Common Sense Mold

[Good Cheer]

OK, went out on a limbo with that "common sense" title but bear with me a moment.
In a revolver boolit mold there's a fairly common range of weights that suit most needs. And, that range of weights is served by the lead that extends into the case plus whatever design the front end is given.
Now, on that front end there is a given diameter of flat spot (meplat) that will generally work best for any given caliber of revolver.
So, why not have adjustable length plugs for an up front cylindrical part (of meplat diameter) that does not touch the case, cylinder and barrel? The resulting mold would provide:
WC's
HBWC's
HPWC's
SWC's
HPWC's


OK, that was my idea after the 2nd cup. I can't be the first person to ponder this. Never been that good with only two cups.

[MakeMineA10mm]

Sure, that's do-able. I just got an adjustable core-mould for making lead cores for swaging pistol boolits, and it uses this principle (so you can adjust the weight of the core you're making). Lyman came up with a fairly ingenious locking mechanism to keep the adjustable part from loosening up while in use too. All you'd have to do is apply this same concept to a bullet cavity that has the base of the bullet "built-in" like a normal mould. You could make it adjustable like this core mould too, to give slightly different weights as well...

The only two issues I see with it are:

1. There'll be a line cast into the bullet where the adjustable stem meets the body of the mould, and

2. It'd be a single-cavity only proposition.

Oh, and it'd be more expensive than a standard mould - lots of small and additional parts and probably some hand-fitting...

[white eagle]

good idea but that would mean having only one mold
after my cup I think that its all bout weigh distribution that is one of the reasons we have the shapes we do
and to have a lot of lead non supported is also not a good idea
keep the thought train a rollin
that's how we get the things we want and some useful needed items

[Good Cheer]

All dimensions would need to be figured for a given caliber.

http://i791.photobucket.com/albums/yy192/SNARGLEFLERK/COMMONSENSEMOLD.jpg

[HollowPoint]

Good Cheer:

To date, I've made up three different types of these molds you've described. (or a variant thereof)

My only mistake was to post an inquiry of my ideas before actually doing it. My first mold was a two cavity mold that turned out to work just fine. Granted, I made alot of machining mistakes but, all in all I was pleasantly surprised that it did work. (.44 caliber)

My second attempt was a .45 caliber air rifle mold that cast various weights of the same design bullet from the same mold. And my third attempt has more to do with the casting of boat-tail bullets and flat base bullet from the same mold.

Whenever you post an idea like yours you will inevitably get pros and cons. Generally speaking, the Pro-replies are based on the successes of that particular individual responder; and, as you might have already guessed, the Con-replies are bases, not necessarily on the fist-hand-experience of a given responder but, rather on something they read or saw at some point in their casting experience.

This hardly applies in every case. There are some pretty sharp cookies that frequent this forum. I mean with respect to boolit casting knowledge, experience and the wisdom to apply it.

I suggest that you give it your best shot. You've already drawn up your idea. The next step is to build it, then try it out. I believe you'll be pleasantly surprise at what you can do; even if it's your first attempt.

The worst that can happen is that you'll learn from it so the next time around, your project will be all the better. (that is if you continue on with it)

Now days I fight the urge to post this type of inquiries and ideas until I've built and tested them. Then I may start a thread that ponders the possibility of success with such an idea or project.

In the two instances where I've done this, I was amazed at some of the "Con-replies" I got.

