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Thread: Tinkering........................ Again.

  1. #21
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    Whatever happened to the original question about bullet shrinkage?Robert

  2. #22
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    Quote Originally Posted by triggerhappy243 View Post
    STARTED TINKERING WITH MY 4 CAV. 429421 LYMAN CASTING WITH STRAIGHT WHEEL WEIGHTS. AND THEY ARE ALL COMING OUT UNDERSIZED. .iT HAS BEEN QUITE SOME TIME SINCE I WAS IN ON A SIMILAR THREAD. SOO.......... WHAT DO I NEED TO ADD TO HAVE THESE PUFF OUT JUST A WEE BIT? OR AM I WASTING TIME AND SHOULD CONSULT ACCURATE FOR A CUSTOM MOLD??

    WHEN I SAY UNDERSIZE, I AM SAYING .428 TO .429
    Quote Originally Posted by triggerhappy243 View Post
    but the question still remains, so I will re-phrase....................... so this thread does not turn into a barking contest.

    I am starting over trying to cast some 429421 boolits for my ruger sbh. I do not remember where I saw the really informative thread on this subject. (3-4 years ago?).

    Adding tin will help fill out.... I got that.

    Adding tin will cut down on shrinkage?

    2 thousands larger would be perfect.
    .429 isn't undersized for a 429421 mold

    my best guess, if you were to add 2% Sn to your COWW alloy, you might gain .0003 or .0004 ...and you can play with mold temperature as well and maybe gain another .0001 ? maybe? Give it a try, and see what you get.

    But if you want a .431 boolit, you need to buy a .431 mold.
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  3. #23
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    which lyman doesn't sell.

    I'd powder coat for the extra .002.

  4. #24
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    QUOTE: .429 isn't undersized for a 429421 mold

    my best guess, if you were to add 2% Sn to your COWW alloy, you might gain .0003 or .0004 ...and you can play with mold temperature as well and maybe gain another .0001 ? maybe? Give it a try, and see what you get.

    But if you want a .431 boolit, you need to buy a .431 mold.

    MY BULLETS ARE DROPPING FROM .4275 THRU .431. no 2 bullets are alike. if i can get .431, then i can size all to .430 and i can live with that. So if adding the tin, will give me .431, then I am good to go, if not, i need to talk to accurate. And by the way, Not remotely interested in p.c.

  5. #25
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    Quote Originally Posted by triggerhappy243 View Post
    SNIP...

    MY BULLETS ARE DROPPING FROM .4275 THRU .431. no 2 bullets are alike.
    This shouldn't be happening, either you need to work on your casting technique with that mold? or there is a mechanical problem with your mold... alignment pins? or handle interference? or ???

    If I were to guess? I'd suspect that heavy Iron 4 cavity hold is fatiguing your wrist, and maybe you aren't gripping the handles with enough force to close the mold consistently.
    that's my 3˘
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  6. #26
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    Why not lee-menting? Using a bit of the aluminum type chimney tape. Tried it one time and got about 0.002" over in boolit dia with just a bit of out of roundness.
    My 429421 4 cav. goes at .433", using ww + a bit of copper (0.018%) and fairly even across all cavities. Course, I bought it in the mid 70's

  7. #27
    Boolit Master hc18flyer's Avatar
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    Will casting at a lower temp, result in less shrinkage? I thought I read that? I am casting 9-10 bhn boolets for my .45 Colt. Been following this thread.
    Thanks, hc18flyer

  8. #28
    Boolit Grand Master OS OK's Avatar
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    You have to remember that when casting soft Pb or COWW's your sized casts will be smaller than the die you put them through.

    Look at the bottom example in the last 4 columns. They are using a .451 die but the casts come out .0004 and .0003" smaller than the size die. It's the same with all the calibers.

    Another thing to consider is the fellas using calipers to measure their casts are not getting the exact diameter. Even when using the digitals that read out in 1/2 thousandths, 5/10,000ths...just the pressure you exert on the caliper slide will cause it to change .001".

    If you are going to critique the castings down to this small of an increment you need to be able to actually measure that difference.

    Take a look at the as-cast predicted weights and diameters...just because your mould says one thing does not mean that is what you are going to get out of that mould...it's all about what you pour in.

    I'll bet I've posted this 3 or 4 times in this past month in different threads...does anyone actually look at the information and mull a bit on what it means?
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  9. #29
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    Quote Originally Posted by OS OK View Post

    You have to remember that when casting soft Pb or COWW's your sized casts will be smaller than the die you put them through.

    Look at the bottom example in the last 4 columns. They are using a .451 die but the casts come out .0004 and .0003" smaller than the size die. It's the same with all the calibers.

    Another thing to consider is the fellas using calipers to measure their casts are not getting the exact diameter. Even when using the digitals that read out in 1/2 thousandths, 5/10,000ths...just the pressure you exert on the caliper slide will cause it to change .001".

    If you are going to critique the castings down to this small of an increment you need to be able to actually measure that difference.

    Take a look at the as-cast predicted weights and diameters...just because your mould says one thing does not mean that is what you are going to get out of that mould...it's all about what you pour in.

    I'll bet I've posted this 3 or 4 times in this past month in different threads...does anyone actually look at the information and mull a bit on what it means?
    my issue is that the .430 sizer die does not rub the bands all the way around the bullet. Some do not even touch at all. So I need to either add(something) so they do not shrink as much, or.... enlarge the cavities somehow.

  10. #30
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    Invest in a roll of aluminum HVAC tape. Look up Beagleing in the forum. Basically you attach some tape in narrow 1/8" wide strips between the cavities and alongside the outside edges on both mold halves. Then cast as normal. Your boolits will come out bigger and any out of roundness will be fixed when you size the boolits. I have a pair of molds which I beagled 5 years ago and they are still casting just fine. If the tape wears out or becomes useless: remove it and replace with a new tape. It will surely cast fatter boolits at a very reasonable cost.
    Pax Nobiscum Dan (Crash) Corrigan

    Currently casting, reloading and shooting: 223 Rem, 6.5x55 Sweede, 30 Carbine, 30-06 Springfield, 30-30 WCF, 303 Brit., 7.62x39, 7.92x57 Mauser, .32 Long, 32 H&R Mag, 327 Fed Mag, 380 ACP. 9x19, 38 Spcl, 357 Mag, 38-55 Win, 41 Mag, 44 Spcl., 44 Mag, 45 Colt, 45 ACP, 454 Casull, 457 RB for ROA and 50-90 Sharps. Shooting .22 LR & 12 Gauge seldom and buying ammo for same.

  11. #31
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    Do you like dogs? There are dogs trained to notify/warn people of sounds and unconditional love doesn't hurt either.

    Powder coating would be an easy way to add thickness

  12. #32
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    I read somewhere that Lyman molds are designed to cast to the indicated size with their #2 alloy. You might want to check this out. If it were my mold I would get some linotype and cast a few and measure them. They should come out a bit larger. If not Beagleing is a cost effective alternative.

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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