8mm lebel ammo?
- Thread starter Audet
- Start date
Remington made it up until 1950, but that was the last year of North American production.
Your best bet, wthout doubt, is to get some brass from Trade-Ex and load your own.
That's what I'm doing.
And yes, the original ammo, especially that made in the early part of War Two, is utterly useless. With a good rifle, I got 90% first-pull misfires with 1939 stuff...... and most of those that did go required 5 or more hits before they fired. About 25% never did fire.
I REALLY think handloads are better.
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Your best bet, wthout doubt, is to get some brass from Trade-Ex and load your own.
That's what I'm doing.
And yes, the original ammo, especially that made in the early part of War Two, is utterly useless. With a good rifle, I got 90% first-pull misfires with 1939 stuff...... and most of those that did go required 5 or more hits before they fired. About 25% never did fire.
I REALLY think handloads are better.
.
Jacketed .323inch bullet, for casting lead bullet i think mould will be .326inch.
Jocelyn
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C.E. Harris was a regular Contributor to "American Rifleman" and was part of their staff. He was very interested in Cast Bullets and wrote several articles on them. The two LEE moulds designed for the SKS were designed by him.
For Military Rifles of the .303, 30-06, 7x57, 8x57, 8mm Lebel and similar sized cases, he used 13 grains of Red Dot shotgun powder with a cast bullet equal in weight to the standard weight bullet of the respective calibre.
He called it "THE LOAD." In a .303 British, it will drive a 180 grain gas checked bullet at about 1800 fps and a 215 grain bullet at about 1600 fps. With a good lubricant, no leading of the barrel has occurred.
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I agree."The Load" works great but for individual rifles it can be fine tuned +/- 1Gr. For example my Finn M91 needs 14.3Gr but shorter M44 needed 14.7 to achieve the same 3 inch group.My M48A also takes 14.3 Gr but it prefers 15.9 Gr of 2400.Gras in 8x50 takes just 8.9Gr,any more and group opens up fast.
Bottom line-each rifle will have its own preferences due to age,state of rifling,wear of the throat etc.
Btw I wish Harris Lee boolit was available in .325.Imho it's much better than current Lee .325 offered(at least for me)
Very true. Original French ammunition had a deep GROOVE around the primer pocket so that the pointed bullets of the Balle D and Balle N would catch in the groove and thus stay away from the primer.
The Serbian brass being imported does not have this groove. In a Berthier this is not a problem.
Also, the RIM of the Serbian brass is not bevelled quite enough for some rifles. You can fix this up quickly with a lathe or even spinning the brass with an electric drill on a spud in the case-mouth, add to the bevel with a file. Doesn't take much.
Still, the brass being imported now is a GREAT improvement over nothing, which is what we had previously. It can even be made to serve in a .50-70, a Krop or a Norwegian/Swedish Remington 12.11mm.
Come to think of it, I have to order another 100 or so, come pension day: too many relics demanding their time on the range.
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The Serbian brass being imported does not have this groove. In a Berthier this is not a problem.
Also, the RIM of the Serbian brass is not bevelled quite enough for some rifles. You can fix this up quickly with a lathe or even spinning the brass with an electric drill on a spud in the case-mouth, add to the bevel with a file. Doesn't take much.
Still, the brass being imported now is a GREAT improvement over nothing, which is what we had previously. It can even be made to serve in a .50-70, a Krop or a Norwegian/Swedish Remington 12.11mm.
Come to think of it, I have to order another 100 or so, come pension day: too many relics demanding their time on the range.
.
Barnes, in COTW-6, suggests 45 grains of 4895 with a 198 for 2450 ft/sec: about 100 ft/sec OVER factory French ammo. WAUGH!! He duplicates the military 2380 with the 198 with 46 grains of 3031.
REMINGTON factory stuff, when it was made, clocked 2640 with a 170; Barnes gets 2570 with 49 grains of 4895.
Original French bullets I have here run about .326", both WW1 Balle D solid bronze slugs and later jacketed Balle N.
One thing I do know is that recoil is plain and fancy murder with original-level Balle N loadings.
That Harris load is lookin' better all the time!
.
REMINGTON factory stuff, when it was made, clocked 2640 with a 170; Barnes gets 2570 with 49 grains of 4895.
Original French bullets I have here run about .326", both WW1 Balle D solid bronze slugs and later jacketed Balle N.
One thing I do know is that recoil is plain and fancy murder with original-level Balle N loadings.
That Harris load is lookin' better all the time!
.
