A GC rant ... or two

[omgb]

I hate using gas checks. The cost is more and the hassle is more. That being said, I hate going to the dentist too but sometimes ya gotta do what ya gotta do. Any way, I have Lyman moulds Lee moulds, RCBS moulds, LBT moulds and SAECO moulds. Why is it, that of all of my moulds, only LBT and SAECO fit GCs without having to shave lead, anneal, use a tool to open them up etc.? What a PITA! Given what one pays of a custom LBT I would demand and expect that they would be a snap fit for GCs and they are. SAECO is too and that's a production mould. If those two can do it, why or why am I having the trouble I do with RCBS, Lee and Lyman? Am I alone in this?

[felix]

I have a Saeco which is a little tight, and another a little loose. My LBTs are on the tight side when I add extra antimony. All molds have to be made custom to have that custom fit, and unfortunately, made with the alloy intended for the mold. In other words, ALL molds are suspect until proven otherwise. ... felix

[drinks]

I have about 35 molds, I have 2 that require a 4oz plastic hammer to put the gcs on, all the rest are either snap on or a bit loose.
The molds are RCBS, Lyman and Lee.
I only use wws.

[44man]

I like them tight and make my moulds so I have to tap the boolit on the bench to seat the check. If too loose, I lap the rear of the mould to get a tighter fit. A little extra work but I do NOT want a shed gas check. I don't size but just put the boolit in far enough to crimp the check. My dies are a little oversize so the check is not smaller then the boolit.
90% of the time a gas checked boolit is more accurate so I accept the cost and trouble.

[LAH]

I have two RCBS, one NEI, and three Lyman moulds. All work perfect with gas checks. No complaints. However I do feel your pain.......Creeker

[Bass Ackward]

Tollerances. Remember that mold / mix temperature can vary dimensions by up to .002. Then your mix will vary diameter by up to another .0015. Then you have tollerances for the gas check itself. So you can run into a senario from anyones mold where life isn't perfect. But customs cut for a specific mix like LBT or a Mountain Mold should have tighter standards than a factory.

So when a guy goes the custom route or designs a bullet that fits, he get's the most error free and widest flexibile use for a cast bullet. Often well ahead of factory results. Sometimes not though. Most people simply attach the increased accuracy result to the bullet design or the mold itself, and it can be the GC fit providing the biggest reason for improvement. Especially, on like an LBT where the design is still generic designed to work in all guns.