Where to buy bullet molds?
- Thread starter BC604
- Start date
vagrantviking
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Southern Alberta
Slugging first is good advice
NEI makes a nice mold. Buffalo Arms too but shipping is crazy $.
For Lee try site supporters like Budget Shooters, etc. Otherwise, Higginsons.
NEI makes a nice mold. Buffalo Arms too but shipping is crazy $.
For Lee try site supporters like Budget Shooters, etc. Otherwise, Higginsons.
I have nothing but great things to say about Accurate Molds . com
They recently had a price increase from $75/mould + $5 shipping to Canada to I believe $90/mould + $5 shipping (aluminum). I get far fewer rejects from their moulds than any of my Lee moulds. Lee moulds aren't terrible and I use quite a few of them but I get a lot more bad bullets that go back into the pot compared to moulds from Accurate. I also constantly require bullet diameters not offered by Lee and have had bad experiences with trying to space or lap a mould to increase diameter. From Accurate you pick a design and order the exact bullet diameter you require for that design. Dimensions are only listed in tens and hundredths and you select how many thousandths you want the finished bullets to be in whatever lead alloy you choose. When I ordered a .314" mould I picked a .31" mould design and simply asked for it to drop bullets .314" in diameter from wheel weight alloy. All 4 moulds I have from them drop to within .0005" of what I ordered.
+1 to slugging your bore in any Enfield though. I tried .312's in my No.1 Mk.3 and they tumbled all over the place. Slugged my bore and found it to be .315" so I needed bullets .316" in diameter. I can shoot .314" cast bullets through it so long as I keep the velocity to around 1000fps. I bought the .314" mould for my P14 which slugged .312" and can shoot jacketed .308" bullets really well. I may get around to buying a .316" mould but it's not a priority for me at the moment.
They recently had a price increase from $75/mould + $5 shipping to Canada to I believe $90/mould + $5 shipping (aluminum). I get far fewer rejects from their moulds than any of my Lee moulds. Lee moulds aren't terrible and I use quite a few of them but I get a lot more bad bullets that go back into the pot compared to moulds from Accurate. I also constantly require bullet diameters not offered by Lee and have had bad experiences with trying to space or lap a mould to increase diameter. From Accurate you pick a design and order the exact bullet diameter you require for that design. Dimensions are only listed in tens and hundredths and you select how many thousandths you want the finished bullets to be in whatever lead alloy you choose. When I ordered a .314" mould I picked a .31" mould design and simply asked for it to drop bullets .314" in diameter from wheel weight alloy. All 4 moulds I have from them drop to within .0005" of what I ordered.
+1 to slugging your bore in any Enfield though. I tried .312's in my No.1 Mk.3 and they tumbled all over the place. Slugged my bore and found it to be .315" so I needed bullets .316" in diameter. I can shoot .314" cast bullets through it so long as I keep the velocity to around 1000fps. I bought the .314" mould for my P14 which slugged .312" and can shoot jacketed .308" bullets really well. I may get around to buying a .316" mould but it's not a priority for me at the moment.
It's the 314299. Casts a 200gr bullet designed to take a gas check that is .314" in diameter. Very popular mould for Mosins and Enfields. Still too small for my .315" Enfield
It's the larger version of the 311299 which is the same but .311" in diameter.
I have not slugged the bore yet, but it shoots well whit
factory ammo which is I believe .312. I will definitely slug it
just to make it sure.
The another reason I wanted one in .312 is because I have a
Mosin that slugged out on .312, using the same bullets for
both would be nice.
Also I was hoping I would be able just to order one, and not have to go
through the hassle to custom make it.
Thanks for all the great suggestions.
factory ammo which is I believe .312. I will definitely slug it
just to make it sure.
The another reason I wanted one in .312 is because I have a
Mosin that slugged out on .312, using the same bullets for
both would be nice.
Also I was hoping I would be able just to order one, and not have to go
through the hassle to custom make it.
Graydog, wouldn't it be unsafe to shoot .314 bullets out of a .312 bore?
Thanks for all the great suggestions.
You should plan on getting a mould that drops bullets .002 - .003 larger than your slugged groove diameter. What works for jacketed bullets is not necessarily the same for cast bullets as a larger cast bullet is usually required. You can size a cast bullet down much easier than you can increase it's diameter by bumping it up. Take a look at the Accurate Molds web site and go through their catalogue. Tom can make them to the size you specify and his delivery is generally within a month's time. In a multi cavity mould he will even cut some cavities a slightly different size than the others if you find you have rifles that differ significantly from each other. You just have to specify what you want. No, it is not unsafe to shoot an oversize cast bullet and it is usually a necessity to get a tight bore seal. If you have a two groove Enfield barrel measuring the pure lead slug will be simple. If it's a 5 groove barrel it's a bit tricky but you can use thin steel shim stock as a tight wrapper of the slug, measure and subtract twice the thickness of the shim stock to get the groove diameter of the barrel.
Factory .303 British can range from .310" to .312". The Remington FMJ stuff tumbles and keyholes in my Enfield but bullets that I know are .311" don't. That leads me to believe that the Remington FMJ bullets are .310" or maybe .3105" since the Hornady FMJ/BT rounds that are .3105" do the same thing.
Ordering a custom mould from a list of predesigned moulds is easy. Just order the model you want in the material you want in the diameter you want. It only gets complicated when you want to submit your own custom design.
After all the "slug your bore" tips I went ahead and slugged the
bore of my Mk1 No3,
It turns out that it has a five grove barrel.
As I discovered it is impossible to measure the correct diameter of the slug.
I rolled it around the caliper and the widest diameter I get is .3105.
Is there any way I could get the proper measurement whit using a caliper?
Thank you.
bore of my Mk1 No3,
It turns out that it has a five grove barrel.
As I discovered it is impossible to measure the correct diameter of the slug.
I rolled it around the caliper and the widest diameter I get is .3105.
Is there any way I could get the proper measurement whit using a caliper?
Thank you.
Take a thin strip of shim stock material 1/2" wide by a 2 - 3" long of .003" thick. Other thicknesses can be used and even some of the really thin beer/pop can material. Mic the thickness of what ever you are using to be sure of the thickness. Now make one wrap around the slug from your barrel and pinch it tight and hold it with the thumb and fore finger of one hand. With the other hand mic the diameter of the slug plus the shim wrap. Then simply subtract 2 times the thickness of the shim and that gives the diameter of the slug, i.e. the groove depth diameter of the barrel.
