Accurate Molds.....just amazing. [Archive]

geargnasher

12-23-2010, 02:06 AM

It's one of Accurate Mold's standard catalog designs, 45-230-L, made to my specification of .453" nominal driving band diameter with clip-on wheel weight alloy. I really wanted a design similar to the Lee tumble-lube 230 2R which has a great nose profile for .45 ACP, so I e-mailed Tom to see if he could make one just like it with two standard lube grooves and a plain base, he suggested this design which was exactly what I wanted as-is. He can make just about anything you want from one to three cavities, and once he writes the CNC program, it becomes a cataloged item. BTW, these are lathe-bored, that's how he can tweak the dimensions for each mold as desired.

Gear

Buckshot

12-23-2010, 02:45 AM

..............The thing looks too nice to use! :-)

..............Buckshot

onesonek

12-23-2010, 08:22 AM

Awesome molds they are,,,,I really appreciate my two!!!

RedHawk357Mag

12-23-2010, 10:39 AM

I have bought two from him and they have been fantastic to work with. The order process was a joy. Catalog shows CLEARLY and exactly what you getting. And hardly any waiting, oh yeah; reasonable price with quality work. What's not to like?

Moonie

12-23-2010, 11:27 AM

Just wish he made them smaller than 30 cal, could use a good custom in 7mm and 270 (6.8)

stainless1911

12-23-2010, 01:51 PM

Can't wait to get mine.

Jack Stanley

12-23-2010, 03:28 PM

Is his web site in the sticky area someplace ?

Jack

BCall

12-23-2010, 03:53 PM

It's on the last page of the mold makers sticky up top Jack. I believe it is accuratemolds.com.

geargnasher

12-23-2010, 04:35 PM

..............The thing looks too nice to use! :-)

..............Buckshot

You're tellin' me! I'm afraid to even mount the handles on it, might scratch the pretty brass. The cavities are cut so well they look like they were polished to a mirror shine, probably the result of good, free-machining brass, sharp tools, and a really tight CNC machine.

Gear

pearson1662

12-23-2010, 04:53 PM

http://www.accuratemolds.com/index.php

excess650

12-23-2010, 04:55 PM

Beautiful! I don't own a brass mold, but the pictures sure make me want one!

Jack Stanley

12-23-2010, 09:30 PM

Thanks for the site Pearson1662 I went snooping through the stickies too for good measure . Got a few nice pictures here and there but I'm not the one who can open PDF files so about all I can do is look at the nice stuff others have posted .

As nice as they look , they remind me of a Brass mold I got from NEI about thirty years ago .

Jack

geargnasher

12-24-2010, 04:56 AM

Elkins45

12-24-2010, 03:09 PM

Sooo, how was your NEI mould a bad thing?

I think it was meant as a compliment, as in "They look so nice they remind me..."

LongPoint

12-24-2010, 04:20 PM

That is truely a thing of beauty. If you don't mind me asking, why 2 lube grooves instead of one larger groove? Just wondering.

LongPoint

Tazman1602

12-24-2010, 06:52 PM

DANG Gear that is some kind of nice! Let us know how they shoot...................

............if you ever get up the gumption to take it off the mantle and actually pour hot lead into it!!!

Art

stainless1911

12-24-2010, 08:17 PM

I dont know why the two lube grooves on his, but mine is designed with purpose. I have heard that h[ollowpoints tend to have greater stability because the center of gravity is towards the rear. My design isnt a hollowpoint, but I used t6he principle at play here, by making the front lube groove considerably larger than the rear, thus pulling the CG to the rear. As soon as I can narrow down my leading issue, and can settle in on a set diameter, I will be ordering one of these beautiful molds.

Jack Stanley

12-24-2010, 08:33 PM

Sooo, how was your NEI mould a bad thing?

Gear

PS dowload and install Foxit Reader if you have no PDF reader on your computer or don't like Adobe Acrobat, it's free and works as long as you don't need to print the files.

Indeed that is meant as a compliment to the work of Walt . Mine was a six point five bullet that I used in a Swede rifle ..... a rifle and mold I wish I still had .

