I spent the day trying to cast 22 cal 55 grainers, I have always used Steel molds for my pistols. I am using a Lee aluminum mold but getting a 30% cull rate with the Lee. Heat is at 750 out of a Lee bottom pour. Using # 2 alloy. Is this a normal loss rate for aluminum molds?
You didn't state why you are rejecting them. If its for incomplete fillout the mold is too cold. Aluminum cools quicker than steel. Aluminum also has a narrow temperature range than steel. Speeding up your cadence or using a hot plates should help. If your issue is incomplete fillout increase your casting speed and or temp until you get frosted but filled out bullets. Once you get that you can start backing off if you want.
It been a long time since I have used aluminum in less than a six cavity but my reject rate is almost zero once I get everything to temp.
In the past I have had some issues with Lee pots holding temp. I find a lead thermometer to be very helpful.
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Last edited by M-Tecs; 03-24-2019 at 12:04 AM.
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No not at all. I would degrease the mold with Dawn and a toothbrush. Preheat and try again a little hotter
They do give up heat much quicker than a steel mold.
Ya need to dig around here a bit, but you'll see that its a common problem till you get used to them.
And folks have all sorts of tips & tricks to get them going.
Like dipping the mold in the pot, leaving it on a hot plate, running up the pot temp, speeding up your cast rate, etc.
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That certainly is not my experience with Lee moulds, I would try giving the mould a good scrub with hot water detergent and tooth brush. I is hard to tell what the problem is without knowing what sort of culls your getting but try a good clean first. I imagine you are getting the mould up to temp first. Regards Stephen
No, i am an old guy was in the C130 A model from 1966-1970--the funky thing about the 2 cavity mold is that the cavity farthest from the handle fills out much better than the other. Never had any problems with steel molds. Hoping a old dog can learn a new trick. Retired now on fixed income Lee price is much better that Lyman or RCBS
I degreased the mold with brake clean and preheated it and smoked the cavities with a carbide smoker I used to use shooting IMSHA
Thanks for your service. I worked B's, E's, H's and a couple of J's. They have came a long way since the A's. I don't have any 2 cavity Lees and I don't remember how they vent. Since it's mostly one cavity it could be a venting issue.
2nd Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. - "A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed."
"Before you argue with someone, ask yourself, is that person even mentally mature enough to grasp the concept of different perspectives? Because if not, there’s absolutely no point."
– Amber Veal
"The Highest form of ignorance is when your reject something you don't know anything about".
- Wayne Dyer
I use lee molds all the time and also on a fixed income. Check the vent lines i have seen some lee molds without them. If missing you can send it back or i just take a sharp pocket knife and make cuts with flat part of blade NOT THE TIP. Same may need to be done to top of mold. You may also need to lee ment the mold just search for this on this forum but in a nut shell its just polishing the cavity with a bullet and comit cleanser and or tooth paste. Lee molds can be a really good value but sometimes need a little work. All of this can be done in very little time so your not getting into something hard or long and drawn out.
Thank you M-Tecs for your service and thank you, everyone for the input. I will give it another try tomorrow after using your solutions. I appreciate the Help.
I have Lee molds that I have used for the last 30 years with good results, it sounds like your mold may be a bit too cold.
I always needed to add a bit more tin to get good fill on the smaller diameters.
The solid soft lead bullet is undoubtably the best and most satisfactory expanding bullet that has ever been designed. It invariably mushrooms perfectly, and never breaks up. With the metal base that is essential for velocities of 2000 f.s. and upwards to protect the naked base, these metal-based soft lead bullets are splendid.
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Forget everything you know about loading jacketed bullets. This is a whole new ball game!
The smaller bullets can be harder to cast for several reasons.
1) the smaller weight and mass don't put as much heat back into the mould letting it cool to fast A 50 grn bullet and sprue may weigh 80 grns not a lot of material there
2) the smaller overall size ( dia and length) fills and cools quickly before complete fill out and venting may occur.
3) moulds blocks have much more mass in them making it harder to heat up blocks with the small bullets alone
4) sprue plates may have a smaller hole in them restricting flow for these bullets
To help alleviate these issues pre heat the mould to temp or even a little to hot to start out. Cast at a brisk pace moving quickly to keep mould hot and up to temp. Try running lead a little hotter than normal750-800* to start. Make sure vent lines are clear and deep enough. Fill as fast as possible and pour a large sprue, over filling to where a little runs off isn't a bad thing here. THis will help keep the mould and sprue plate up to temp.
These bullet can be cast and doe very well but it takes some experimenting testing and trial and error. Keep notes on what works and what doesn't so successes can be repeated and others not.
country gent
All good points, I cast for my .222 and the smaller diameters require a bit more attention to detail.
country gent
All good points, I cast for my .222 and the smaller diameters require a bit more attention to detail.
I'll guess that with a mold casting bullets that small that the mold is not getting hot enough. You may have to run it as fast as you can to keep the temps up. If it is new you may have to heat cycle it 3 or 4 times too.
I have a 2-cav aluminum 22 Bator mold. It is finicky if I do not pre-heat the spru plate very well. The lead has to pass a "cool spot" through the spru plate, so it is important to get that part hot. My reject rate has gone down as a result.
If it was easy, anybody could do it.
I got old hot plate and built a cover out of an old coffee can, works wonders heating aluminum molds. Put old saw blade to disperse heat.
That should be hot enough but degreese the mold and slow down. Use a damp towel to cool the mold when it gets too hotOriginally Posted by sigep1764
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Last edited by M-Tecs; 03-24-2019 at 05:50 PM.
2nd Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. - "A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed."
"Before you argue with someone, ask yourself, is that person even mentally mature enough to grasp the concept of different perspectives? Because if not, there’s absolutely no point."
– Amber Veal
"The Highest form of ignorance is when your reject something you don't know anything about".
- Wayne Dyer
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