New to me mould

[Idaho Mule]

I went to a gun show yesterday and looked at a couple of old Ideal single cavities in .458 cal. Was remotely interested, but not enough to buy. Then this other guy said he had a couple of 45 cal. pistol molds in is car if I was interested so I told him to bring them in. They were also Ideal molds for 45 acp, double cavities. He also had a Saeco #68, with handles, four cavity. I asked how much and he said 100$ for just the blocks, no handles. Well, I did not need this mold, but was interested as my older son has a 1911. I looked that Saeco over pretty closely and listened to the guy yapping about it. Thanks to you folks here I knew more about casting and his mold than he did so I decided to play. The sprue plate is warped, wich I proved to him, the handles were sloppy, (not really), and the mould had been abused. I walked away with mould and handles for 65$. Some judicious file work and I can get the blocks back in shape I think. Can I straighten the sprue plate? I figure it will be worth the effort and if I can't get it straight I should be able to buy a new plate from Saeco. Also bought 80 pieces of once fired WW 30-30 brass for 16$, and a small cast brass dove paperweight thingy for 5$ just cuz it is cute. JW

[MtGun44]

May be able to straighten the sprue plate and then dress it flat
with a file and wet or dry sandpaper on a surface plate.

Excellent boolit for 1911s, size .452, seat to 1.250-1.260 LOA, taper crimp
to .465 to .470 as a separate operation. I prefer Bullesye or Titegroup,
and 4.8 is a great load. Set LOA and TC to match the dismounted barrel
as your gauge. Numerous other loads will work well.

Bill

[Idaho Mule]

MtGun44, thanks for the advice. I worked on the blocks with a file, lightly, and I think all is kosher there. The sprue plate is a different challenge. It is warped with center (pivot point) down and both ends up slightly. I am going to try resting it over two blocks of wood and use another block of wood as a center punch right in the middle and gently massage it back into as straight as I can get it. Then I will use some rubbing on a sheet of glass covered with some emery paper. I hope it works, but I think it will, and if not I will contact Saeco. Thanks for the loading advice. I have been loading the Lyman 230 gr. RN for my oldest son for a couple years now but we have not tried a SWC boolit yet. This 200 grainer should save some lead and still give him a viable load to shoot if I can make it work. I am pretty sure if I can get it to cast ok I will also try it in my RBH in 45 Colt just for fun. Who knows, could turn out to be a good plinker load. JW

[blackthorn]

If that dosent work, try placing the plate, warp up, on a solid steel smooth surface and hit it with a leather-faced hammer. I have had good results flattening steel plates in the past using this method (not sprue plates tho).

[Idaho Mule]

Thanks, blackthorn. I believe I will try your method first as I am sorta scared of going too far with the wood block method I had mentioned earlier. JW

[Idaho Mule]

Ok here's the results.
82180


82181


82182
Bottom side of the sprue plate after I resurfaced it.

82183
Top of mould blocks after I resurfaced.

82184
Samples of cast.

82185
Samples and loaded rounds.

82186
Comparison with Lyman round nose loads.

[trying2learn]

Looks good.

[millerwb]

Not bad for $65 and a little elbow grease.

[MtGun44]

Those 68s are the gold standard in 1911s. Absolutely reliable feeders if loaded right and you have what
is the normal throated barrel for the last 25-30 years, accurate and use less lead than the 230s. Any time
I can use 15% less lead and have the same amount of fun, I am up for it.

Bill

[Idaho Mule]

Bill, I cast them of my rendition of Lyman #2, they weighed in at 201 gr. and fell from the mold at .454. I sized them down to .451 cuz that's what the kids gun likes, lubed with r5r's Simple Lube. I set them on top of 5.8 gr. of W231, primed with cci-300, taper crimp. Have yet to fire any as son is out of town, should be back soon to shoot a few and let me know how they do. As I stated earlier in this thread I do not own a 45acp, but I may have to start looking for one soon. I kinda like the way those loaded rounds look. Have also thought about loading a few in 45 Schofield cases to try out of RBH in 45 Colt just for kicks, might be a cheap plinker load. JW

[PS Paul]

Hey there, JW. Nice score! That boolit will shoot just fine in your .45 Colt. You can just roll crimp over the shoulder OR use a taper crimp on the boolit with lighter loads..... I do it all the time in my BH with excellent results. Got a spare .45 ACP cylinder too, but I prefer .45 Colt and size them to .452 to fit in my reamed throats.

Job well done!
Paul

[Anonym]

Looking good!