I think this 'puter has the most updated Acrobat format , why the PDF won't open is beyond me . Computer stuff isn't my forte , I'm fortunate I can do what I am doing now :smile:

Jack

geargnasher

12-25-2010, 03:40 AM

Sorry Jack, I don't know why I read that as "Even though it's nice, it reminds me of....." .

I cast a pile of boolits with it this evening, absolutely the best casting mould I've ever used. I see why everyone brags on brass, expecially well-made brass. I can't say there was any break-in required, just a degreasing and trace lube with Sprayway #936 on the sprue plate and alignment pins. The alignment pins and sprue plate function with frictionless ease like a Swiss watch, and the boolits drop right out at the size I wanted.

A little explanation for the design: I wanted something with the nose profile similar to factory ball ammo, the original GI spec. so it would feed and not cause premature slide lock like so many round-nose designs will. I liked the profile of the Lee TL230-2R, but the microbands and bevel base didn't work for me. A single lube groove on pistol boolits has proven many times to be less accurate for me at distance than two with the same weight boolits, so everything I'm having built from now on is going to have at least two smaller grooves vs. one big one. The two grooves also allows me to use this boolit in my .45 Colt guns with an option of a place to crimp. Plain base, well, that one is pretty much universally understood to shoot better, and my backyard is no exception.

I e-mailed Tom before really studying his boolit catalog and it turns out he already had exactly what I wanted, but he could have altered it some if I had needed it. He educated me about lathe boring and why each mould is made to the customer specs of alloy and exact nominal size. I ordered this one .4530", his specs are +.0015/-0", and mine drops .4543" at 320* and .4535" at 430* with the wheel weight alloy I specified. Really nice being able to get such a great product made perfectly to order in a short time. Sorry if I can't shut up about this, it's just that I've wasted so much time and money on "premium" manufacturer's absolute garbage I was beginning to really dread most of the casting sessions lately. Most of the boolits I use in my guns have at least one thing about their design that I would like to change, and the moulds themselves have their flaws. I have a couple of really good old moulds that are a joy to work with, and they are both older than me, but now I know where I can get just what I want without any guesswork, and that's a really great feeling!

Oh, and in case anyone was wondering, this mould makes a set of Lee six-cavity handles feel like a million bucks! The fit is about as tight as can be with no binding whatsover. I almost didn't know what to do not having to break out the file and sandpaper to get something that is advertised to fit actually go.

Gear

Jack Stanley

12-25-2010, 10:51 AM

Gear , you don't have to shut up about good performance or something that makes you so happy . I actually like to hear people telling good things about moderate priced stuff . The only forty-five designs I've used ( untill I got this used Lyman round nose ) have been the H&G 292 and 130 . I've still got those molds and like them a lot though I rarely use the 130 anymore .

My recent move to find a round nose design has been because I bought a bucnh of Newbold self sealing targets . Round nose bullets are the easiest on the targets so they will last longer . I finally did get this Lyman mold working to an acceptable level and it rarely makes a bad bullet . I just think it would have been better with a design closer to the H&G 34 or the RCBS offering . I thought ( briefly ) about a LEE six cavity , but My experience with them tells me they run a bit small for what I use .

I'm kinda puzzled with what kind of productivity do I want . I could afford a new set of Ballisti-cast blocks , I have an extra set of four cavity handles that could be used . On the other hand , an RCBS two cavity might be just fine as well . At the cost of commercial cast bullets either would pay for itself quick enough for me . I just am not sure how much I intend to use pistols with this new set of targets .

You are really convinced that two small lube grooves are better than one large for accuracy and ease of production ?

Thanks , Jack

white eagle

12-25-2010, 11:16 AM

most all my molds are from Tom 6 in total now
I knew from the very first mold he was a very fine mold maker
when I look for a new design I know I can trust that Tom will have what I am looking for and that I can trust what he says about design

outdoorfan

12-25-2010, 12:44 PM

Well, hot dang! All this talk about Tom's molds just makes me want to go out and buy one right now. Too bad I don't have any extra cash, as I do have a design or two I'd like him to make for me.

