Hinnerk
05-05-2019, 09:29 PM
Anyone know the original specs for the Ideal 439186 mould? What diameter and weight is it supposed to drop at and in practice?
I cast up about 10 pounds of bullets today using a mixture that started as about 20 pounds of essentially pure lead with 0.5 pound pewter. This was my first use of this mould. I had a hard time keeping it hot but it was a bit breezy today and mid 60's. Assuming my thermocouple and homebrew PID controller were accurate I started at 720F and then increased it to 740F and got a bit better results.
I measured one of the 720F cast bullets and found base diameter about 0.444" and weight of 390 grains.
I cast up about 10 pounds of bullets today using a mixture that started as about 20 pounds of essentially pure lead with 0.5 pound pewter. This was my first use of this mould. I had a hard time keeping it hot but it was a bit breezy today and mid 60's. Assuming my thermocouple and homebrew PID controller were accurate I started at 720F and then increased it to 740F and got a bit better results.
I measured one of the 720F cast bullets and found base diameter about 0.444" and weight of 390 grains.