I have a mold that I have never been able to get work well.
1. Made by Steve Brooks
2. Casts .462 bullets using COWW and 20 to 1.
3. Style is 512 grain Government RN.
4. Forward bands are .454 getting larger to last bands.
5. I have 2 ladles. Lyman cast iron and RCBS aluminum.
6. I have also poured a few bullets with my 3 lb ingot casting ladle.
My results
1. About 95% of bullets cast have a smiley face wrinkle on the nose at 45 degrees corresponding to the beginning tilt angle when I start pouring metal. It seems impossible to get rid of this wrinkle.
2. I have varied the pouring technique from pressure pouring with the ladle in contact to air pouring. Fast and slow. Hot and cold. Big spru little sprue. Alloy flooding the sprue plate.
3. Worst problem is the bullet nearly always sticks in the left mold block which is the side on top as I pressure cast. I roll the mold and dipper vertical to pour.
4.The stuck bullet is very difficult to knock out of the left block.
5. If I run the metal hotter the sticking switches from left to right without any pattern. The bullet may stick in either side and is difficult to knock loose.
6. I have also tried a bottom pour furnace with even worse results.
7.It seems to be impossible to cast a bullet that does not have the smiley face and releases at the same time.
This has gone on for about 3 casting sessions and maybe 200 casting attempts. I think I have gotten 20 useable bullets.
Those few I have been willing to shoot are very accurate. Groups vary from 2"down to about 1" at 100 meters.
My 20 to one came from roof flashing mixed with 60-40 solder.
At this point I don't have a clue of how to make this mold work.