As we've discussed elsewhere in this forum, many of the M95 Steyr rifles encountered have bores over .329. I mention .329 because it is the size that Lee
selected to make their bullet mold and sizing die in for the 8x56R. The choice of that size was well intended, because according to the Smith "Book of
Rifles" .329 is the nominal bore size of rifles chambered in the 8x56R cartridge. Experience has shown than many of these rifles actually have bore sizes
greater than .329. Accuracy diminishes when undersized bullets are fired in rifle barrels. It is desireable to obtain a jacketed bullet that is sized to the
bore, and a lead bullet that is at least .001 over the size of the bore.
In my own battery of rifles, I have two M95's. One has a bore that slugs at .330 which isn't much of a problem, but the other one is sized .332. This is the problem rifle in obtaining the proper sized bullets for greatest accuracy.
I solved this problem recently using a combination of information that I gleaned from various sites on the internet.
I bought a Lee bullet mold sized .338 that makes a bullet of 200 grains weight . The profile of this bullet is just like that of the Lee .329 mold that they make expressly for 8x56R. I also bought .338 Hornady gas checks, which are expensive and difficult to find. .32 gas checks won't fit onto the base of the .338 bullet out of the Lee mold. I also bought a Lee .329 push-through sizing die for modification to a larger size.
To modify the .329 sizing die, I bought some valve grinding compound at the auto parts store. Today, I fired up the lead pot and cast about 100 bullets in the new Lee .338 mold. I always cast outside, and today it was 44 degrees and took a while to get the temperature of the mold and the lead regulated to cast a good bullet. No matter, because the culls are perfectly good for modifying the sizing die. To increase the size of the opening in the sizing die, I placed valve grinding compound around the bearing surface of the lead bullets and pushed them through just as if I was sizing them. The valve grinding compound is an abrasive paste, so every pass through the sizing die takes a little of the steel off of it. I've heard that 50 passes is probably too many, so I pushed through 30 and checked the size. I was almost there, so I pushed through another 10 and found my bullet size at .333. At this point, I stopped, and washed all the valve grind compound off of everything that had come into contact with it. The final step in modifying the sizing die is to give the sizing orifice a final polish to smooth it out. I took a thick knitting needle, and rolled some 1000 grit sandpaper on it, then oiled the paper. After putting the knitting needle with oiled sandpaper into the die, I rolled the die repeatedly along my thigh. The idea behind this is to keep the abrasion of the sandpaper even around the entire round surface being sanded to avoid an egg shape. I did this for about 20 strokes, and checked my size. I was at .3335, so I did another 20 strokes and got to the desired .334. The concentricity of the bullets is just fine; they measure .334 all the way around.
Now I was ready to make some .334 bullets. All of the bullets used in modifying the sizing die will go back into the lead melt. Even though they were washed off, there is probably some residual amount of valve grind compound embedded in them and I surely don't want to grind down any rifle bores. I turned out about 60 finished bullets in .334 with gas checks. The .338 gas checks don't snap onto the bases of the cast bullets like the .30's and .32's do. You have to set the bullet into the gas check, then lift them both onto the ram of the sizing die to size them and install the check. The finished product comes out nice and solid. I use RCBS was soluble sizing lube, so when I was finished sizing/installing gas checks, I rinsed the bullets off with dishwashing detergent and water. Now they are drying and tomorrow I will coat them with Lee Liquid Alox.
In my own battery of rifles, I have two M95's. One has a bore that slugs at .330 which isn't much of a problem, but the other one is sized .332. This is the problem rifle in obtaining the proper sized bullets for greatest accuracy.
I solved this problem recently using a combination of information that I gleaned from various sites on the internet.
I bought a Lee bullet mold sized .338 that makes a bullet of 200 grains weight . The profile of this bullet is just like that of the Lee .329 mold that they make expressly for 8x56R. I also bought .338 Hornady gas checks, which are expensive and difficult to find. .32 gas checks won't fit onto the base of the .338 bullet out of the Lee mold. I also bought a Lee .329 push-through sizing die for modification to a larger size.
To modify the .329 sizing die, I bought some valve grinding compound at the auto parts store. Today, I fired up the lead pot and cast about 100 bullets in the new Lee .338 mold. I always cast outside, and today it was 44 degrees and took a while to get the temperature of the mold and the lead regulated to cast a good bullet. No matter, because the culls are perfectly good for modifying the sizing die. To increase the size of the opening in the sizing die, I placed valve grinding compound around the bearing surface of the lead bullets and pushed them through just as if I was sizing them. The valve grinding compound is an abrasive paste, so every pass through the sizing die takes a little of the steel off of it. I've heard that 50 passes is probably too many, so I pushed through 30 and checked the size. I was almost there, so I pushed through another 10 and found my bullet size at .333. At this point, I stopped, and washed all the valve grind compound off of everything that had come into contact with it. The final step in modifying the sizing die is to give the sizing orifice a final polish to smooth it out. I took a thick knitting needle, and rolled some 1000 grit sandpaper on it, then oiled the paper. After putting the knitting needle with oiled sandpaper into the die, I rolled the die repeatedly along my thigh. The idea behind this is to keep the abrasion of the sandpaper even around the entire round surface being sanded to avoid an egg shape. I did this for about 20 strokes, and checked my size. I was at .3335, so I did another 20 strokes and got to the desired .334. The concentricity of the bullets is just fine; they measure .334 all the way around.
Now I was ready to make some .334 bullets. All of the bullets used in modifying the sizing die will go back into the lead melt. Even though they were washed off, there is probably some residual amount of valve grind compound embedded in them and I surely don't want to grind down any rifle bores. I turned out about 60 finished bullets in .334 with gas checks. The .338 gas checks don't snap onto the bases of the cast bullets like the .30's and .32's do. You have to set the bullet into the gas check, then lift them both onto the ram of the sizing die to size them and install the check. The finished product comes out nice and solid. I use RCBS was soluble sizing lube, so when I was finished sizing/installing gas checks, I rinsed the bullets off with dishwashing detergent and water. Now they are drying and tomorrow I will coat them with Lee Liquid Alox.
