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Just for your info I bought a a custom sizer die (RCBS) from buffalo arms to cast my 8X56R boolits and it sized them down to .328. To small for my m-94. They sell a .333 die I might give that a try. my rifle slugs at .333. Should have got that one in the first place.
If your rifle slugs at .333, then you need a sizer between .334-.336. Cast rifle bullets need to be between .001-.003" larger than groove diameter or you will get lousy accuracy and tons of lead fouling if you try to push them to reasonable velocity. It's amazing how much difference those few thousandths in diameter can make. Long ago, I started out with a .308 sizer for my .30cal bullets and couldn't understand why my rifles were printing shotgun patterns instead of the small groups they shot with jacketed bullets. After upping to the proper diameters (.310 & .311) they all shoot cast as accurately as they do jacketed. The same holds true for handgun bullets.
Buckshot on Cast Boolits will make custom sizers (at least he used to), but it is not very difficult to open a sizer up a few thousandths if you can't find the size your rifle needs. All you need is a dowel with a slot cut in it, some cleaning patches, carbide grit (like Clover), and an electric drill. It takes about ten minutes. If you have access to a lathe or a friend who does, sizers are really simple to make and need no heat treating.
Thanks Versifier I have been casting some for awhile but I just recently started to get in to the finer art of it. If you increase the Dia. of the Sizer die do you need a bigger rod inside or not?
Not if you are just going up a few thousandths. Any more than that you may have some trouble with the gas checks if you are nose-first push-through (Lee style) sizing. With a conventional luber/sizer like RCBS, Lyman, etc., the top punch is specific to the bullet's nose and the bullet goes in base first, so there are no problems there.
Are you casting for a .33Win? I love being able to make ammo for the old obsolete rounds. It's always a great feeling when I can help a friend shoot Grandpa's or GreatGrandpa's rifle again. Like going back in time. :smile:
you can also do it with wet/dry sand paper and a bit of oil,
you cut the slot in the dowell wrap the sandpaper around it and add a bit of oil.
then just run the sizer up and down your leg,or use a drill to spin it.
you'll want to use it for a sec.run a boolit through and measure it,and go some more.
you can do a final polish with some flitz or some toothpaste.
I am casting for a 8X56R Which is .330. And thanks runfiver.
no problem.
quite a few guy's use a mold for a 338 and size that to about 335.
if you measure the inside of a fired case that will give you an idea of how large a boolit you can chamber.
in my argies the nose would be 304 and the body a 312 so sizing to 313 sounds about right.
however the throat is so big that a 200 gr boolit won't even touch rifling just barely seated into the case.
a loverign design that tapers from 318 to 305 on the nose and weighing about 220 grs would be a better fit.
or a longer bodied shorter nosed 200 gr boolit with the driving band sized to 312,and and the other two sized to 314 and 316 would work also.
i may end up trying my 323 loverign [lyman] design sized down some to get better accuracy and velocity from them.
or even a heavier one for the 8mm and a taper swage die [dip lube it] and use a push in knock out shaped swage die.
but thats me....
anyways the whole point of all that is that fitting the throat is gonna be a better bet than sizing to the bbl.
the bbl's transition from the leade to the bbl will give it all the final sizing it needs.