rejection rate on 30-150 TL and one large lube groove

[dragonrider]

I finally fired up to use this mold from a group buy last year.
http://castboolits.gunloads.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=1734&d=1151449463
It was casting so well, boolits jumping out of the mold, I water drop all by boolits so after about two hundred I stopped to check them out, rejection rate was near 75% so I scrapped them all for remelting. all boolits where wrinkled to some extent, most were badly wrinkled and many had voids. Hhhhmmmm while typing this I remember that I never cleaned this mold, I've had it for so long before using it I just forgot. I'll try that next, I'm sure that will help.

[gregg]

I finally fired up to use this mold from a group buy last year.
http://castboolits.gunloads.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=1734&d=1151449463
It was casting so well, boolits jumping out of the mold, I water drop all by boolits so after about two hundred I stopped to check them out, rejection rate was near 75% so I scrapped them all for remelting. all boolits where wrinkled to some extent, most were badly wrinkled and many had voids. Hhhhmmmm while typing this I remember that I never cleaned this mold, I've had it for so long before using it I just forgot. I'll try that next, I'm sure that will help.

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?t=22045

[JSH]

My mould liked it real hot. I also have to clean it after every session in order for it to drop well.
I have not shot enough of these to give any comment on. Lordy I hope it slows down a bit before long.
Jeff

[rmb721]

For Lee aluminum moulds, I need to have the lead close to 800 degrees. ( 1 lino to 8 WW mix)

[JSH]

I loaded up a slug of these in the 30-20 and 30-30. I never did get a chance to "test" any. So I am going to do this by the seat of my pants, so to speak. I just loaded them up with what I had been using in both calibers powder and load wise.
They may be running a bit fast in the 30-30. I am going to save a few to run over the chrono.
If neither of the 30-20's like it I am going to have a bunch of blasting and plinking ammo.
We shall see.
Jeff

[Maven]

My mold also was a bit of a problem child, e.g., bullets sticking in the cavs., too many rejects, until I lapped its cavities, using 2 or 3 CB's/cav. with "dedicated" CB's. I'm pleased to say it worked, as I get fewer rejects and almost no CB's sticking in the cavities.

Casting at 800 deg.: Actually I got more rejects when casting at so high a temp. since the sprues were often torn & pitted and the driving bands not so well filled out. Dropping the temp. to 750 deg. works much better, as does smoking the cavities with a wooden match. I use a ladle when casting and fill the 1st three cavs., then refill the ladle and do #s 4 - 6. You may also find that cavs. 1 - 3 cast bullets that weigh almost the same, whereas 4 - 6 are a bit different. I.e., there are 2 distinct weight patterns.

Accuracy: I've had mixed results with this CB (see my earlier posts), but in the 3 rifles I used, performance was better with unsized CB's. The .30-30Win. (Marlin #336, Microgroove) was the worst, almost refusing to group: It was erratic. The .30-06 was the best performer once I figured out which powder and how little of it to use. My Type 56 SKS also performed pretty well; i.e., better than the .30-30, but not quite as good as the '06. I may revisit this one in the near future.

Bullet seating: If you seat these CB's to touch the rifling, you'll find the TL grooves are partially exposed and the CB will wobble as they're not as wide as the base (diameter). I'm not sure whether it's a problem or not, but it is a bit disconcerting...at least at first. Your rifle(s) and targets will tell you how to proceed.

Velocity: Since it's a plain-based CB, you don't want to exceed 1,500fps. Indeed, 1,200 - 1,300fps was better in my .30-06. 14gr.-15gr. WC 820, 10gr.-12.5gr. Blue Dot, and 8gr.-9gr. Unique worked well in the '06. You'll have to adjust the charges for other calibers.

Hope this helps!

[JSH]

Maven, I didn't seperate them or mark any of the cavities, that is on my to do list though.
The 30-20 is loaded with some BE and WC820.
The 30-30 was loaded with 25.0 of AA2520.
The 30-20's actually seated deeper than I thought they would even though the are just engraving. The 30-30 also ended up seating even with the crimp groove.
I sized them all at .310

If the 30-20 will saty in about a 3-4" area at 100M I will be happy. When I first thought this up I actually wanted a bit lighter. I have been using the Lyman 30 carbine bullet and it was a bit to light and dropped smaller than I would like.
This mould may be down the road if it doesn't work.
Jeff

[LIMPINGJ]

I cast with mine for the first tome today along with the 311284 from NEI. The Lee mold started casting keepers with the 3rd batch droped. I had very few culls when I inspected them. I was using straight ACWW with a casting temp of 750. Hope to get a chance to try these in the Marlin 30-30 soon.

