Dale53
10-10-2009, 04:48 PM
I got my mould today. I carefully examined the mould. It weighs just under 2 lbs with the handles (Lee) installed. Substantial...
The cavities are just flat out gorgeous - could not be better looking.
It appears that there is one corner of the sprue plate that is dragging (it appears like it may have been slightly "tweeked" by the Post Office. At any rate, I removed any suggestion of a burr completely around the sprue plate. The sprue cavities are nice and large which should help with fill out of the bases. The cavities are not joined.
Holding the mould up to the light, it was NOT possible to see ANY light between the sprue plate and the mould blocks (and I TRIED[smilie=1:)
The mould blocks mate EXACTLY - NO light leaks, there, either. Hmmm...
I installed the handles (Lee) and carefully scrubbed the blocks and sprue plate with a toothbrush and liquid hand detergent - TWICE.
I pre-heated the blocks on my hot plate while waiting for the alloy to melt (WW's + 2% tin). After everything was up to heat I started casting.
It only took two or three moulds full to have the mould blocks up to heat and throwing perfect bullets. Then, with the blocks full of bullets, I used Bullshop Sprue Plate lube on the top of the blocks around the bullet bases, the top and bottom of the sprue plate then wiped everything off. I apparently got some sprue plate lube in the bullet cavities. Grrrr:groner: . I hate it when that happens and it took longer than I liked to start running perfect bullets. This has happened to me before and, no doubt, will again. However, it is worth the aggravation to protect the mould blocks as I intend to have this mould for a long time.
I started running perfect moulds full with ALL bullets cast near perfect. It didn't take long to empty my RCBS pot of it's 20 lbs of bullets (I leave some in the bottom for a heat sink as I believe it helps keep the elements from overheating).
When things were running good, I pulled all five bullets from one mould full and set them aside to weigh and measure.
The bullets weighed 252.2 - 252.4 grs weight. I have never seen better uniformity between different cavities. Just a few years ago, I would have said that this was impossible. It equals my MiHec H&G #68 clone in uniformity.
The bullets diameter is .456"+ and the bullets are less than a thousandth of an inch out of round. I would have preferred that the bullets measured no larger than .454" but this is what I have. I size to .452" for my revolvers. This is a major disappointment. I recently sold a perfectly good Lyman four cavity 454424 mould because it cast too large (.456-.457") and I was excited with this upcoming Group Buy that was spec'ed at .454"..
The meplat is about .325" (not easy to measure). The distance from the crimp groove to base is also .325" (should work VERY well in the .45 Auto Rim). I will be using this bullet in my Ruger Bisley Vaquero .45 Colt, my S&W 625's (both .45 ACP's) and my two Taurus Raging Bull .454 Casulls.
With the deep, square grease groove and large beveled crimp groove (as per Elmer Keith's specs) I was a bit concerned that these bullets may not be easy to coax from the mould. The design is NOT one of the most mould friendly designs. However, I tapped the hinge while opening and a total of three or four taps and the bullets fell out. It was obvious from watching the bullets reaction, that there were NO burrs or machining errors that made them difficult to fall - merely the bullet design. In other words, as good as can possibly be expected, given the specs wanted for OTHER reasons (bullet performance). THIS IS GOOD!
The sprue plate is thick steel and I kept a large sprue on top to keep it heated for best performance (I am a bottom pour man). I kept about 1" between the spout and the sprue plate. In spite of the lack of "connection" between the sprue cavities, the sprue remained in one piece for easy return to the pot (I return sprues right after dropping them so I get maximum amount of bullets from each pot). The handle screws are "below flush" so did NOT interfere with the mould rest. Kudos to NOE.
One thing I neglected to mention. After the mould is up to heat, I can easily "twist" the sprue plate by hand (no need to use a knocker). I prefer the "normal" sprueplate that comes on these moulds as opposed to the Lee style with a cam operated sprue plate handle. It is not needed and is just something else to fail (see "Heavy Lead", below)...
I don't believe that I have seen better workmanship. It is, at least, equal to the best I have seen. Swede Nelson and the NOE crew can be proud of their efforts. I especially appreciate the clear, full, mould numbers and logo on the blocks. This should be a model for ALL manufacturers. I have close to seventy moulds and it is a pain to try to "guess" which mould is which.
