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View Full Version : Hand cast with my new Magma mould today.....



Harry O
12-09-2013, 08:46 PM
and I am impressed. It took a little longer to get up to temperature (it is a big hunk of steel), but once hot enough, it cast great. Bullets filled out well, dropped free easily, and there were very, very few rejects. It is for my 38-40 rifle (a Uberti 1873 Winchester clone) that I use in CAS shooting. Turned out about 1,000 of them today.

I have 4 or 5 other 38-40 moulds, but none of them worked. I started out with two, single-cavity Lyman 40043 moulds (no, not 40143). They don't have a crimping groove, being made for a full case of BP. After the bullet was pushed back into the case, jamming the gun, I tried thinning the neck expander. It did not work. Then I tried crimping into the bullet without a groove for it. Ended up buckling the cases instead. After about the 3rd time one of the bullets slid back into the case during a firing string, I decided never again.

I had picked up a couple of other 38-40 moulds during this time. One a 401452. Great for my handguns, but way too long for the rifle. That rifle requires a certain length -- not longer and not shorter -- in order to work. I also ran across and bought an RCBS mould, but it didn't have a crimping groove, either. So I decided to order a brand new NEI mould. It did have a crimping groove, but it was not quite in the right place. It was about 0.010" to 0.015" too long to work reliably.

I ended up buying some ready-made bullets made from a Magma mould and they worked great. I used them for about 4 or 5 years. When I went to reorder a few months ago, I found that they (1) had gone up in price dramatically, (2) were not available for a long time, (3) or, were not available at all since the casters were concentrating on their more popular bullets.

I checked the Magma website. They would sell them set up for hand casting. The cost was about one years worth of read-made bullets. I ordered one. When I got it, I checked the dimensions and the crimping groove was exactly where it was supposed to be. It still has the funky, angled sprue plate, but I figured out a way to strike it without hitting my knuckles too often. I checked several of my handles and decided to use one of the newer Lee 6-cavity mould handles. It fit the best. The only thing I didn't like about it was it has a bevel-base to make volume casting easier. To the best of my knowledge, I have never had a problem with a bevel, but I just don't like them. I had the bevel removed.

With the bevel removed and with the mix I use (Bhn 9.5 to 10.0), it weighs 189gr instead of the 180gr of the original one. They look really good. I hope that they shoot as well as they look.

runfiverun
12-09-2013, 09:05 PM
turn it the opposite way from an rcbs or lyman mold to break the sprue then you are good to go. [you can easily open the sprue by hand]
you can also grind off the one side of the cutter where it bends over the mold.
the magma boolit shoots well and is a good one for hunting too.
I use both their 38-40 and thier 44-40 molds in my revolvers and lever guns and have never had a hitch.