Any Tips For Casting #4 Buckshot From A Lee 18-Cav Mold #90028?

[Liberty1776]

I bought a Lee 90028 18-Cavity #4 Buckshot mold on eBay back in June of 2020. That's like, last year. So long ago. $58.36 delivered. (Not to brag, but that mold, if you can find it, now goes for $124.12 plus tax from the same seller....)

Anyway, I have not used it yet. Got it all scrubbed, lubed with 2-cycle oil, smoked, and with handles, ready to go.

What's best for buckshot? Hard lead? Pure lead? Wheelweights? Range scrap?

Should I coat with graphite (and where do you get a supply of graphite??)

Does it matter?

Thanks.

285713

[Conditor22]

https://www.harborfreight.com/micro-flush-cutter-90708.html?_br_psugg_q=cutter

[Liberty1776]

https://www.harborfreight.com/micro-flush-cutter-90708.html?_br_psugg_q=cutter

Ah, yes. Need to separate the pearls.

[trapper9260]

You can get the cutters also at Walmart that is where I got my many years ago .

[centershot]

Liberty,

In general, you want shot pellets (of any type) to be hard. When I make buckshot I mix linotype and pure lead 50/50 to produce an alloy of 92-6-2. That's the same as Hardball alloy. I water-drop those pellets so in the end the BHN is up around 22. Hard pellets stay rounder and fly straighter, you'll have less fliers.

Get the mould hot first, then lube it. Don't smoke it if you don't need to ( I didn't). When you preheat your mould, remember to preheat the sprue plate also. Pour a generous sprue, that helps keep the plate hot which, in turn, keeps the mould up to temp. I think the biggest obstacle with these moulds is keeping them up to casting temp. Once you figure out what your mould wants you'll be raining shot like a pro!

Graphite? Naaahh........but you might want to install a screw under where the sprue plate lever pivots.

http://www.castpics.net/subsite2/MoldMods/LeementingKitDocumentation.pdf

[Cap'n Morgan]

I'm not familiar with the Lee molds, but I once made a bunch of different size buckshot molds.
When cast from pure wheel weight alloy, the balls could be twisted from the stem using nothing but a pair of gloves.

The mold in the picture would cast 40 #4 buckshot in a single drop. The inlets were quite small so pressure-casting and hot alloy and mold were important.
I'm not sure if graphite (Molykote powder) will improve patterns, I did try to tumble some, and they turned out much slicker than the naked lead balls,
but I never got around to test any loads.

https://i.imgur.com/JxFrHIa.jpg

[centershot]

Wow! That's a really nice mould Cap'n Morgan, nice work!

[longbow]

Not #4 but Lee 00 buck mould. I find it needs to be run HOT as mentioned above and cast fast.

I find best results if I cut the sprues just as the lead is freezing... I used clip on WW. If the shot is dropped out while it is still brittle and dropped onto a wet rag most of the pellets break apart. The ones that stay together are rolled under a utility knife to separate them.

If you water drop you'll have to clip apart or use the knife trick. It isn't hard though.

Longbow

[Sitzme]

I partially fill the outside of the mold to heat it up. Once each side and then start pouring. I wonder if a little insulation would be a good thing given the amount of surface area relative to the mold volume.

[centershot]

I partially fill the outside of the mold to heat it up. Once each side and then start pouring. I wonder if a little insulation would be a good thing given the amount of surface area relative to the mold volume.

Insulation?