Lee 45/70 mold makes rough boolit nose!!

[sharpshooter81]

First casting session ever!...Did good overall....cast 54 boolits using my new Lee .459-405gr-HB.....I filed the base pin off the mold, it gave me a 418 gr boolit instead of the 405 gr. Only thing is, the bullet noses seem to be a bit rough....Out of 54 boolits cast, I only had 7 rejects....all weighted 416-418 grns and bases all mic'd at .460-.463. What would cause the rough bullet nose? I was thinking maybe cutting the sprue too soon OR too late, but I'm not sure.....everything was up to temp mold included and my boolits were filled out lovely with nice sharp edges and VERY SHINY!! Any info would be appreiciated, thanks!!

:CastBoolitsisbest:

[stubshaft]

Since it is a nose pour boolit, cutting the sprue will make the meplat rough. If you are having issues with the portion below that, then pics would help.

[HangFireW8]

Besides cutting the sprue too early or late (if it's a nose pour) burrs or warping on the sprue plate can cause problems. It's not uncommon for the metal around the pour hole to be proud.

I pull all my Lee sprue plates on new molds and lap them a bit, just a little at first to see if it needs more lapping. If I do it a lot I reblue the metal when I'm done using motor oil and a propane torch. When I reassemble I lube the pivot point from the inside while I'm at it.

HF