Lee .243 mold

[phantom15]

Does anyone know if Lee made a 6mm (.243) mold?? I can't find any information on one.

Thanks

[GP100man]

I`m gonna stik my neck out & say NO, with that in mind I tried `bout 10 yrs ago to get into rifle casting with dismal results & put it all off until recently(3 yrs now in rifle casting) & 6mm/243 molds were scarce then.& still are , but if I were to start over my molds would come from NOE.

[Doc_Stihl]

They never had a catalog entry for a 6mm mold that I know of.

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

NOE makes a dandy 75gr FN
http://noebulletmolds.com/NV/product_info.php?cPath=25&products_id=89&osCsid=pc9um9me6kuseeaj9q3fdcvo74
At a little more than twice the price, you get a mold that's more than twice as good and customer service that's second to none and re-sale value to get you out of your investment if you sell the gun or decide casting for rifle isn't your thing.

These below are 22 cal of the same profile from a NOE mold. My NOE molds just rain boolits :)
http://i640.photobucket.com/albums/uu127/JonB_in_Glencoe/22boolitsNOE_zps11844a47.jpg (http://s640.photobucket.com/user/JonB_in_Glencoe/media/22boolitsNOE_zps11844a47.jpg.html)

[GabbyM]

Never seen one. I know they aren't in the current catalogue.
Lyman stopped offering there's also. Just the heavy RCBS 95 grain and the Saeco 87 grain.
If you have a 1:14" twist 6mm PPC or 6BR that needs light bullets. NOE (http://noebulletmolds.com/NV/index.php)
has a neat 75 grain bullet mold in stock. You may be able to do OK on E Bay as there will be less bidding pressure on a 6mm mold than say a 30 caliber.

[GabbyM]

See JohnB slipped in ahead of me with the NOE suggestion lol.
One thing if you are shooting a 243 WIN. Probably the most common 6mm bore around. the little bullets and up to the 84 and 87 grain bullets I have. Can be pushed to the max velocity you'll likely get from a 10" twist 6mm. Which is around 1,900 fps and below. Using small charges of shotgun powder. With the 95 grain RCBS you need a slower powder starting around Alliant 2400 speed and down to H-4189. Then about 1,850 fps as a target velocity. I've never made a 243 with 10 twist barrel run fast and accurate. But they shoot great at 1,900 and a little under. I've had some pretty good 2,050 fps loads with rifle powder but it's pushing it. 1,900 fps gives you a solid 200 yards shooter.

[Maven]

Does anyone know if Lee made a 6mm (.243) mold?? I can't find any information on one.

Thanks

Actually, Lee Precision made TWO .243Win. molds. One was a 6 cav. group buy mold on this forum. The other was a single cavity gas checked design which looked like a down-sized version of Lyman's #31141 (#311041). I still own the first, but sold the single cav. years ago.

[AlaskanGuy]

Yea, i ran into this also when thinking about cast for my 243 stuff... Problem is, for the 243, it just aint happy unless its going balls to the walls... If your gunna slow things down enough to make it do-able, i think for me, it was better to get a cal that is a bit more cast friendly. So i am re-finishing my rem 788 as we speak in preparation for selling/trading it..

Please dont let me discourage YOU from going down that road though. You can cast for the 243, and many do, just not me.... Anymore.... What I said above is just the results for MY casting. Your mileage may vary...

AG

[phantom15]

Guys thanks for all the information. I had a guy trying to sell me a Lee .243 mold but I couldn't find it anywhere. To make a long story short it ended up being a .284 mold (7mm) instead. I suppose when I do get a mold I'll be needing to get one of these Lyman Neck Expander M Die 24 Caliber. Anyone use one? Is there a better choice??

[AlaskanGuy]

Oh brother... Good you caught that.... There are a reason there are not a lot of molds out there for the 243.... I used the lyman expander, and it worked for me... Not sure about other options....

AG

[Maven]

"I suppose when I do get a mold I'll be needing to get one of these Lyman Neck Expander M Die 24 Caliber. Anyone use one? Is there a better choice?"

Maybe not a better choice phantom, but you can use a needle nose plier or even a larger cal. jacketed bullet to flare the neck slightly. The M-die, however, also expands the case neck so that you can seat a CB without it being reduced in diameter by the case neck. I've been using one for the .243Win. since the mid '80s.

[madsenshooter]

I used a M die when loading my 6x45 project I was working with. I see NOE still has a 4 cavity of their 80gr in stock. I only got to shoot a couple groups with it before selling the Obermeyer barreled AR. Here's one of them, and I noted that the scope rings were coming loose. IRC, the little bullet was going around 2200fps out of the 1/8 twist. I think the bullet has a lot of potential and will get around to my 6mm/30-40 Krag AI someday.