Speaking of brass molds, if his are as good as Mihec's brass 4-cavity (solid nose design) that I have in the 45-270-saa, then it is a fantastic mold indeed. That 4-cavity blows away any mold I've had from Veral or Dan at MM.

Charlie, AKA The Deacon

12-25-2010, 01:49 PM

That looks like a sweet mold :drinks:

felix

12-25-2010, 02:59 PM

Yes, Jack, that is true. Two grooves are mo'betta' than one in an untested mold design. It is always better to keep metal as close to the circumference is as possible for stability purposes. It just so happens that a hole in the middle, like a hollow point, will make some designs more accurate enough to be measured. Besides all that, I have proven to myself that round lube grooves are preferable for casting, provided the lube groove cutter tool center line is outside a smite from the boolit circumference. ... felix

Jack Stanley

12-25-2010, 08:28 PM

Thanks very much for the info , I've had molds made by Veral that were made for a particular firearm but I don't know enough about designing one to dive into that . I tend to try a design and if it works I don't to far from the reservation , just make them better and faster .

I've never shot the H&G number 34 but I hear it's the hardball design to beat . In reality , I have a Springfiel pistol that has only been modified in trigger and little better sights . As long as I get no leading and hardball velocity with flawless function ( gun and mold ) it's then just a matter of paying the mold maker . Now I wish this acrobate thing would open the file [smilie=b: A well made brass mold , well ...... I remember fondly that old NEI I had .

Jack

geargnasher

12-25-2010, 08:37 PM

[snip]
You are really convinced that two small lube grooves are better than one large for accuracy and ease of production ?

Thanks , Jack

Yes I am. I never knew it until I started shooting .45 Colt out of rifles at 100 yards, but I've found several things to be true: Two small lube grooves make tighter groups than one large one on otherwise virtually identical boolit designs, bevel-based boolits are difficult to cast consistenly enough to be as accurate as plain-based ones on otherwise actually identical designs, SWC and RN/RFN/WFN designs with a sudden diameter change (step) between the nose and the first driving band don't seem to be as accurate as a smooth, parabolic taper from nose to full-diameter, and HP boolits always shoot tighter groups than solid boolits of identical design, especially at unusually low velocity.

With a well-made mould, a Loverin boolit drops as easily as a single-groove boolit, it's not the number or depth that makes them hard to drop out of the mould.

Tom's tooling doesn't allow for a true round nose design, he has to have a .180 minimum meplat, so that might not be ideal for those self-healing targets. On the other hand, those types of targets are becoming cheaper and still last quite a while with flat-nosed designs.

Gear

Bass Ackward

12-25-2010, 10:25 PM

Interesting synopsis on bullet design.

white eagle

12-25-2010, 10:40 PM

geargnasher

12-25-2010, 11:00 PM

outdoor
I traded off Mihec 270 saa for one of Toms molds
in the same configuration
not sorry I did

I was waiting to hear that. I don't own any MiHec moulds to compare with Accurate Molds, but I can't imagine it could be much better.

I'm going to contact Erik Ohlen and see if he can take a look at Tom's blocks and see if he thinks he might be able to to a cramer conversion on up to a three-banger. Wouldn't that be sweet?

Gear

white eagle

12-25-2010, 11:33 PM

change may be in the air /????

geargnasher

12-26-2010, 12:08 AM

I put in an email to Erik, he shows a really neat "Inset bar" conversion for multi-cavity moulds on his website, looks to me like it should work fine for brass or aluminum provided there is enough meat on the bottom of the blocks.

Gear

Jack Stanley

12-26-2010, 11:15 AM

I was going to mention the inset bar he offers for your three cavity . I'm searching for a suitable mold to have him work on ... not that I "need" a hollow point mind you . Right now the candidates that I have are a single cavity 358250 or a four cavity Lyman "cowboy" bullet . I think I'm leaning toward the single cavity Round nose , but if I could find an inexpensive 358311 double cavity I'd have the inset bar done on that .

