Bullet HELP!!!!!!!!!!!!

[dmize]

I have been learning to cast for about a year now.
I work in a garage and smelted down a bunch of wheelweights,then cast 400 grain TL lubed with LLA, mild loads with 10 grains of Unique leaded the **** out of my SRH and Raging Bull, I thought I accidently melted some Zinc in to the mix so I didnt use it again.
I ordered alloy form Missouri Bullet Company,cast some out of that and they shoot great.
I recently got a new batch of WW, hand sorted them twice and melted them down, I bought 3, 6 cavity moulds 45 200 RNFP,230RNTL and 357 158 SWCTL.
Out of WW,air cooled and water dropped and same with MBC alloy the 230 TL will not work,some dont touch the sizer die,.451 and some I can hardly get thru it. I used LLA and the 45/45/10 JPW.
Also the 357 bullets at +P velocities and unsized are worthless.
ANY IDEAS??

[geargnasher]

Get the trash and lead flashing out from between your mould blocks, make CERTAIN they are mating properly every cast, and add about two feet of lead-free plumbers (solid core) 1/8" solder wire to the pot next time you cast.

Also, keep your alloy at about 675 degrees and your mould at 325-400 depending on what it likes.

Gear

[Wayne Smith]

With the six cavity molds make sure you are not squeezing the sprue plate handle when you hold the mold closed. This opens the mold just slightly. With the other problems, especially the 357 issue, you have to be much more specific. What gun, what geometry (relationship between the chamber mouths and the bore), what speed, what lube, etc.

I realize you are frustrated, but take a deep breath and read the stickies here, do a search for 357. Read extensively. You will quickly realize who knows what they are talking about and who is just shooting the breeze. Learn from those and come back with some specific questions that can be answered.

If you do not know the geometry of your revolver read on slugging a barrel and you will quickly learn how to determine what you have. If you do not have a micrometer get even a cheap one from Sears, it will be good to three didgits. A caliper is only accurate to two, even though it may read to three or four.

[snuffy]

Demize, you sound like a motor cycle rider plunging headlong into an obstacle
course at 60 mph with no brakes! You're trying to do too much all at once.

Pick a mold, cast some boolits, then load some up with a load work-up
with different increments of powder. Manuals are full of proper loads, pick a
powder bullet combo to test.

Not knowing the sizes of your cylinder throats and barrel groove diameter is
strike one. Not sizing the boolit to that diameter is strike 2. Strike 3 is the
leading that results.

Pick a revolver, a boolit, then make some test loads. If they fail or don't lead
but aren't accurate, come back here we'll help you solve the problems.

Oh, welcome to the cast boolits forum!:-D

[Bass Ackward]

I have been learning to cast for about a year now.

1. I thought I accidently melted some Zinc in to the mix so I didnt use it again.

2. I ordered alloy form Missouri Bullet Company,cast some out of that and they shoot great.

3. I recently got a new batch of WW, hand sorted them twice and melted them down, I bought 3, 6 cavity moulds 45 200 RNFP,230RNTL and 357 158 SWCTL.
Out of WW,air cooled and water dropped and same with MBC alloy the 230 TL will not work,some dont touch the sizer die,.451 and some I can hardly get thru it. I used LLA and the 45/45/10 JPW.
Also the 357 bullets at +P velocities and unsized are worthless.
ANY IDEAS??


If I read what you wrote, it seems that you have no trouble with lead batches made by somebody else, (2) but your mixes (1 and 3) just kick your a$$.

So from what you wrote, you have already identified the problem.

[canyon-ghost]

Small mixes may be doing it, you need a repeatable mix to keep consistency or use straight wheelweights. In a Magnum, two thoughts: Hard bullets, and gas check. I say gas check because it places the force upon the middle driving bands rather than the base. May lead less that way.

Sizing needs to be oversized. If you can get only .001" oversize, it's better than nothing. Follow what these guys have told you, one caliber at a time. Or, backburner one for the other. I've been casting for 10 years and now, have just started what you're doing. I'm working on 44spl and 41 mag in Blackhawks. Know you chamber dimensions.
http://www.cylindersmith.com/

Depending on the lubersizer, I start mine out with Rem Oil (spray can is handy) sometimes.
Ron