Tooling up for casting

[DirtyOz]

I am considering purchasing a mold for my Contender super 14, ruger 99 and ruger 96 all in .44mag. I found Accuratemolds.com to be one of the more reputable companies.
Tom seems to be very knowledgeable and particular about his product. He is a very busy man and i dont want to flood him with a bunch of newbie questions all at once.
Of course I would like a single 5 cavity mold to serve all my .44 firearms, but dont know if that is realistic or not. I am all about hunting and plinking accuracy. As I told him I am not aware of a way for me to accurately measure all 3 bores to his standards.
As i understand it I can pick a .430 and error to the plus side or minus side .001-.002.
Are sizer dies necessay and if so, how do i fugure out what I need. Not to mention gas check dia. This is just new to me and a little overwhelming at first.
I also have an option to score 200# lead that was from a shut down pulp mill in my area. I have no idea of the alloy. They appear to be about 2 x 6 x 14" bricks.
I do reload already and have calipers for o.d. And i.d.
Any help is much appreciated.

[runfiverun]

I'd ask clodhopper about that lead he knows about the mill stuff pretty well.

tom's molds are pretty dang close in final diameter to what you specify with a certain alloy.
if you go with a plus mold it will pour to the plus side with that alloy but will change diameters with a change to the alloy.
you'd most likely be happy ordering a mold specced at 430 +.0015 with ww alloy.
plain base and a weight in the 270gr area, this should help with all the guns you have.
it will allow you to sort through the boolits by using a standard 430 lee sizer.
if one gun or another wants a little bigger boolit you can get [or make] a 431 sizer and still have the diameter there to make things work.

[C. Latch]

If you have a cleaning rod, a handful of soft lead fishing sinkers, and calipers, you can measure your bores. It's very much worth taking the trouble to do.

[DirtyOz]

I'd ask clodhopper about that lead he knows about the mill stuff pretty well.

tom's molds are pretty dang close in final diameter to what you specify with a certain alloy.
if you go with a plus mold it will pour to the plus side with that alloy but will change diameters with a change to the alloy.
you'd most likely be happy ordering a mold specced at 430 +.0015 with ww alloy.
plain base and a weight in the 270gr area, this should help with all the guns you have.
it will allow you to sort through the boolits by using a standard 430 lee sizer.
if one gun or another wants a little bigger boolit you can get [or make] a 431 sizer and still have the diameter there to make things work.

After looking at Lee sizer dies I realize they just screw into a press. Good thing because I have an rcbs4, an old rocker chucker and a jr2 that i can mount elsewhere to keep the lube mess at the bench to a minimum.
Fiverunfive, you mentioned plain base 270 gr. why the plain base? Does that mean no gas check?
Originally planned to have Tom make a single 5 cavity with 43-240L and 43-300L.
I see that my Lyman #49 lists 429### for all the cast .44 loads in rifle, pistol and T/C.
I am assuming (if its safe to do so) that i can use those published load minimums with a very simular boolit weight of a different casting design?
Another question I have is when comparing jacketed bullet diameter to cast diameter, do you use a slightly larger boolit due to the relative softness of a cast one?
Oz

[varmint243]

IMO dial or digital calipers are only good to about +/- .001 and that gives you a measurement variation posibility of .002 - too coarse for what you are trying to do.

You should use a good quality 0-1" micrometer, they are capable of reading to +/- .0001 and I would say a realistic measurement variation of .0005 and about right for what you are trying to do.

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

My suggestion is to start out with a inexpensive 2 cav. Lee mold. The 200 gr. RF is an excellent 44 cal mold for plinking.

Ordering the "precise for firearm" custom mold from AM is a daunting task, even if you have some casting experience IMHO. Get your feet wet with the Lee, learn all the millions of little things about casting and loading homecast boolits that only experience and problem solving can offer. If you accidently ruin the Lee, it's only about $20 lost (I speak from experience). If you don't ruin it, and decide it doesn't give you the boolits you want and order a AM mold, any mold holds it value pretty well and you should be able to recoup most of your $$$ from the Lee mold.

Oh, and pick up the Lyman cast bullet handbook #4 and read the first half of the book thoroughly.

[DirtyOz]

I have quality calipers and a micrometer that would be up for the task. Purchasing a less expensive mold is probably a good idea to start with, at least until i get educated.
C.latch I am assuming you are talking about taking a cast of my bore. Is this done at the muzzle and do you apply any kind release agent? What do you use for a plug?

[Cherokee]

Do a search on measuring your bore, or slugging your barrel. It is disussed often so you should be able to find instructions.

[C. Latch]

No, just take a soft lead sinker slightly larger than bore diameter and push it through your barrel. It's actually not hard at all.

Matter of fact, if all you're dealing with is .44s, you could get someone to send you a handful of soft-cast .45 bullets and use them instead of fishing sinkers. They'd be near perfect for the job; just push them through the barrel and then measure them.

Also, the above advice about getting a cheap Lee mold then casting some with it is exactly what I did; as soon as I figured out what I really wanted in a bullet I then ordered a custom mold, but it's worth mentioning that I still use the Lee 452-255-rf mold for a GREAT plinking bullet.

[JSAND]

If you look right above this thread in the stickies you'll see one called "Just a few tips for new rifle casters" by goodsteel, it is one of the most thorough write ups I have seen on this subject. Glad to have you with us, and happy Casting, Loading and Shooting.

[detox]

I would choose one of the RCBS two cavity steel moulds for starters. These are very durable and easier to cast with than most others. The 44-245-SWC part #82043 design is a good one. The Lee sizing die kit (+.001 oversize) comes with liquid Alox for lube. The Lyman ladle, RCBS Casting thermometer, and Lee Magnum 20lb Melting pot are all very good. IMO the bottom pour pots are not beginner friendly. RCBS Cowboy dies are designed for cast bullets (.001" larger case expender). Flux with parafin or candle wax.

[DirtyOz]

So thats what the deal is with cowboy dies, they are for cast boolits? I have RCBS carbide dies already. I wonder if i can run the expander die in further. Or just get a different expander.

[Wayne Smith]

See, you are learning a lot already! The Cowboy dies have a larger expander plug designed for cast boolit diameters. I assume (I have never tried) that you can get the larger plug only from RCBS. It will screw into your current expander die. I will let those more experienced in shooting the 44Mag out of rifle barrels advise you further. Do read the stickie, it will answer most of your questions.

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

I use a .440 round ball (soft lead) to 'slug' a 44 barrel, as well as push through each hole in a cylinder (revolver). Use a Brass rod...Not Wood dowel.