New to casting buying first mold have questions.

[ColoradoGunNut]

Hello I'm new to this forum and very new to casting. I want to buy my first mold and a sizer and I have questions. I'm interested in the Arsenal 225-77 Elvis ammo mold to cast 223 boolits. http://arsenalmolds.com/products/225-77-Elvis I need to buy a sizer to size the cast boolits. I like the Lee sizers but I don't know which one I need. Do I buy the .224 or .225 sizer? I plan to powder coat the boolits before shooting them. Also wondering if any one can provide load data for this boolit using Accurate 2460? I'm just a recreational shooter and do mostly target shooting. I have a 1:7 twist on my AR that's why I'm using the 77 grain boolit. I would prefer not to use a gas check if possible. Any help you can provide would be appreciated.

[Chad5005]

welcome to cast boolits,good mold and a lee sizer will work fine,you really need to slug your barrel

[Rcmaveric]

You can use the appropriately sized split shot sinker to slug your barrel. Then buy a sizer that is .001 to .002 over your slug size. That will get you started. Keep it simple.

Next step for better results is to slug just the throat of the gun or make a chamber pound cast. Then fit the bullets to your throat for better accuracy.

Caution and care should be taken using here say loads from online. I recommend published recipes first. Then with some knowledge and experince use articles from reputable writers. Dont forget the search function.

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk

[ColoradoGunNut]

Ok I'm looking to buy a mold for my 357 magnum revolver. I measured the cylinder (all six chambers) which came out to 0.370. I watched a couple YouTube vids that say to size your boolits to .001 to .002 bigger than your chamber size to reduce leading. I was looking at the Lee six cavity molds but they are all 358. Do I need a custom mold made? Or am I completely wrong in my thinking here? Please help!

[ColoradoGunNut]

Did more searches on this forum and found more info. Need to slug barrel and cylinders for better data. Many folks said 358 works n just about all 357 revolvers but I will get actual dimensions and pick a mold form there.

[tazman]

Which spot on the cylinder chambers did you measure? The throat is the measurement you need. This is the hole in the very front of the cylinder where the bullet leaves the cylinder and enters the barrel.
I have never heard of a cylinder throat measuring anywhere near the dimension you gave.

In the wheelguns forum, there is an article on how to set up your loads for best results in your revolver. It is a sticky listed near the top of the page. Recommended reading. It helped me when I got back into casting a few years ago.

[dubber123]

Regarding the revolver, you need to measure the throats, which is the end of the chamber closest to the barrel. I am guessing you measured the other end, which is much larger. I'm not sure what method you are using to measure, but I will say in general, .358" will likely work well in your revolver. Hope this helps.

[Rcmaveric]

I like fortune45LLC's video on revolvers. You can slug the cylinder throat, forcing cone and barrel. As long as each is same size or small than than the next then you will be able to acheive accuracy. Ensures you have constant obturation. I wouldn't go that far unless i needed to though.

I went the route of sizing so it takes a decent thumb pressure to push a bullet down through the cylinder. I size to .358 for my .357 Mag. Works great and accurate. Any bigger and the rounds wont chamber. I also happen to have a .356., .357 and .358 sizer dies. So i played with them and bullets till i found one that sat right in the cylinders like i wanted.

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk

[Dragonheart]

If you are going to powder coat then you are creating a polymer jacket for the bullet and like any jacket the PC bonds, seals and protects the alloy core. Over-sizing is not needed and at the measurements you indicated are getting to be dangerous, assuming you could get it to chamber. A bullet should require little more than hand pressure to push the bullets through a clean cylinder using a wood dowel. If you try that first with some factory bullets I think you will see .370" can't be right.

For bullet size dimensions if you can I would suggest water capturing very, very low velocity fired PC pure lead slugs/bullets and taking your measurements from them. I typically size .001+" over barrel groove diameter.

BTW: Take everything you see on YouTube with a grain of salt, including "Elvis".