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Thread: Anyone make or can make a mold that

  1. #1
    Boolit Master Wolfdog91's Avatar
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    Anyone make or can make a mold that

    Is there anyone currently making or that can make a bullet mold ...well set of molds really .. where one is basically the regular bullet and there other is just a part of the entire deal , like say from the nose to right before it would contact the bore. One would cast that little section and it could just fit perfectly in the other mold so you can close it and finish pouring the rest of the bullet .
    Don't care about reinventing the wheel , don't care about the cost or if it's been tried before just if someone is doing it or could.
    Thanks
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    Last edited by M-Tecs; 10-29-2023 at 08:36 PM.
    2nd Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. - "A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed."

    "Before you argue with someone, ask yourself, is that person even mentally mature enough to grasp the concept of different perspectives? Because if not, there’s absolutely no point."
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  3. #3
    Boolit Grand Master

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    What are you wanting to do here? lyman had several moulds like this back in the day for casting soft nosed bullets.

    A 2 cavity mould with one cavity being the nose the other the full bullet might be good. then the nose could be transferred when the bullet is dropped. A stem on the nose will give a spot to handle and more area to bond to the base

  4. #4
    Boolit Master Wolfdog91's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by M-Tecs View Post
    Thank you , can't seem to see where I could order a soft point in 30cal though , their site inst the most user friendly

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    Boolit Master Wolfdog91's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by country gent View Post
    What are you wanting to do here? lyman had several moulds like this back in the day for casting soft nosed bullets.

    A 2 cavity mould with one cavity being the nose the other the full bullet might be good. then the nose could be transferred when the bullet is dropped. A stem on the nose will give a spot to handle and more area to bond to the base


    Sent from my motorola edge 5G UW (2021) using Tapatalk
    A wise man will try to learn as much from a fool as he will from a master, for all have something to teach- Uncle Iroh
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    https://mountainmolds.com/softnose-bullet-molds/

    Quote Originally Posted by Wolfdog91 View Post
    Thank you , can't seem to see where I could order a soft point in 30cal though , their site inst the most user friendly

    Sent from my motorola edge 5G UW (2021) using Tapatalk
    You are probably gonna have to make a phone call to order that. I would assume it'll be the same price as any of there 2 cav molds.
    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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  7. #7
    Boolit Grand Master

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    WolfDog91,
    You can accomplish this with a standard mould by making a custom dipper. Make a dipper that holds the amount of lead for your nose. use 2 pots or a big pot with a smaller one inside it. 2 dippers the custom and a standard. Pour the nose dipper in the hot mould then the hard lead. and dipper

    I use a gas fired pot with a 3 pound pot sitting inside my big pot. I hang the mould in the big pot using the edge to square the mould. pour the nose and then quickly pour the body with the second dipper from the big pot.

    If you send be some noses from the bullet you want to use I can make you a dipper. Cut the nose where you want the joint make a dipper deep an melt the nose into it cut the dipper to the lead in it.

    I think this will be easier than casting and handling noses separately

  8. #8
    Boolit Master Wolfdog91's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by country gent View Post
    WolfDog91,
    You can accomplish this with a standard mould by making a custom dipper. Make a dipper that holds the amount of lead for your nose. use 2 pots or a big pot with a smaller one inside it. 2 dippers the custom and a standard. Pour the nose dipper in the hot mould then the hard lead. and dipper

    I use a gas fired pot with a 3 pound pot sitting inside my big pot. I hang the mould in the big pot using the edge to square the mould. pour the nose and then quickly pour the body with the second dipper from the big pot.

    If you send be some noses from the bullet you want to use I can make you a dipper. Cut the nose where you want the joint make a dipper deep an melt the nose into it cut the dipper to the lead in it.

    I think this will be easier than casting and handling noses separately
    Very interesting,I'll keep this in mind thank you
    A wise man will try to learn as much from a fool as he will from a master, for all have something to teach- Uncle Iroh
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  9. #9
    Boolit Buddy
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    This is how I make my soft nose bullets. I have been using these copper measuring spoons for quite a while now and they have held up perfectly. I bend a pour spout on whatever side I need with needle nose pliers and can adjust it for how much lead I want pour given a certain speed. They are pretty tiny and get extremely hot at about 800 degree so I grab the size I need with vice grips. The bigger spoon holds enough lead to pour two 500 grain 45-70 bullets easily with full fill out. The small one is for soft nose, the middle size one is what I use to pour .38 specials-.44 magnums. I also bend mine to be able to dip into my pot when it gets extremely low.
    Attached Thumbnails Attached Thumbnails IMG_20231029_222459218~2.jpg   IMG_20231029_222531633~2.jpg  

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    When using a mold to make a two piece bullet, I found that the mold had to remain level until things had cooled to prevent an unbalanced bullet. I like Van Grifs methods.
    [The Montana Gianni] Front sight and squeeze

  11. #11
    Boolit Grand Master Nobade's Avatar
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    You can also make normal bullets, set them in a pan of water up to where you want them soft, and anneal the noses with a propane torch. For the small number of softnose bullets I have wanted over the years I find this to work quite well.

  12. #12
    Boolit Buddy
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    Lots of ways to skin this cat. I’ve really enjoyed reading this thread. Lots of options here.

