Care for mold/COL

[ninjastar]

Hi I was just wondering how should I store my mold after use, should I just leave the last casted bullet in the mold? Also what is the col/oal for a lee 45acp tc because I seated it at 1.2 and it seems to jam ever once and a while with me having to force the rack to go back as well as push the lead round out from the barrel.

[Iron Mike Golf]

Storing a mold with the cavities filled does not help. I keep mine in either a plastic Lyman mold box or a "Really Smart Box" I get from Staples.

Can you describe your jam? Is it the round does not fully chamber? Or does it not even enter the chamber?

[runfiverun]

don't leave boolits in the mold.

some oil them, some don't, depending on what the mold is made from and where they live.
I just put my molds in a drawer and leave them there.
if I am not going to use them for 5-6 years I put some penetrating oil on them. [steel]

you most likely have to seat them a little deeper.
never mind what the book say's about oal they didn't use a lee boolit to develop their loads.

[MtGun44]

OK, what does "having to force the rack to go back as well as push the lead round out
from the barrel" mean.

No part of the gun called 'the rack', can't figure out 'push the lead round out'.

Rack= slide? ??

back = forward or into battery or rearward to eject the round???

Is the extractor not grabbing the round and pulling it out?

If you are having failure to close, are you taper crimping with a separate die
in a separate operation? If not, get a TC die and start. No or inadequate
TC is the most common reason for jamming in .45 ACP.

Maybe not enough power to move the slide back all the way and eject
the empty case?

Please explain.

Bill

[ninjastar]

Well every now and again I would have to rack it back hard in order to get the round out and the ejector works and having 50/50 on either getting the round out as a whole or just having the brass casing come out with the projectile stuck a tad bit in the barrel where I can just take my guide rod and push it out.

I do have a factory crimp die that I use after I seat the bullet and I think I solved it by seating it down a few. So instead of 1.2 its at 1.6/1.7 forgot which one and I test fitted all my rounds in my barrel just to seat if it goes in cleanly without having it getting snagged.

[ultramag]

I'd say you did most likely solve your problem.

I ended up with a 1.165" COL when I was recently setting up my Pro2000 for .45 Auto and this bullet. It was necessary to get it to function in a couple of my guns. Without seating that deep the bullet was engaging the rifling in a couple of my guns with short throats before going into battery. The Lyman CB Handbook #4 gave a 1.170" OAL for this bullet in it's data IIRC.

I also had a very minor issue with the head spacing of a few rounds here and there that seating and crimping in separate stations cleaned up.

[ubetcha]

I store my molds in a sealed ammo box and wrap them in VPI paper. Also put a moisture absorbing pack inside the ammo box. Sometimes if I find enough small packets,I will put one in each box the mold is in.

[ninjastar]

I was wondering what do you guys do after you load them. I usually tumble my reloads in corn cob with additives but these are with copper plated and I don't know what to do with the lead rounds because I see how all the dust within the media collects on the lead projectile due to the lube.

Also I was wondering how do you guys clean your leaded barrel because after I fired after a 150 rounds it leaded my barrel a fairly good amount. The way I clean my firearms is by CLPing them and leave them overnight and I use a bore snake and if its caked on I use a bronze brush and them bore snake again. But it doesn't get all of it.

So I was wondering what if I place my handgun barrels in Hoppes 9 solvent and let them soak for a while and then run the snake/brush afterwords.

[Changeling]

I wasn't going to answer this because of a personal lack of experience in molds. However I "DO" have several and just keep them in used, cleaned, Jif plastic peanut jars! I also put some "Good" oil on the spru plates and screws because they are made of steel. By good oil I sure as Hell do not mean "3 in one"!
This should keep yours/mine in pristine condition for longer than we will all be alive

[RobS]

Your COAL is too long it sounds like. The front drive band is hitting the throat/rifling probably as the slide pushes the round into the chamber and is sticking the boolit. I had to load that one in my Springfield XD so the brass was right at the edge of the nose ogive and the front drive band meet each other.

I put my molds in a plastic ammo case with the rubber seal and never oil them anymore.

[Wayne Smith]

I've accumulated a lot of experience getting lead out of a barrel. Usually it means your boolit is too small. With my .45 it was because I had my seat die screwed in a touch too much. About 1/2 turn (RCBS taper crimp) and no more leading.

I use JB paste and very tight patches, alternated with Kroil. I also picked up a lead remover but can't honestly say it works any better.

