Home Forums Reloading Bullet Casting 338 cast bullets

Anyone:
I have some 338 cast bullets on order from Beartooth Bullets to load in my 338 WM. I�m thinking that I will need something to bell the case mouth for bullet seating, like I do when I load cast bullets in my 30-30.

With the 30-30 I use a die for that purpose from a die set for the Lyman 310 tool. I don�t think that Lyman makes a 310 tool die set for the 338 WM.

Any ideas?

Thanks.
Smitty of the North

Smiity------: you are needing lyman's "M"die -- website shows available in .338....lyle <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" />

Lyle:
I checked Lyman's site, but I reckon I didn't know what I was lookin for. The "M" die.
Thanks a bunch.
Smitty of the North

I use an "M" die for my .338 cast bullets. The neat thing about it, is that it doesn't just flare the necks, but it opens them up to a uniform dimension that allows you to seat the bullet straight, which is something a simple cone type expander dies, such as the one LEE makes, cannot do. I have M dies in all my rifle calibers. Which Beartooth bullet are you planning on using?

Bob

Bob:
That sounds good. Beartooth had 2 weights, and I ordered the lighter one. 238 grains if I recall. I wanted the shortest because of the short neck on the 338.

Since you load 338 cast bullets, can you suggest a load. Lyman's 47th doesn't show any.
Thanks
Smitty of the North

I use 235 gr. LBT GC bullets, in once fired brass. For a soft shooting, accurate load, you can always start with 15 gr. of Unique for general shooting/plinking/practice. You'll get around 1600 fps with this, and my Remington will shoot this load into about 1 inch at 100 yards, all day long. Even with the shorter bullet, you'l have part of the bullet base in the case, unless your rifle has a really long throat. This is just part of shooting LBT LFN rifle bullets. It hasn't hurt my accuracy any, but I do use only hard bullet lubes for the .338, and I store the bullets in MTM boxes with the base down, to keep the powder away from the bullet.

Bob

Even with the shorter bullet, you'l have part of the bullet base in the case, unless your rifle has a really long throat. This is just part of shooting LBT LFN rifle bullets.
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Bob:
My mention of the short neck was that I would prefer the lubrication groves to be inside the neck. What is LBT LFN?

I plan to use the cast bullet loads for offhand practice. Less noise, recoil etc.
Just tinkering.
Smitty of the North

There are other options for case mouth belling. I usually use a bridge reamer from a hardware store, which cuts a shallow taper in the first 1/32" of the case mouth. Lymans VLD reamer can be used as well. The nice thing about this is, once you taper the case mouth, you just size and load with a 2 die set like you would with jacketed bullets. I've had some cast loads that shoot as accurately as jacket when loaded this way.

The other option is using a pair of needlenose pliers. put the closed pliers in the mouth, and turn the case until a small bell appears.

LBT is Lead Bullet Technology, a maker of bullet molds. LFN means long flat nose. In a handgun bullet an LFN would have the canalure to meplat distance approximately .40" long, and the meplat would be .130" smaller in dia then the bullet. There is also a WFN, which is a wide flat nose, where the meplat is .090" smaller in dia then the bullet.

458Lott:
I ended up buying a Lee Universal Neck Flare die. Strangely enough, I had thought about using the longnose pliers.

I have no idea how well these Beartooth bullets will perform, or when they will get here. The last I heard they were swamped in Decemper, and I was on the top of their list. Yeah right.
Smitty of the North

Smitty- do you cast your own bullets? I have this mould in a 4 cavity gen-u-wine LBT mould, and have threatened to sell it more than once. Let us know if you like the bullet. One tip: make certain your bore is completely cleaned of jacket fouling before trying cast bullets, jacket fouling can act like a file on cast bullets, causing leading that you normally wouldn't get from cast bullets.

Bob

Bob:
I don't cast bullets anymore, since I found that I can buy them so cheap. I will admit that to do it right you need to cast your own, and size according to your barrel etc. I have various molds that I no longer use, and one that I have never used.

The barrel on this 338 was neglected by the previous owner, and is pretty rough, but for some reason I can get around 1" groups with jacketed bullets.

A 338 produces enough recoil that I have had to learn to hold it right. I use lightweight jacked bullets for practice, and thought to use the cast bullets for the same purpose, to familiarize myself with the rifle. If that's not a good enough reason, I can come up with another one.

I'll keep your mold in mind, but it seems unlikely I would use it.

Smitty of the North

Smitty- You might consider fire-lapping your barrel if it's rough. A rough bore could give you fits with leading when using cast bullets. You might consider posting your moulds on the "classifieds" board if you no longer need them. You may be able to convert them into lovely, wonderful cash.

Bob

Bob:
Does shooting jacketed bullets remove the leading from cast bullets?
Smitty of the North

No, it'll knock some of the loose stuff out, but mostly just "irons" the lead into the barrel. The barrel will look clean and smooth, but if you could see it through a bore scope, you'd see that most of the lead is still there.

Bob

Thank you Bob.
Smitty of the North