Jack

white eagle

12-26-2010, 11:20 AM

fellas is this the bar you are talking about ?
http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?t=101637,
if so the system works good

Jack Stanley

12-26-2010, 05:21 PM

Yep , that's the bar I mean . I have an original Cramer hollow point mold that makes one cavity a hollow point and while it works much faster than the Lyman design , I would like to try that inset bar system Erik makes .

Jack

geargnasher

12-27-2010, 02:44 PM

Erik returned my email this morning, he said it looks like no problem to convert the three-cavity Accurate Molds moulds using the inset bar system, and indicated that a three-cavity arrangement would be ideal for that type of conversion. The inset bar system looks to me to be an ideal solution for reducing bind and increasing durability for multi-cavity HP conversions, looks nice and sturdy and also has a great deal of thermal mass compared to the Cramer conversions, looks like it would be easier to keep the pins hot.

Gear

500bfrman

12-27-2010, 02:47 PM

he needs .5 inch of material past the nose to work the bar system. I just emailed him about doing one.

geargnasher

12-27-2010, 03:03 PM

Thanks for that tidbit, 500. Some of the really big designs like 500+grain .45s or really heavy .30s might be long enough to present a problem, but those blocks sure are tall. With the exact specs of the cataloged designs available from Tom's site it would be simple to tell what Erik can convert and what he can't with the Inset Bar design. I've done business with Erik before and he's a great person to deal with, and a talented micro-machinist as well.

Gear

kend

12-29-2010, 11:05 PM

My Accurate mold came in today, man this thing looks good. Looks like I'll be dealing with Tom for molds now.

FWest

12-30-2010, 08:37 AM

My Accurate mold came in today, man this thing looks good. Looks like I'll be dealing with Tom for molds now.

Pictures please.

white eagle

12-30-2010, 10:04 AM

I got another new mold from Tom as well
Like I need another
I have at least 8 of his molds by now
All brass too.... I just wipe em out with alcohol and get after it
I told him when I got my first mold from him that
He was going to be trouble :bigsmyl2:

kend

12-30-2010, 09:43 PM

Pictures please.

10mm 190 gr. with gas check

http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k77/jondebarber/mold1.jpg

http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k77/jondebarber/mold2.jpg

geargnasher

12-30-2010, 10:57 PM

That looks like an excellent choice for either the 10mm or .40 with heavy charges of slow powders. Let us know how it shoots!

Gear

rayzer

12-30-2010, 11:45 PM

Those brass molds look fantastic. I have one question though. Brass is heavier than steel, are they hard on the wrist? I only have 1 steel mold, an RCBS. .38-150 I find that a little heavy after 1 hour. All the rest of my molds are aluminum, eighther Lee, or NOE.

geargnasher

12-31-2010, 02:20 AM

Yep, they're heavy. Tom mentioned he prefers alumuminum himself for that reason. After casting with brass, though, I'm really impressed. With this particular design, the mould conducts heat away from the boolit metal at a rate much slower than aluminum, but considerably faster than iron moulds, so you can keep a nice, constant heat soak going on in the blocks and yet keep the casting pace up without overheating the mould.

One of my biggest complaints about Lyman double-cavity moulds in .45 caliber has always been that the nose casts cold and the body and bands overheat because there is a lot of mass in the nose of the blocks and little around the bands. It is almost impossible to maintain even heat because the bottom of the blocks is a giant heat sink and the top needs cooling fins to keep the heat evenly dissipated. Thermal conductivity of iron is low and can let cold and hot spots develop. With brass and aluminum thermal conductivity is high enough to stay ahead of a fast casting pace, but it seems that the brass mould with the thick steel sprue plate is perfectly balanced. I cast a potfull straight through with this mould and ran the gamut from too cold to overheated, in every case the boolits showed evenly distributed temperature, and this is the first mould I've ever used that was balanced that well.

But it is heavy, and will quickly point out any deficiencies in the ergonomics of your casting arrangement and routine.

Gear

legi0n

12-31-2010, 03:04 AM

Looks like a nice mold. How heavy is it?

