M91/30, I followed the same precautions as for the leverguns. Lots of lube, wheel weight alloy, as big as I could fit in the chamber, and an appropriate charge of H322. My pressure goal was 35,000 PSI, same as .357M or .44M. Didn't chrono the load, but it sure felt good to shoot, and no leading in my bore. Life was good.

Rsrocket1 is right. Slug that bore.

[rsrocket1]

If the bullet makes a good snug fit, I don't think a gas check is really needed so long as the base and last driving band are cast well. I shoot the Lee C309-113-F "Soup can" at 1580 fps with decent accuracy. The lube is 2:1 Beeswax:Vaseline which has the consistency of stiff Chapstick. I also shoot the C309-170-F at 2380 fps with the same lube so I know the lube will handle pretty high velocities without leading.

I want to shoot a bunch of these bullets without gas checks to see how they perform and if they eventually lead the barrel. That way I can determine whether or not it is worthwhile to use them bare based or if GC's will be needed. I assume the will be needed when I start moving into the 2000 fps+ range, but I hope they will shoot well and clean when used bare based with the 10g Unique type load.

[thenodnarb]

I find that liquid Alox works pretty well in rifles, actually. One just needs to use enough of it. That means a fairly heavy coat so you don't run out of lube halfway down the barrel.



Does anyone make a non-GC rifle bullet mould in this diameter? I know all the Lee ones are GC style; not sure about the Lymans.

Whether to actually use GC's will depend on several factors, velocity being one of them. Bullet size and hardness will also matter quite a lot. With the proper amount of liquid Alox, the proper sizing for my bore, and the correct hardness range, I am typically shooting at 1,700 fps through the .357M levergun (158gr LRNFP with plain base), and about 2,000 fps through the .44M levergun (200gr LRNFP with plain base). No gas checks are used with either. The .357M levergun has a 16" barrel, and the .44M one has almost 20". So far, no leading problems.

That said, I also know that a typical Mosin M91/30 has a 29" barrel. That's at least 9" more barrel than my longest levergun. When I've shot the 155-grainers through my M91/30, I followed the same precautions as for the leverguns. Lots of lube, wheel weight alloy, as big as I could fit in the chamber, and an appropriate charge of H322. My pressure goal was 35,000 PSI, same as .357M or .44M. Didn't chrono the load, but it sure felt good to shoot, and no leading in my bore. Life was good.

Rsrocket1 is right. Slug that bore.

Get back to me when you start hitting 2200 fps+ with your cast bullets, on both accounts(lube and gas checks). There are some molds out there that are plain base (PB) for 30 cal, and many order custom molds that are PB. The only real reason to go PB is because you don't need it and you want to save the 3 cents. But if you want to hit higher velocities for more than just 100 or 200 yd plinking loads, you'll want a gas checked bullet and a lube that can handle it.

[kygen]

Thanks for all the info guys, I break my baby out on the 23rd, and I'll do the slugging shortly after to get the correct diameter. I'll post my findings. Honestly I'll only be casting for plinking out to 100-300 yrds, but from what I've heard of gas checked bullets, it seems like I should go that route.

[rsrocket1]

If you want to save money but still use gas checks and don't want to lay out $$$ for a gas check maker, look at vulcanchecks.com. Their copper gas checks are about the same price as Hornady checks, but their Aluminum checks are thick (13 or 14.5 mils) and cost $10 less/k with $2.60 shipping, it's still quite a bit cheaper than the Hornady checks. They also sell in smaller quantities and sample packs but for that price, I'd probably go with a full thousand and be set for a while.

Glen Fryxell (From Ingot to Target) has an article where he did a review of their checks.

[kygen]

If you want to save money but still use gas checks and don't want to lay out $$$ for a gas check maker, look at vulcanchecks.com. Their copper gas checks are about the same price as Hornady checks, but their Aluminum checks are thick (13 or 14.5 mils) and cost $10 less/k with $2.60 shipping, it's still quite a bit cheaper than the Hornady checks. They also sell in smaller quantities and sample packs but for that price, I'd probably go with a full thousand and be set for a while.

Glen Fryxell (From Ingot to Target) has an article where he did a review of their checks.

Thanks for that, I'll look into this. Always lookin to save $

[Cowboy T]

Get back to me when you start hitting 2200 fps+ with your cast bullets, on both accounts(lube and gas checks).

Umm...not likely, since I haven't seen the OP indicate a desire for those velocities with cast bullets, nor did I indicate such a desire.

Thanks for all the info guys, I break my baby out on the 23rd, and I'll do the slugging shortly after to get the correct diameter. I'll post my findings. Honestly I'll only be casting for plinking out to 100-300 yrds, but from what I've heard of gas checked bullets, it seems like I should go that route.

You're going to have a lot of fun with this. Check out Ed Harris's loads for cast boolits. He's got some great info there. This is, BTW, the same man who designed that Lee boolit mould you're looking at picking up.

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?13425-Cast-Bullet-Loads-for-Military-Rifles-Article

Here's someone doing something very similar in a .308 Win case, which is pretty similar in capacity (just under) to the 7.62x54R.

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?33003-quot-The-Universal-Load-quot