help with mold mod/build

[moto357]

in my quest to make a smooth sided .40 bullet for use in a sabot for a ML i've decided on a few options. all options im going to try and see what comes of them

first thought/attempt is to drill out a smaller cal. Lee mold. have recently aquired a lathe and am by no means an expert, but have been steady learning the last few months. is there an easy way to center the existing cavity in the mold? my other option is to buy another smaller mold and make the entire cavity from scratch which i may have to do depending on how this one turns out! i was hoping to drill it undersize and then slowly send the reamer in till bearing surface is desired length while using the existing nose design in the mold.

any thoughts on this or direction to other threads with this info would be greatly appreciated!:D

[beagle]

That ought to work for you. Don't have to be really close as to size. Grab a sizer of the right diameter and make it what you want with a nose first sizing rig.

Every couple of years I make a hundred 457122HPs up out of pure lead (wrinkles and all) and downsize to .450" for a friend in VT. He uses them in sabots and the first deer he killed was a doe and said it almost took her head off with a neck shot.

So, it will work just fine./beagle

[Buckshot]

have recently aquired a lathe and am by no means an expert, but have been steady learning the last few months. is there an easy way to center the existing cavity in the mold?

http://www.fototime.com/4E82C710D2AEAC9/standard.jpg

............Best (and fastest) way to do it is a 4 jaw and running a TI midpoint of the cavity.

http://www.fototime.com/EC6E32186093ED1/standard.jpg

If you don't have a 4 jaw a face plate will work as well so long as you have the angle plates or other means to clamp the blocks to it.

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

[excess650]

I'm thinking you want to end at .400"-.401" which is SAME as jacketed used in those sabots. Not exactly the same, but I wnated to paper patch for a .43 Mauser, so I had LBT cut a .435" LFN with no grooves and a very slight bevel base. The bevel was so that patch wouldn't cut or tear there, but the same bevel would be good for your sabot slug so that it won't stick.

If you have a lathe and 4 jaw chuck, you have what you need. If you're trying to do this in a drill press, good luck!

[moto357]

yes its a 4 jaw chuck, and i've already made a sizer that is almost exactly .4000, the reamer i have is .404 or .406, which is fine for an as cast diameter.

Buckshot, not sure what you are refering to as a TI midpoint of the cavaty? your picture is very helpful but looks as there is something in your cavity? whatever it is sounds like an easy way.. just needs to be simplified for a dummy.

thanks for all the help guys, ups tracking says my reamer will be here tomorrow so maybe by tomorrow night i'll have some pictures? we'll see......

[Buckshot]

Buckshot, not sure what you are refering to as a TI midpoint of the cavaty? your picture is very helpful but looks as there is something in your cavity? whatever it is sounds like an easy way.. just needs to be simplified for a dummy.

.............TI = Test Indicator, halfway into the mould cavity. Lathe bored cavities generally seem to be square with the mould blocks. Seems cherried cavities can sometime be a bit augerspield in that regard :-)

http://www.fototime.com/2E52E1F832F7ACF/standard.jpg

Checking block faces and then indicating the cavities can sometimes be a real eye opener. Those type cavities are a real joy to try and set up to run concentric as the oustide planes of the blocks don't match what you're wanting the cavity to be doing :-)

BTW there's nothing IN that cavity in the chuck except the indicator probe. Maybe my black circle drawn around the cavity has you messed up? The circle is there because I always like to make sure the right one gets taken care of, rather then relying on REMEMBERING which one it was!

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

[Dan Cash]

Motto,
I have a 2 cavity Lyman 311467 mould that has been spoiled. If you would like to have it for your experiment/development, PM me with your shipping address and I will send it along.
Dan

[moto357]

yes the black circle threw me off..ha! feel a lil dumb about the TI thing too, i was trying to come up with some technical lingo instead of keeping that simple as well.. anyways thanks for the replies and generosity from everyone.

Dan PM sent

[moto357]

finally made some time and just jumped at it last night. bought a lee mold for a .379 i think it was at 250gr in original cavities? anyways, i like the nose profile and finally took the mold apart, chucked it up in the lathe and one cavity at a time drilled it out and followed that with a reamer just a hair over my desired caliber. remember my goal is for a saboted bullet for use in ML and smokeless ML. my estimated weight was spot on and to my suprise, both cavities as far as i can tell are within a grain or so with dropped bullets. here's a couple pictures of the finished mold!

Dan, i'll be trying to make a spitzer bullet with the mold you gave me. that one is next.. with the weather getting nicer i'll be spending more time out in the garage. yesterday didn't get out of the teens so i tried to be quick.. not good when trying to make something like this!

anyways, i had to post up some pics and give some thanks to you guys for your freely given help and info

http://i133.photobucket.com/albums/q65/moto35769/DSC_0003-1.jpg

http://i133.photobucket.com/albums/q65/moto35769/DSC_0010.jpg

finished bullets cast of nearly pure lead with small amount of tin were 287gr and diameter measured at .407 8-)

[JIMinPHX]

is there an easy way to center the existing cavity in the mold?

You might want to take a look here - http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?t=45741

[nanuk]

Moto357: How well do those seat in a sabot? does the sharp full base fit down snuggly or does the sabot have a radiused corner?

[Fishman]

Those look right sharp! I like!

[moto357]

Jim, very interesting reading in that thread you put up the link for. good stuff!

nanuk, the harvester blue sabots i have for 45 are square edged insde, and these fit ok as cast, and are perfect when sized to .401... the plastic is a bit forgiving!

[nanuk]

Good stuff!

what twist is in your .45?

[Doby45]

Very nice work. I need to get me a lathe and a tiny mill. LOL

[moto357]

yes a small mill is next on my wish list.. ;)

my .45 has a 1-20 twist