Mold for my Mosin rifles

[chasw]

I'm having a real problem finding a suitable mold for my Mosin rifles. The ideal product would be similar to the Lyman 314299 or NOE 316299:
- 4 cavity, preferably aluminum
- About 200 grains in Lyman no 2
- Drop from the mold with driving bands at .315 so I can size to .314"

In times past, I could just pick the right number from the NEI catalog, call Walt Melander and tell him what I need. Apparently, with Walt's passing, its not the same company anymore. Too bad. I checked the recommended suppliers listed on the sticky here. Ordering from Lyman is a crapshoot. NOE only takes group buys. Mountain Mold won't make a 4 banger. Not sure about the others, some don't even have websites.

About all I can do to feed my rifles is order more ready made Lyman 314299s from Montana Bullet Works. While these are excellent boolits and correctly sized at .314", I prefer to make my own and 500 of them cost as much as a mold would. I'm just commiserating here, but if anyone has suggestions, please fire for effect. thx - CW

[HORNET]

Look in the stickie at the top of this section and contact Jim Allison at CBE (Cast Bullet Engineering). He makes a LOT of molds for .303's that are in the size range that you're looking for. Lots of happy Aussies and Kiwis say he does excellent work at reasonable prices. I think he offers 4 cav. in some designs, lots more in 3 cav. Make sure what nose diameter you need as well.
www.castbulletengineering.com

[excess650]

You could post a "Want to buy/trade" here for a NOE 316299.

I wouldn't be afraid to buy the Lyman 314299. I've purchased a couple of new Lyman molds since spring, and they are both very good. The bullets are very round and close to identical from cavity to cavity, but double cavity only.(311644 and 311679)

As much as I thought I would like 6 cavity molds for casting rifle bullets, I'm finding them a bit frustrating. I've resorted to a steel sprue cutter which has helped, but I find a 2 or 3 cavity easier to deal with. The only 3 cavity I have is a NOE, and its excellent. My only 4 cavity is a Saeco, and its also excellent.

[littlejack]

chasw:
You will have better accuracy if you size your boolits to fit the throat in your rifle. My M/N throat is .317, and the 314299 did not have the accuracy to suit me. I had fliers in each group.
Jack

[Donor8x56r]

"slugging throat"-You mean slug first 2 inches of a barrel from action end or less than that?

KP

[chasw]

Thanks, Littlejack. I'm somewhat constrained by one of the rifles, a Polish M-44 carbine. So far, its the most accurate of my 4 Mosins and doing very well with purchased Lyman 314299 boolits from Montana Bullet Works and a similar NOE number from a member here. While its barrel measures .300/.315", as near as I can tell from my little calipers, the chamber is tight enough at the neck that a loaded round with a .314" boolit chambers easily, while one with a .315" chambers hard.

Therefore the rule that applies, at least for this rifle, is - "Size your boolit to the largest diameter that will easily chamber in your rifle". One must allow enough room for the brass to expand and smoothly release the projectile. If I ignore this, I'm afraid I'd have spikes in pressure and poor accuracy.

As for a new mold, thanks to everyone for the good advice. I checked CBE, also two group buys underway, for molds that fit my requirements. The GBs involved are for an old Ideal design from NOE and a pretty much open book for any LFN design from LBT, any diameter.

• Both of these GBs are an attractive opportunity. I'll sleep on it again, but I'm leaning toward LBT for several reason:
  
• Veral Smith is a fanatic about accuracy and a legend in his own time. When I'm 100 years old and can't shoot anymore, my son can sell the mold on ebay for big bucks, yippie.
• LBT can be more precise about the as cast diameter, its almost as if he customizes each mold. He wants to know all the dimensions of your rifle and send him a slug of the throat area. I think this has more to do with the nose section, which apparently he can adjust with his tracing lathe machine. Right on, Veral.
• The group buy for LBT ends Nov 1, with maybe delivery around the first of the year. The plan for NOE doesn't close until January with delivery later.

BTW, my hat is off to the people willing to honcho the group buys. The little market for bullet molds that has sprung up around internet fora like these is most interesting. Without good people volunteering to organize the quantity orders, the custom mold market would not be anywhere near as large and diverse. thx - CW

PS: At my range, there are a lot of people who shoot milsurp rifles, esp Mosin-Nagant models. Almost none them are hip to boolit casting, they don't reload (yet), instead they shoot really dreadful Eastern-European corrosive military ammo, total unsuited for the little 20" carbines that everyone wants. I try to spread the word.

[wallenba]

My M38 slugged .314 at the throat. I successfully lapped a Lee C312-185-1r mold to drop boolits at .316-.317, and using the same spud from the mold, lapped a Lee .314 push through die to .315. I used Wheeler lapping compound. First the 220 then the 600, skipping the 320. It took three sessions of lapping/cleaning/casting over two days to get it right. The sizing die was easier. My 1928 Tula 91/30 is .3129, a 1938 Izhevsk is .313, the 1942 M38 is .314 and my BIL's 91/59 is .312. I'm busy a lot with several of these molds. But at 50 yards the fat bore M38 is giving me 1 1/2" groups, not bad for an old man with iron sighted carbine.
My first time out with this boolit, pic of target> http://ammosmith.com/forum/rifle-rel...0435/#msg30435

You are right about NEI, I recently dealt with a nightmare order from them...that's another story though.