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View Full Version : Lee 501-440 making misshapen bullets?


happyfast79
10-08-2011, 11:46 PM
well i got a lee 501-440 gc bullet mould and found that after i cast some bullets that they all had a convex line around a 1/16 " wide running from nose to base everyt 1/16 of a inch all the way around the bullet ( so it kinda looked like a really dulled down star fruit........ sortaish......) so i was just wondering if i should send this mold back to midway or try to shoot it and keep it??


Heres some pictures
http://i221.photobucket.com/albums/dd178/happyfast79/018-1.jpg

http://i221.photobucket.com/albums/dd178/happyfast79/016-1.jpg

http://i221.photobucket.com/albums/dd178/happyfast79/015-2.jpg

http://i221.photobucket.com/albums/dd178/happyfast79/005-2.jpg
runfiverun
10-09-2011, 12:12 AM
if it's something you can see in the mold i'd send it back.
if you cant see it sept on the boolit i'd still send it back, possibly with a boolit.
gandydancer
10-09-2011, 12:15 AM
got a photo? so we can see the bullet.
Wayne Smith
10-09-2011, 07:57 AM
How did you clean the mold before you started using it?
happyfast79
10-09-2011, 09:16 AM
Yes you can see it in the mold. one cavity looks worse then the other> i cleaned the mold with hot soap and water and a tooth brush. ill try to take some picks... posibly a dull cutter that was chattering?"??
happyfast79
10-09-2011, 02:08 PM
i added pics
happyfast79
10-10-2011, 11:06 PM
Wow midway is sending me a new mold and they dont even want the old one back! thats customer service
nanuk
10-13-2011, 12:17 AM
you can now try LeeMenting it, at little risk.

perhaps to get a slightly fatter boolit to try
happyfast79
10-31-2011, 08:24 PM
the new mold looks (better) but you can still see it on the bullet
462
10-31-2011, 08:43 PM
I'm not a machinist, but I'll say that is chatter caused by a dull cherry. I had a two-cavity 358-158 RF that had the same problem, and a bit of lapping made it right.
Heavy lead
10-31-2011, 08:52 PM
I have one of these, other than the 00 buckshot mold it is the only Lee I have left, simply it is a piece of junk, however I keep it as it casts two good boolits, overweight at 465 grains, but a nice round good shooter.
Why a piece of junk? You can't close it without tipping it upside down, stand on one foot, and dance around the room.
I'll have Dan at Mountain Molds cut a duplicate someday.
theperfessor
10-31-2011, 09:34 PM
It's chatter. Depending on what size bullet it drops now, it could easily be lapped out to remove the tool marks as 462 did. You're getting it free anyway, so it might be worth trying. If it was already the right size I'd be inclined to try a few as-is. I wouldn't think the surface faceting would create much of a ballistic problem.