[JSH]

did get out and finally shoot some of these yesterday. Things looked really well as I just did a quick sight setting check. This is in a 30-20 10" TC barrel btw. Load is 3.5 grains of BE and small pistol primers.
Sight settings looked like they would work, as I had not done ANY thing with this load or bullet in this gun. At 25M standing it went 9x10. At 50M it went to about 6x10. At the 75M I fell apart. I think I lost a whole bank of 5. Then on the second strin at 75M I picked up a few.
At 100M just what I was afraid of they were dropping in pretty slow. I struggled through this one as I didn't want to move my sights too much as I didn't know where I was hitting. Looked to be high and then low. I take the blame, as I was trying to at least make dirt fly to see where I was. A couple of the guys came and looked over my shoulder. One said high the other said low. So what does one do, hold in the middle of the blasted thing of course. Still a miss, was left of his nose by about 6". Not all was lost, elevation was perfect. To bad it was the last shot and the last string. Wind was not the best, but I have shot in a lot worse too.
I really should pull the iron sights and throw some glass on this to see what the load and bullet does on paper I suppose.
Bottom line so far. I am happy for the most part as to how it performed, with no more than I started with. I did just think, never thought to look to see if it leaded. I doubt it though no faster than it is going and with the prior reactions of this barrel.
One thing I am going to do that may or may not benefit me, should be more of a + if anything I would think. I did not size the bullet all the way up to the last crimp groove or lube groove. I think I did this because the lube was going up into the smaller forward grooves. I that top small band is larger than the rest of it, I may be able to seat them out further than I had thought.
I have plenty of these loaded up for three different guns in two calibers. So I will see what it does this weekend if time and weather permit.
I didn't want to change powders, but it has crossed my mind to try some Titegroup in extrapolated loads. Trail Boss is another that crossed my thoughts.


Maven, I didn't sort these by cavity either. If I start seeing flyers that may be somthing I try. I had high hopes for this mould but then when it came in and was not to specs, as per the drawing and to what the masses wanted origiinally I just threw my hands up. I won't say it would be the last 6 banger GB I ever get in on. BUT, the will have to have a lot of good feed back before I shell out any of my $$.

Also, concerning the 30-20 twins I like to play with. I am going to try some loads that are pretty slow with an RCBS Loverin type mould. It is a GC design and I am going to run it "naked" except for some FWFL. I keep reading guys have had good results doing so. I am REAL leary of what my results will be. So if any of you have good luck doing this I may be cussing and discussing this issue with you.
Jeff

[LIMPINGJ]

Just a follow up to my previous post I put 6 on the scale ( 1 from each cavity) and like Maven found 1-3 front to back were 142gr while 4-6 were 141.7,141.5,and 141.6.

[JSH]

A bit brisk and windy today. Snow flurries so heavy you couldn't hardly see 200M this AM. Ended up with about 1" of flurries+ or-, depends on where you were at. I got done what I was going to do and went in to the club house to warm up a bit. I swear I wasn't in there a minute,looked out the window and it had quit!
Still to cold to shoot from an unheated, uncovered other than the roof, firing line. Smartest thing I did today was to not take a gun with me.
I am going to try and shoot some of these out of the ballard rifled 30-30 tomorrow.
Have any of you fooled with trail boss in the 30-30 to any extent? I don't think a case full would encroach on enough speed to cause a problem. The only reason I went ahead with the 25.0 of AA2520 is that it follows my sight ladder so well. Bottomed out is POI at 50M, bump up one notch,hold center at 100M and so forth all the way to 200M.
I know I could do the same thing with Unique in the 30-30 as the TB, but I am of the sort to like a full case. I need to find another powder to follow the sights, as this was milsurp 2520 and I don't have a whole lot of it left. I have shot some H335 that pretty much followed the 2520 settings.
If I do shoot I will post up and let you gents know how it went, go bad or other wise.
Jeff

[JSH]

I did run a handful of these through the 30-30. They were running a bit higher than my other load. My spotter had other interest of some kind at times, so I lost a few in guessing where they went. I have not looked down the bore to see what the results were there. I will try to get somthing on paper.
jeff

[legend]

hi,
i have had to run the temp on mine up as high as the pot will go to get good boolits;haveing said that,i now have GREAT BOOLITS that dont shoot worth sour owl poop,in anything i have tried.30-30,30-06,308,303.different loads,different sizes,different powders,i think i will not try it in my new(to me)k-31.
on the other hand i may try it in my 30cal carbine because it has never shot worth diddly with anything so i cant be disapointed can i?
MAN i love this mold,it just does not work.
lees 150 flat point shoots well in everything....go figure

not ******** just informing

[Pystis]

I had some 30-150 TL PB boolits cast from 1 Sb to 20 wheelweight alloy, which should be pretty close to Lyman #2 alloy. I decided to load some with 9,25grs of Vihtavuori N310. COAL was 2.660"
The boolits were pan lubed with FWFL and shot as cast. The mould drops them at .313.
I didn't expect much from them according to what I've read here.
http://img535.imageshack.us/img535/3518/dsc02500h.th.jpg (http://img535.imageshack.us/i/dsc02500h.jpg/)
Here are 2 5 shot groups shot with two different sight settings at 75 meters with M28-30 in my avatar. The higher group measures 1.85" C-C and lower 3.19" (4 within 1.56").
I have to try these with different loads and alloys as there seems to be some hope left.
Use the load at your own risk.