Prettiest boolits I've ever made!

[RG1911]

Thanks to all the help and information here, I finally unearthed my H&G #68 mold (200 gr .45 SWC) and cast a few hundred really good-looking boolits using the Lyman #2-equivalent alloy I just made. One thing the lead thermometer showed me is that I've been casted *way* too hot ever since I started many moons ago.

The only thing that troubles me about the boolits I just cast is that they're not round. Checking at several spots around the circumference shows values from .451 to .454. I'm hoping that when I size them to .452 that the narrow side will expand a bit as the bulkier side is compressed.

Or do I need a new mold? Does anyone make a mold that casts perfectly round boolits to a specific diameter?

Many thanks and Happy New Year!

Richard

[Cherokee]

Out of round boolits is common. Sizing usually takes care of it. Make sure there are no specks of lead on the face of the mold blocks to keep the molds from closing completely. You do not need a new mold IMHO. A real H&G #68 is hard to come by.

[williamwaco]

The only molds I have ever owned that cast bullets perfectly round ( +/- 0.0005 ) were (Ooops, - Hensley and Gibbs and their successor, Ballisti-Cast)

SO:

I strongly suspect your mold is not closing completely.

Close the blocks just like you would if you were casting a bullet.

Hold it up to a bright light ( sunlight if possible ) hold it so you can look into the cavity with the bottom of the mold toward the light.

If you can see any light through the mold closure, you need to find out why and fix it.

.

[RG1911]

Shall run that check on the mold. Many thanks for the tip.

I wonder if it has anything to do with having to tap the hinge a couple times to get the mold to open? Just cutting off the sprue and trying to open the mold doesn't work.

Perhaps Ballisti-Cast would check and, if necessary, fix it.

Cheers,
Richard

[ballisti-cast]

It's either not closing all the way or the pins are misaligned. Holding it up to the light is definitely the first check. If the bullets are out of round because the mold isn't closing all the way, the cast bullets will be narrowest at the seam lines. The other possibility is that the pins are misaligned. This is the case if you measure the bullet and on one side of the seam it measures .451 and on the other side (very small rotation) it measures .454. Your describing classic signs of misaligned pins. If you need help re-setting them my number is 701-360-1145 or sales@ballisti-cast.com

If you have the ball end style pins you should be able to lightly tap them into place (the H&G users manual covers it: http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?153327-Hensley-amp-Gibbs-Mold-Users-Manual ) We put different hardened conical pins in now with both a male and female side which takes a press to move, but I believe that came after H&G. They are both tough to set if you don't do it every day and have a feel for when they align correctly.

[RG1911]

If you have the ball end style pins you should be able to lightly tap them into place (the H&G users manual covers it: http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?153327-Hensley-amp-Gibbs-Mold-Users-Manual ) We put different hardened conical pins in now with both a male and female side which takes a press to move, but I believe that came after H&G. They are both tough to set if you don't do it every day and have a feel for when they align correctly.

The blocks pass the light check, so that apparently isn't the problem. I've now read the H&G user's manual that you kindly posted and will check the pin alignment. (The blocks have the ball-end pins.)

Interestingly, my normal short-term procedure for storing blocks is to leave them full. When I knocked off the sprue to perform the light check, the blocks opened without any difficulty. So it *seems* that the opening problem happens when the blocks are up to temperature.

If I can't fix the problem, can I pay to have the blocks checked and adjusted at Ballisti-Cast? And if that doesn't work, I'm hoping you have the #68BB mold, or equivalent, for sale.

Happy New Year!

Richard

[ballisti-cast]

One other thing to check. Squeeze the mold halves together and try and twist them back in forth. If there is any movement the alignment pins are misaligned. Let me know what you find out. I can try and figure out a good way for you to set them at home and post a tutorial video. You are not the first person that has run into this. An $80 1/2 ton arbor press let's you set them yourself the same way I do and I would highly recommend one.

[RG1911]

One other thing to check. Squeeze the mold halves together and try and twist them back in forth. If there is any movement the alignment pins are misaligned. Let me know what you find out. I can try and figure out a good way for you to set them at home and post a tutorial video. You are not the first person that has run into this. An $80 1/2 ton arbor press let's you set them yourself the same way I do and I would highly recommend one.

Well, there are no light leaks and absolutely no movement when the blocks are twisted. If this test rules out pin misalignment, I'm going to have to assume that the mold just produces out-of-round bullets. If that's the problem, and if there is no way to fix it, I'll just have to buy another set of molds.

Many thanks for the help.

Cheers,
Richard

[ballisti-cast]

If you order a new one from us, send the old mold in for me to take a look at. I'm fairly confident the pins are set right and that it's a problem with the mold cavities since you did those tests. H&G tested all of their molds to my knowledge and it's tough to believe they would've let something that far out of tolerance slip by, but it's possible. We cut our molds on CNC equipment to drop bullets from .001-.002" over the size of your size die and verify the mold casts a bullet that is round when sized. For example if the mold is .0015" out of round we test it to insure that it's casting a bullet that's between .0015-.002" over the size die diameter so the bullet is perfectly round once sized, or throw the mold and try again if it fails. Our roundness tolerances are 0.0000-0.0015". Our lead times are at 6+ weeks out on molds right now.

[RG1911]

If you order a new one from us, send the old mold in for me to take a look at. I'm fairly confident the pins are set right and that it's a problem with the mold cavities since you did those tests. H&G tested all of their molds to my knowledge and it's tough to believe they would've let something that far out of tolerance slip by, but it's possible.

Thank you.

I've made sure to clean any lead specks from the mating surfaces and will try casting a few more. If the boolits are still out-of-round, I will send the mold to you and order a replacement.

Is your #668 the same as the H&G 68BB I have?

Richard

[williamwaco]

One more thing.

My H&G and my Ballisti-Cast molds become sticky when I am casting too fast. If I slow down, they open easier and drop the bullets with no tapping.

[40Super]

So does my new #668 when warm, but the boolits drop out great and are less than .0005 out of round. One of my best molds , so a light tap to open isn't very minor.