45-70 lyman mold help

[Wasalmonslayer]

Need help on a 45-70 mold
I have a lyman 457 400 grain mold for a 45-70. It says it is supposed to cast 457 it actually casts 454 and I have to hammer the hing pin to get the boolit out!
I beagled it and got it to 457. Can a mold be double beagled?
I love the style of this boolit I just need to get it to .4585-.459.
What are my options. I thought my lead mix might be bunkus. So I tried the same mix in my lyman 44 mag mold and it thru .431.
I am at a loss...
Any help would be appreciated.
Thanks
Wasalmonslayer

[HeavyMetal]

I posted this a day or so ago but it must have been lost in the "server issues",LOL!

Need to know a few things:

1 new or used mold

2 mold number would be nice, this will tell us why it so hard to get boolits to drop out.

3 ladle or bottom pouring

4 changing alloy is not going to net you much, I know I've tried it. An undersized casting mold requires one of two things lapping or replacement.

However without further info it's hard to make a suggestion on which direction you should go.

[Wasalmonslayer]

I think the server deal has doubled this in 2 seperate pages o
It is here and in cast boolits
I responded to you one in equipment.

It was a new in box mold off flea bay.

The mold # is 2640643

I can try and post a pic of it later.

My melt is all coww with a2 ounces of tin added to 8# of melt

Sorry for fillin in the blanks

[Wayne Smith]

A lyman mold number of 264 is not going to cast a 457 diameter boolit or anything close. The first three digits of the mold number indicate the diameter it should drop. A mold number of 264 should drop a 6mm boolit.

[Chill Wills]

Lyman now has part or product numbers in addition to the mold cherry # (the system we know) Look a little more on the mold blocks and you will find the number ....something like 457 124 or ????

[skeettx]

Lyman 457643 Mould 45 Cal 400 Grain, part number 2640643

[Wayne Smith]

Aah, that makes more sense. That does sound very small. Does the mold number have a U after it? That might mean Undersized. If you cast correctly, and given the size of your 44 boolit it sounds like you did, this mold needs to go back. It would be an awfully big boolit for a 45 Colt!

[Larry Gibson]

"I love the style of this boolit I just need to get it to .4585-.459.

See the "457" part of the actual mould number? That is the nominal diameter it should cast to allowing for minimal sizing with Lyman #2 alloy. Most all of my Lyman 457xxx moulds do cast to .458 - .459 but only when a correct ternary alloy is used.

So what is the "lead mix"?

Are the cavities clean or have they been smoked or had "release" sprayed in them?

Larry Gibson

[Wasalmonslayer]

Scrubbed very clean.
Not smoked or using release. I just keep em shiny clean and deburred.
The alloy is wheel weight and tin. It is lyman #2 alloy per the ww plus tin mixing instructions they offer.
At the seam it measures .460 across the other way as small as .454.
Very frustrating for a lyman.
I have an old hunk lee 457 340gr that does better.
I just really like the shape of this bullet.
Thanks

[JackQuest]

PNW-fish-killer:
My secret sauce for all molds is Neolube. Colloidal graphite in iso-propyl alcohol. It was the go-to lube in the nuclear Navy on anything and everything stainless steel. On molds it has 2 functions: 1-release agent and, 2-thermal conductor. Clean mold blocks with alcohol and let air dry. MAKE SURE THE CAP IS ON TIGHT then shake vigorously. Apply 2 thin coats, you can see them dry. Cast.

I apply to the working surfaces of the mold blocks as well as both sides of the sprue plate. Lead runs off like water on a teflon pan. After a couple of hundred bullets cast you can let cool, clean with alcohol and apply 2 new thin coats, ready for the next session. Also helps prevent corrosion on iron blocks.

I get mine from Micro mark (www.micromarktrains.com, part number 83181). One bottle, 2 at most will last you your adult life.

[Wasalmonslayer]

Thanks for the input guys.
I got this baby dialed.
I lapped it to relieve the burs, set my pot a little hotter, dusted the mold with graphite powder,
And tadda perfect .460 boolits that jump out of the mold.
I will try and post some pics.

Thanks again
Wasalmonslayer