Does anyone mill down a Lee mold

[tackstrp]

Does anyone mill down a Lee mold to make a shorter bullet? Somewhere i read,that someone did just that, took a six cavity mold and milled it down enough to take out the driving band and first lube groove.

I have looked at every mold maker listed on this forum and elsewher, not one offers a truely custom mold at any price. Well did find one that says used his design software which i could not find. The most promising one was Lee. Could be that is why Ranch Dog has them make his custom molds.


Thanks for all the suggestions
fellow over in long view texas will cut for me. in the meantime wrote a email to NOE asking how do i get mold that would be a copy of the Federal Hdra Shok 65 grain. .413 .419 lenght or less , and no more than 71 grains one grease groove.
with WW


Thanks for all the suggestions

[excess650]

Mountain Molds HAS software on his website that will allow you to design your own mold within certain parameters. I have a pair that I designed on his software. Accurate Molds will also cut your designs, and both of these guys Accurate and Mountain)lathe bore. David Mos may not be listed but he cuts beautiful molds, and (2) of the best I've ever cast with were my own designs cut by him.

[tackstrp]

yes cant find his software and no response to my email. DO not want iron or brass .

[Walter Laich]

no expert here but couldn't a machine shop mill it down using a fly cutter?

[RobS]

Buckshot a member on the forum here has done this and may do it for an individual as he does things like this. JIMinPHX may also do this sort of thing as well.



http://castboolits.gunloads.com/member.php?u=3614

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/member.php?u=67

As been state a machine shop should be able to do this sort of thing too, but our forum members have a clear idea of what you are after.

[excess650]

yes cant find his software and no response to my email. DO not want iron or brass .



http://www.mountainmolds.com/

top left "online mold design", pick a caliber, plug in alloy type, GC or PB, boolit weight, nose profile, ogive diameter, shank length and type(GC) bore ride or not, as cast diameter, yada, yada, yada....Iron, brass, or aluminum and up to 3 cavities

[excess650]

no expert here but couldn't a machine shop mill it down using a fly cutter?

A fly cutter will work as will a conventinal multi-tooth cutter followed up by a good surface grinding so as to not leave any burrs(steel or iron).

[tackstrp]

Ouch finally got the mountian mold design to work. A two cavity mold is double Ranch Dog price for a six cavity mold.. I will wait until June an buy the Ranch Dog mold.

Thanks for all the assistance.

[cabezaverde]

Talk to Buckshot.

[excess650]

Ouch finally got the mountian mold design to work. A two cavity mold is double Ranch Dog price for a six cavity mold.. I will wait until June an buy the Ranch Dog mold.

Thanks for all the assistance.

They are more $, but you're paying for truly CUSTOM as in "one-off". Lee molds are production items, and Ranch Dog's are just Lee molds cut to his designs. IIRC, LBT and Hoch are more $. Be aware that the Ranch Dog's cast large for respective calibers. I despise the cam operated aluminum sprue cutter on the Lee 6 cavity molds, so had a conventionally operated replacement made from steel, so that added $35.

Don't misunderstand, I'm not knocking Ranch Dog or his designs. They are excellent designs for hunting, and cut with Marlin microgroove (and chambers) in mind. I've had (3) and they all dropped nice boolits, albeit largish for my taste. I've since bought the NOE versions of the same (2 of 3) and prefer the smaller as-cast diameters, and conventional grooves.

[deltaenterprizes]

Thanks for the recommendation, Long Point. PM sent.

[JIMinPHX]

I've cut down a 2-cav Lee 6.5mm CM mold before with good results. Geargnasher cut just one cavity by hand using a file & a hacksaw on his mold before that. More on those exploits here - http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?t=97395 & here http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?t=73781

Cutting down a 6-cav Lee mold might present some additional problems. You might not have enough meat left in the mold for the sprue plate pivot screw & the stop screw to thread into if you take off very much.

[tackstrp]

fellow over in long view texas will cut for me. in the meantime wrote a email to NOE asking how do i get mold that would be a copy of the Federal Hdra Shok 65 grain. .413 .419 lenght or less , and no more than 71 grains
with WW


Thanks for all the suggestions