[ninjastar]

I've accumulated a lot of experience getting lead out of a barrel. Usually it means your boolit is too small. With my .45 it was because I had my seat die screwed in a touch too much. About 1/2 turn (RCBS taper crimp) and no more leading.

I use JB paste and very tight patches, alternated with Kroil. I also picked up a lead remover but can't honestly say it works any better.

What do you mean my boolits might be too small, because I don't size my boolits and I tumble lube them.

Also I was wondering what would cause a round to create smoke because I currently tumble lube with the 45/45/10 mixture of wax/lee a/ and mineral sirits

[ultramag]

What do you mean my boolits might be too small, because I don't size my boolits and I tumble lube them.

Also I was wondering what would cause a round to create smoke because I currently tumble lube with the 45/45/10 mixture of wax/lee a/ and mineral sirits

Your bullets can be too small for your bore even if you don't size them....over-sized bore, mold dropping an under-sized bullet, or worse yet a combination of both.

What Wayne's post is referring to is the possibility of such an aggressive taper crimp that your bullet is being squeezed down so small it is under-sized and causes leading. You can load a dummy and pull it to check this....just measure your bullet after it's pulled, however if you've not slugged the bore it may not tell you much unless it's quite a bit under-sized. I've not really had any leading problems and I've shot WAY over 150 rds. through my handguns in a range trip. I'd say you've got something not quite right somewhere. I think you've got most the answers here to figure out what that something is but it's gonna take some work on your part.

My cleaning is running a bore brush dipped in Hoppe's through the bore a few times to wet it down then let it sit while I clean the rest of the gun. After that's done a hit the bore with the brush again and pull a bore snake through it and it usually looks new. I think once, maybe twice, I've had to hit the bore with the brush again and I don't think I've ever really had lead accumulated in it so much as lube.

As for smoke, pretty much everything that's happening when you're discharging a firearm is conducive to making smoke. Some lubes smoke more or less and smell different than others.

[MGySgt]

Veral Smith of LBT came up with a quick and easy way to remove lead from a leaded barrel. Get some all copper Chore Boy scouring pads. take them apart and wrap an old bore brush (same caliber) with enough of the strands of copper to make a real tight fit.

A few strokes and the copper will be removed. Works on the same principle as the Lewis Lead remover only cheaper than the copper pads.

Unless I am going to be switching back and forth between lead and jacketed I don't use any type of cleaner in my barrels. The lube will keep them in good shape and keep them 'seasoned' I have found out (long time ago) that a freshly cleaned barrel with solvent (down to bare metal) will lead the first time out. But by cleaning the lead out without solvent (Chore Boy) will help stop the leading. Of course you still need the proper fit and a lube that matches your chamber pressure and velocity.

You smoke is most likely from your lube.

[41 mag fan]

What do you mean my boolits might be too small, because I don't size my boolits and I tumble lube them.

Also I was wondering what would cause a round to create smoke because I currently tumble lube with the 45/45/10 mixture of wax/lee a/ and mineral sirits

Have you even slugged your bore??
This should of been step #1 before even buying a mold let alone thinking of casting. Unless you've had some experience with casting in the past and understand obturation, filling the bore by at least .001.
Just casting some boolits up, throwing some lube on them, loading and shooting will not ensure you great results, no leading or even fully cycling of particular gun.
There's steps that need to be taken, esp with casts, and esp with a slide action style 1911's

[rattletrap1970]

VPI paper and a desiccant package in a zip lock sandwich bag. Then you don't have to worry about degreasing.

[DLCTEX]

To determine overall length for a cartridge in the 45, remove the barrel and seat the boolit so that the round drops into the chamber with the case head even, or slightly below the hood of the barrel. Be sure to flare cases before seating boolits to prevent shaving lead, easily done on the TL boolits. Pull a boolit from a loaded round using an inertia puller and use a micrometer, not a caliper, to see if the boolit has been sized down. It is possible for boolits to be sized smaller when seating, by the case being sized too small by the sizing die or by the crimp die squeezing the case excessively. There is the possibility that you mould is casting small due to a mould problem or due to casting technique. Are you using one coat of TL or two? On the non ejection problem, does this happen with factory ammo? If so the extractor may need adjustment (assuming a 1911). The best lead remover is a boolit that doesn't lead.

[ninjastar]

I was also wondering, I always tumble my ammo after I load them but it seems with the lube on the lead, it pick ups all the dirt in the media. Is their a additive(like goo gone) I can add to a different media to take it out, also if I let it run long enough it takes off most of the dirt on the lead but their is still a good amount on the projectile thought.