ghh3rd
12-09-2009, 01:27 AM
When I decided that the WW boolits from my Lee 310 gr mold were dropping at 430 early on, I only measured a couple, and was measuring water-quenched boolits that had extra tin. I was measuring them with calipers along the length of the boolit.
I just discovered that many of the air-cooled boolits cast without any extra tin are dropping at 428 - 429. These have aged about 10 days.
I have a couple of questions. Since many factors affect boolit size, at what alloy, 'after cast treatment' (such as water dropping), and aging do you actually decide whether your mold is dropping boolits of the correct size?
What is the correct method to measure boolits -- full length in calipers, or between the bands? I've been getting multiple measurements on the same boolits when measuring between the bands, ranging all of the way from 430 down to 427 (same boolit). Shouldn't it be the same diameter along its length? The boolits appear to be good casts, good fillout.
I suspect that some boolits are a different size from one cavity to another, since I'm getting various measurements from boolit to boolit. I would think this would adversely affect accuracy.
I wonder if I should send the mold to Lee to look at. If I’m wrong, they’ll tell me, and if I’m right, perhaps I can get a better mold. If I do send it, should I send them a few groups of boolits, separated and identified by cavity, or leave it to them to try it out?
Thanks,
Randy
I just discovered that many of the air-cooled boolits cast without any extra tin are dropping at 428 - 429. These have aged about 10 days.
I have a couple of questions. Since many factors affect boolit size, at what alloy, 'after cast treatment' (such as water dropping), and aging do you actually decide whether your mold is dropping boolits of the correct size?
What is the correct method to measure boolits -- full length in calipers, or between the bands? I've been getting multiple measurements on the same boolits when measuring between the bands, ranging all of the way from 430 down to 427 (same boolit). Shouldn't it be the same diameter along its length? The boolits appear to be good casts, good fillout.
I suspect that some boolits are a different size from one cavity to another, since I'm getting various measurements from boolit to boolit. I would think this would adversely affect accuracy.
I wonder if I should send the mold to Lee to look at. If I’m wrong, they’ll tell me, and if I’m right, perhaps I can get a better mold. If I do send it, should I send them a few groups of boolits, separated and identified by cavity, or leave it to them to try it out?
Thanks,
Randy