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

Guys thanks for all the information. I had a guy trying to sell me a Lee .243 mold but I couldn't find it anywhere. To make a long story short it ended up being a .284 mold (7mm) instead. I suppose when I do get a mold I'll be needing to get one of these Lyman Neck Expander M Die 24 Caliber. Anyone use one? Is there a better choice??

I've found that since I use a harder alloy for Rifles as well as they typically get a Gas Check, that a neck expander die like the lyman M isn't needed for most of my rifle reloading.


What I do is use a Lee FL size/decap die the next caliber size larger. It the case of 243, I use a 257Rob FL Size die. The newer Lee FL rifle dies have what ole Richard calls a
EZ Xpander plug. It has a very gradual taper compared to other brands FL sizer dies. When properly adjusted make a great case mouth flaring die, doing a much better job than Lee's Universal case mouth flaring die IMHO.

[Maven]

phantom...., You may be interested in this: http://www.castbulletassoc.org/forum/view_topic.php?id=10399&forum_id=47

[phantom15]

phantom...., You may be interested in this: http://www.castbulletassoc.org/forum/view_topic.php?id=10399&forum_id=47

thanks for the heads up

[GabbyM]

I used a M die when loading my 6x45 project I was working with. I see NOE still has a 4 cavity of their 80gr in stock. I only got to shoot a couple groups with it before selling the Obermeyer barreled AR. Here's one of them, and I noted that the scope rings were coming loose. IRC, the little bullet was going around 2200fps out of the 1/8 twist. I think the bullet has a lot of potential and will get around to my 6mm/30-40 Krag AI someday.

Would you have an Idea what the approximate B.C. would be on that Egan bullet?

I see Buffaloarms still has some Lyman #245496 Loverin style 84 grain RN in stock. That's probably going to be the last of those.

[madsenshooter]

No, I don't know the BC and haven't tried to calculate it. Someone must've been impressed by the group, the last one is gone from the NOE site. If you'd like to try an online calculator, there's a drawing on the NOE site.

"The newer Lee FL rifle dies have what ole Richard calls a
EZ Xpander plug. It has a very gradual taper compared to other brands FL sizer dies."

Yea, that was my idea I sent to them after tearing up one of their little hand presses sizing GI brass. After I finally got the piece of brass out I turned the straight expander down like the EZ Xpander of today and wrote Richard's boy, who got the the credit in Richard's Modern Reloading, 2nd Ed.

[GabbyM]

Last one gone. Gee who'd of done something like that. One of those 225-55 gr FN (MX3-22) seams to have vanished off there too.

[madsenshooter]

That'll make Swede happy. I really didn't have enough buyers for him to run the mold as a small group buy, but he did anyway, and they're finally all gone!

[GabbyM]

They been trickling out.

I like shooting my 243 with cast. Have the Saeco #243, Lyman #245496 Loverin and soon this NOE.
Bought the 22 caliber FN for my new CZ in 222 Rem. Since after all. After you get a 222 with a great long neck. Get a bullet that only seats a little ways down in the neck. Makes sense right?

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

"The newer Lee FL rifle dies have what ole Richard calls a
EZ Xpander plug. It has a very gradual taper compared to other brands FL sizer dies."

Yea, that was my idea I sent to them after tearing up one of their little hand presses sizing GI brass. After I finally got the piece of brass out I turned the straight expander down like the EZ Xpander of today and wrote Richard's boy, who got the the credit in Richard's Modern Reloading, 2nd Ed.

I think this is a Déjà vu moment for both of us. I have posted about my use of the EZ Xpander as a case mouth flare die before, and you have posted the above before.
SO, I'm gonna thank you myself, since the Lee's didn't !
It is a great design !

[phantom15]

I've found that since I use a harder alloy for Rifles as well as they typically get a Gas Check, that a neck expander die like the lyman M isn't needed for most of my rifle reloading.


What I do is use a Lee FL size/decap die the next caliber size larger. It the case of 243, I use a 257Rob FL Size die. The newer Lee FL rifle dies have what ole Richard calls a
EZ Xpander plug. It has a very gradual taper compared to other brands FL sizer dies. When properly adjusted make a great case mouth flaring die, doing a much better job than Lee's Universal case mouth flaring die IMHO.

I tried with my .257 Roberts sizing die last night and I think its gonna work just fine.

[madsenshooter]

I think this is a Déjà vu moment for both of us. I have posted about my use of the EZ Xpander as a case mouth flare die before, and you have posted the above before.
SO, I'm gonna thank you myself, since the Lee's didn't !
It is a great design !

I have a lot of those moments anymore. Can't remember everything I've posted as I don't always set things up so I get notifications. If I'm being consistent, then it must not be a lie! That old straight Lee expander would sure stick sometimes!