BCall

12-31-2010, 03:13 AM

I just received my first mold from Tom. A single cavity brass. I became interested in the 308403 Pope boolit a while back. I didn't think that a group buy would get off the ground (although it now has), so I e-mailed and asked Tom if he could cut one to original dimensions. I told Tom I would order one after Christmas, and did so on Monday. I already received it today. It is heavy, but very nice and is casting right to spec. I'm looking forward to playing with it at the bench this summer. Here are some thumb seated in 30-06 brass. I put a very slight flare in the mouth with a Lee universal expanding die. They chamber fine and look pretty good for a rush casting job.
http://i258.photobucket.com/albums/hh259/blcall/SN851260.jpg

My only question is, does anybody else's mold have a set screw for the sprue plate screw? Mine does not have one and the sprue plate screw became loose after a while. Not a huge problem, but I didn't know if all of the molds were like this or just mine. Thanks, Billy

onesonek

12-31-2010, 09:47 AM

Here's mine
360 for the .454 and 475 gr. for the 45-70
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v629/onesonek/AM453-460006.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v629/onesonek/AM453-460004.jpg

and the 320-.454 and 405-459
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v629/onesonek/100_4136.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v629/onesonek/100_4141.jpg

I elected to have the 2 calibers in the same mold, as I shoot the Encore .454 and Marlin .45-70 about the same amount.
Yeah, it may be a bit slower casting than having a 2 cav for the same boolit, but I still can cast a months worth of shooting for both guns in a couple hours or so.

white eagle

12-31-2010, 09:54 AM

I have figured a way around the weight
If I start getting a bit fatigued I rest the mold on the bench
top while I let the sprue cool
works slick as snot

geargnasher

12-31-2010, 11:50 AM

I have figured a way around the weight
If I start getting a bit fatigued I rest the mold on the bench
top while I let the sprue cool
works slick as snot

My pot sits on a large ceramic floor tile leaving a few inches of tile in front, I rest the mould on this while the sprue cools. I also use the mould rest on my Lee 4-20 when pouring, learned to do that with the six-cavity moulds. After cutting the sprue I use both hands to swing the mould over to the towel and open the blocks. It's really nice to just open the blocks and let the boolits fall out, if you're holding the mould in one hand and tapping on the hinge pin with the other the hand holding the mould can get tired.

My mould weighs 35-1/4 ounces with handles, add about two more for boolits and sprue.

Gear

FWest

12-31-2010, 07:28 PM

Thanks for the pictures. I'm just getting used to a steel mold after starting on Lee Alum. I see why steel is popular, boolits drop right out. I can't seem to get the Alum to do that.

turbo1889

12-31-2010, 10:36 PM

. . . . My only question is, does anybody else's mold have a set screw for the sprue plate screw? Mine does not have one and the sprue plate screw became loose after a while. Not a huge problem, but I didn't know if all of the molds were like this or just mine. Thanks, Billy

My 3-cav doesn't have a set screw; hasn't come loose yet though. An excellent solution to the issue altogether is to order your mold from Tom as a machine casting type mold set up for hand casting with his custom hand-casting sprue plate for machine cast molds (extra $20-ish added to his machine mold block price).

The resulting sprue set up is superb to cast with and surpasses any other sprue plate set-up I have ever come across. It is necessary to modify a cheap set of Lee handles by grinding a slot to accommodate the sprue plate bolt but the effort is well worth it.

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5009/5222132755_61dc9c07e3.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/54455625@N04/5222132755/)

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5167/5222730066_1ecaca2e95.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/54455625@N04/5222730066/)

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5161/5222133671_21f389f3ab.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/54455625@N04/5222133671/)

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5083/5311370608_333b6c9981.jpg

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5285/5311370490_45aec09a7c.jpg

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5123/5222729910_259c747995.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/54455625@N04/5222729910/)

