Anybody have experience with this custom Lee 309-160-TL?

[texassako]

It is marked exactly that in electropencil on the bottom of a Lee 6 cavity mold, Custom 309 160 TL. I just got this one in off the S&S subforum, but I have not found anything about when, what, or how it did as a group buy. It sure is hard to get all of those little grooves in all 6 cavities to fill out for some reason. I guess I need to add some tin to my wheel weight/range scrap mix with this one. It was depressing throwing back 3/4 of what I cast. I plan on using it as a cheap plinker and small game bullet at about 1100 fps in a couple of rifles using Unique or some other pistol powder. They look good when they are actually filled out:

103470

[tazman]

Adding tin would be a good thing. Also might try running the mold temp hotter and/or the lead temp hotter.
The boolits in the picture look great.

[texassako]

I use a custom steel sprue plate on those 6 cavity Lees and pressure cast with a ladle.

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?27803-308-Cast-Plain-Base-160-Gr&highlight=group+buy+plinker

THAT particular mould may be from the first group buy! In the above thread RU shooter is talking about the 160TL plinker that you have while Maven was talking about another, 150gr with both TL and conventional groove

Thanks for the link. I may have to pull out the dipper if the tin doesn't work. I was using my Lee bottom pour for these. Is your custom steel sprue plate like the recent group buy ones?

[Elkins45]

Wow, I wish I had been around when that one was offered. That looks like a great pinker.

[jmort]

"Wow, I wish I had been around when that one was offered."

Me too. Love the TL boolits

[texassako]

Darned thing had me stumped. Tin only helped a little bit. 4 of the cavities ended up being peened over a little, making 2/3 of them rejects along the seam. I never thought about aluminum being soft enough to peen over and not be a sharp burr, but more of a rounded bump. A rounded bump is hard to see and does not catch like the burrs I find in steel molds. Lapped the worst one and the problem went away. Now I need to lap the rest, even the good ones, so they will all be the same size and weight.

[Fishman]

I have one of these as well (got it used )and it casts very well. I'm thinking about using it for powder coating to see how it would work. I haven't shot any of them yet :(