montana_charlie
09-22-2006, 03:12 PM
When I first found this forum, I spent a lot of time reading before ever deciding to join up. I was looking for 'general information' on the subject of casting, because I had not yet even bought a rifle to cast for...but I was shoppin'. Only later did I start concentrating on discussions specific to my pursuits.
During that 'lurking period', I read most of the sticky threads, and discovered that Lee moulds usually need some fiddling with, before they are able to satisfy the most discriminating casters. Those threads which described procedures for 'polishing' cavities and 'enlarging' them seemed very interesting...as the Lee .45-500-3R was one of the moulds I was seriously considering.
But, the first mould I bought was an aluminum, round-nosed 500 grainer, from NEI. When it arrived, I didn't even have any handles that would fit it, but I really wanted to see it cast a bullet.
So, I melted a little pan of Cerrosafe and poured the cavity full...just holding the gently preheated blocks in a gloved hand. It took a surprisingly long time for the alloy to solidify, but it made a pretty bullet.
I used it to make up a dummy round in a slightly damaged case, that was useful when re-adjusting dies...but melted that bullet down when I switched to the one I load now.
But, I was thinking...
You know those threads where the advice is to cast a hard bullet and turn it slightly undersize...so you can use it to compress powder in the bullet seating die before seating the real bullet?
Well here is one that is certainly 'hard'.
And, I went on thinking...for those who want to enlarge a cavity...
Cerrosafe matches interior dimensions for a while, then it expands. And the expansion is predictable...both in amount of change and the time it takes to 'grow'.
A Cerrosafe bullet, fresh from the mould could be coated with the abrasive of choice and clapped back into the cavity (while it's still undersize) with the blocks held firmly in a vise. As time goes by, with the slug being turned every so often, the cavity should also grow.
My cavities suit me fine, so I am not about to run this experiment.
But, I was just thinkin'...
CM
During that 'lurking period', I read most of the sticky threads, and discovered that Lee moulds usually need some fiddling with, before they are able to satisfy the most discriminating casters. Those threads which described procedures for 'polishing' cavities and 'enlarging' them seemed very interesting...as the Lee .45-500-3R was one of the moulds I was seriously considering.
But, the first mould I bought was an aluminum, round-nosed 500 grainer, from NEI. When it arrived, I didn't even have any handles that would fit it, but I really wanted to see it cast a bullet.
So, I melted a little pan of Cerrosafe and poured the cavity full...just holding the gently preheated blocks in a gloved hand. It took a surprisingly long time for the alloy to solidify, but it made a pretty bullet.
I used it to make up a dummy round in a slightly damaged case, that was useful when re-adjusting dies...but melted that bullet down when I switched to the one I load now.
But, I was thinking...
You know those threads where the advice is to cast a hard bullet and turn it slightly undersize...so you can use it to compress powder in the bullet seating die before seating the real bullet?
Well here is one that is certainly 'hard'.
And, I went on thinking...for those who want to enlarge a cavity...
Cerrosafe matches interior dimensions for a while, then it expands. And the expansion is predictable...both in amount of change and the time it takes to 'grow'.
A Cerrosafe bullet, fresh from the mould could be coated with the abrasive of choice and clapped back into the cavity (while it's still undersize) with the blocks held firmly in a vise. As time goes by, with the slug being turned every so often, the cavity should also grow.
My cavities suit me fine, so I am not about to run this experiment.
But, I was just thinkin'...
CM