How to slug a bore for cast bullets.

[Alpha1]

I cleaned and slugged my .308 bore. I'm not sure about the results I think I need to do it again. The slug mikes at .3069 its a Schulz and Larsen barrel. Don't know if that is right or not the slug is rifled.
Any way I took lots of pictures Ill post some but not to day its to late.

[Alpha1]

The first thing you need is a pure lead ball your black powder shooting buddies should be able to provide you with a few if you ask them nicely.
I used this one for starters.

[Alpha1]

This is the rifle we are working with

We need plenty of cleaning fluids and patches to apply it.

[Alpha1]

You need to clean your bore removing any copper fouling your normal cleaning regime should suffice. Clean until your patches come out clean.

[Alpha1]

Once your bore is clean oil a patch any oil will do I use three in one. Attach the patch to a pull through or use your cleaning rod if you do not have a pull through. Pull the patch through the bore a couple of times to apply the oil.

The next thing to do is oil your lead ball.

[Alpha1]

Ok nearly there.
Place your lead ball on the rifle muzzle.

Take a soft faced mallet and drive the lead ball into the muzzle until its flush. You should have a lead ring on the muzzle a bit like a doughnut some times you can just peel it off.

You then need to take either a wooden piece of dowel or a length of rod smaller than your bore to drive the slug through its a good idea to wrap it with tape so as not to damage the bore.

[Alpha1]

I use this piece of stainless rod but you can use what ever you have to hand. All that remains is to measure your slug. I recommend you do it at least twice to get a average.

[dromia]

Slugging your bore is a start and definitely better than not slugging your bore when endeavouring to shoot cast.

However it only give you a small part of the information you need about your barrel to shoot cast successfully. It does give you information about the state of your barrel as you feel the slug slowly passing through.

An impact cast is a far better measure of you barrel as well as giving groove and bore dimensions it also gives an accurate impression of your chamber which is actually a more important measurement as it is always better to size your boolits to fit the freebore than the groove dimension, especially where there is any wear at all.

Fortunately F-B UK readers have access to Texas Macs most excellent article on the subject in the Library here:

http://www.full-bore.co.uk/viewtopic.php?f=36&t=855

Impact casts are just as easy to do as slugging, just require a little more preparation and give you far more pertinent information about your case mouth/freebore/lead as well as your groove/bore diameters.

Everyone hand loader should take impact casts of there barrels regardless of whether you shoot lead or condom bullets.