buckshot mold question

[bbs383ci]

hello all new guy here from Texas.

i have recently built a buckshot mold combining lee and buckshot molds designs i have 4 rows of 3 #3 buckshot and then you flip it over and i have the same thing on the other side of the mold, i do not have it set up to use a sprue plate, once the mold gets hot it cast some great shot, i made it out of 6061 t65 aluminum. i had the ball drilled 3/16" from the top of the mold and then the balls are spaced at .255" center to center and then i used a #30 drill bit to connect the holes. my question is, is how do you guys cut these apart and get a nice even ball after i cut mine i still have a lot of sprue left on them, i have tried lineman pliers which are terrible and now i am trying wire stripping pliers they have a straighter edge on them but i am still getting sprue left over, i am new to reloading to buckshot so i dont know if the left over sprue will affect the patterning or not if it doesnt then i wont worry about it but in my mind it will affect the pattern due to the odd shape from the sprue.

some insight would be greatly appreciated. thanks

Dustin

[pipehand]

Rick, the guy that makes and sells the Sharpshooter buckshot molds, sells a flush cutting nipper- you might be able to find one at an electronics store. I hear tell that those using the Lee molds use dog toenail clippers to separate the shot. Why #3 shot? Are you loading for a 20 or 28 gauge?

[theperfessor]

They make flush cut side cutting wire cutters. Check out any online electronics parts/tools site or even Radio Shack. I got a set from a local electrical/electronics supply house here for less than $10.

[2muchstuf]

Not quite the same as yours,
I have an old single cav .36 rb mold that I use for sling shot pellets.
Having the same problem as you I came up with this.
Drill a dimple in a piece of scrap wood, mine works best about 3\8" from the edge and cut it off with a very sharp wood chisel.
You will probably need a series of holes to fit your shot.
Once you get the angle figured out they come out pretty good.
My chisels are razor sharp, don't worry about the edge caus the soft alloy is much softer than the wood I normally use them on.
Hope this helps you out, works for me.
2

[2muchstuf]

Oh btw welcome to our place.
2

[bbs383ci]

Rick, the guy that makes and sells the Sharpshooter buckshot molds, sells a flush cutting nipper- you might be able to find one at an electronics store. I hear tell that those using the Lee molds use dog toenail clippers to separate the shot. Why #3 shot? Are you loading for a 20 or 28 gauge?

I am loading it for 12ga, I do not like 00 buckshot I have killed plenty of deer using a 20 ga with #3 buckshot in the 40 plus yard range ad they not run 50 yards. So I figured 12 ga with #3's would be even more pellets in the kill zone especially on smaller animals like coyotes and foxes, that is why #3 buck.

And thanks for y'all quick replys y'all's be fast.

Here is a couple of shot done with the dog nail clippers that my wife had.

[220swiftfn]

hello all new guy here from Texas.

i have recently built a buckshot mold combining lee and buckshot molds designs i have 4 rows of 3 #3 buckshot and then you flip it over and i have the same thing on the other side of the mold, i do not have it set up to use a sprue plate, once the mold gets hot it cast some great shot, i made it out of 6061 t65 aluminum. i had the ball drilled 3/16" from the top of the mold and then the balls are spaced at .255" center to center and then i used a #30 drill bit to connect the holes. my question is, is how do you guys cut these apart and get a nice even ball after i cut mine i still have a lot of sprue left on them, i have tried lineman pliers which are terrible and now i am trying wire stripping pliers they have a straighter edge on them but i am still getting sprue left over, i am new to reloading to buckshot so i dont know if the left over sprue will affect the patterning or not if it doesnt then i wont worry about it but in my mind it will affect the pattern due to the odd shape from the sprue.

some insight would be greatly appreciated. thanks

Dustin

As others have said, flush gate cutters are the way to go..... As to the sprue nub, what I do is use my vibe case tumbler. Take out the media, put the buckshot in with a mechanical pencil lead, and turn it on for an hour or two (hint, do this when no-one is home, it's LOUD..........)


Dan

[shotman4]

BIG lots did have pet toe nail clippers for about $1 they work good . they are small and get the sprut cut close. One guy said Harbor Freight has a reverse angle side cutter. I looked but didnt see it at last vist

[bbs383ci]

Well do you think the buckshot I pictured will pattern well or will truer shot pattern better. I new to this buckshot reloading, I've been reloading steel for ducks and its almost perfect. I just ordered a couple of manuals from ballistic products the coyote book and the slug book also a 7/8oz lee slug mold. So waiting on them so I can find a recipe that I like.

What does some of y'all's shot look like?

[220swiftfn]

Well do you think the buckshot I pictured will pattern well or will truer shot pattern better. I new to this buckshot reloading, I've been reloading steel for ducks and its almost perfect. I just ordered a couple of manuals from ballistic products the coyote book and the slug book also a 7/8oz lee slug mold. So waiting on them so I can find a recipe that I like.

What does some of y'all's shot look like?

Well, the stuff you have pictured will SHOOT just fine, but rounder will always pattern "better" due to less fliers. The rounder shot will also load easier, because you won't have extra "stuff" messing up how the shot nestles in the cup (or shell, if you cut petals). After tumbling, mine pretty much looks like ball bearings (caveat, not ball bearings I'd use in an engine that I like, they DO have a slight flat from the cut and they've been bouncing against each other in the tumbler......) The burnishing that they get from the tumble does seem to make them pretty uniform tho......



Dan

[Baryngyl]

I use end cutting pliers, they are the same kind used to trim horses hoofs.

Michael Grace

[longbow]

I find that with my Lee running hot and using wheelweights, if I cast fast and empty the mould promptly after pouring, most of the joined shot breaks apart when dropped. Those that don't I roll under a heavy knife blade after they cool and that pops them apart pretty easily.

The Lee has very little between cavities so when cut they are almost like tangential sprue plate cut... no nub.

Longbow

[HiVelocity]

As others have said, flush gate cutters are the way to go..... As to the sprue nub, what I do is use my vibe case tumbler.

Side nippers is the best to cut. +1 on the case tumbler idea. I DON'T take out the media, I leave it in, as is. Add a handful of buckshot and run it over night. The media, at least in my tumbler, turns the buckshot black, but all perfectly round and you'll be pressed to look hard to find where the sprue was cut from. Mine is 0-buckshot, stacked 3x3 with 38 grains of Blue Dot.

HV