Making the best of a bad mold situation

[ndnchf]

I have to admit that I miscalculated the needed taper dimensions when I ordered an Accurate 44-400P mold for my .44-77 rolling block. No need to go into the gory details, suffice to say this was my first time ordering a tapered mold - it was a learning experience.

When patched with SC 55W, the 20-1 bullet is too large to fit the bore without excessive seating effort. So after kicking myself a few times, I came up with a way to make them ususble. How well they will shoot is yet to be determined. What I am doing is sizing the bullet nose down in a .431" die. With springback they are coming out at .432". They are sized to witin .300" of the base. Essentially making a dual diameter bullet. This gives a snug slip fit in the fired case. The patched diameter of the sized area is .4375"-.438". The rifle's bore diameter is .4375". So I'm now getting a nice slip fit when chambering.

I've got several loads made up to try, the last batch I made yesterday with 77.0gr of Swiss 1.5, a .060" poly wad and .070" compression. I had cataract surgery a few weeks ago. I'm just waiting for my new glasses to come in. Then I can try them out

I'm wondering if anyone else has resorted to doing this? Was it successful? It certaimly is not ideal, but I'm trying to make the best of it. Thanks, Steve

[ndnchf]

Loaded round.

[beltfed]

I have been nose sizing, too.
For 311299 bullets to fit the bore diameter of my 32-40 Rem Schuetzen rifle.
They shoot just fine.
Also, sizing the bore ride slightly on the already Cansun paper patched 371360E DDEPP bullets to fit
my 38-50''s bore. Again, they shoot just fine. But I have gone back to SC 55W which are a good slip fit.
beltfed/arnie

[mdeland]

You may find that you did not make a mistake after all in your mold selection !

[ndnchf]

You may find that you did not make a mistake after all in your mold selection !

I hope you are right - that would be a pleasant surprise!

[77 sharps]

Steve
Looking at the weight and design of your bullet, I’m guessing that you are not going to use that rifle in search of the X ring at 1000 yards. That bullet should work very well, but it will require wiping every shot. If you want to use the rifle for hunting or casual shooting, two wets and a dry every shot is going to get boring rather quickly. I suggest that you use a .424” sizing die and use a lube wad. This will allow you to shoot several shots without giving any attention to the bore.

[ndnchf]

Steve
Looking at the weight and design of your bullet, I’m guessing that you are not going to use that rifle in search of the X ring at 1000 yards. That bullet should work very well, but it will require wiping every shot. If you want to use the rifle for hunting or casual shooting, two wets and a dry every shot is going to get boring rather quickly. I suggest that you use a .424” sizing die and use a lube wad. This will allow you to shoot several shots without giving any attention to the bore.

I dont shoot competitevly, just for my own pleasure out to 200 yards max. Thats as far as my range goes. I have a lube wad in some loads, but I'm in no hurry and don't mind wiping between shots as needed.