Just picked up my new Lee 50-250-REAL mold today. Kinda sexy....

[Tallbald]

Nothing to report here except I got it. Looked it over before accepting it from the local dealer, (he and his wife are good folks too). Not really happy with the staked pins holding the blocks to the handles but if it's a problem I can fix it. I like the steel-on-steel alignment pins. Cavities have some pretty sharp corners but I'll review advice here and correct that. All in all, there's just no way one can beat the $22.50 price for mold and handles.
I'll be casting pure lead (with a little tin for good flow---thank you all for the education) slugs for my black powder CVA Optima V2 inline pistol. I've read good things about this slug ahead of a waxed felt wad and 50 grains of Triple Seven at the range. And no expensive sabot to buy/fret over either.
I hope to cast a little tomorrow from the pure roofing lead I have (with a little tin for flow). I NEED to make something pretty soon.
Input on my plans would sure be welcomed. Don

[dubber123]

I've had better luck when casting with high lead content alloys when I cast them on the hot side. Good luck.

[rsrocket1]

750 was the magic spot with pure sheet lead and the REAL 250's (in my avitar). They shoot nicely, but I need a mallot with the short starter to get the bullets engraved. Once all the bands are into the rifling, the bullet slides down easily enough.

[Tallbald]

As I said, I'll be casting for my .50 caliber CVA Optima V2 pistol. Rsrocket1 what are you shooting your 250 REALs in if you don't mind saying? Also I tumble lube with liquid Alox lube. What lube do you find works well with your 250 REALs please? My pistol has a recessed muzzle for starting projectiles (designed for sabot use). I'm hoping this helps to start the 250 REALs, and I'm looking forward to eliminating the need for sabots too. Kinda pricey for me to use just for fun at the range.Thanks. Don

[Moonie]

I had the combination 50 cal REAL/round ball mold many years ago. I used air cooled WW metal as that was all I had at the time, worked great.

[Tallbald]

Just a follow up to report about the .50 caliber Lee REAL slugs in my Optima V2 pistol. I finally got to try them out today in the frigid temps of a holler at the range. With 50 grains of Triple Seven and a waxed felt wad, I was able to shoot several nice groups of 1 inch at 20 yards. The 50 grains really makes for stout recoil, though it's not a maximum load. And the wallop the REAL slug makes hitting cardboard sounds like someone slapping a side of beef with a 2X4. Mercy! What a hoot! Don.

[Faret]

What twist does the Optima got?

[lesharris]

I have used the real bullets in several black powder rifles. They shoot well using pure or almost pure [soft] lead. The lube I used was beeswax mixed with olive oil. I just put the lube into the grooves with my fingers. I use the same wax mix with my black powder revolvers as an over the lead cover to prevent chain firing.
Les Harris.

[Faret]

What twist does the Optima got?
1-28" I found it.

[Djones]

I added tin to my 325 REAL alloy and couldn't load in my cva due to the bullet being too hard. My rifle/mold likes pure lead. Just a heads up before you cast a bunch.

[kenyerian]

Pure lead worked best for me. Very hard to start if the alloy much harder than Pb. You run the risk of distorting the boolit if they are very hard to start.

[ukrifleman]

I use a pure lead Lee, 250gn REAL in my Ardesa Buckhunter in-line pistol, which has a twist of 1:20 and find it an accurate bullet.

I load 30gn fff B/P and lube the bullet with Wonderlube.

ukrifleman.