Slugged my Barrel

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sapper6fd

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So I just slugged the barrel of my Lee Enfield No 4. Its a 5 grove which makes it a pain. I had to do it twice because something seemed off. The first time my measurements threw .308 on the edges of the land which I knew was wrong and one measurement showing .312.

The second time around I was getting consistent measurements of .3115 / .312. I rolled the slug around (extremely lightly) in the caliper to see where the resistance stopped. There was resistance right up to .312 and it stopped at .3125. So I'm going to go out on a limb (because its a 5 grove) and say its a .312 diameter barrel. That said, should I be casting with the lee C312-185-1R which throws a .312 185 Grain bullet, should I up-size the bullet and go for the Lyman 314299 which casts a .314 200 grain or should I take the rifle in to a gunsmith for another opinion just because its a 5 grove barrel?
 
I'd try measuring the bullet diameter where the lands first make contact. maybe that way you can get a better idea than trying to measure the land to land. Also, if it was mine I'd try the Lee mold, especially if I already had it. You can try the 314299 or one of CBE's 303 molds later.
Grouch
 
If you're measuring .3120" to .3125" you will want a .313" at bare minimum. I would definitely recommend a .314".
You can safely go 2-3 thou above slug diameter with cast bullets. My various .308" rifles slug .3075" to .3095" and I just feed them all .311" cast because it keeps things simple. I can use the same bullets for my Mosin as an added bonus.
No leading, no pressure issues, no chambering issues.

If you want custom sized moulds I have had great experiences with Accurate Molds in Utah. When you order any mould they offer you set the thousandths decimal in the checkout. So you can order a ".31" bullet and specify .310" to .319" in the checkout and it'll be custom cut. I've ordered 4 or 5 moulds from them and they've never been more than .0005" off with the specified alloy (which you specify in the checkout).
 
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