HollowPoint

[Artful]

Here's one step futher out for you...
http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?t=92950

[tommygirlMT]

Okay --- let me see if I understand your idea correctly

You make a mold that --- going from the top of the mold to the bottom or the bottom of the boolit to the top ---- first has a gas check shank size pancake section --- then has a stack of three driving bands seperated by two loob grooves --- then has what looks like a crimp groove --- then has a short full diameter front drive band

Below that you drill a HB/HP type pin hole through the block to the bottom of the size diameter that one thinks is the best size diameter for the meplat for a revolver for whatever caliber one is doing the mold for --- then you make a double sided pin that fits that hole --- one side is flat and the other side is a point --- then you make a pin handle with a set screw so you can adjust the depth of the pin and flip it around at will

Thus --- with the resulting mold one can make a simple wad cutter by using the flat end of the pin and setting it to the same length as the hole is deep which can be used as a plain base with the GC shank part as the nose or flipped around and used as a GCed wad cutter --- or one can use the other side of the pin the pointed side to make a HB wad cutter with the GC shanke as the nose or flip it around and have a GCed hollow point --- and finallly one can use the flat end of the pin but back it off to make a variable weight GCed sota SWC type (no angle to the nose) boolit by varying the nose length

Provided I understand it correctly (I'm supposably dense and a little scatter brainded but supposably a lot better then most other gals) ---- I think your idea has a lot of merit --- I would suggest that you either drop the crimp groove all together or put a backwards one on the base as well --- unless you mainly intend to use the resulting boolits in only one orientation direction --- if you want a crimp groove mize well accomidate one for both direction flips of the boolit --- or don't use a crimp groove at all and just gorilla force crimp them into the front driving band so that you swag your own crimp groove into the boolit on loading

As to the nay-sayers --- I personally like to roast their buts and chew them a new one or more all at the same time and make them wish they had kept their big mouth shut --- even going so far as to chase them around the net to other forums they use by googling their user name --- but then I like a good fight and dont shy away from conflict in the least and given the choice will always choose to stand my gorund and fight rather then run if their is even the slimist chance of victory and make that victory happen by fighting all out --- others have different personalities though and some just prefer to either ignor or coputulate to the bullies --- I like to break their noses --- but then that has gotten me into trouble some times too with the mods on some forums

[MT Gianni]

No reason that it shouldn't work. You could use a modified Cramer for the noses with interchangeable pins. NOE would probably build some if you had enough people in a group buy or if he found time. I see some problems with the boolit sticking to the nose in a worst case. Why not go for it.

[btroj]

I don't see why it won't work. Look like it becomes more a case of which builder wants to take it on.
Personally, I will go with the standard weights. I prefer oneor two bullets for a cartridge. I am too lazy to cast large numbers of various weights.

[NSP64]

What if you made it a nose pour with tumble lube/ Louverin style lube grooves and an adjustable base that would very how many lube grooved are exposed (cast). So it would have the same nose profile always and adjust weight based on how much bearing surface is filled.

[bigfoot1]

Good Cheer: I just drilled and reamed the nose area of a #358477 to .3135 (to take advantage of readily available 5/16 drill rod) with the same ambitions to make a mold that will cast a variety of boolits. Now I know I am not crazy, or at the very least I am not the only crazy thinker on this forum, just a recently committed patient.
I have an Enco mill-drill and a horror fright 9x20 lathe in the garage, just enough capability to make me grandiose/over-confident but frustrated with my in-ability to realize ideas, dreams and ambitions of which many may be more science-fiction than reality. I am still learning, so that indicates that I am not dead.
I have always believed that if who meet someone who has never made a mistake, you have met someone who does absolutely nothing.

[TheOldGreybeard]

HEAR, HEAR...my take on the above comment has been for years: "you live and learn, if you stay awake..."

[thehouseproduct]

What if you made it a nose pour with tumble lube/ Louverin style lube grooves and an adjustable base that would very how many lube grooved are exposed (cast). So it would have the same nose profile always and adjust weight based on how much bearing surface is filled.

Lyman / Ideal "Perfection" mold.

[BCall]

At one time Eric at hollowpointmolds.com had, if I remember right, a 2 cavity wadcutter mold that had a Cramer pin conversion on it. I believe it was a double ended 38 wadcutter that had pins for a hollow base, hollow point, or a SWC style nose. I can't find a picture of it now, but it was a neat idea, although if I remember right the SWC nose made for a fairly heavy boolit. So it could be done with enough time and money and would probably work fine.