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Nardoo
03-24-2008, 02:09 AM
Just a quick report on Boomer's 462-420.
Being my first Lee 6 banger I read up on all the threads whilst waiting for it to do the 12,000 mile trip down under. I contacted Dan and some terrific Bull shop lube made the trip south too.
When the mould arrived I did all the modifications suggested. I inserted a hardened screw under the sprue cam, drilled out the sprue retaining bolt and fitted a locked through bolt and cleaned up any burrs as best I could.
I added some Bull shop lube and set to.
Well, the first session was a bit of a flop. My good old RCBS ladle melted (don't ask) so I was forced to bottom pour. The bullets were not dropping and the thermostat on my pot was playing up so I abandoned ship for the day. I made up some laps from the best bullets and spent a profitable couple of hours lapping the cavities. The one positive was the way the Bull plate lube smoothed out the sprue plate movement. It is a winner Dan.
The following day was better. My mould likes to run hot and before long I had a pile of the prettiest bullets you have ever seen.

http://i131.photobucket.com/albums/p317/nardoo/Picture231.jpg

Well, not that pretty as you can see by the picture, because my particular alloy hates being bottom poured and many of the bullets displayed a nasty but superficial rash. I must have some terrible element in my alloy as I can only get really pretty bullets if I use a ladle. The rash never seems to upset accuracy and weight consistancy is not effected.
My alloy is WW plus 4% tin and these bullets dropped out right on 401 grains plus or minus 1 grain. Wheel weights down here are pretty hard. Diameter was .4625" and no bullet was more than .001" out of round. All cavities were very similar and I could not detect any variation. Thank you Mr Lee. (I thought I would never say that[smilie=1:)
Next step was to hone My .461" sizer die out to a touch over .462" which took the best part of another hour. The RCBS gas checks are a snug fit but seated beautifully and with the addition of some of my home made moly lube started to look like a hunting bullet. The bands were just kissed lightly by the sizer die and came out nice and round.

http://i131.photobucket.com/albums/p317/nardoo/Picture245.jpg

Next to the loading bench. The good part was I did not have to size the cases. Just prime, fill with powder, flare the mouth a touch and push those fat bullets in with firm thumb pressure. I used my crimp die to hold them in and I was ready yo go. My plan for these bullets was for full power hunting loads in my Ruger #1 45/70. Our deer are bigger than northern deer and I customarily use a .375 H&H so you will excuse me if these loads seem a little over the top. AR 2206 is a beaut Aussie powder much like your IMR 3031 and H4895. My Ruger loves it so I loaded up a few rounds of 50 gns, 52 gns, 54 gns and a compressed load of 56 gns. Luckily I have an old friend who lives a couple of miles up the road with a big property so this morning I threw some stuff in the truck and took off.
I set my little bench up and placed the targets a 50 metres. I know it is close but it is easier to track group size at this distant and check the good ones at 100 m later. (Some of my early loads would not hit a refrigerator at 100m so 50 m is prudent for me.)
I fired 3 shots of each load with no sighters or foulers. This lovely barrel never needs them. Results were:

50 gns 2206 Ave. 1780 fps. 1 1/2" at 50 m. mild
52 gns 2206 Ave. 1870 fps. 5/8" at 50 m. sharpish

http://i131.photobucket.com/albums/p317/nardoo/Picture222.jpg

54 gns 2206 Ave. 1920 fps. 5/8" at 50 m. (2 bullets in one hole!) still OK
56 gns 2206 Ave. 1990 fps. 1 1/4" at 50 m. getting uncomfortable, beginning to string?

http://i131.photobucket.com/albums/p317/nardoo/Picture221.jpg

Well as you can see these bullets shoot well in my Ruger 45/70. I salute you Mr 45 2.1 - you can certainly design bullets. I have yet to test these bullets at longer ranges but I hope to be able to settle on the 54 grain load with perhaps a 56 grain load as first shot when hunting sambar. I plan to test them out on ferals as this alloy may be a bit hard yet. I have pushed the 405 gn RCBS bullet (Beagled to .461") at 1900 fps with good accuracy using 70/30 WW and pure lead plus 2% tin and the bullets hang together. The straight WW' alloy may be a bit brittle so some more testing is in order.

