Lee mold casting oversize boolits

[km101]

I have a Lee mold # 90322 whick according to Lee should be casting a .358 diameter bullet. It is actually casting a .362 diameter bullett. When I try to size it there is no lube groove left.. The mold appears to be closing properly and there are no "fims" or other irregularities apparent on the bullets. Could this be a defective mold? Or am I doing something wrong?\\
Opinions? Suggestions?

Thanks in advance!

[ipijohn]

You are sizing it down .004 and the grooves are gone? That is amazing, have never seen lube grooves that are less than .002 deep even with TL.

[dsol]

Sounds like they screwed it up but it is exactly what I am looking for! I have an old Iver Johnson 38 S&W that needs .362-.363 diameter boolits. If you want to sell it, I would be happy to take it off your hands so you can buy another. If I had one, I would trade but dont have any 2 cavity moulds.

[Gar]

Sounds like they screwed it up but it is exactly what I am looking for! I have an old Iver Johnson 38 S&W that needs .362-.363 diameter boolits. If you want to sell it, I would be happy to take it off your hands so you can buy another. If I had one, I would trade but dont have any 2 cavity moulds.

I was thinking the same thing, prefect for a 38 S&W. I had to buy another mold and beale it for my H&R top break :^(

[mdi]

FWIW, I'd try casting with a hotter alloy; more shrinkage. I was getting undersize bullets half the time and after much though and experimentation found melt temp does make a difference in finished size (lower temp melt produced bullets closer to mold size. Hotter melt fills cavity and gives smaller bullets due to more shrinkage. Its only a few thousandths but it sure helps when looking for smaller/larger bullets). I regularily clean and inspect the mating surfaces of my molds; it only takes a .001" speck of lead to make the bullet larger in diameter...