Something is wrong with my castings

[Obmi]

I got a lee DOUBLE CAVITY MOLD 358-148 WC

they are dropping 152.6 grains and on average 359.5 to .361 diameter.
if i out the calipers in the mode its showing about 360 diameter and the base of the bullet.
Did i just get a bad mold? or am i doing something wrong.

I using pure wheel weights.

I have tried casting at low temps and a high frosted temps. they come out the same.
Am i just out 18 bucks for the mold? I tried resizing them in .357 (because its all i could find to order.) they could not be pushed through with out extreme pressure and then it shaved metal off the bullet.
So im at a loss . any idea what i should do.

[Leadsmith]

Hi Obmi,

Welcome to the board. My first question is: do the bullets measure the same across the parting line as they do 90 degrees from the parting line? That would tell us if the mould is closing properly. You don't mentions any fins so I presume you are getting the mould closed all the way.

Is this a new mould?

Bob

[Bob Krack]

I got a lee DOUBLE CAVITY MOLD 358-148 WC

they are dropping 152.6 grains and on average 359.5 to .361 diameter.
if i out the calipers in the mode its showing about 360 diameter and the base of the bullet.
Did i just get a bad mold? or am i doing something wrong.

I using pure wheel weights.

I have tried casting at low temps and a high frosted temps. they come out the same.
Am i just out 18 bucks for the mold? I tried resizing them in .357 (because its all i could find to order.) they could not be pushed through with out extreme pressure and then it shaved metal off the bullet.
So im at a loss . any idea what i should do.
In my experience, the Lee moulds are usually oversize. Pay close attention to the mould faces, a tiny speck of dirt, lead, or machining burr may prevent the proper closure.

As Leadsmith suggests, measure both directions to verify proper closure.

Change your alloy mixture to 50% WW and 50% soft lead and see if'n ya don't get a slightly smaller and softer boolit.

Otherwise, yup, I guess ya got a mould you are not and will not be happy with.

Bob

[243winxb]

There is nothing wrong with your mould. Size to .358" Lee moulds are regulated using 10parts lead to 1 part tin. The bullets should drop using this alloy at +.003" over listed bullet diameter on the mould. Adding pure lead will bring the bullet diameter down in size, but make the bullet more heavy.

[Obmi]

"Adding pure lead will bring the bullet diameter down in size, but make the bullet more heavy. "
Won't that change my load data? they are already to heavy.

and they measure that size in all directions. here is a pic. but the camera makes it look like it has a lot of dross in it but my eyes don't see it . They are really fluxed heavy with food grade Paraffin wax

http://i241.photobucket.com/albums/ff131/Obmi/Cast_Bullet_148gWC.jpg

[felix]

That picture shows lots of carbon within the boolit. The paraffin is burning too fast, so reduce heat next time using an inorganic flux. That should clean that lead up quite a bit. ... felix

[Obmi]

What would be a good inorganic flux?

[243winxb]

Won't that change my load data? they are already to heavy. It may change your maximum load being more heavy. Wad cutters are not loaded to maximum, lite to midrange loadings. Start low on the powder charge, work up as always.

[garandsrus]

Sawdust works great for flux. Adding a little paraffin with the sawdust works well also.

John

[felix]

Want a chemical or brand name? I will give you a brand name: Marvelux. ... felix

[mold maker]

Has anyone ever tried used (dry) tumbler media as flux?? Most casters already have it on hand, and it wouldn't take much.

[243winxb]

I have no idea what an inorganic flux is? I use Bees wax bullet lube or a comericial flux. Google comes up with this.
Dangers

Acid flux types (not used in electronics) may contain zinc chloride or ammonium chloride, both of which are harmful to humans. Therefore, flux must be handled with gloves and goggles, and used with adequate ventilation At the bottom of this page are a list of flux. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flux_(metallurgy)

[cajun shooter]

I agree with Felix on most every thing he post as he is one smart cookie. But I will say be careful when using Marvelux. It works but will also rust your pot. If your are using a Lee pot, it will rust every where. Not so bad with the RCBS PRO -Melt. I have found good old saw dust or wood shavings to work quite well. It's the carbon that is doing the flux. The stuff sold by Pat Marlin is great and a box will last for months.

[jonk]

Many casters would consider themselves lucky to get a mold that dropped 2-3 thousandths over spec with no work.

You can always size down as needed.

[mroliver77]

What kind of sizing outfit do you have? You might need to smooth out the entrance to the die. 3-4 thou should not be that hard to size down in WW alloy. .357 is small for a cast boolit in all my .38 cal. Maybe try some sizing lube on boolits befor sizing or a lite coat of alox if you use it. Keep us posted to your progress, read all you can find here and last but not least, welcome Obmi.
Jay

[Wayne Smith]

How soon after casting did you size? They do get harder. Lee will make you a sizing die of any diameter as will Buckshot of this site. Get one .359" and see if these will fit your gun.

You haven't mentioned shooting these and that's what counts. Pretty is nice, accurate w/o leading is better!

[JSnover]

I got a lee DOUBLE CAVITY MOLD 358-148 WC

they are dropping 152.6 grains and on average 359.5 to .361 diameter.
if i out the calipers in the mode its showing about 360 diameter and the base of the bullet.
Did i just get a bad mold? or am i doing something wrong.

Sounds like they're pretty near perfect to me. What diameter did you plan to size them to?

[Obmi]

Sounds like they're pretty near perfect to me. What diameter did you plan to size them to?

Well in worried that they are almost 10 grains to heavy. ( im a first time caster)
I was pushing them through a lee sizer and using the bume already on the bullets fron pan lubing them.
I hate being a noob but im trying.
I was hoping they would drop .358 out of the mold and not have to size them at all.

