Lyman mold question 230g RN for 45acp, bullets out of whack

[sst04]

All may know, but I am new to this casting thing. So be easy.

I casted some 175g boolits for my XDM40s&w and shot about 150 of them today. After every mag I looked in the barrel to see if there was any build up, and there was. But it turns out to just be lube and unburned powder because it cleaned out with only a couple of passes with the soft brush that came with the XDM and Hopps cleaner. There is nothing in any of the grooves in the barrel that I can see even using a flashlight.

A couple of weeks ago I shot about 200 rounds of the 230g in my XD tac 45acp.
I cleaned it up a little then put it away.

So today I was working on some reloading and decided to measure a few of the 230g boolits. As cast they measure .449 at the line where the mold meets, turn it and it measures .452. After they are sized on a 452 die i measure 450 where the mold meets and 452 90 degrees from that.

Looking at the bullets I have already sized, I can see where part of them did not even touch the die. All of the 40cal bullets I have done measure exactly 401 and are shiney all the way around. I should have known something was wrong. The 45acp was the first I tried on my 4500 sizer and they were fairly easy to do. Well when It came time to do the 40cal, I had to add some extra braces to my little table.


After this I took the barrel out of my 45 and looked in it and from the chamber to about a inch and a half up the barrel was lead. I got it cleaned out but it took a little while.

What did I do wrong to make them smaller in this area? Every one I have measured is like this. After shooting the 40cal,, I know it should not leave this much lead in the grooves.

[2ndAmendmentNut]

Do you use some sort of aerosol mould drop out? If you get a little carried away with spraying down the mould that could be a why your boolits are out of round.

I would suggest cleaning the mould thoroughly and trying again to see what you get.

Oh, it might not be your fault. Lyman has been known to make some stinkers, if that is the case Lyman should give you a new one without a problem.

[sst04]

Do you use some sort of aerosol mould drop out? If you get a little carried away with spraying down the mould that could be a why your boolits are out of round.

I would suggest cleaning the mould thoroughly and trying again to see what you get.

Oh, it might not be your fault. Lyman has been known to make some stinkers, if that is the case Lyman should give you a new one without a problem.

I was not using anything on the mold.. When I got it i cleaned it well with brake cleaner to get all the oil off.

[2ndAmendmentNut]

I would give Lyman a call. Lyman is usually good about backing their products.

[RobS]

I had three of their molds over the past year and two of which are just as the one you are referring to. First a 4 cavity and then a 2 cavity both cut to the 225 grain RN for the 45 auto.............they were undersized but not out of round. I also tried a 44 mag mold.....................undersized as well and on and on and on. I called up Lyman and I was asked what alloy was being used and I made the mistake of saying wheel weights. The service tech said that they use Lyman #2 alloy as a bases to their mold diameter so my .450 bullet was in spec and would not offer to replace the mold. BS I say and they lost a customer!!!

I put a set of casted bullets in with each mold and sent them back to Midway (thankfully I purchased them there) where I received a full refund plus shipping. Many other people are having the same issues you are. It would seem that instead of squeezing out a few more molds for production by re-sharpening the cherries they would just simply have new cherries made. It would also appear in the 40 caliber mold you have that they just started off with new charries for that design as your mold is casting big. Having a large bullet is better than having a small one as it can be sized down..................to a certain degree of course.

Anyway, I will not buy a new Lyman for a while now and will wait until I here word that their molds are being cut at the correct diameter. I would although buy a nice used one if I actually knew what it casted out as prior to buying. RCBS on the other hand has been good lately with all my molds casting at or a few thousandths over. Lee molds tend to cast at or even a few over as well with wheel weights.

It’s a craps shoot!!!

[243winxb]

Most bullets drop from the mould out of round by .0015" or more, its common. Increase your antimony content in your alloy to get closer to Lyman #2 alloy.

[TAWILDCATT]

I like SWC in 45.and I have Lee molds I am using 6 cavity.I too cast with WW.I have Lyman 4 cavity SWC, but I now use Lee.
Lyman is now owned by a combine,the lymans dont have any thing to do with the company.and I like the price of Lee. who lathe cut the cavities.:coffee:

[Jayhem]

I was very impressed with the .452 and the .401 boolits I dropped form my new Lee molds. They were both about .003 over sized but were perfectly uniform all the way around each boolit.

[runfiverun]

just look up beagling here worth a try and should fix you up.
you could also lap the mold out with no problem.

[sst04]

I talked with lyman today and they said to send the mold along with some of the boolits and they will check it out. They also mentioned that wheel weights was not the alloy that the mold is for.
I told them that I realize that it could cast a smaller diameter but I just dont see it casting out of round, especially when my other(lee)mold is casting round boolits with the same alloy.

I guess I will have to wait now and just cast 40s&w.