SHOOTER IN EXILE
03-01-2008, 08:50 PM
I have been a shooter since I was a kid. Only sport I practice. So it is evident that reloading have always been a must. Now I live in a country where shooters are looked upon as enemies of the regime. For thirty years it was relatively easy to get reloading components but now it is different. It might sound crazy or a mad man's dream. In my garage and on the kitchen table I have managed to provide myself with resizing dies from steel tubings, bullet molds from brass padlocks, bullet jackets from hardware store copper tubings, 380 ACP and 22 L.R. fired cases.
Recently on a trip to Miami, I purchased a two cavities Lyman bullet mold for my 7.57 Mauser rifle and also a two cavities 357 mold to cast bullets for 38 spl and 357 mag. plus the dies for both calibers. I don't have a proper melting pot nor a proper dipper, so I'm trying to manage with an iron pot and a dipper made from scrap and a camper's gas burner. The alloy is 10 percent solder's tin and 90 percent wheel weight.
I'm working on the 7.57 bullets and haven't managed to get a single satisfactory bullet. All are wrinkled in the nose area. I'm not sure if heating the mold would wrap it after the trouble I took to have it introduced through the customs. You could imagine the frustration after more than a hundred intents, getting the shiny but wrinkled casts.
Please, any information or suggestion is valuable to me.
Only two questions: Is altering the proportion of the alloy a solution? the other: Are the venting elements of the mold those tiny lines on the inner side of the molds and when and how should they be altered to improve the casting results?
I know it sounds crazy although I'm sure that if you have experienced a situation similar to shooters and mine You would understand. Getting reloading and bullet casting equipments is next to impossible.
I thank You in advance and a lot of thanks To Cast Boolits for giving me the oportunity. If possible I would like C.B. manager how to collaborate. I'm the newest member as far as I know.
Recently on a trip to Miami, I purchased a two cavities Lyman bullet mold for my 7.57 Mauser rifle and also a two cavities 357 mold to cast bullets for 38 spl and 357 mag. plus the dies for both calibers. I don't have a proper melting pot nor a proper dipper, so I'm trying to manage with an iron pot and a dipper made from scrap and a camper's gas burner. The alloy is 10 percent solder's tin and 90 percent wheel weight.
I'm working on the 7.57 bullets and haven't managed to get a single satisfactory bullet. All are wrinkled in the nose area. I'm not sure if heating the mold would wrap it after the trouble I took to have it introduced through the customs. You could imagine the frustration after more than a hundred intents, getting the shiny but wrinkled casts.
Please, any information or suggestion is valuable to me.
Only two questions: Is altering the proportion of the alloy a solution? the other: Are the venting elements of the mold those tiny lines on the inner side of the molds and when and how should they be altered to improve the casting results?
I know it sounds crazy although I'm sure that if you have experienced a situation similar to shooters and mine You would understand. Getting reloading and bullet casting equipments is next to impossible.
I thank You in advance and a lot of thanks To Cast Boolits for giving me the oportunity. If possible I would like C.B. manager how to collaborate. I'm the newest member as far as I know.