My try at HV cast

[Will]

I think the next change I’m going to make is with my dies. After I do my pound cast I’ll be able to order a bushing for my neck sizing die. I really believe that’s what was causing a lot of my problems today. I shot several five shot groups that had 3 shots within 3fps of each other then I’d shoot one that was 20 FPS faster.
The brass I shot these groups with were ran through my hornady full length sizing die just far enough to size the neck down.

 

[Brad]

Make sure the bushing has a little room to wiggle. Don't adjust the stem down so much that the bushing can't float a little. This helps keep things aligned as the bushing will find center. Not much vertical space is required, maybe .025

 

[M3845708Bama]

you'll soon discover why we start talking about stupid esoteric minutia at times.
it's for that last/next quarter inch.
a little tin, thicker necks, tape, mold temp, oven quenching 20 bullets, a little filler.
tiny little test strips around that edge of good.

And a little PC, You are hooked now, might want to try some 5744 powder. Good luck, what had you planned to do with any spare time.

 

[Will]

I’m going to be busy on this project for a while that’s for sure. Already have the brass deprimed and in the wet tumbler.

Brad are you saying not to tighten the top of the die all the way down right on the bushing so it can wiggle?
The decapping pin/expander ball on my hornady bushing die has a o-ring at the top of it that allows it to self align.

 

[Brad]

That is exactly what I am saying. Learned that with my Redding bushing does for 223. Tightened too much I got runout, just lose enough and runout was gone.
Find the right bushing size and the expander ball can go away.

I have a bushing die for 06 and the expander isn't going to get used. Why drag it thru my nice round, straight neck and risk bending it? The bushing controls your neck inside dimension.

 

[Ian]

47.0gr AV vel 2504 fps SD 22.5 not sure why the velocity dropped here

That means you're done going up with that powder. If that same thing happens but sd and groups close up when it does, it's called a "Pet Load".

 

[Ian]

The bushing controls your neck inside dimension.

Assuming the neck walls have uniform thickness. I prefer to put the ID a thou or two under and bump it back out with an RCBS expander to get the molecules used to going the way the bullet is going to stretch them when it is seated. That last bit is probably hocus but it makes me feel better

 

[Will]

So do I really need the pound cast in order to get the right bushing size?
Seems like I could just take the bullet diameter+neck thicknessx2 and allow for .001 spring back.

 

[VZerone]

I've been using bushing dies for a lot of years. What Brad described about giving the bushing a little wiggle room is exactly how Redding explains it their directions to their bushing dies. I have my outside diameter and inside diameter selected so all I use the RCBS type expander for is to just flare the case mouth a tad.

 

[fiver]

the pound cast gives you a major diameter so you know how big you can go.
how long your case necks can be.
and tells you what your throat looks like.

 

[Ian]

So do I really need the pound cast in order to get the right bushing size?
Seems like I could just take the bullet diameter+neck thicknessx2 and allow for .001 spring back.

Yes, you need a pound cast. Like Fiver said you need to know the chamber neck diameter, and I'll add, the taper. You also need to know the chamber length, and how clean-cut it is to the end, so you'll know where to trim your brass. Longer is better, as long as you don't jam it into the chamber end.

A cheat for determining maximum bullet size you can shoot safely is to mic the ID of a case neck that was fired with stiff loads (like factory jacketed pressures) and that will be your largest safe bullet diameter. The fired neck will spring back enough to give you the necessary safety margin for loaded neck clearance, plus a little. But, it's best to know for sure with a pound cast and you never have to guess about any of the chamber or leade measurements again.

 

[fiver]

you want to know that stuff in case you have a problem.
it's easier to track back to a known than figure out with no clues.

 

[35 shooter]

I was pleased with the results but I want more. I’m really hoping I can get to to stay consistently under 1” groups.
But I really am impressed with this rifle. There is nothing fancy at all about. The barrel is a very slim sporter profile and the rifle is really light overall.
I’m curious what one of those bullets would do to a deer at 2500fps

How do you like that imr4350 now Will? As far as deer at 2500 fps. lol, with that bullet they go down fast...drt to maybe 50 yds. when hit at only 50 yds.....full force so to speak.
Internal damage very kin to jacketed, but still hardly any meat loss. I've got a pic up on the other site from season before last and may have it on this site too....can't remember for sure.

Congratulations, you and your rifle did great!! 1 question....did you swab after each group as you suggested you would do in your other thread? No lead right?
If so, i would suggest no swabbing next time and you "may" see those groups shrink some more. Something to try anyway.

 

[waco]

The last five rounds I put through my .308 made 120 rounds since last time I cleaned the bore. I had been shooting like 40 rounds lubed with Lar's 2500
The last five were some of Lamar's bullets with his own lube. The first two went high and left. The next three landed into 1.35" at a muzzle velocity of 2530fps.

 

[fiver]

when you hit a peak with a powder it will level off in speed but the pressure keeps on going if you add more.
sometimes that's okay and it even helps settle the load down.
sometimes it's just more pressure and it really messes things up.

 

[Rick]

When I am working up and add 1/2 gr and get either no velocity increase or a decrease that's a red flag. Most times going up from there will open groups and add pressure, if it's too much pressure depends on the load and gun.

 

[35 shooter]

On the 45.5 gr. load and only 4 holes,it looks like the far left hole is a bit bigger and a bit oblong on the right side of the hole than the others....maybe 2 shots in that one?

Looks like our rifles are very close in velocity on the 4350 loads. It might pay to try 44 through 45 gr. just to see if something bugholes lol.
Looks like you'd still be in the 2350 to 2400 fps. range.

Hey your doing great....just suggestions based purely on what i found working with 4350.

 

[Will]

I’m definitely liking the 4350. It has me right where I need to be and I’m at about 95% case fill.

I cleaned the rifle with butches bore shine before shooting the 760 loads. Then after shooting about 10 rounds I remembered to swab tha bore again and I didn’t see anything. After that I just kept shooting.

 

[Ian]

And my Savage preferred H414. Heavy varmint barrel, 20", 2400 fps with 175 grain bullets was all she would do for me and stay together, even had to cheat and use buffer. Barrel length does matter quite a bit. There is no single recipe, but it's great to see all these things that have worked for people, and have lots of things to try right off that have been known to work.

 

[VZerone]

You could have cheated more and used a 31 inch Broughton barrel and the Hubble Telescope for your optics!!!!