Just about to reload 8x50R Lebel but I have a question

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Nabs

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Hello CGN,

I am just about to reload for 8x50R Lebel and get my 1886 Lebel out to the range.

I have read that other collectors have successfully used .348 Winchester brass, albeit trimmed down and fire formed, for shooting their 8x50R Lebel firearms. On a good note, Tradeex has 8x50R Lebel brass by Prvi. The one issue I have run into is that Lee no longer offers the auto prime shell holder for 8x50R Lebel (#17 I think) and finding it online has proven fruitless. I was thinking of procuring Lee's auto prime shell holder for .348 Winchester as a replacement and get to work on my loads.

The one question I have, for anyone who has the .348 Winchester auto prime shell holder (# 8 or 90208 part number) and some Prvi 8x50R Lebel brass, does the the Prvi brass fit in the #8 auto prime shell holder ?

I may just pick up some .348 Win brass from Midway USA and just trim but I figured I would ask just in case.

Thank you to anyone who can provide assistance.
 
That got me thinking i need set up aswell for the 8mm lebel and also the 8x56R. I use the Lee case trimmer and will need to improvise for the 8 mm Lebel. What's the proper trim lenght for the Lebel cartridge?

Joce
 
The reloading data I found online for using .348 Winchester shows a case length of 1.985" and 1.980" (for the two different loads used). Wiki mentions the case length of the 8x50R Lebel to be 2.00".

I have a set of Lee 8x50R Lebel dies with the measurements sheet but I will have to check it out in the morning and post back.
 
Unfired case length for the 8mm Lebel is 1.98".

You should be able to set your trimmer with a .225 Winchester casing; it will be a few thou short.

OTOH, if you are using a stud-type trimmer such as the Lee, you will find that new-case length for the .308 Winchester is 2.015". If you bob the nose of the .308W stud by .035", you should be bang-on for trimming 8mm Lebel.

Hope this helps.
 
If you are reforming .348 cases, and will be shooting them in a Lebel, the casehead will not have the groove which keeps the point of a spitzer bullet off the primer of the round in front.
 
smellie said:
Unfired case length for the 8mm Lebel is 1.98".

You should be able to set your trimmer with a .225 Winchester casing; it will be a few thou short.

OTOH, if you are using a stud-type trimmer such as the Lee, you will find that new-case length for the .308 Winchester is 2.015". If you bob the nose of the .308W stud by .035", you should be bang-on for trimming 8mm Lebel.

Hope this helps.
Click to expand...
Since the diameter will be a bit small for 8 mm, i wonder if will be a concern to trim the case square?

Joce
 
tiriaq said:
If you are reforming .348 cases, and will be shooting them in a Lebel, the casehead will not have the groove which keeps the point of a spitzer bullet off the primer of the round in front.
Click to expand...

Its a shame that the Prvi lebel brass dont have that groove either. For me doesnt matter because its a Berthier carbine but i plan to aquire a Lebel eventually.
Joce
 
I'm going to be shooting my Lebel as a single shot, it is quicker anyway :).

Now it is time to hunt down .348 Winchester brass. Midway USA has some except they don't ship internationally. I wonder if Ellwood Epps could order some in ?
 
i am sure Lee will make you custom dies if you like? if i remember, i got them to make me dies for 7.62 Nagant.............this is years ago, but am sure i had to mail them down some brass and a projectile, and they made me up a die set for it. Cost a bit extra, but they were very easy to deal with on the matter. Worth a phone call.
 
ORIGINAL Lebel ammo did not have the groove but was loaded with a flat-nosed bullet. Contract-made English ammo of the Great War period sometimes is found loaded in this manner.

The groove came about from concerns regarding in-magazine chain explosions, at the time the Balle D was introduced. It was continued with the Balle N which also had a pointed bullet.

There should be no problems with the Partizan brass which Trade-Ex sells, even though it does not have the groove. The case-head is plenty thick enough and the groove required is actually fairly shallow. About 30 seconds in a lathe is all that is required to put the groove into a casing, after which it will work fine in a Lebel or a Berthier.

Strictly for shooting the Berthier, however, the groove is completely unnecessary.

I have a quantity of the Partizan brass from Trade-Ex and it works just fine in my Berthiers. I am using $35 Lee dies and Partizan 175-grain SP bullets from Trade-Ex.
 
Thanks for the thoughts Smellie, my only problem right now is finding the #17 auto prime holder from Lee as it was discontinued. Thankfully, the Lee dies came with a shell holder for the press.

One thing I want to point out for others who go down the reloading road; I have seen two different variants of the Lee dies for sale in 8x50R Lebel. One has ".323" written on the front and the other is ".326" or whatever the Balle N bullet diameter is. Make sure you look closely at the die set to get the right one. My Lebel 1886, for example, is still in Balle D so I was lucky to find a .323 marked die set.
 
I sent an e-mail to Lee asking about the possibility of producing a #17 auto prime shell holder for 8x50R Lebel, I'll let you guys know what I get back from them.
 
As stated, all of the components are available, unlike even 10 years ago. Bullets can be a challenge. I've found groove diameter to be 0.326" +, so standard 8mm bullets and usually a poor choice. I have a range of custom Lee sizers, so the Lee cast bullet for the 8X56R (0.329") sized to 0.328" or a jacketed bullet intended for the 338 (200 gr Speer) sized down (in three stages) to 0.326" can work.
 
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