Avoiding Dented Bases

[Boolit_Head]

I've been noticing some tiny dents on the edge of some bullet bases lately. I'm thinking they are from dropping them out of the mold. Any ideas for avoiding these?

[shoot-n-lead]

I don't water drop...so, I drop them on an old towel...seems to work well.

But, honestly, even before using the towel, dented bullets were not a problem.

A lot of it depends on how far you are dropping them.

[winelover]

The base is thought to steer the bullet so less than perfect is not ideal. You may get away with imperfect bases for short range accuracy but not long range. That's why I'm less picky when culling pistol bullets than rifle.

I heat treat my rifle bullets, rather than, water drop. It avoids potential damage and results in a more uniform hardness between bullets.

Old towels make good cushions or you can use old pot holders, as I do. YMMV

Winelover

[lightman]

I built a wooden box about 1-1/2 inches deep and large enough to set my pot in with some space next to and behind the pot. I have an old towel folded about 4 times that I drop my bullets on and I'm constantly moving the bullets to the back, away from my landing zone. I cut the sprue and only drop the hot bullets a few inches onto the towel. This seems to work well and I built the box from scrap.

[Scharfschuetze]

I wouldn't worry too much about it unless the deformation is severe. Your visual check of them should sort out the best from the average or slightly dented. Save the very best for accuracy and the average for just that, average shooting or plinking.

An interesting test would be to compare the best bullets with the slightly dented base bullets with the same components otherwise and shot from a solid rest at either 25 or 50 yards. That would settle the issue empirically.

[robg]

Use an old wooden fruit box with tea towels across the top cut sprues onto an old tin lid drop boolits on to towels when they roll into a pile but them in Tupperware type tub ,topup tub as I go ,then tumble lube in the tub tip onto grease proof paper and leave to dry standing up,any that wobble get remelted next time .as long as bases are good they shoot fine .

[bedbugbilly]

I drop on to some folded denim materil - maybe 6 or 7 folds / layers. The denim is some yard goods I had left over from an old sewing project. Never had any problem wit dents - even on heavy 58 cal thin skirted minie balls. I always drop on the material and never allow a fresh drop to fall on previous drops. Drop close to material as well.

[Digital Dan]

I built a wooden box about 1-1/2 inches deep and large enough to set my pot in with some space next to and behind the pot. I have an old towel folded about 4 times that I drop my bullets on and I'm constantly moving the bullets to the back, away from my landing zone. I cut the sprue and only drop the hot bullets a few inches onto the towel. This seems to work well and I built the box from scrap.

^^^^That^^^^^^^^^

[Mike W1]

My wife covered some1/2' foam with denim for pads and setup has worked well for me. 2 sides of my box for separate molds or cavities. Floor is hinged for adjustable tilt and eventually are just dropped into boxes at the rear. Have never had a dent problem as they're cool by the time the bullets are at back of the pile. Sprues are dropped into box on front.
http://i.imgur.com/yRyaKSA.jpg

[JWFilips]

Just an observation: on some moulds when you open them to drop if you angle the handles too much... the base of the dropping bullet could hit the other side of the mould half

[44man]

Yes, could be hitting the mold but air cooled needs boolits moved out of the way. WD needs a deep pool of water like 5 gallons.

[popper]

Dampen (not WET) an old cotton towel and fold it up, place in a convenient spot. Cut the sprue right side up, turn the mould over, pick up tapper, open the mould when it is upside down. This should give boolit longer time to cool. Tap the handle bolt. I drop maybe 4-5", no problem.

[JWFilips]

Yes After Air cool drop you need to continuously move your cache! If water dropping a 5 gal pail min with a big towel floated in the pail

[gwpercle]

I lay a folded towel in the bottom of a shallow cardboard box. Start dropping boolits from the top and working down , when the towel is covered with boolits grab the lower edge and gently lift rolling the mostly cooled boolits to the top in a neat pile. Repeat . I'm usually done by the time the box is full of boolits.
Gary

[Walter Laich]

I just drop them on the ones already cast from a height of about 2 inches max. Don't have this problem of dents--now falling on the concrete floor is another story.

I agree they can hit other side of mold it ejected from the cavity with too much force

[Boolit_Head]

Well these are tiny but they are on the very edge of some sharp based bullets so I am concerned with them effecting accuracy. I am assuming it is from dropping from the mold onto the bench or another bullet while still soft.

[country gent]

I use a paint roller tray to drop bullets into. I line it with 5-6 towels (Super market Bar towels). I drop sprues in a metal bowl and drop bullets into the angled part of the paint roller pan letting the roll down into the flat area. When the pile get big I grab the four corners of the top towel and set it off to the side or on the floor. By having 5-6 towels its quick and easy

[popper]

I am assuming it is from dropping from the mold onto the bench or another bullet while still soft. Let them stay in the mould a bit longer to cool. Problem should go away. I purposely nicked the base of some 40sw & shot them IIRC, 8" circle @ 10 yds. But they were big nicks.

[fredj338]

Bad bases will generally not shoot well. The issue is how bad. I drop on an old scrap of towel. Generally not an issue deforming unless you are dropping them from a couple feet.

[jimb16]

"I built a wooden box about 1-1/2 inches deep and large enough to set my pot in with some space next to and behind the pot. I have an old towel folded about 4 times that I drop my bullets on and I'm constantly moving the bullets to the back, away from my landing zone. I cut the sprue and only drop the hot bullets a few inches onto the towel."

I do essentially the same except without the box. When I stop to refill the pot, I move the bullets to a coffee can to get them out of the way for the next batch. Gives me something to do while the pot reheats.