j23
12-08-2010, 06:28 PM
I've been at this, going on two years now.. and I have amassed a small collection of molds, one Lee 45-255-RF 2-banger (ugh.., I hear the 6 bangers are vastly superior, lord I hope) and several Lyman molds. I picked up an RCBS 25-85-CM for my 25-20 last year... and cast with it a few times.
Is it just me, is it the small diameter bullet (my next largest is a 31141,) or is it that RCBS molds are kind of a pain in the rump to cast with?? It seems as if I can NEVER get it hot enough, and the two cavities are always a vastly different temperature? The front cavity, after I cast 200 bullets or leave the thing on the stove till its red hot, starts to drop a few good ones. The rear cavity is all but useless, the bullets are always incompletely filled or have rounded edges at best. I have YET to see a frosted bullet from this mold.
I just decided to cast up some 25's, because I'm out, and I want to hit some late season small game this year, and for the first time I cast in my Kitchen on my gas oven.. yeah, I know, I know, it's a no-no. But it's 26 degrees outside, I don't have a garage and WOW, is it convenient and cozy casting in the house!!! I left some kitchen windows open and from the drop in temperature in here, I got some fresh air. At any rate, even after casting on the stove, under IDEAL conditions for almost an hour, and laying out like 100 boolits, I have 12. Count'em, twelve bullets. The ones from the rear cavity, I just dumped back in the pot by default, it's obvious when I open the sprew that they aren't even close. The problem with most of the front ones are that most have like.. rounded features; like the mold isn't getting hot enough.
If it were just this mold, i would say that it's me.. but after casting with like seven(?) other Lyman molds.. .which are for all intensive purposes, the same thing, and always getting great bullets after warm-up, Im starting to think it's either THIS mold, or are RCBS mold's hard to manage?
Is it just me, is it the small diameter bullet (my next largest is a 31141,) or is it that RCBS molds are kind of a pain in the rump to cast with?? It seems as if I can NEVER get it hot enough, and the two cavities are always a vastly different temperature? The front cavity, after I cast 200 bullets or leave the thing on the stove till its red hot, starts to drop a few good ones. The rear cavity is all but useless, the bullets are always incompletely filled or have rounded edges at best. I have YET to see a frosted bullet from this mold.
I just decided to cast up some 25's, because I'm out, and I want to hit some late season small game this year, and for the first time I cast in my Kitchen on my gas oven.. yeah, I know, I know, it's a no-no. But it's 26 degrees outside, I don't have a garage and WOW, is it convenient and cozy casting in the house!!! I left some kitchen windows open and from the drop in temperature in here, I got some fresh air. At any rate, even after casting on the stove, under IDEAL conditions for almost an hour, and laying out like 100 boolits, I have 12. Count'em, twelve bullets. The ones from the rear cavity, I just dumped back in the pot by default, it's obvious when I open the sprew that they aren't even close. The problem with most of the front ones are that most have like.. rounded features; like the mold isn't getting hot enough.
If it were just this mold, i would say that it's me.. but after casting with like seven(?) other Lyman molds.. .which are for all intensive purposes, the same thing, and always getting great bullets after warm-up, Im starting to think it's either THIS mold, or are RCBS mold's hard to manage?