Nardoo

Lloyd Smale
03-24-2008, 06:48 AM
Shot some out of the new 86 winch. too. The gas checked version cast out of #2 with 44.5 grains of aa2495 and a wwlr primer went 1590 fps and into 1 3/4 inch at a 100 yards and that was using a apature sight and no doubt would have been a tad better with a scoped rifle. my buddy has been shooting the snot out of both the gas checked and the plain based versions and there both excellent bullets!! We need another run on this group buy so i can get a couple more of each!!

rvpilot76
03-24-2008, 06:24 PM
Mr. Nardoo, what did you use for lapping the cavities? All of my GB molds stick, and I'm pretty sure this needs to be done, as I've done everything else I can think of at this point.

Thanks,

Kevin

Nueces
03-24-2008, 06:53 PM
Glad to hear these shoot as good as they look. I'm still looking for one of these GB moulds, prefer PB, but would go with the GC version. I'd give it a good home. :mrgreen:

Mark

rvpilot76
03-24-2008, 07:32 PM
I wouldn't mind a GC version.

Boomer Mikey
03-24-2008, 08:22 PM
These are 45 2.1's designs in response to thread requests, I can't take credit for them; I just ran them for your convenience.

Outstanding design 45 2.1!

I wouldn't mind running both buys again, the results were perfect.

45 2.1 is working on another boolit design I'll call the 462640 in both PB and GC versions which will be lighter than these; my target weight is between 350 and 375 grains with the Marlin 1895 in mind.

Boomer :Fire:

IcerUSA
03-25-2008, 12:57 AM
Mr. Nardoo, what did you use for lapping the cavities? All of my GB molds stick, and I'm pretty sure this needs to be done, as I've done everything else I can think of at this point.

Thanks,

Kevin

Kevin , just try some baking soda and water to make a paste and put some on the boolits and put back into the cavities they came out of , get a set of the best filled out boolits you can , drill a hole in the base , get a decking screw and file a flat on the end as to help it not go too deep in the boolit , put the screw in a veriable speed hand drill and thread it into the hole you drilled in the boolit , TURN IT SLOW IN THE CAVITY ABOUT 15 SECONDS, clean and recast to check drop out , if still sticking repeat . Shuld get you droping easily in a couple tries . Plus check the Classics and Stickies , whole big write up on this there also . Leementing .

Keith

Nardoo
03-25-2008, 06:01 AM
Hi Kevin,
to lap cavities in aluminium moulds I use toothpaste or MAS metal polish. Both are barely abrasive and do not remove a measurable amount of metal. Icer is right on the money with his sugestion of Baking Soda. Do not be tempted to use an abrasive paste like fine valve grinding compound unless you are prepared for some results that may change the attributes of your mould.

Nardoo

rvpilot76
03-28-2008, 10:00 PM
Would JB bore paste or Flitz be appropriate?

IcerUSA
03-29-2008, 12:38 AM
Flitz might work , depends on how gritty it fells , I have used diamond paste before also and you can get it in grits upto 10,000 I think . I have a little 2000 left and some 8000 but I liked the 2000 better . I think even buffing compound would work from the auto parts stores also. Lot of stuff out there that could be used .

Keith

Boomer Mikey
05-01-2008, 03:22 PM
Would JB bore paste or Flitz be appropriate?

As a final polish yes; not good for removing rough spots.

Boomer

warf73
05-06-2008, 07:19 AM
Sorry to hear your having trouble with your mold I have 2 of them (GC version) and both drop great looking boolits with no issue.

maroontoad
05-27-2008, 07:54 AM
My 460 Hammer mould sticks even after a second smoking and it also drops .358" dia boolits. (Bugger!, they are pretty though :-D )
I am sure that if I can find the time to re-read the stickies and do the work that it will be fixed.
Great advice for polishing, thanks.

Snow.

warf73
05-29-2008, 07:37 AM
My 460 Hammer mould sticks even after a second smoking and it also drops .358" dia boolits. Might want to water this mold some as those are mighty small boolits from a .460" mold :mrgreen: (Bugger!, they are pretty though :-D )
I am sure that if I can find the time to re-read the stickies and do the work that it will be fixed.
Great advice for polishing, thanks.

Snow.

Warf .....

maroontoad
05-30-2008, 09:06 AM
OK make that .458.

Too many rifles for such a small brain :mrgreen:

Snow

warf73
06-01-2008, 10:10 AM
Just :kidding: I knew what ya ment.
Like I tell my son do as I think not as a say. Or something like that. lol