Dimples on bullets

[joecool911]

I cast some bullets yesterday and dropped them in water. I got some aggressive frosting that I would actually call dimples on one side of the bullet from half the mold. This is a Ranch Dog 432/265 tumble lube mold. The dimples are in the area of the micro bands and sometimes bullet nose and base.

[btroj]

Mould is too hot. This is when I d the end of the mould very quickly in water. Only for a second or so. Some use a damp towel to cool the mould a little.
This is common as bullet size and weight go up. The mound heats very quickly and can get too hot fast if not watched.

[joecool911]

Here is my first attempt of posting a pic. Not all bullets came out like this. I am using Lyman #2.

[joecool911]

If it is in fact too hot of a mold, how do you maintain proper mold temperature when water quenching? Its hard to keep rhythm and go through the bucket looking at each bullet for feedback.

[btroj]

Are you water dropping? Looks like what I get when I water drop a bullet too soon. It is almost as if it has not yet fully hardened.
As for rhythm, I watch the time the sorus takes to solidify. It will get a little longer with each drop. Once it gets longer than I care to wait, say 5 seconds or more, I cool the mould. I beleve a few here use a damp towel to cool the sprue for a second or so with each mould full.
Try a few different things and find what works for you. I just find it easy to use a shallow basin of water to dip the end of the mould in for a second or so. Works well enough for me. The weight difference due to varying mild temps is not of concern for my shooting. If I was looking for long range or very small groups I might do it differently. But I do neither of those things.
Experiment, you might be amazed at what you learn.

[xr650]

Joe,
Drop some on your bench once in a while to check for frosting/shrinkage. Adjust your heat and/or rythmn as needed.
The ones you drop on your bench just go back in the pot.

[AZ-Stew]

What xr650 said.

And yes, your mould's too hot. Cut back the pot temp or slow your casting pace, or both.

Regards,

Stew

[joecool911]

Should I consider these bullets rejects or just shoot em? Will they effect accuracy? I shoot lever guns mostly, but maybe these will make good handgun bullets out of my 2.5" Ruger Alaskan, since accuracy is not that great anyway.

I bet the reason that only one side is dimpled is because the sprue plate cools the other side.

While asking questions, does cooling longer help with the bullets dropping easier from the mold. They seem tight. Takes quite a few blows to get the out of the mold.

[x101airborne]

IMO, when boolits normally drop free, then start to stick, then get stuck, you mold temp is out of peramiters for your application.

[btroj]

Try shooting them. They sure won't hurt anything. This is how you learn what does and does not work. They may not be as accurate as they would if they were better filled but they will be good enough to start with.

[bowenrd]

The only time I get dimples is when the mould is contaminated with lube or oil.

[lwknight]

The #2 alloy is a lot more finicky about mold temperatures than the lower tin content alloys are.
I'm learming the scientific way to explain what I know but untill I get good at I will just leave it in redneck lingo.
The antimony globbies get larger when the molds are too hot and the bullet cools slowly. Its already too late by the time you can drop it in water.

[prs]

I wonder if its like a golf ball and those boolits may go further than a smooth boolit?

harrrrrr


prs

[Centaur 1]

I wonder if its like a golf ball and those boolits may go further than a smooth boolit?

harrrrrr


prs

Why did you put the harrrrrr in your statement? It's a known fact that a pointed bullet with a dimple on the nose works better than one without the dimple. Think about match bullets that have hollow points, they're way too shallow to expand, and if one were used on an animal it would act like a fmj.

The actual design might be a little above most of our heads, but I have to believe that a bullet could be designed that uses the rotation of the slug to somehow keep the slug from losing velocity like a standard bullet. In layman terms, the bullet spins so fast that we just stuck a propeller in the nose. Of course that's just an exagerration, but what if some NASA Aerospace engineer designed the bullets ogive with a tapered wavy shape that had aerodynamic lift qualities to it. If you don't have a grasp on how fast a bullet spins, just go to "you tube" and search for spinning bullets on ice. People have been shooting pistol bullets at frozen lakes and the bullets get trapped in the ice and spin for up to 3 minutes.
It might be possible to gain some lift from the rotating projectile that actually pulls on the bullet

[DukeInFlorida]

You also might try "smoking" your mold cavities with some butane lighter soot. That always helps with un-sticking boolits.

Rather than cast too hot, and wait a long time, you should try adjusting your pot temp, turning it down a few degrees (casting all the while), until you get good shiny bullets, and the mold behaves (drops easily, etc). The proper pot temperature will do wonders for you.

You might also consider a lead thermometer. That way you can write down what works well for each and every mold (you do keep a log book, right?)

[giz189]

[QUOTE=Centaur 1;1119856]Why did you put the harrrrrr in your statement? Simple, look at his name prs Pirates r us :bigsmyl2:

[stubshaft]

If it is in fact too hot of a mold, how do you maintain proper mold temperature when water quenching? Its hard to keep rhythm and go through the bucket looking at each bullet for feedback.

Just cast a bunch of them up and sort them out later. What I do when I cast alot of large boolits is use 2 moulds. That way one can freeze the alloy while I refill the other.

[Al_sway]

Is it really a good idea to water drop #2 alloy? I always thought water dropping was more effective with high antimony alloys such as wheelweights, as it is the antimony crystalization that hardens the bullet after water dropping. The higher tin content of #2 contributes nothing to the water drop process, as far as I understand it.
I would have thought that #2 would be better off just as is, and if you want harder bullets go to wheelweight, water dropped.
As for dimples, match hollowpoints do not 'fly' better because of the hollow point. Their ballistic coefficient is lower than a pointed bullet. They are more accurate due to the bases being well formed, as well as other factors.

[badbob454]

Most of my bullets are a little frosty ... I shoot em ,,, i cast with 3 molds with larger bullets,.. And 2 molds with small bullets , i float a rag in a 6 gal tall plastic bucket , and with cold water drop em on the rag and let em roll off to the bottom i set my temp to harden the sprue in @ 2 - 3 seconds . This is probably not the prettiest way to cast, but i make a lot of boolits this way .. I think ill drop my temp and try to fix my lee molds .. I run hot to fill out but, found out it is a vent problem ,not a heat problem ... Ill open my vents to get better bullet base fillout, and try to cast a little cooler .. See how that works ..

[badbob454]

Is it really a good idea to water drop #2 alloy? I always thought water dropping was more effective with high antimony alloys such as wheelweights, as it is the antimony crystalization that hardens the bullet after water dropping. The higher tin content of #2 contributes nothing to the water drop process, as far as I understand it.
I would have thought that #2 would be better off just as is, and if you want harder bullets go to wheelweight, water dropped.
As for dimples, match hollowpoints do not 'fly' better because of the hollow point. Their ballistic coefficient is lower than a pointed bullet. They are more accurate due to the bases being well formed, as well as other factors.

THIS IS WHAT IS IN #2 ALLOY COPYED FROM ROTOMETALS Lyman #2 Bullet Ingot (90%-Lead,-5%-Tin,-5%-Antimony) 5% ANTIMONY WILL HARDEN WHEN WATER QUENCHED , IT IS MY UNDERSTANDING THAT ANTIMONY ,AND ARSENIC , WILL QUENCH HARDEN