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5005/5222729826_f376b42fef.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/54455625@N04/5222729826/)

onesonek

12-31-2010, 11:10 PM

Originally Posted by BCall
. . . . My only question is, does anybody else's mold have a set screw for the sprue plate screw? Mine does not have one and the sprue plate screw became loose after a while. Not a huge problem, but I didn't know if all of the molds were like this or just mine. Thanks, Billy

Mine don't have a set screw either. On my first I hadn't noticed any issue with the screw lossening for whatever reason. On the second mold however it did. I lubed both at the start, well just cuz. But on the second mold after discovering the sprue screw wanting to back out,,,,I degreased it,and put a little blue thread locker on it and set for a day. Once the set locker was "broke", it left enough residual "crud" in the threads to hold the screw from turning on it's own.

geargnasher

12-31-2010, 11:13 PM

BCall

01-01-2011, 01:49 AM

#5 allen setbolt, 1 piece of #7-1/2 lead shot, 1 #6 drill and tap set from Lowe's, tap driver, electric drill or drill press, and center punch. Make a lock for the pivot bolt yourself. If you've ever removed the sprue plate screw from a Lee mould and then tried to cast with it again you probably already have all of the above and a large package of the setbolts.

Gear

Gear, I have the pieces, but for an $85+ mold, I don't think I should have to do that. I like the mold, but there is a big differernce between a $20 mold and an $80 one. Thanks guys, Billy

Plus I'm not talking about a screw that came loose after I removed it, I'm talking about a screw that came loose from the first casting. I did nothing but clean it. Am I being nitpicky for a premium price mold? None of the other molds, RCBS, Saeco, NOE, BRP, any did this. Thanks , Billy

TomAM

01-01-2011, 02:22 AM

Lock screws are needed when the hinge screw depth determines sprew plate adjustment. I use a wave washer and a counter-bored shoulder screw, bottomed out, to produce the proper tension. Just tighten the hinge screw to the bottom. Add Locktite if you like. I must not have tightened yours very snug when I assembled it.

BCall

01-01-2011, 02:29 AM

OK Tom, I have removed the sprue plate and understand what you are saying, I will retighten snug and test again tomorrow. The mold cast a beautiful boolit, just the sprue plate came loose and was flopping around. I see the shoulder screw and will try again. Than you, Billy

geargnasher

01-01-2011, 03:52 AM

Sorry I missed the fun, I was out ringing in the new year casting a fresh pile of 45-230Ls. Of course I took a break to kiss Mrs. Geargnasher! Sprue plate screw still snug as a bug. I think I'm going to need a bigger pot. Happy new year fellas.

Gear

onesonek

01-01-2011, 08:32 AM

white eagle

01-01-2011, 02:46 PM

I really like Toms set up for the sprue plate
like he said it is counterbored and when tightened to its tightest the
the plate is moving freely
making perfect boolits
I actually think the set screw idea is poor thinking
never had good luck with a sprue plate tight

geargnasher

01-01-2011, 03:32 PM

W.E., I think you don't understand what I was trying to describe. Have you ever looked at a Lyman two-cavity mould? They install a sprue plate pivot bolt setscrew from the factory to keep the screw from loosening as the mould blocks heat up and they have a shoulder on the pivot screw also, but it often isn't enough friction to keep it tight. The set screw idea enables you to lock the sprue plate pivot bolt in any position you want. Tom's moulds may not need them, but most do. Even if the screw is tightened against the mould block, it can lose clamp load as things heat up and thermal expansion takes place, causing the screw to loosen each time you swing the plate open. The set screw and keep this from happening.

I think Tom's don't have a habit of loosening because the bolts are huge and there is a lot of surface area for the shoulder. The other thing is the sprue plates are glass-smooth and there is really no friction around the bolt head or against the blocks, so not much drag on the screw shank to unscrew it.

Gear

BCall

01-01-2011, 03:57 PM

Well, I don't know why it works, but like any tool, if you understand how to use it as designed, it does work, and very well.

