New mold report: 2 cav. Lee 429-240-2R

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

Out of the 50+ Lee molds I have, 2 of them drop a near perfect boolit that I feel I can shoot [for plinking] without sizing.

I think I found another one today. A recent purchase from Natchez. I am making this post for those who may be interested in a 44 cal RN in the 240gr area that I suspect you will get similar results from a Mold ordered soon that was probably made from this same batch.

Using my hand picked "pistol range scrap" alloy, that's about as hard as COWW. Alloy temp at 675º, This mold dropped boolits with just the twist of my wrist and I use the "gloved hand method" to open the sprue plate, so no mallet needed today

I was so pleased with this and figuring I would post about it, I measured and weighed many...at least 20. Weight was a fairly consistant 247gr. (honest to God, half of them weighed 246.8) and near perfect roundness measuring .4305 The near perfect meaning I couldn't measure any 'out of roundness", I am comfortable stating I can measure to .0003" with my mitutoyo mic. So that would give you a fairly realistic range of error.

[Wally]

Out of the 50+ Lee molds I have, 2 of them drop a near perfect boolit that I feel I can shoot [for plinking] without sizing.

I think I found another one today. A recent purchase from Natchez. I am making this post for those who may be interested in a 44 cal RN in the 240gr area that I suspect you will get similar results from a Mold ordered soon that was probably made from this same batch.

Using my hand picked "pistol range scrap" alloy, that's about as hard as COWW. Alloy temp at 675º, This mold dropped boolits with just the twist of my wrist and I use the "gloved hand method" to open the sprue plate, so no mallet needed today

I was so pleased with this and figuring I would post about it, I measured and weighed many...at least 20. Weight was a fairly consistant 247gr. (honest to God, half of them weighed 246.8) and near perfect roundness measuring .4305 The near perfect meaning I couldn't measure any 'out of roundness", I am comfortable stating I can measure to .0003" with my mitutoyo mic. So that would give you a fairly realistic range of error.

What will you be shooting them with...? Glad that the mold worked out well for you.

[theperfessor]

Got one of those in a six cavity version. Love it in .44 Special loads, use it in several 24/624s. They just fall into the cylinders and are so retro looking.

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

What will you be shooting them with...? Glad that the mold worked out well for you.

44 Mag with standard load. in a 629 or Redhawk.

[Deep Six]

I just got the same mold from Brownells a couple weeks ago. Unfortunately, mine is the old style with the steel on aluminum alignment pins. As such it has the usual difficulty closing and requires a gloved hand to guide the blocks into alignment as they close. It works good though, dropping nice, uniform, round bullets at about .431. I cast up a batch of 100 the other day and just finished tumble lubing them and loading over 7.5 gr Unique in 44 Special. Looking forward to shooting them out of my "Flattop" Blackhawk and Rossi 92. I figure the round nose will feed like butter in the 92.

[Wally]

44 Mag with standard load. in a 629 or Redhawk.

Interesting as few shoot RN bullets in that caliber...the SWC seems to be the bullet configuration of choice. Why do you like the RN type?

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

Interesting as few shoot RN bullets in that caliber...the SWC seems to be the bullet configuration of choice. Why do you like the RN type?

Short story...I am a tool ***** !

Long story, as mentioned in the OP, I have 50+ Lee molds and nearly that many more 'other' molds. My last order to Natchez, I was looking for a mold that'll work in my 1874 Gras. I picked out 4 that might work??? that's still a project 'in process'. I also seen this 44 RN and a 44SWC with GC that I didn't have yet. I also recently bought a Herter's 44 RN single cav. mold in the S&S section, that one drops large [.4345] which is also good, I have a older Rossi 44 spl that is way over spec.
ANYWAY, what do I like about the RN type ? I guess it's just that I didn't have one yet.
Jon

[Wally]

Short story...I am a tool ***** !

Long story, as mentioned in the OP, I have 50+ Lee molds and nearly that many more 'other' molds. My last order to Natchez, I was looking for a mold that'll work in my 1874 Gras. I picked out 4 that might work??? that's still a project 'in process'. I also seen this 44 RN and a 44SWC with GC that I didn't have yet. I also recently bought a Herter's 44 RN single cav. mold in the S&S section, that one drops large [.4345] which is also good, I have a older Rossi 44 spl that is way over spec.
ANYWAY, what do I like about the RN type ? I guess it's just that I didn't have one yet.
Jon

The Lee 240 RN is a nice looking bullet...I have a Lyman 429383 245 RN...I haven't used it in quite sometime. I have a nice Model 24 and really should but lately I've been shooting 185 & 208 WC's in it.

Years ago I had the Lee 90341 240 RN..I traded it and eventuality got the Lyman...but nothing wrong with the Lee. I have a lot of Lee molds and I am not a Lee basher.

[1bilmr59]

Those are good looking bollits i hope do that some day

[Wally]

Short story...I am a tool ***** !

Long story, as mentioned in the OP, I have 50+ Lee molds and nearly that many more 'other' molds. My last order to Natchez, I was looking for a mold that'll work in my 1874 Gras. I picked out 4 that might work??? that's still a project 'in process'. I also seen this 44 RN and a 44SWC with GC that I didn't have yet. I also recently bought a Herter's 44 RN single cav. mold in the S&S section, that one drops large [.4345] which is also good, I have a older Rossi 44 spl that is way over spec.
ANYWAY, what do I like about the RN type ? I guess it's just that I didn't have one yet.
Jon

Let use know how they shoot for you...when I had that mold, the bullets were quite accurate. I have a Lyman .44 cal Cowboy bullet that is a "hybrid" of sorts...a RN with a RF tip...

[Bigslug]

Those are STRANGE! It's like .45 hardball. . .only they're not .45 hardball. Having that mold around would only serve to short-circuit my brain and induce nervous ticks - even though my .45ACP mold is a flat nose, my instincts would scream ".45 Auto" every time I saw those slugs sitting in a jar.

Good looking boolits though, and if you were gonna run that revolver in competition, the speediness of reloads in undeniable.

[revolvergeek]

I picked up one of these 2 cavity molds recently from Midway and have exactly the same results; very nice, clean, easy to cast bullets that just barely kiss the .430 sizer. The next batch I am going to try as cast and see how those work. It makes for a very retro looking cartridge.