I would very much like to slug the bores of a few .303 rifles (and possibly a couple of .308s as well). Where do I get the lead slugs to do this job? I've heard that .32 lead balls can work, but I'd like some guidance from people who've done it before. I only need a handful of lead slugs, so I don't want to buy pounds and pounds of the stuff. What do you recommend?
Question on Slugging a Bore
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Buy some 1/8 "egg sinkers" and you're good to go. They're about the perfect size for doing .30 cal's.
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Find someone who has buckshot. The size I use for everything from 8mm down to 7mm is OO. It is .330 diameter, and is soft pure lead. It is relatively easy to start in the bore and push through. Only problem is accurately measuring bores that are rifled with 3 or 5 grooves. You must use "V" blocks to get exact measurements. If you want a few, I would be glad to send you a dozen or so. I have plenty. Regards, Eagleye
I'm intigued by your recommendation to use V-blocks. Please explain this a little further. I'm assuming the reason is because 5 grooves means that it is not completely round, so using a simple micrometer won't give an accurate indication of the gross bore diameter?
Bores with odd numbers of lands/grooves usually have a land or part of a land directly opposite a groove on the other side. What you want to get is the measurement of the the bore's opposing groove diameters and they aren't directly opposed as they are in bores with even numbers of lands and grooves. Remember the lead slug is a reverse image of the bore. A groove in the barrel appears as a land on the slug, the land in the bore becomes a groove on the slug.
I am lazy, so here is how I go about it. You will need a dial indicator. I take an unfired bullet that I have measured and know the diameter of, say a .311" Put it in the V block and set up the dial indicator so it is into it's travel at least .015" Zero the dial indicator so it reads "0" with the .311 bullet in place. Then I take the slug from the barrel and put it in the V block and read the dial indicator difference. eg. if the dial indicator now reads +.001", you have a 312 bore, if it reads +.002" the bore is .313" You must be sure that the raised sections on the slug (lands) are on the V block surfaces, and that a raised section is also under the dial indicator plunger. (see stockers post, just above) This assures that you are reading "groove" diameter of the barrel. There are other ways, but this works for me. Regards, Eagleye.
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downwindtracker2 said:
If we're talking about Lee-Enfield .303s, number of grooves can vary from two groove up to six groove depending on who made it and at what time. As for slugging, I use lead buckshot as well. If the shot is too big to easily fit the barrel, you can decrease diameter a little by rolling it out on a hard, flat surface the same as playdough until you can start it in the barrel.
