200gr 38 Special Super Police (can you help me get the mold to release)

[Stopsign32v]

So I love so much heavy weight boolits in all calibers! So when I learned of the 200gr Super Police load I had to have the mold! It makes nice boolits but it absolutely will not drop the boolits! I have to tap on the handles of the mold for a solid 1 minute or longer before it will drop them. I Q-tip swabbed the mold with 2 stroke oil and it dropped 2 boolits nicely and then went back to them sticking. The mold was nice and hot so that was not it. It takes so long to drop that the mold cools off and at one point started making wrinkled boolits. Can't figure this one out...

I could seat the boolit a little deeper but this is just a dummy round anyways. Need to look up some loads for it in both 38spl brass and 357 Mag brass.

[huntnman]

I'm suspicious that the mold is not mating correctly the parting lines don't look correct.

[badguybuster]

Id love to know the specifics of that load

[358429]

Does light shine through evenly when you hold the closed mold in between your eye and a bright light source like sun or a strong lamp?

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[Stopsign32v]

Does light shine through evenly when you hold the closed mold in between your eye and a bright light source like sun or a strong lamp?

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Yep

[JimB..]

Apologies if I misunderstood, did you wipe inside the cavities with oil?

Edit: and I want some of those for suppressed carbine, wonder of they’ll stabilize at walking speeds.

[ohen cepel]

Edit: and I want some of those for suppressed carbine, wonder of they’ll stabilize at walking speeds.

Badman bullets (and I think Penn) also make 230gr 38/357 options for pin shooting. Looks like a pencil cut and put into the round but pretty neat if you want heavy for caliber.

[Stopsign32v]

Anyone have any comments on the marks left on the mold? Looks like aluminum tape was placed in some areas by a previous owner. Maybe because of this problem?

[Dusty Bannister]

What is the alloy and how long does it take for the sprue to become solid? If very hot it may not have begun to shrink when you are trying to remove the casting. Do the blocks stick, or just the bullet sticks in one block? What is the residue on the face of the blocks? the mold seam does seem a bit more than preferred.

[Stopsign32v]

What is the alloy and how long does it take for the sprue to become solid? If very hot it may not have begun to shrink when you are trying to remove the casting. Do the blocks stick, or just the bullet sticks in one block? What is the residue on the face of the blocks? the mold seam does seem a bit more than preferred.

Not sure on the alloy. It was from a reputable member here about 3 or more years ago. I told him I was going to use it for 45/70 so he said this would work well. (Was a member with over 1,000 posts)

I use a RCBS dipper to pour and I was experimenting with pouring the whole dipper in the mold and then letting it cool while shaking it a bit. This method works wonderfully for me with other molds. It took about 6 seconds to become solid. I'd then crack her open and try to drop. Again this method works fine with all of my other molds. It only sticks on one side of the mold, the one without the plate.

[Piedmont]

Listen to Huntnman. I also think the mold isn't mating properly. It might be handle fit. I've had the mold not close perfectly if there was no play left in the handle fit. Push the blocks together while off the mold and see if the mold closes completely and if you can jiggle each half on the other and feel any play or slight clicking. If so, you can use a punch and hammer and increase or decrease slightly how far those round headed pins protrude. That will adjust whether there is any mold play between the halves when closed (you don't want any play).

[JimB..]

Badman bullets (and I think Penn) also make 230gr 38/357 options for pin shooting. Looks like a pencil cut and put into the round but pretty neat if you want heavy for caliber.

Thanks!

[Dusty Bannister]

LOL, Quit doing what you are doing and try something else. Obviously, this mold does not like being treated like you are doing it. One pour, decent sprue, cut when at solid phase, let cool a couple more seconds, tap a handle end as you open the mold. Try turning the mold on the side away from the sticking block. Perhaps the extra length of the casting is binding in the block and that results in stuck bullet. What are the bullet dimensions measured with a micrometer at three points on the body of the casting. That will tell you if the mold has been messed with. You may want to consider polishing the cavity even though it looks like it has been "scrubbed" already.

[Stopsign32v]

Could this be a problem?

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

Yep, those are the wrong handles.
you need the handles for a single cavity mold.

https://castboolits.gunloads.com/sho...les-Pic-Thread!!

[Stopsign32v]

Yep, those are the wrong handles.
you need the handles for a single cavity mold.

They were sold as single cavity handles, are they not?

[photomicftn]

They were sold as single cavity handles, are they not?

Some helpful discussion on the differences in Lyman/Ideal small mold handles:

https://castboolits.gunloads.com/sho...-created-equal

[Rich/WIS]

The pics of the closed mold show a gap on the end nearer the handles. Can't tell but looks like a small burr on the right mhand mold block. Do the blocks move easily on the handles when the mold is open? Had a similar problem (mold closing, not sticking) with Lyman handles, needed to thin the handles to let the blocks move freely. Also may be an issue with the handles in front of the holes for the mold screws. The inside edges may need to be relieved slightly to allow the mold to close completely. Have you tried a different set of handles? The sticking may be due to burrs on the mating surfaces of the blocks, had that issue on a mold and removing the burrs fixed the issue.

[downzero]

You may be able to simply loosen the handles a bit so that the mold can cam closed. Either way it needs to close all the way to make good bullets.

[JimB..]

Looks like a bit of lead holding the blocks apart, but either way I’d remove the handles and see how well the mold mates up. If that’s not good then clean them if needed or determine if they are warped (sucks, but it happens). If they are good without the handles, then assemble with loose handles and see how they mate. It’s the long way around vs just loosening the handles, but I always prefer to diagnose the problem rather than just trying possible solutions.