milkman
09-12-2012, 04:21 PM
I posted earlier that I was so discouraged by fliers that I was thinking about quitting casting. My whining and baby girl crying generated loads of help and suggestions.
I just may have this dog whupped. It looks like there were a several causes for the fliers.
First was poor casting technique. I was running my lead pot as low as it would allow, but I was casting as fast as I could fill the mold and cut the sprue. Most of the sprues were torn off rather than cut and the boolits would grow in diameter till part of the bore riding portion of the nose was being sized (.360). Diameters were all over the place because of temp variations.
The sprue plate was too loose and moving on its on, causing off center tears in the base. Basically an off center void or bubble.
Probably using too much lube. I cut back to one lube groove, from three, and still getting a lube star and no leading. (using BAC)
I think the biggest culprit was poorly fitting gas checks. The checks I was making were too tight on the shank and very difficult to start without expanding them. Even after opening the check, I don't think the base of the check was always seating flush with the base of the boolit. Kinda funny though because I also used Hornady checks and still had the same problem with fliers. May have been one of the other problems jumping in to confuse me.
Goodsteel made me sweeeeeet custom check maker. Tim custom makes the cutter, punch and die to your booit diameter, shank diameter and material thickness. AND charges less than anyone else. A great product, extremely well made, the checks slide on the shank with only finger pressure and seat so tightly that I can hardly pull them off with a fingernail.
I slowed down the casting rate to keep the mold cooler and at a steadier temperature, cut the sprues instead of ripping them off, separated the boolits by diameter, then by weight, and used the new checks.
I have fired 5 more 5 shot groups, getting 1 1/2" groups at 100 yd, 1800 fps and no fliers. best group under an inch.
Thanks everyone for the suggestions, ideas, and encouragement.
Milkman
I tried to post pictures but got a "token missing" message ??
Thanks again for all the help
I just may have this dog whupped. It looks like there were a several causes for the fliers.
First was poor casting technique. I was running my lead pot as low as it would allow, but I was casting as fast as I could fill the mold and cut the sprue. Most of the sprues were torn off rather than cut and the boolits would grow in diameter till part of the bore riding portion of the nose was being sized (.360). Diameters were all over the place because of temp variations.
The sprue plate was too loose and moving on its on, causing off center tears in the base. Basically an off center void or bubble.
Probably using too much lube. I cut back to one lube groove, from three, and still getting a lube star and no leading. (using BAC)
I think the biggest culprit was poorly fitting gas checks. The checks I was making were too tight on the shank and very difficult to start without expanding them. Even after opening the check, I don't think the base of the check was always seating flush with the base of the boolit. Kinda funny though because I also used Hornady checks and still had the same problem with fliers. May have been one of the other problems jumping in to confuse me.
Goodsteel made me sweeeeeet custom check maker. Tim custom makes the cutter, punch and die to your booit diameter, shank diameter and material thickness. AND charges less than anyone else. A great product, extremely well made, the checks slide on the shank with only finger pressure and seat so tightly that I can hardly pull them off with a fingernail.
I slowed down the casting rate to keep the mold cooler and at a steadier temperature, cut the sprues instead of ripping them off, separated the boolits by diameter, then by weight, and used the new checks.
I have fired 5 more 5 shot groups, getting 1 1/2" groups at 100 yd, 1800 fps and no fliers. best group under an inch.
Thanks everyone for the suggestions, ideas, and encouragement.
Milkman
I tried to post pictures but got a "token missing" message ??
Thanks again for all the help