PDA

View Full Version : R D's 30 cal six pack



Lead melter
08-21-2008, 06:10 PM
Just had a chance today to cast up some of the lookers from Ranch Dogs TLC311-265-RF. No idea of temp, but my alloy is 5:2 (pure to lino). Air cooled, they mic out to be .310"-.312", depending on cavity. Average weight of 6 randomly pulled boolits...165 grains on the nose.

Going to try to lube and load tonight for a tryout on the morrow. So far looookin' good! That big flat point should really cut some meat. I foresee everything from rabbits to whitetail in the future for the old 30 WCF.

Thanks for the hard work and great service Mike!!!!!!

Shiloh
08-21-2008, 09:59 PM
I guess I never miked my commercial 6 cavity molds. Is .002 difference between cavities common and/or acceptable? Is this measurement taken on the mold line diameter or 90 degrees to it?
Just curious.

Shiloh

Lead melter
08-21-2008, 11:27 PM
In my own mind I find the diameter differences to be accetable given the variances of alloy consisitency, temperature, whether air cooled or water dropped, alloy stream volume, etc.

Since I usually try to mold larger and then size slightly smaller, the slight variations nearly always disappear in sizing to give a uniform boolit diameter. In this instance, I will size to .309".

My own method is to mic at 90 grees from the part line and also as close to the part line as possible without actually measuring across the part line "lips". I then measure each area of the boolit that is meant to be the final target diameter, add those measurements and take an average. As you may guess, fillout comes into play on occasion, resulting in a slightly smaller average diameter.

One thousandth of an inch is really not much variance either way from target diameter when we realize the boolit is going to be swaged to fit the bore. as long as it's as big as or slightly bigger than the bore/groove relationship it probably doesn't matter at all.