I went with Wad cutters because normal bullets are hard on my wife hands and i wanted reduced recoil in Her S&W 642. heck after 50 rounds my wrist hurt two.

[MtGun44]

What seems to be the problem?? No mold drops exactly the 'named' weight, and you
are lucky to be slightly oversized. Size them to .358 and go on. You'll get great results
no doubt. Undersized causes serious problems, oversized (within limits) is a plus.

Are you actually worried about being 4.6 grains "over weight" ? This is about 3% off of the
nominal published weight and there are much greater variations that can be had by changes
in alloy composition. You have to keep things in perspective.

Nothing in reloading is this precise. Your gun is the largest variable in the system, so you
need to make sure you are using tested loading data and starting low to account for all
the uncontrolled variables - like a 3% heavier boolit, a possibly different bore diameter,
chamber size, brass brand, manufacturer of primer, lot of powder, humidity and your uncle's
hat size. All have some effect [well maybe not so much on the uncle's hat size ;-) ] and you
try very hard to control the variables when you can, but recognize that while you may not
want to shoot 148 gr and 153 gr boolits together in the same group at very long distances,
at pistol distances the difference is small, and if you shot a group and measured velocity
with 148gr and 152.6 gr, I doubt you could measure the difference reliably.

You got a good mold, it will be round when you size it and the 3% extra weight is negligable.

Most molds are farther off on wt and many are worse on out of round.

Bill

[Marlin Hunter]

At the bottom of this page are a list of flux. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flux_(metallurgy)


The Wiki site says Sodium Fluoride works as a flux.

tooth paste has sodium fluoride [smilie=1: :bigsmyl2:

[Marlin Hunter]

Many casters would consider themselves lucky to get a mold that dropped 2-3 thousandths over spec with no work.

You can always size down as needed.


+100 - I got a Lee 9mm mold that drops @ .359

I am very happy, since I can use the same bullet in my 38/357

[mroliver77]

The Wiki site says Sodium Fluoride works as a flux.

tooth paste has sodium fluoride [smilie=1: :bigsmyl2:

Also makes for a good rat poison.
Jay

[Slow Elk 45/70]

Hullo, just be glad they are over sized . As you learn more about our hobby , you will find that there are FEWER Constants than variables. It's all part of the game, makes life interesting, keeps you in the game.:roll:

If you want molds that drop what is advertised, you will be buying custom shop molds. Also check out the Group Buy section here for some good boolits molds that drop as specified-within .002 usually. There is a thread on the site that lists Most of the custom mold makers.

Mass produced molds are a lot like cars, some good some ugly...Good Luck[smilie=1:

[JSnover]

Well in worried that they are almost 10 grains to heavy. ( im a first time caster)
I was pushing them through a lee sizer and using the bume already on the bullets fron pan lubing them.
I hate being a noob but im trying.
I was hoping they would drop .358 out of the mold and not have to size them at all.

I went with Wad cutters because normal bullets are hard on my wife hands and i wanted reduced recoil in Her S&W 642. heck after 50 rounds my wrist hurt two.

Like some other folks have said, you got lucky. The rule of thumb is to size one or two thousandths over groove diameter, so you could shoot them as cast, just like you planned. Slug your bore to make sure. The excess wieght is no big deal either, just stay away from max loads.

[Leftoverdj]

You may not have to size them at all. Many pistols shoot .360 bullets quite well, and it's very likely with TL bullets that the act of seating them sizes them down a thou. There's not much contact surface on the top of those bands.

The sizer is easily fixed. Lube some cull bullets with fine valve grinding compound and shuck the through. Four bullets run through over and over until they pass through without resistance will open your .357 die up to somewhere between .358 and .359, which is right where it should be.

[Bret4207]

As the other guys said, nothing wrong here at all. Make up a dummy round with an unsized boolit and see if it chambers. If so you're good to go. Most of my 38's and 357's handle .360 boolits just fine, but yours may want .358 or .359. In addition to DJ's method you can also open sizer dies using abrasive cloth on a rid rolled on your thigh till you get the size you want.

[Bret4207]

The Wiki site says Sodium Fluoride works as a flux.

tooth paste has sodium fluoride [smilie=1: :bigsmyl2:

FLOURIDE?!?!?! (Cue flashback scene to Dr. Stranvelove) "They're after our precious bodily fluids......":bigsmyl2:

[jdgabbard]

You're alloy is what is causing it to be over weight. Straight WW alloy is a bit heavier then what most companies use as the base alloy for determining as cast size, which inherently contributes to the difference in weight. Just add a little bit of 60/40 solder to the melt to bring it down to the proper weight. It will also help out in fillout. It should only take about 70-90 grains per pound of alloy to bring it to the proper weight. It should also make your boolits look prettier, as they'll be a bit more shiny.

[mdi]

Have you slugged the barrel of your gun? Maybe .3595" is perfect.

[bingo]

obmi

I am not an experienced expert like alot of these wonderful folks that give great imfo. My 2 cents is you need to slug your barrel, get dia and size 1 or 2 thou. over, or shoot nas cast it bore dia. is 358 ab d your droping 360.

Cruise the site, read the stickies at the top. If you have questions just ask. My preference for peestol boolits is to tumble lube with lee liquid alox diluter with mineral spirits, size(if nessary) re lube with same, DRY and load.

Welcome and good luck.

bingo

P.S. I do not know what is worse my handwriting or spelling

[Echo]

Bingo, we can't comment on your handwriting - on the other hand...

:kidding: