Mold for a worn 308

[Ole_270]

Traded for a JC Higgins 51-L 308 a couple years ago. May of told the tale here about it being a basket case. The block between the recoil mortice and the mag well was broken loose, the bore had about 40 years of crud built up in it, and the thing was just beat to all get out. I got it thinking the Husky HVA action(improved small ring mauser) would make a real nice donor for a 7x57 build. While waiting on funds I decided to try getting it back into operation. Using brass bolts and accraglass I put it back together, spent a couple weeks getting most of the crud out of the bore and tried shooting the thing. Shoots pretty good with 165 Hornady or Sierra bullets. Refinished the stock and the thing is growing on me.
Awhile back I slugged the bore at .310, the gun was put together for Sears by High Standard and I've heard they ran fairly large. I tried some 165 plain based Ranch Dog bullets sized .310 I keep for my young Grandson to practice with in his Marlin Youth 336. 28.5gr H4895 with a bit of dacron shot under 2" at 100, but I was getting some leading. Finally got around to checking the throat, drove a muzzle loader ball through the chamber into the start of the rifleing, kind of a spur of the moment type thing. The throat measured .311-.312. This Ranch Dog mold drops at .312 with my alloy, I don't have a .311 or .312 sizer yet, so I'm thinking of hand lubing and BLL for a few to try as cast.
With this big a throat and bore, are there any molds you guys would recommend for this rifle? It would be mostly practice shooting, but would like a decent meplat for hunting

Edit to add a picture of it not long after I got it shooting again.

 

[Brad]

That is one nice buck.

If the throat is long enough to let the 165 RD seat with the bullet base in the neck then I would give that a go. Being a plain base limits you a bit in velocity/pressure but for practice loads it will do well.

 

[waco]

Nice Buck! You could always order a custom mold from Tom over at Accurate Molds.

 

[Ole_270]

I made up a dummy round and had to seat the RD to the crimp groove to allow free chambering. Anything longer and I was getting engraving from the rifling.

 

[Brad]

Give it a go anyway. I would PM Ben and ask for some load suggestions. I bet he has shot that bullet in a 30-06 with good results. Not sure if he has shot it in a 308 but he is the place to start.

 

[Ole_270]

I think my run might be over this year on the bucks, that was the smallest of the last few years. 161+ the last two years. I haven't seen anything on camera to match that so far this year, despite finding sheds from 3 bucks this spring at least that big. All within a half mile of my house.

 

[Ole_270]

I think it was fiver that gave me the 28-29 gr 4895 load, I'll try it full size and see what I get after deer season.

 

[Ole_270]

Thanks guys, I have messaged Ben

 

[fiver]

nothing wrong with seating to the crimp groove.
I like to engrave the nose when I can but I don't get all worked up about it if it doesn't.

I seem to remember many of these rifles having a chrome bore, at least the 30-06 ones?

it should be easy enough to tumble lube a few of the RD's and put them on top of 6-7grs of something fast and give them a run at 50yds or so.

 

[Bret4207]

Fill the throat. I'd try what you have unsized and go from there. For hunting a "fat" RCBS 30-180FN clone would be my choice.

 

[Ben]

Thanks guys, I have messaged Ben

PM replied to.

 

[Ian]

I did some measuring and eliminated the Lee 155 and 160 SKS bullets, too small at the nose base. Same with the NOE 312-160. Tha Lee 312-185 has too much unsupported area in the throat. Not a lot of bullets are designed to fill the void of worn throsts out in front of the case mouth; you need a tapered design like the MP 30 Sil, or an ogival taper like this RD 311-165:



If that's the one you got, then I recommend the GC

 

[Ole_270]

This one is a NOE mold and is stamped SC311-165gr RF, it's got a definate step down ahead of the crimp groove. I'm measuring .312-.3125 on the band ahead of the crimp groove, .304-.305 at the base of the step. The band itself is about .075-.080 long.
The 4895 load I tried was clocking 1750 fps with pc coated bullets. I've had pretty good luck with pc and plain based bullets past normal velocities in other rifles. Think this one needs better fit. The only gun pc hasn't worked well for me is in a Sig Target 1911, but that one has a barrel problem that makes it a whole different ball game.
Thanks for the info guys, really appreciate it.

 

[fiver]

the RD bullets are designed for a big ol throat shape.
marlin was cutting a bunch of 'free-bore' in their guns and that's what the RD designs were meant for.
[I referred to it as an echo chamber]
I was even using the longest 38-55 cases I could find in my 375 win trying to get across that gap, but quickly found out that was not the answer.
putting a big honkin domed nose shape in there was the right thing to do.

 

[Ian]

Ole, there are two RD designs, the one with the step as you have, and the one with full-diameter, tangent-ogive radius nose as I pictured. The NOE version of the one pictured is the SC311-171-RF. Mine cast at .3115" with WW alloy plus a little tin, all the way out about .100" or so forward of the crimp groove.

The 311-190-FN "Hunter" bullet might work too, as would an Eagan MX design, if they will still fit the magazine box when seated long enough to touch something.

 

[freebullet]

I'd try shooting them unsized over 4.5-6.5gr of titegroup.

 

[Ole_270]

Just measure the length of the throat on the chamber slug. Rifling starts about .16 ahead of neck shoulder. Since this bullet has a roughly .08 band ahead of the crimp groove I'll experiment with seating it out .07 or so. It will engrave the rifling but that shouldn't bother on lighter loads. Anyway, I'll try different seating depths to try to fill the throat. Right now the rifle is in the rotation for our deer season right after Thanksgiving, after that I'll clean the copper out and give it a try.

 

[popper]

I have an Accurate RD style PB 175gr with no lube/crimp grooves, just taper nose. Works in my marlin and BO that has a long throat. PCd. I could send you a few unsized.

 

[Ole_270]

Thanks for the offer Popper, it would give me something with a bit more throat filling section to try. I'll PM details

 

[RBHarter]

Sounds like a job for a NOE version of 303618 paper patched .
I have a slightly undersized 309291 that allows free sizing from .308-.301 .
Such a thing allowed me to get a 12" 50 yd jacketed group x39 with a .305×.3185 down to 3×5 @100 yd .