Modified Lee "Cruise Missle" Mold

[hockeynick39]

I don't really care for the copper gas checks or gas check shanks on my bullets. So I either purchase the PB mold or have it modified to a PB. I sent 2 molds to Erik Ohlen recently just for such a venture. One was a Lyman 358156 mold (already have the Lyman 358477 HP'd), so was looking at a solid SWC for the .38/ .357. The other mold, which is also the topic of this thread, is the Lee 6-6.5SWEDE mold. I had Erick grind the mold down to the very last flat part to where the gas check shank started. This effectively removed approximately .010" and roughly 15 gr of weight from the bullet. The bearing surface remains unchanged from GC to PB and should function just fine in either the M96 Swede or my Tikka T3 Lite SS in 6.5 x 55 SE. The bullet drops at 1.150" long, 157 gr, and 270 caliber with an alloy of straight COWW. I usually allow my rifle bullets to cool for approximately 7-10 days before doing anything else with them. Currently I am also waiting on a PB gas check maker from Pat Marlin for the 6.5mm. Once this comes in I will be cutting strips of aluminum soda/ beer cans and then sizing and seating the PB GCs at the same time. Shortly after that, I put them into my convection oven at 425F for 45 minutes. Once they are heat treated, they go immediately into a bucket of tepid water (roughly 70F depending on time of year and humidity level). This usually nets me a BHN of between 18 and 22, and an average of 5 damaged pieces are tested on a Crabtree tester. This way I don't have any way waste at all, even though all of it gets re-melted and then cast again at another point in time, one reason why I love casting boolits. After the boolits are dried, they get put back through the Lyman 4500 for some beeswax/ NGLI (50-50) lube. Final result is a .265 caliber (slugged at .2635) boolit that weighs 160 gr for hunting/ plinking.

The modified mold:
http://i1027.photobucket.com/albums/y338/hockeynick39/January172015485_zps482e9e96.jpg

Open jaws:
http://i1027.photobucket.com/albums/y338/hockeynick39/January172015484_zps812e4338.jpg

Open jaws with boolits:
http://i1027.photobucket.com/albums/y338/hockeynick39/January172015483_zpsa39c74b8.jpg

Mold with PBs and GC (cast prior to modification) boolits:
http://i1027.photobucket.com/albums/y338/hockeynick39/January172015482_zps53ccbef6.jpg

[Yodogsandman]

Very Nice! How do they shoot?

[ukrifleman]

127889I have done a similar thing with the Lee C/M, I bought 2 moulds and cut one down to cast 150g bullets by removing the lower driving band.

I use them as cast at .2695 for my M91 Carcano.

ukrifleman.

[hockeynick39]

Very Nice! How do they shoot?

Don't know yet, just cast them on Saturday, 1/17/2015, and don't have the PB checkmaker dies yet. On the short side about another 2 weeks. On the long side, probably not until April especially if we start getting the Nor'Easters like we are supposed to this time of year. Whereabouts in NH are you, I'm in the Berlin area.

[Yodogsandman]

Great! In a few weeks you can try them out sans PB GC. We'll look forward to the range report.

PM sent

[alamogunr]

That is interesting. I too, have 2 of the Lee Cruise Missile molds. Haven't used either yet. I might try having one mold modified.

I also have the NOE mold for 6.5X55. The MP mold for the Cruise Missile may never materialize due to problems and high expectations. It isn't costing me anything to stay on the list.

These extra long boolits present their own set of problems.

[Yodogsandman]

What was the reasoning behind shortening your Lee 6.5mm mold? Did you experience boolit yawing as others have reported with that mold?

Also, why remove the gas check shank to give a plain base and then want to use PB GC's?

[hockeynick39]

What was the reasoning behind shortening your Lee 6.5mm mold? Did you experience boolit yawing as others have reported with that mold?

Also, why remove the gas check shank to give a plain base and then want to use PB GC's?

No I have not yet shot any cast boolits out of my Tikka in 6.5 x 55 SE. Out of my Tikka in .30-06, yes, with good results so far (still testing with it). I removed the gas shank because the length of the bearing surface is the same without one as with one. I also decided that I didn't want to have to depend on a commerce to make gas checks for me and since aluminum cans are everywhere, why not. It also doesn't matter too much if the bases are completely square or not because when sizing with the PB aluminum can checks, they square right up. Along with squaring up the base, the aluminum can checks basically swage on when sizing and are the same size as the boolit when sized. Beside that, removing the gas check shank gives me a little more latitude without worry of leading in the gas check shank area if I decide to shoot without a gas check, even at low velocity. Still waiting on the PB gas check maker, which is fine because we just got some snow and are expecting a little more this week. So, until the weather breaks, I'm pretty much stuck waiting anyway.

[JeffinNZ]

Has anyone tried paper patching a CM for the .270 Win?

Even at 1750fps ex my Fat 41 Carcano those CM's penetrate like you wouldn't believe. I reckon they'll just about go end to end through a telegraph pole!