311291

[DonH]

Could someone tell me body and nose diameters of recently produced molds?

[Le Loup Solitaire]

311291 is an old design produced by Lyman and is considered by some/many to be a successful bullet. Ideally it should cast at .310-.311 in the bullet body and .300-.302 on the nose. The bullet body can be sized to .310 if needed. It is an often used bullet in the 30 calibers, but the problem seems (more often recently) to be Lyman. The molds showing up lately seem to be undersized on both the bullet body and the nose and the result is poor shooting accuracy. This exact problem was thoroughly discussed by Col. Harrison in the old NRA handloading book. The first recommendation that pops up is to use Lyman's #2 alloy which is supposed to cast at larger diameters because of the tin/antimony content. Another idea is to lap the mold out to get larger diameters. A third possibility is to "beagle" the mold. Your original question is about the body and nose diameters of recently produced molds and the best and most unsatisfactory answer unfortunately is,...its anybody's guess. It is a source of complaint often heard.If you buy/did buy the mold then cast with it and measure the diameters you are concerned with to see what sizes you are getting. If they are what you want then fine...if not then you will have to decide what road you need to follow to correct the situation. Other possible options include sending it back to Lyman for exchange or an inquiry among forum members...one of whom may be able to lap the mold out for you. Older Lyman molds did not seem to have this type of problem. LLS

[DonH]

I have a single cavity which, when I first received it, cast .315(!!!) on the body but .297 on the nose. After lapping the nose portion of the cavity until bullets came out .302 on the nose, the bullet shoots great. However, casting .30s 1 at a time is a pain. I was thinking that if the recent molds are of more correct diameters, a mold with multiple cavities would be nice.
Thanks for the response.

[fecmech]

Why not just go here and spec out what you want?
http://www.accuratemolds.com/bullet_detail.php?bullet=31-170G-D.png

[Trinidad Bill]

I have a single cavity which, when I first received it, cast .315(!!!) on the body but .297 on the nose. After lapping the nose portion of the cavity until bullets came out .302 on the nose, the bullet shoots great. However, casting .30s 1 at a time is a pain. I was thinking that if the recent molds are of more correct diameters, a mold with multiple cavities would be nice.
Thanks for the response.


Same here! I have a single cavity that casts .315, just cast about 50 of them. I like the single cavity as I seem to have more control over the temperature of the mould. I have used both bottom pour and ladle with Lyman #2 and get .315 with both. I believe my mould is pretty old ( I am not the original owner). I will try some CWW to see if I get a smaller diameter.

[DonH]

Thank you! I totally overlooked that design on their site.