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Thread: Any professional that Laps moulds?

  1. #1
    Boolit Buddy

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    Any professional that Laps moulds?

    Hello,

    I have a Lyman #356634 that casts .358 bullets maybe 20% of the time. My Ruger Carbine needs .358 bullets and does excellent with my 20% that cast chubby.

    I don’t really need to shoot my .356 sized 80% version of this bullet anymore in my aftermarket barrel sporting G17 since accuracy is just ok. The bullet is too short for my 9mm Colts to feed 100% .I will eventually get an Accurate 35-135B for the Glock and 9mm Colts.

    I want to reserve my #356634 for the Carbine and other .358 needing 9mm exclusively. Therefore I want all bullets dropped from that mould to be either .358 or larger.

    I am disinclined to attempt lapping this mould myself. Dead issue for me at this time. Does anyone know of a professional that I could ship the mould to for lapping?

    Thanks!

  2. #2
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    JonB_in_Glencoe's Avatar
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    Eric does "rear drive band enlargement", if that will be good enough for that design?

    http://www.hollowpointmold.com/

    Also, I am confused by your comment "20% that cast chubby"???
    They should all be same size? does your casting technique vary?

    A cooler mold temp and alloy with more antimony, can make a slightly larger boolit 100% of the time, so maybe you don't need to modify the mold?
    Last edited by JonB_in_Glencoe; 04-23-2021 at 03:57 PM.
    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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  3. #3
    Boolit Master
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    Preheat the mould on the kitchen stove.

    Would hHotter alloy shrink a tad more ?

    Do you maintain pot temperature?

  4. #4
    Boolit Buddy
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    Try beagle’ing the mold. Shouldn’t be difficult to get you .002. Also, alloy can be a major factor. Add some Lino.

  5. #5
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    What alloy are you using?
    How hot are you running the pot?
    Are you pre-heating the mold?

    Try casting at 650°, add a little more tin/pewter if you're not getting a complete fill.

    Hot alloy shrinks more.

  6. #6
    Boolit Buddy

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    Alloy used is a bastardized alloy of unwanted hard commercial bullets, #2 alloy and hardball alloy rejects from earlier casting sessions from different moulds which in the end is probably fairly close in make to hardball alloy.

    The end result bullets from my bastardized alloy are within 1-2 grains of the moulds specified 130grains. With this mould only the best bullets have big wonderful flat bases as cast. The ones that were a tad rounded usually size .357 as cast and when sized .356 wind up perfectly flat with no rounding, but only maybe 20% probably dropped from the mould are perfect as cast.

    That 20% according to my non exact calipers say .358 or .3585. When I put those 20% in my Lyman Lubsizer with a .358 die loaded with Thompson Red Angel, usually very slight sizing happens along with lubing. I have compared bullets before and after to verify some sizing does occur during this process and I am confident it isn’t in my imagination .

    This mould likes to run hot but I try not to go above 900 degrees in my Lee or I seem to just wind up oxidizing lead. If I go below 775 it seems bullet quality suffers with poor base fill. I usually cast with this mould when I am running 1 or 2 others which probably explains the varying bullet sizes to an extent. Since my rhythm when casting multiple moulds is perhaps adequate but certainly not perfect.

    I want this mould lapped out so it will tolerate my casting technique such as it is and yeild .358 capable bullets every time.
    Last edited by Divil; 04-23-2021 at 07:05 PM.

  7. #7
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    It sounds like you know what you want.
    Good luck.
    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    “If someone has a gun and is trying to kill you, it would be reasonable to shoot back with your own gun.”
    ― The Dalai Lama, Seattle Times, May 2001

  8. #8
    Boolit Buddy

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    Thanks guys. I sent Erik an email.

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Abbreviations used in Reloading

BP Bronze Point IMR Improved Military Rifle PTD Pointed
BR Bench Rest M Magnum RN Round Nose
BT Boat Tail PL Power-Lokt SP Soft Point
C Compressed Charge PR Primer SPCL Soft Point "Core-Lokt"
HP Hollow Point PSPCL Pointed Soft Point "Core Lokt" C.O.L. Cartridge Overall Length
PSP Pointed Soft Point Spz Spitzer Point SBT Spitzer Boat Tail
LRN Lead Round Nose LWC Lead Wad Cutter LSWC Lead Semi Wad Cutter
GC Gas Check