Boolits shrinking in the mould?

[horsesoldier]

I cast a bunch of the Lee R.E.A.L's in 58 caliber and I cannot get a good fill out with them. They looked ok but when I shot them they hit the cardboard going sideways at 100 yards. So I measured them and found they were too small. Do I need to add tin to my pure lead to get a better fill out?

[newton]

Is it a brand new mold? I found with my lee REAL mold I had to clean it very, very well. They I had to smoke it a LOT. Then heat it up real good and then start casting.

Even then the boolits came out unfilled for a while. And it took quite a bit of re-smoking before they would fill out.

Now I just do a quick smoke of the cavity, heat up the mold, and about 4 or 5 drops later I am getting near perfect boolits.

There is something about the soot that helps fill out. I am using dang near pure lead, so I do not think you need to add tin.

[horsesoldier]

Yep it was a brand new mould. I will give a good scrubbing for the mould. Thank you!

[newton]

Yea. It really frustrated me. A good cleaning goes a long way, but smoking is just as important. Mine are coming out real good now.

[mooman76]

A little tin wouldn't hurt and try cranking the heat up. Soft lead needs more heat to help fill out.

[OverMax]

Exactly mooman76 I have to agree. TURN UP THE HEAT!! horsesoldier. A mold won't fill out correctly if the leads heat is to low. Don't bother trying to get those pretty silvery Lone Ranger perfect look'in bullets.Go for the frosted looking ones instead. Frosted pours. You'll never see air pockets or goofy look'in fills in your cast after your mold heats up.

[KCSO]

No tin if you can help it, those bullets need to be soft to expand and fill the bore. It takes a while to season the mould but keep working and you will get there.

[frontier gander]

turn the heat up but most importantly, heat that mold up. When they cool down to much, thats what happens.

[Boerrancher]

Heat, heat, and more heat. I run my pot and molds hot enough that every thing I cast frosts, including my round balls. I never have trouble with fill out, shrinkage, inconsistent weights, or any of the other usual complaints about cast projectiles.

Best wishes,

Joe

[horsesoldier]

Thanks guys, I had my pot turned all the way up but I am sure the mould wasent hot enough