Cowboy loads paper patched?

[Springfield]

303 guy: the handles can be removed from LEE 2 cavity moulds.

[KenH]

the handles can be removed from LEE 2 cavity moulds.

You talking about the Lee Precision aluminum molds that come with mounted handles? If so, I expect they can as there is an allen screw there, but I've not been able to get that screw loose yet. That's the big reason I've been working the Lee dual cavity mold in milling machine rather than lathe.

Is there a trick to getting that screw loose? Perhaps heat it? OR - perhaps it's just my mold that's so tight?

Ken H>

[303Guy]

303 guy: the handles can be removed from LEE 2 cavity moulds.

Right. Mine is a single cavity, blind pinned and riveted. Those handles aren't coming out anytime soon. I can set it up in the lathe but it seems too much effort. Maybe I should just try it to see some day. While it casts fine it does produce a ragged trailing edge. That Rotometals ad on the top of the CB page has a mold with a small rebate. That's what I want. It's just to move the mold base edge to a non critical area of the boolit. I could of course use some of those thousand minus a few, gas checks I bought all those years ago.

Another Lee mold I have that produces usable cores is a .357 148 gr. I have a push-through die I made that sizes them down in one hit. If I fill the lube grooves they remain intact, otherwise they just swage out which also seems to work and are shorter which fits the throat better.

I do have plans to make split molds and have the aluminum stock for them. Just waiting for a 'round tuit'. My plan is to bore the base diameter then cut individual grooves for the bands. The bands will be stepped down toward the nose to suit the throat.

While the smooth sided molds are easy to make, I do think a shallow grooved boolit is a better option.