Have a carbined 1886/93 inbound, shortened for Morrocan police circa 1935. In reading up on the Lebels it seems groove diameters can be pretty generous -- to the point that standard molds for 8mm rifles may cast too small a bullet. Will slug mine when it is hand. Any other Lebel shooters here?

Can't say about the Lebels, but I do have a couple of Berthiers. I use Lee 8mm (.323") 175s and 215s . They both work pretty well, groups run 3-4" @ 100yds.

Craig, have you slugged either of your Berthiers? I'll have the Lebel tomorrow and will report findings.
The Lees drop at about .325 don't they? Might be able to "Beagle" up to .327 if need be.

No, haven't slugged them. The Lees do drop 324-5 +/-. I tumble lube with Lee Liquid Alox and then run them thru a .323" sizer with an aluminum gas check.

LEE made or maybe still does an oversized 8mm bullet for the 8 sumthin god I forget now.
[x56 maybe]
but it would be useful for the lebel.
I know they ain't 323 barrels and are big like 326 or more big.
the mold I had poured out to 329 and I wish I still had it now..

Lamar, you are thinking of the 329-205 for the 8X56 Hungarian. I just slugged the bore of the 1886/93 R35 and it is .328. It is in very nice condition.

In France the 8mm Lebel is considered to have a .327 bullet diameter. So your .328 is probably within spec. You can buy factory ammo for it here, since Prvi Partizan (Serbia, 8X50R Lebel 8mm) went and got a CIP spec for it last year and they are now on the shelves (maybe available in the USA). Prvi Partizan bullets of .327 in 196 or 200 grains, I think, are available here, as is Prvi Partizan brass.

I read that in some models there is a D bullet (FMJ or monolithic) and an N cartridge (thicker rim, developed for automatic weapons), and the weapon should be so marked if it is later production. The original 1886 bullets were lead.

But I'm no expert on this caliber and am just relaying what I saw on a web site.

Wink, the 1886/93 Re. 35 carbine I had (already sold it) was marked on the receiver bridge as suitable for Balle N.

Prvi ammo and brass is available here, I've used both. The 8mm bullets that Prvi offers here are all .323". I never checked bullet dia on their factory loads. Wonder if it's loaded with .323s or .327s ?

Here's a link to Prvi Partizan's web site and (if the selected page opens up) all of the "8mm" bullets they make, including a .327 and even a .330.

http://www.prvipartizan.com/search_rbl.php

Graf & Son"s had/has the components from PRVI Partizan.

Grafs carries the .330" 8mm, but not the .327" version.

a little big isn't that big of a deal unless the round won't chamber.
I have shot a ton of 310 diameter 125gr bullets down 308 barrels with no ill effects.
you'll raise pressures about 500 psi for every .001 over until you get to .004 then it starts to climb quickly.
.004 over usually won't chamber.