Off Center Sprue Plate Hole ?

[Johnch]

I made a .460 350 gr GC mold today
It looks like a up sized LEE 430-310-RF
But I made it with a replaceable nose plug
One is a plain flat nose and the other is a 45 degree hollow point
I also plan on making a adjustable depth standard hollow point nose plug
I am planning on pouring the nose out of pure lead and the body from a harder alloy

But my question
I had a sprue plate from a 30 cal mold that I plan on reboring as it was a test mold and the test didn't work

So I put it on the mold
But the sprue plate hole for the lead to enter is way off center
I have the plate to make more sprue plates , but I didn't want to take the time to just make 1
I was hoping to to pour a few with both nose plugs in the next few days


But with the sprue plate hole way off center
I wondered if that would affect accuracy ?

Your thoughts

Thanks

John

[Winger Ed.]

If ya get a good clean cut, I wouldn't think it'd matter much.
As heavy as that boolit will be, the little bit of sprue mark should be a small percentage of Lead that's off center.
But it's one of those things you'll just need to try.

Another option is lay a sheet of fairly fine sandpaper on a flat surface, like glass.
Then push the base of the boolit a few inches on it and see how that looks.

[Buckshot]

............Shouldn't be a problem at all if .................... So long as the misalignment of the hole in the sprue plate and that in the blocks still allows for a good solid flow of alloy, as THAT is the important aspect.

Buckshot

[Dusty Bannister]

While you may have an off center sprue nub, the issue would more likely be a shrinkage void off center in the casting. As long as you have a nice fluid sprue puddle to feed the casting as it cools, the void, if any will be very small and near the center line of the bullet. Shooting will show you if it is a problem that needs correcting or not.

[Bent Ramrod]

As long as your casting technique has the mould filling out completely, it shouldn’t matter. As a matter of fact, I recall a few mentions (in Precision Shooting, IIRC) where people deliberately relocated the stop pin on top of the mould so that the hole in the plate was an almost invisible mark on the edge of the base rather than a circular mark in the center. This allegedly made a flatter, more perfect base.

One of the cast bullet accuracy secrets du jour that popped up from time to time and vanished into obscurity again. But I recall no complaints that it made things worse.

[gwpercle]

It shouldn't make any difference ... In Theory !
As long as you get a good fill out , no voids at the sprue hole ... allow a good sprue puddle for shrinkage when cooling ... and you get a good clean level cut for a nice flat base ...

You should be just fine !

I bet the offset sprue hole will be more of a psychological problem than a real world problem ... I know , at first the off-set hole would bother me but if the Targets showed otherwise ...I might just leave it alone .
You can always fix it down the road !
Good Luck ,
Gary

[country gent]

It may be a benifit in that it will allow for better air release and off gassing it may aid fill out. Angling a mould during fill is done to get this same effect. I would definitely try it before making a new one

[gwpercle]

It may be a benifit in that it will allow for better air release and off gassing it may aid fill out. Angling a mould during fill is done to get this same effect. I would definitely try it before making a new one

Is "Off-Gassing" anything like Breaking Wind ... If so I learned a new word today !
Gary

[Johnch]

Well I will find out in a few days
As this morning I casted 40 - 45 bullets with each of the nose designs

Of course I had to clean the mold and pre heat it
Once I had everything HOT I had zero rejects
But I did leave a large puddle of lead on the sprue plate each time
I also took my time and didn't rush

Thanks
John

[Bazoo]

As long as your casting technique has the mould filling out completely, it shouldn’t matter. As a matter of fact, I recall a few mentions (in Precision Shooting, IIRC) where people deliberately relocated the stop pin on top of the mould so that the hole in the plate was an almost invisible mark on the edge of the base rather than a circular mark in the center. This allegedly made a flatter, more perfect base.

One of the cast bullet accuracy secrets du jour that popped up from time to time and vanished into obscurity again. But I recall no complaints that it made things worse.

I have read about that, I think it was in the book "The Art of Bullet Casting". It was interesting for sure, but I think ultimately they found that it made no difference.