Out-of-Round Boolits?

[Swineherd]

The final stage of sizing any cast bullet is done in the barrel of the gun it's fired from.

[Willie T]

I learned to cast with Lee molds. I currently own 8. I gave about that many more away to a close friend that was just getting started casting. I like them. I haven’t been on this site all that long but I think Lee molds get a bad rap here. Something is restricting your mold from fully closing. If you put a little squeeze on the handles can you get the gap to close? Warpage is possible. I’ve read where it is discussed. I’ve never encountered it. A piece of pookie getting stuck somewhere is a common occurrence. .002 is a speck of pookie the width of a hair. Depending on your eyesight, it may take a magnifying glass to find. First thing I would do is take the handles off and see if the gap is still present. The second would be to examine the cavity edges. Lee molds have been known to have a fine hair size wire on the edge of some of the cavities. Some remove the wire from the edges before breaking in new molds. A tiny piece bent outside of the cavity will manifest in casting out of round. I fixed a new Lee six cavity .357 tumble lube SWC by rubbing a flat lead ingot on the mold face around all the cavities and knocking that wire edge off. I have fixed several molds that cast out of round using a lead ingot to knock a tiny tin booger that formed while casting off the edge of one or more of the cavities. Stick with it and good luck figuring it out.
Willie

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

Thanks all for the input. I'm getting .429x.431 or .432 after careful cleaning and lubing. Can see daylight between the mold halves. They are grooved along the one side and have pins the other way. I might try some dye to see any high spots, or just chuck 'em!

Lube the grooves & pins. I use synthetic 2 cycle oil, just a drop on a Q-tip, Apply with mold is hot.

[ioon44]

The final stage of sizing any cast bullet is done in the barrel of the gun it's fired from.

Yep, most people don't consider this.

[243winxb]

MY 2 Lee moulds are out of round by about .002" Sizing may fix it, if starting with large enought bullets?

[StrawHat]

Thanks all for the input. I'm getting .429x.431 or .432 after careful cleaning and lubing. Can see daylight between the mold halves. They are grooved along the one side and have pins the other way. I might try some dye to see any high spots, or just chuck 'em!

What shape boolit does this cast? Nose profile?

Kevin

[jdgabbard]

Lee molds are pretty notorious for having problems like this. This is the kind of stuff that causes people like me to dislike lee molds. That said, you can lap the mold, and get it a little closer to round. You'll need lapping compound, a large enough nut, and patience.... But you can make an egg shaped hole round. Although you might lose some of the definition in the mold.

The one mold I admittedly hate, and love at the same time is my old 2cav TL358-158-SWC. I had to lap each of the cavities, sand the mold face flat, sand the spur plate to remove burs, restake a pin for the handles, and then only cut the sprue by hand to get nice flat bases. But when I did that I could shoot 25yd sub-1" groups from a 4" S&W 65. The problem is that mold just isn't worth the hassle to me today, especially when there are 4-8 cavity molds that are available, and likely just as accurate.

[GregLaROCHE]

All is not lost, if you size them they could work. I have beguiled molds before to get out of round boolits. They would give me a greater diameter when sized in a larger die.

[Bazoo]

I freely admit I like Lee moulds while also I speak of their problems. I’m not a Lee hater by any measure when it comes to their moulds.

[Charlie Horse]

Make sure you are not putting pressure on the third handle when filling the cavities. That's the one you whack/press to cut the sprue.

[Land Owner]

Mistakes like this aren't on the caster's, they're the responsibility of the mold manufacturers.

Not always...I "ham-handed" a mold, striking it while hot with a wooden mallet, trying to get it to drop the boolits. I wrecked it completely (and satisfyingly) with a hammer after that and tossed it into the trash so it could not be sold to someone else - then bought another mold and was "gentler" after that. Not every piece of used equipment should be sold...and the seller should be considered as "suspect" too.