Dale53, from the casting barn...(with a smile on his face).
The cavities are just flat out gorgeous - could not be better looking.
It appears that there is one corner of the sprue plate that is dragging (it appears like it may have been slightly "tweeked" by the Post Office. At any rate, I removed any suggestion of a burr completely around the sprue plate. The sprue cavities are nice and large which should help with fill out of the bases. The cavities are not joined.
Holding the mould up to the light, it was NOT possible to see ANY light between the sprue plate and the mould blocks (and I TRIED[smilie=1:)
The mould blocks mate EXACTLY - NO light leaks, there, either. Hmmm...
I installed the handles (Lee) and carefully scrubbed the blocks and sprue plate with a toothbrush and liquid hand detergent - TWICE.
I pre-heated the blocks on my hot plate while waiting for the alloy to melt (WW's + 2% tin). After everything was up to heat I started casting.
It only took two or three moulds full to have the mould blocks up to heat and throwing perfect bullets. Then, with the blocks full of bullets, I used Bullshop Sprue Plate lube on the top of the blocks around the bullet bases, the top and bottom of the sprue plate then wiped everything off. I apparently got some sprue plate lube in the bullet cavities. Grrrr:groner: . I hate it when that happens and it took longer than I liked to start running perfect bullets. This has happened to me before and, no doubt, will again. However, it is worth the aggravation to protect the mould blocks as I intend to have this mould for a long time.
I started running perfect moulds full with ALL bullets cast near perfect. It didn't take long to empty my RCBS pot of it's 20 lbs of bullets (I leave some in the bottom for a heat sink as I believe it helps keep the elements from overheating).
When things were running good, I pulled all five bullets from one mould full and set them aside to weigh and measure.
The bullets weighed 252.2 - 252.4 grs weight. I have never seen better uniformity between different cavities. Just a few years ago, I would have said that this was impossible. It equals my MiHec H&G #68 clone in uniformity.
The bullets diameter is .456"+ and the bullets are less than a thousandth of an inch out of round. I would have preferred that the bullets measured no larger than .454" but this is what I have. I size to .452" for my revolvers. This is a major disappointment. I recently sold a perfectly good Lyman four cavity 454424 mould because it cast too large (.456-.457") and I was excited with this upcoming Group Buy that was spec'ed at .454"..
The meplat is about .325" (not easy to measure). The distance from the crimp groove to base is also .325" (should work VERY well in the .45 Auto Rim). I will be using this bullet in my Ruger Bisley Vaquero .45 Colt, my S&W 625's (both .45 ACP's) and my two Taurus Raging Bull .454 Casulls.
With the deep, square grease groove and large beveled crimp groove (as per Elmer Keith's specs) I was a bit concerned that these bullets may not be easy to coax from the mould. The design is NOT one of the most mould friendly designs. However, I tapped the hinge while opening and a total of three or four taps and the bullets fell out. It was obvious from watching the bullets reaction, that there were NO burrs or machining errors that made them difficult to fall - merely the bullet design. In other words, as good as can possibly be expected, given the specs wanted for OTHER reasons (bullet performance). THIS IS GOOD!
The sprue plate is thick steel and I kept a large sprue on top to keep it heated for best performance (I am a bottom pour man). I kept about 1" between the spout and the sprue plate. In spite of the lack of "connection" between the sprue cavities, the sprue remained in one piece for easy return to the pot (I return sprues right after dropping them so I get maximum amount of bullets from each pot). The handle screws are "below flush" so did NOT interfere with the mould rest. Kudos to NOE.
One thing I neglected to mention. After the mould is up to heat, I can easily "twist" the sprue plate by hand (no need to use a knocker). I prefer the "normal" sprueplate that comes on these moulds as opposed to the Lee style with a cam operated sprue plate handle. It is not needed and is just something else to fail (see "Heavy Lead", below)...
I don't believe that I have seen better workmanship. It is, at least, equal to the best I have seen. Swede Nelson and the NOE crew can be proud of their efforts. I especially appreciate the clear, full, mould numbers and logo on the blocks. This should be a model for ALL manufacturers. I have close to seventy moulds and it is a pain to try to "guess" which mould is which.
Dale53, from the casting barn...(with a smile on his face).