8.15x46r dies

[mistymeadows]

have an 8.15x46r cast shows grooves of .321 and lands of .331 what die should i use and what diameter bullet. Th erifle was given to me by a friend I I would love to load and shoot it.

 

[Wil Terry]

WAIT A MINUTE HERE, the grooves are always bigger than the lands for all the obvious reasons.

 

[NCsmitty]

Welcome to THR, mistymeadows.

You are likely reading the dimensions from a slugging of the barrel, and as Wil Terry mentioned, the groove dimension of the barrel itself is always larger than the land dimension.
You will need a cast bullet .002" larger than the groove dimension, or in this rifle, .333", providing the dimensions that you gave are accurate.

Here's a link to a discussion on your caliber.

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?41492-8-15x46R-Schuetzen

Hornady dies.

http://www.hornady.com/store/8.15X46R-c-942/


NCsmitty

 

[mistymeadows]

Thanks men. I have never slugged a barrel before this. I am assuming that the "slug " comes out in reverse. That is the outside measurement is the groove and the intentations on the slug is the land. I added the dept of the indentations(lands) ? to the groove measurement . Maybe I should have subtracted? Am I doing something wrong or Have I just got the lands and grooves confused?

 

[NCsmitty]

Yes, you are seeing a mirror image of the barrel in the slug. The lands leave an indentation in the lead, and the grooves create an extrusion in the lead.
If you were to use jacketed bullets, you would use bullets with a diameter of the groove dimension. The 8.15x46R works well with cast bullets, and they normally run .002" larger than groove diameter, and conforms to the barrel and provides a good seal for consistency.


NCsmitty

 

[mistymeadows]

Thanks smitty, I had my head misplaced. I think u know what I mean I added the difference between the groove measurement and the lands measurement . I actually have a groove of .321 and land of .311. I think I will need the .321 die as opposed to the .323.

 

[Edarnold]

If the rifle is a Schutzen single shot, by all means use ONLY appropriate sized cast bullets: most of those early barrels were of soft steel and jacketed bullets will quickly ruin them. If the rifle is a Standard model Mauser then the choice of bullets is yours.