New Mold for the 7.62x25

[jdgabbard]

Well after having looked for what seems like forever for a mold in the right weight class for the Tok, and one that could hide the grease with the TINY neck, I had just about given up hope. I had been looking for a Lyman 311010 since it was close to the proper weight, and had a similar profile to the factory FMJ. However, after deciding that there probably wasn't ever going to be one turn up, thats a unique mold apparently, I decide to have a custom mold cut.

On the 12th of this month I got online and designed/ordered a mold from Mountain Molds. Knowing what the shape should look like and seeing it with my own two eyes are two very different things. Especially now, since I'm currently still deployed to the middle-east. So I kindly asked Dan if he could email me a photo of the finished mold before he mailed it to my house. The picture speaks for itself.

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/picture.php?albumid=223&pictureid=4666

[arjacobson]

I have had great luck with a lee 311-100gn bullet. Shot thousands of these. No leading-great accuracy. Other guys hate them but I wouldn't load toks anymore without using the lee fcd die. Toks are very easy to distort the case when crimping.

[jrayborn]

Oh nice! What weight is the mold supposed to throw? Looks like maybe 90 gr. but I cannot tell for sure. Also what is the cost and is 2 cavity the only offering?

Thanks for your service, come home safe, and soon.

Jon

[9.3X62AL]

Dan at Mountain Molds makes some very fine tools.

I gave up trying to find a place for lube grooves under the neck. My experience with this caliber (and 30 Mauser and 30 Luger) has been that neck tension is critical--there's so little neck to provide it. That was the rationale for setting the crimp and tension on the center drive band of Lee's 100 grain RN.

Another more recent tryout that has done well is Lyman #311419, which is roughly a shortened #311316. Flat-nosed and gas-checked, weighing 92 grains as-cast, I've run it in the CZ-52 to 1500 FPS with accuracy. (LOUD like a $#&^%@, though).

I would be keenly interested in your results "hiding" the lube groove in the neck. The Lee FCD might be a good upgrade; a lot of factory 7.62 x 25 has a stab crimp to help retain the bullet.

[jdgabbard]

jrayborn, I think I paid about $140 for the two cavity, and no he also sells 3 cavity molds, but they are not brass. But be advised, he doesn't have standard offerings. This was made to my specs. It may be a failed attempt, which means I'll be out $140. But then again, maybe I could pawn this off on someone with a .32acp or something.

9.3, hiding the lube is exactly what I'm attempting here... I have sized the bands and groove so that the front and rear bands are .100" each, and the lube groove is .070"

The purpose for this is that the Tok has, roughly, a neck that is .150" long. The idea being that .070 of the neck will be taken up with the lube groove, and the remainder, about .080", will consist of about .030 of the bottom band and .050 of the top band. That should give it enough room for a good TIGHT crimp, and enough of the base inside the neck to protect the lube. I'm not worried about the base sticking down into the neck much. As I don't think it'll make a difference with fire cutting causing leading.