Per this thread and Tom, I tightened the sprue plate screw down really snug. Just got finished casting with it some more and it worked very well without coming loose. I apologize if I sounded rough, but I simply didn't understand the use of it. Like gear said, Lyman uses a shoulder screw, but you can tighten it down until you cannot move the sprue plate. You cannot do that with Tom's mold.I assumed it worked like a Lyman and you could adjust sprue plate tension with it, and it doesn't work that way, it is not adjustable and does not need to be as far as I'm concerned. I basically got it as tight as I dared, the sprue plate had proper tension on it and it worked very well.
Thank you Tom.

geargnasher

01-01-2011, 04:27 PM

My 3-cav doesn't have a set screw; hasn't come loose yet though. An excellent solution to the issue altogether is to order your mold from Tom as a machine casting type mold set up for hand casting with his custom hand-casting sprue plate for machine cast molds (extra $20-ish added to his machine mold block price).

The resulting sprue set up is superb to cast with and surpasses any other sprue plate set-up I have ever come across. It is necessary to modify a cheap set of Lee handles by grinding a slot to accommodate the sprue plate bolt but the effort is well worth it.

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5009/5222132755_61dc9c07e3.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/54455625@N04/5222132755/)

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5167/5222730066_1ecaca2e95.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/54455625@N04/5222730066/)

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5161/5222133671_21f389f3ab.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/54455625@N04/5222133671/)

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5083/5311370608_333b6c9981.jpg

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5285/5311370490_45aec09a7c.jpg

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5123/5222729910_259c747995.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/54455625@N04/5222729910/)

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5005/5222729826_f376b42fef.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/54455625@N04/5222729826/)

I was studying those pics again, thanks for the good shots and explanation, what you and Tom have done there is pretty neat, thought I'd quote it again in case anyone missed it.

Gear

white eagle

01-01-2011, 06:16 PM

No Gear..
I know exactly what was being explained
I lost enough of those set screws out of RCBS's molds

geargnasher

01-01-2011, 07:01 PM

No Gear..
I know exactly what was being explained
I lost enough of those set screws out of RCBS's molds

I was wondering, since you said that you never had any luck casting with the sprue plate tight, that you thought I meant overtightening the sprue plate pivot screw itselt, not the setscrew. The beauty of the setscrew in the cheap, production moulds is that you can set the sprue plate tension anywhere you wanted it and lock it down right there. Of course Tom's moulds are built to very tight tolerances and don't need adjusting like the other production moulds do. Much better wave washers, too, most of the ones on my Lyman moulds have lost their temper by now.

Gear

carlv

01-02-2011, 12:22 PM

I'd like to add a testimonial for Accurate Molds.

I sent my first sketch of a mold design to A-M on 12-18.
Thru emails, we finalized the design in about 24 hrs (mostly me being educated about the limitations of the tooling).
He has lightening-fast responses to emails, usually replying in 60-90 minutes
(one email was sent out close to midnite).

I placed an order on 12-21 and the mold was shipped out on 12-27 .
Six day turn-around time during the week of Christmas !
I had requested that he not ship until 12-27 or later, so it might have been ready even earlier.

Outstanding service and a beautiful brass 3 cavity mold (# 36-148B in the A-M catalog). Can't wait to see how they shoot.

geargnasher

01-02-2011, 12:59 PM

Interesting design, looks like the lube grooves will line up perfectly with the lube holes in a Lyman "H" die.

Gear

garymcgehee52

01-14-2011, 08:30 PM

I received my 3 cavity brass mold 308403 clone today. 8 days from order till I received it. I couldn,t believe the quick service on a custom mold. I fired up my 20 lb Lee pot and cast about 200. The bullets just fell out of the mold without tapping on the handles. I miked them and they were right on spec for all three cavities. I plan to try them out Sunday. Can,t say enough about how pleased I am with it.

geargnasher

01-14-2011, 11:05 PM

We keep doing this and Tom's going to be backlogged into next year :bigsmyl2:

Gear

BCall

01-14-2011, 11:12 PM

I dunno how, he spits em out faster than anyone I ever seen. Had mine in under 5 days.

white eagle

01-16-2011, 02:01 AM

he seems to be even faster at times
great delivery and workmanship
customer service second to none

saz

01-16-2011, 03:44 AM