It only Gets Worse- - - - -

[GP100man]

Yesterday was the first time ever I cast a rifle boolit!! With a Lee 2 holer , the 150 gr. 30-30 mold .

I was almost giddy!!! everything went wrong , the mold would`nt clean up enuff to throw un wrinkled boolits but I got good bands so I went with it , the lube pad was saturated with lube ( I did`nt but someone did)& I could`nt size a case without a wrinkled shoulder!!!

Well I decided on a reduced load first , 8grs. of reddot, so I charged the cases & lubed the boolits with my fingers , the first 1 I stepped out & shot at a box on the berm & hit the box low, but it shot[smilie=w:[smilie=w:

Gotta get me a sizer die !!!![smilie=w:[smilie=w:

http://i746.photobucket.com/albums/xx110/GP100man/102_0233.jpg

[DLCTEX]

Welcome to the insanity! Enjoy!

[Hickory]

It won't be long before you want to kill something with your
thirty-thirty and your newly cast rifle boolits.[smilie=s:


:bigsmyl2:

[462]

It only Gets Worse- - - - - but it'll get better.

[Wayne Smith]

Seems like everything goes wrong until something goes right, doesn't it? A little more practice and you will have it down.

[GP100man]

Yeah it does !! Thanks for the input & support fellers!!!

I recleaned the mold & lossened the sprue plate screw , put a good preheatin on it & let the pot run at 750f a bit & WALAA nice .3105 boolits so I ran ten lbs of em !!!

I think I missed wippeing some Bull Plate lube off & it migrated !!

I see a .310 sizer die & a top punch in my near future!!!

[Ed Barrett]

It's good to get some mistakes at the beginning, then it all keeps getting better and better. After a while you will wonder people use those ugly j-bullets in perfectly good rifles and pistols.

[TCLouis]

I think you will find wrinkles to be "cold" mold, low metal temperature, mixture of the two.

[Ekalb2000]

My ratio with my rifle molds is alot lower than my pistol ones. I like for the rifle boolits to be a little higher on the perfection scale.

[jr545]

It won't be long before you want to kill something with your
thirty-thirty and your newly cast rifle boolits.[smilie=s:


:bigsmyl2:

I just hope he's not around DC....:kidding:

[GP100man]

TC

it was oil or Bull plate , all I did was spray some brakekleen , blow em dry (oil in compressed air??) then apply Bullplate , sparingly but purty sure I missed some on the dryin step .

The Thermometer said 755f so I grabbed a smokin mold off the hot plate To see what they looked like , it`s just a case of not cleanin & rushin the mold.

Todays results were much better since I was`nt rushin everything!!!

All is WELL!!

As far as Huntin with it I hope to get the girls to shootin these reduced loads so they can go !!!

jr545 NO comment , that`s my story & I`m stikin with it!!!!
http://i746.photobucket.com/albums/xx110/GP100man/102_0234.jpg

[geargnasher]

You lucky shmuck :mrgreen: I just bought that same mould a few weeks ago and mine casts .309" with 94/4/2 alloy lightly frosted, I was hoping for .310-.3105", but looks like you got that mould! Shoots well anyway, just trying to get the best chamber neck fit. I still prefer my old Lyman .30 cal moulds, but you can't beat the Lee price and I needed something lighter for plinking.

Gear

[gnoahhh]

You go!

Kind of reminds of my first venture 40 years ago. I cast some pretty ratty looking bullets, Lyman 311241 155 PB, out of wheelweights melted in a coffee can with a torch and poured directly into the mould. Grabbed them up and stuffed 20 of them in .30/40 Krag cases, over 20gr. 2400 if I recall, lubed with vaseline! First few shot a decent group, but by the time the 20th one went down the tube they were spraying all over the landscape. The rifling grooves were solidly filled with lead! Anyway,I learned my lessons and found myself wrapped up in an all-consuming hobby. I'm glad you found your way there without making the horrid mistakes I did!

[captain-03]

1 Mistake/Error = 1 Learning Experience!! Many more to come!! ..... and we all need to learn something new everyday!!

[JIMinPHX]

I think that boolit is a lot better than some people give it credit for. It works real well for me. It gives me better accuracy than factory ammo at the same speed as factory ammo when loaded over a stout charge of RE-7.

[mroliver77]

If the mold is still smoking it ain hot enough! ;) I would not worry about sizing them. It sounds like they are fitting good. Iam excited for you!! I still lube and shoot boolits that are still hot from a new mold.hehe Like a kid! Next we need a range report.
Jay

[John Guedry]

Mighty nice.

[Cherokee]

Way to go...enjoy !!

[GP100man]

Shot em up today!!!

I really did`nt set up for groupin the load ( shot with just the front rest) but the 10 shots went into 6" at 50 yds. vertically & probably all me so I quit before I shot my chrony!!

Averaged 1318 fps & 8.4 sd , but as in the revolvers at 1250 plus fps a little strippin nuttin serious it all pushed out with a tite patch & alot of carbon foulin , my EDs RED just kept pullin carbon out !!

Now a THANKS to lar45 for his excellent carnauba red , all I did was smear a little on the grooves & seated the boolit , I did look in the bore before cleanin & only saw the strippin , NO SMEARS!!!

I`m now waitin on my checks , 310 sizer& #8 top punch , should be here thurs !!!
enuff time to prep the rest of my brass - - - -I think.

[Muddy Creek Sam]

GP100man,

Practice them 2 holer Rifle pills and when I see you again, We'll try 6 hole Rifle pills. Glad it's workin for ya. :bigsmyl2:

Sam :D

[jlchucker]

You're going to try to size them down a half-thousanth???? Try them lubed, as cast first. They might work fine and dandy as is. You can, if you have the right measuring equipment (mostly limited to factories) almost see a half-thousanth come and go with some metals just from changes in temperature at the time you measure. Sounds to me like you've got yourself a pretty nice mold with some pretty nice possibilities.

[GP100man]

jlchucker

Been thinking of polishin out the die to .3105 or until it just lubes my boolits.

But gonna try it as is first.