  13. #13
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    Here are a couple quickies I just made right now. It can be time consuming, a little frustrating to get it down just right, there are some challenges to overcome, and although you may like the results...be prepared because most people won't. Using the same copper measuring spoons I mentioned above, I take a .38 special 158 grain pure lead SWC and melt it down then pour it into my mold, this will be the soft nose of my 500 grain 45-70 rounds. Using my torch, I melt a 400 grain hard lead 45-70 bullet in my next size up copper measing spoon while floating my mold with the lead nose over the spoon with the melting slug. I then pour the melted hard lead over into the mold. With a little practice you will quickly be able to fuse both alloys. Just cast several pure lead slugs before trying to fuse different leads until your bullets come out to your satisfaction. After that, just figure out what caliber bullet is the right amount for the nose you need and melt one down at a time then pour into your mold. The rest of the cavity you can fill until it is full of whatever lead you want. Being that the two alloys may be quite different, expect the casted bullets to reflect that. If you are going to powder coat, looks may not matter. The lead level of your noses may start to leave a lead ring inside your mold after each cast and that may cause your bullets to come out crooked and such. Try experimenting with pure lead the first few times so you are not mixing all your lead in big batches. Pour a pure lead nose wait a few seconds then fill the cavity with pure lead, practice until you get the fusion you desire them start introducing your hard lead. Ignore the frosty/grainy look of my bullets...I made them in about 10 minutes with my torch that almost empty, but I wanted to post an example or two. Keep in mind that the nose may be slightly heavier per caliber with a soft lead nose and it could affect trajectory.
    Attached Thumbnails Attached Thumbnails IMG_20231030_164552967_HDR~2.jpg   IMG_20231030_164950253_HDR~2.jpg   IMG_20231030_165708109_HDR~2.jpg   IMG_20231030_165718833_HDR~2.jpg   IMG_20231030_165747554_HDR~2.jpg  

    Last edited by THE_ANTIDOTE; 10-30-2023 at 08:40 PM.

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    Boolit Master
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    I had no idea this kind of thing was possible. Maybe I could make a mold that would hold a stub nail and cast lead around it. Armour penetrating?

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    Ned Roberts, in his book about muzzle loaders, shows and talks about two part bullets. Each section was cast, then swaged together.

    Some discussion on the topic;

    https://americanlongrifles.org/forum...?topic=34614.0
    The solid soft lead bullet is undoubtably the best and most satisfactory expanding bullet that has ever been designed. It invariably mushrooms perfectly, and never breaks up. With the metal base that is essential for velocities of 2000 f.s. and upwards to protect the naked base, these metal-based soft lead bullets are splendid.
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  16. #16
    Boolit Master
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    Being assured the two parts are fused together seems to be the issue here with all methods of creating a soft point cast except the one process I've read about here done by Bruce(don't recall his exact name here). I recall that he dipped the bottom of the mold into the pot of molten lead after the cavities were filled so that the entire bullet is melted and cooled together the way a normal cast bullet is. That way you know they are fused. OF course, it would be slow due to so much time spent waiting for the mold to cool but there would be no doubts of the soft nose breaking off after impact. You only need a few of these anyhow so one long casting session would make enough for multiple years of hunting.

    I had intended to make some of these but the more game I shoot, the more confidence I gain in normal cast bullets to kill humanely. Still would like to make some 500 grain soft points to use in the 460 Weatherby just because. Also since I'll probably slow those down too lessen recoil and won't have as much velocity to get good expansion.

  17. #17
    Boolit Master trapper9260's Avatar
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    Just a idea . for a 30 cal . could maybe cast a 32 cal light bullet with pure lead then after put in you 30 cal mold make sure it fits then just pour your hard alloy over it. Might work with use the 32 cal for what ever size you want for other cals. Just got the idea from the link of 2 part bullet. I cast both . I have not try it . Just wondering if any have tried it .
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  18. #18
    Boolit Buddy
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    I was always fascinated by this concept and the Lyman composite bullet series. I never owned them and am always on the lookout for them. I’ve tried the two pot method. It works but never really perfected the technique. I supposed soft alloy powder coated bullets will perform. I know LBT had similar molds as well. Cool concept but a little extra work for marginal performance enhancement. Large meplat designs always deliver. Watching this thread, anyone want to unload a composite style set of molds should PM me ��

  19. #19
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    Someone in the past also made a two-part mold that was designed to be glued together. For the most part there is a reason they are in the scrap pile of history.

    I have not tested this so it's just a guess, but I think gas checked PC or paper patch with a softer alloy would give better more consistent results with less effort?
    Last edited by M-Tecs; 11-01-2023 at 05:54 PM.
    2nd Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. - "A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed."

    "Before you argue with someone, ask yourself, is that person even mentally mature enough to grasp the concept of different perspectives? Because if not, there’s absolutely no point."
    – Amber Veal

    "The Highest form of ignorance is when your reject something you don't know anything about".
    - Wayne Dyer

  20. #20
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    Quote Originally Posted by ebb View Post
    I had no idea this kind of thing was possible. Maybe I could make a mold that would hold a stub nail and cast lead around it. Armour penetrating?
    This may or maynot be legal.
    I ain't gonna try and interpret the ATF's words.
    Here are they're words, suitable for bathroom reading for sure

    https://www.atf.gov/firearms/docs/ge...ition/download
    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    “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

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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