Can anybody here help me out?

[ElCheapo]

I'm in a bit of a bind at present. I recently purchased a bullet mould from Harter 66. It's an NOE 225-37-FN that I thought would be perfect for my 22 Hornet. The problem is, I slugged the barrel on my Hornet and it mikes out at .228 inches. I know that sometimes a mould will throw bullets slightly larger depending on what alloy is used, but I don't think this one is going to give me bullets big enough for a tight fit in the bore. Ideally I need bullets that are .230, and then I would size them to .229.

Anyway, I contacted NOE about sending the mould to them and having them re-cut it to .230 but they said they are "not able to run moulds back through our line at this time." So now what? I know many folks here have done custom work to moulds from other manufacturers, and many have even made moulds of their own. Is there anyone here on the forum who could do this kind of thing for me? Or point me to someone who can? Or maybe there is another option that I'm not aware of? Any and all advice appreciated!

[RedlegEd]

Hi. I think before you do anything, you should cast with the mould and some of your alloy to see what it actually gives you. You may be pleasantly surprised. Now, if that's not the case, and it casts too small, then I would suggest first "beagling" the mould to see if that helps. If so, you can consider a more permanent solution of "Leementing (http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?32584-Leementing-Documentation-w-Photos)" the mould to open it up. Here's a video that explains both processes. Hope this helps.
Ed


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kIfcbDCYQPw

[Hossfly]

Opened a cavity up by pouring lead around a screw get some valve polishing compound and spin with drill. Mine was aluminum tho, it will open it up but you need to go slow or it will get too big then your cant make smaller. Worked for me.

[Texas by God]

What brand of rifle do you have? I have never heard of a 22 Hornet having a barrel that large.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using Tapatalk

[popper]

Or PC them to get dia. up.

[Conditor22]

the hotter your alloy the more the boolit will shrink.

the harder the alloy the smaller the boolit will be.

Use the softest alloy that will work in that gun, keep the pot around 680°

preheat the mold to 350° and pressure pour top get good results until the mold is "happy".

You may want to slug the gun to see what you are dealing with.

As Popper said, PCing is another good option.

[kens]

and, if your mold is running hot, it will drop oversize bullets....
So, if you use the softest alloy you can,
and cast it into the hottest mold you can,
you can cast OS bullets

[Bad Ass Wallace]

I suggest your measuring is wrong. The Hornet has been my favourite for over 50 years and I have never encountered anything over 0.224". My 1947 Brno rifle in 5.6x35R slugs at 0.223".

[Mk42gunner]

.228" grooves and a Hornet case imply to me that you actually have a very old .22WCF. What rifle is it?

Robert

[Traffer]

The problem is that to do a really professional job of re-cutting it is as hard as making the mold from scratch.

[Tatume]

The proof is in the pudding. Cast some bullets, load them, and shoot them. Then decide if your mold is working for you.

[Tatume]

P.s., I agree with Wallace.

[largom]

With a .228 bore sounds like a 22 Savage HiPower

[ElCheapo]

I should have said before, gun is a CZ 527 22 Hornet. Barrel at the breech measures .2273, .2273, .2274, .2274, .2273, .2274. At the muzzle it's .2269, .2271, .2270, .2269, .2272, .2273, .2267. So it's a little tighter at the muzzle which is good. My alloy for cast bullets is old ww's. I collected a couple hundred pounds of them back in the 90's.

The mould is plainbased, so I was going to keep velocity around 1200-1400 fps. Suppose I could mix in some lead to soften the alloy up, but not sure what ratio pure lead to ww?

[Conditor22]

.225 to .229 is a big jump for just fooling with alloy and temp.

I would look into powdercoating the boolit to get the required size. a couple thin coats are better than 1 thick coat.

[Tatume]

How do they shoot?

[dverna]

No way the barrel is .227+. It will not shoot jacketed bullets at all if it is.

Use another micrometer or mic a jacketed bullet to verify the readings.

If it really is a .227 barrel, contact CZ and they should replace it at no cost...obviously a defective barrel.

[Burnt Fingers]

No way the barrel is .227+. It will not shoot jacketed bullets at all if it is.

Use another micrometer or mic a jacketed bullet to verify the readings.

If it really is a .227 barrel, contact CZ and they should replace it at no cost...obviously a defective barrel.

This right here.

[Traffer]

No way the barrel is .227+. It will not shoot jacketed bullets at all if it is.

Use another micrometer or mic a jacketed bullet to verify the readings.

If it really is a .227 barrel, contact CZ and they should replace it at no cost...obviously a defective barrel.

Again ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ What He Said^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

[Harter66]

The mould is a 5 cavity aluminum NOE . When I bought it I had the idea of 2-3 gr Unique in a 222/223 to duplicate 22 LR . Keeping this mould hot just doesn't happen via normal casting .

It's a heat , pour 5-7 sets , reheat thing . The 62 gr will run it is ambiently warm most of the time , the 37 not so much .

[Traffer]

I have a home made6 cavity 40 grain 22lr mold that stays nice and hot IF I cast as fast as I can. I first heat it with a torch and get the lead hot so I get frosty bullets then let it settle down.