Cast bullet tolerances - 8mm French revolver vs. 8mm Nambu

[762mm]

Hello,

In recent times, I have acquired a French 1892 revolver chambered for the 8mm French revolver cartridge (nominal bullet diameter of approx .328). The brass can be made from cut down 32-20 shells, but the bullets are a different story - indeed, the only source of bullets are custom-made ones which can be ordered through a select few online sources. Once that supply is gone, there will be no other options than to figure out a way to start casting them.

So, since I have a lead melting furnace on order (as well as a few molds for my other guns), I decided that it would be practical to look for a mold for this particular firearm as well. What I found is that there is no mold manufacturer that currently makes them and the closest I can get is with the RCBS .323 Nambu mold (see link below for details):

ht tp://www.buffaloarms.com/browse.cfm/4,7793.html


Question #1: Since the 110gr bullet weight is right on for a French 1892, is the .323 diameter a big issue in this case? The bullets I'd cast would be basically .005 or .006 too small for my French revolver. I was also thinking that sanding the inside of the bullet cavity with some fine grit sanding paper (or dremel) could make it a bit wider.


Question #2: Are there any sponsors (or other sources) in Canada that carry RCBS molds and handles and/or could order such equipment for a reasonable price (keeping in mind that Buffalo Arms has them for $115 USD + shipping)?


Thank you very much for your time and assistance.

 

[ben hunchak]

You might want to consider NEI Handtools mold #.330-116-bb, it is exactly as # states ...330" 116gr. Bevel base....you could probably use this one without even sizing it, undersized bullets don't work any better then anything else that is undersized.....

 

[762mm]

You might want to consider NEI Handtools mold #.330-116-bb, it is exactly as # states ...330" 116gr. Bevel base....you could probably use this one without even sizing it, undersized bullets don't work any better then anything else that is undersized.....

Wow, thanks! I never came across NEI before and it looks exactly like what I need. What exactly is the difference between aluminum and meehanite molds? Which one is preferable?


Thanks again.



Edit: Just ordered the meehanite (iron) mold and some mold handles from them as well. I don't know why, but both came out at a 5$ discount from the listed price (so 10$ less on the entire order of 2 items). Grand total of $140 on the credit card. Thanks again for your help, this is EXACTLY what I was looking for.