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Thread: HP'ing Your Own Mold without a Full Machine Shop

  1. #161
    Boolit Bub LSCG's Avatar
    Join Date
    Dec 2014
    Location
    Texas
    Posts
    31
    Quote Originally Posted by yondering View Post
    How are you going to drill a bullet perfectly straight without a lathe?

    well I'm certainly no machinist but I figure that if you have a good drill press, set up nice and square with a brad point bit that you'd be able to drill a pretty straight hole though a boolit. and using calipers you should be able to see if the hole was drilled center.

    Quote Originally Posted by yondering View Post
    Seems that if you have the capability to drill a bullet straight, you could use that same capability to drill the mold.

    I assumed that the main intent of the Bushing used on page one was to help ensure that the drill bit was centered inside the cavity. after all it would be quite difficult to peek into the cavity to make sure the bit was exactly where it needed to be.

    my idea was just to make your own rather than going to the trouble of driving to the hardware store and trying to find a bushing that either fits or fits close enough that you have to wrap in in foil to make it work.

    after all what would fit the cavity better than a boolit cast from it?
    Jesus gave me everything when he gave me salvation.
    CBOB0690

  2. #162
    Boolit Mold ItllKeal's Avatar
    Join Date
    Dec 2021
    Location
    Tennessee
    Posts
    20
    Great write up, it's almost genius if not so simple. Thanks for sharing your experience and knowledge .
    There's nothing new under the sun, we just have to find it

  3. #163
    Boolit Mold
    Join Date
    Mar 2022
    Posts
    4
    Quote Originally Posted by edsmith View Post
    Really great post, I made it into a pdf file and printed it out, it makes a nice booklet, the photos are great. when I need a drill bit to be spot on in a peice of alu., I use a brad point drill bit, they work well in alu.
    Me too. My Lee mold should be here today.


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

  4. #164
    Boolit Buddy
    Join Date
    Feb 2013
    Location
    Willamina, OR
    Posts
    220
    I don't think I could make a good centering bushing but I'd love to try this. I've been planning to buy a small lathe for awhile and use it as a business write off. I suppose the time for that is getting close...

    I have a couple Lee molds for my .45-70 that would be at the top of my list to HP...

    Tony
    Hi, my name is Tony and I'm addicted to gunpowder.

    AKA Geezerbiker

  5. #165
    Boolit Buddy
    Join Date
    Mar 2008
    Location
    Metro-Detroit
    Posts
    375
    I gave the bushing method a shot on a new model (alignment cones) Lee 358-200-FN. It didn't come out perfectly centered but it's PDC. I've casted up a few and hope to try them out next week. I was getting around 2" groups with the FN at 100yds in my 350 Legend AR. If they come in close to that I'll consider it a success. As a side benefit, the cavity I drilled was usually really hard to get the boolits to drop from. (That's why I picked it to drill.) That problem seems to be solved.

    Thanks for sharing!

    John

  6. #166
    Boolit Buddy
    Join Date
    Mar 2008
    Location
    Metro-Detroit
    Posts
    375
    Tested the HPs last weekend. Got under 1" at 50yds and 3 1/2" - 4" at 100yds. The HP was just a touch off center and it must be enough to destabilize it by the time it gets out that far. Interesting that at 50yds it shoots better than the RFN. Probably because the COG has been moved back a bit.


    Trying to decide if I should take a crack at the other cavity.�� Thanks again for sharing!

    John

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Abbreviations used in Reloading

BP Bronze Point IMR Improved Military Rifle PTD Pointed
BR Bench Rest M Magnum RN Round Nose
BT Boat Tail PL Power-Lokt SP Soft Point
C Compressed Charge PR Primer SPCL Soft Point "Core-Lokt"
HP Hollow Point PSPCL Pointed Soft Point "Core Lokt" C.O.L. Cartridge Overall Length
PSP Pointed Soft Point Spz Spitzer Point SBT Spitzer Boat Tail
LRN Lead Round Nose LWC Lead Wad Cutter LSWC Lead Semi Wad Cutter
GC Gas Check