Lee Collet Neck Sizing die problems....

Today, 05:46 PM Before removing any material from the mandrel, make sure the collet isn't stuck. What you mentioned are the exact symptoms of a stuck collet. Take the die completely apart (everything comes out the top). Put a drop of oil or grease on the outside of the collet fingers. Reassemble. See if it'll work then.

Check the instructions (bottom left on the instruction sheet - "If collet dents cases it may be stuck"), only don't hammer on it like the instructions say. Take it apart!! I understand yours isn't denting the cases, but diassemble, oil, and reassemble anyway. You'll be done in 45 seconds. Put 25 pounds of pressure on the ram handle when sizing, first ensuring the die is set up exactly as Lee's instructions say (Put shellholder on ram. Raise ram. Screw in die until shellholder just kisses the bottom of the die. Lower ram. Turn die in one full turn. Lock it down).

Is that die marked for 22 Hornet? If so, an oversized mandrel is possible but not probable. After following above and freeing the collet, polish it like others said if it still won;t size correctly. Remember the minimum 25 pounds of ram handle downward pressure first.

The way the collet gets stuck is, when the die is screwed in, raising the ram up to the die without a case in it. This pushes the male collet up into the female, and can lock the die where it won't work. THe die is correct if the bottom portion of the collet, sticking out from the bottom of the die body, spins freely with a little slop. Some collet dies will spin like there are ball bearings inside! Others are a tad tighter. All will exhibit some slop. The slop is not faulty machining - it's designed that way.

Good luck!

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"Bump" Die problems

We need more information to help you.

1. The type of brass that you are using.
2. Info on the kind of bullet.
3. Type of rifle, bolt or semi.

My guess is that your brass necks have gotten thicker from repeated firings and you have a choice of either "outside neck turning" or get new brass.
Check this video

Take your calipers and measure a case neck thickness in 4 places so that you get an average neck case thickness.

(average neck thickness x 2) + bullet diameter = case neck diameter

You may be able to chamber the round, but after it's fired it has too little space to expand and gets stuck.

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Glock 20 problems

Bought a new Glock 20SF, I am having jams with factory fmj ammo as well as hollow points with both magazines and worse I almost never get through a magazine without misfires AKA light primer strikes. I took the gun apart and made sure everything was clean and still misfires.
The other issues are gritty trigger and accuracy. I have owned well over 100 handguns and shot in competition years ago. I hate to say it but my RIA 1911 will shoot circles around this G20. At 50 feet the average group ranges from 3 1/2 to 7 inch's on a solid rest depending upon ammo and none of the groups are tight. I shoot a LAR 45 Winchester magnum regularly and it shoots very good groups. Did I just get a lemon or is Glock having issues, the last Glock I bought was 10 years ago and it was a decent gun. __________________
The real danger to America is not abroad but within..
Having an open mind is a good thing, but not so open that your brains fall out!
Save America, abort liberalism.

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problems lubing .223-55gr with Lyman 45

i am fairly new using this Lyman 45, and i had some problems lubing some 0.223 boolits...

had a heck of a time getting the groove to lube up, lube would come out of the bottom of the 45, come underneath the bullet when i pushed it out, and all sorts of problems... seemed real finicky about getting the exact boolit depth...

here are the particulars: RCBS sizing die 0.225 with one row of holes, using Carnuba Red, and this particular boolit is a NOE 55gr 0.225 that has one lube groove

seemed like to get the lube groove lined up with the row of holes in the sizer the nose of the boolit had to be approximately 3/8" below the top of the die!

is this normal, or what am i doing wrong?

once i pushed the nose down inside the die, and got the groove lined up with the holes in the die it would lube up with no problems so long as i didn't over tighten the pressure nut

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358W chamber problems??

I would appreciated some input from other .358W owners.

If there's anyone out there with some fired .358 WW brass on hand, could you please measure the outside neck diameter?

I'm splitting case necks after only a few firings with mild loads and suspect the culprit is simply a crappy batch of WW cases.

Thank you,
MJ

It's not about gun control, it's about people control. The progressives are using terrorists and the insane to further their agenda. If the socialist news media wasn't complicit, we could sit back and watch Fast & Furious and Benghazi-gate unfold.

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xlox and JPW 50-50 and very thin, problems?

Boolit Mold Join DateFeb 2013Posts9

I just got my first order of xlox (alox) and mixed it 50-50 with JPW. I have read the stickie abot the 45-45-10 but don't understand why you want to cook off the solvents in the JPW then add mineral spirits. I heated the jpw and mixed in with the xlow, shook up, let cool a day, and shook again. It is about the consistency of cheap catchup(sp). Is this normal? Do I need to cook it down a bit and add the mineral sprirts?

Planning to load these lubes (9mm, .45, .38/.357) this weekend. Already sized and waiting.

Thanks for all the input! This is a great forum!

Boolit Master Join DateJan 2007Posts242

I have not done the Xlox/JPW but my guess is that the cookdown and add back of mineral spirits is a quest for consistency from batch to batch ....and reloader tendencies to over complicate things :^). I do know that the solvents will evaporate anyway but it may take a bit longer than if you cooked down and added a precise amount back. Straight JPW can be rubbed onto boolits without heating and will dry.-That I have done.

Cast is an adjective, a noun and a verb. Cast works as both imperative and past tense without any additional letters or helping verbs.

you are taking out the solvents that keep the jpw soft and smooshy.
and then you replace them with mineral spirits which evaporates, leaving the lube dry.
it also cuts the xlox into a useable liquid.

it's all an educated guess,,,, till the trigger is pulled.

the more i find out about shootin boolits, the more it contradicts everything i ever learned about shooting jaxketed.

Follow the directions. They're there for a reason.

Gear

You can't fix Stupid, but you can occasionally head it off before it hurts something. --Stephen Adams

Being able to separate the wheat from the chaff has always been a valuable skill in all of life's activities. --Bwana

Boolit Mold Join DateFeb 2013Posts9

you are taking out the solvents that keep the jpw soft and smooshy.
and then you replace them with mineral spirits which evaporates, leaving the lube dry.
it also cuts the xlox into a useable liquid.That makes sense. I tumbled a few tonight to see what they felt like. Not as sticky as the regular snot. Were drying alright after about 5 hours but still tacky. I will try to cook down the mix a little bit tomorrow. I wonder how much I should cook it down? Will give it another try tomorrow. I wonder if lacquer thinner would evaporate too quickly for the mix??

It should be more like the consistency of pudding. It works real well but you need to make it right.

heat it up until melted.
heat the boolits up too then apply the lube with a fork.
if the lube stays a bit tacky it needs a bit more of the solvents taken off.
mine dries and feels like the wax coating on 22 lr rounds.
it generally dries in about 2 hours.
and i let them sit overnight at least before loading.

it's all an educated guess,,,, till the trigger is pulled.

the more i find out about shootin boolits, the more it contradicts everything i ever learned about shooting jaxketed.

Apply the lube with a fork? Why not tumble them? I can't picture using a fork.

I think he means to use a fork to dribble a bit of lube into the container for tumbling.

You need to learn to speak "Run"!

Boolit Mold Join DateFeb 2013Posts9

heat it up until melted.
heat the boolits up too then apply the lube with a fork.
if the lube stays a bit tacky it needs a bit more of the solvents taken off.
mine dries and feels like the wax coating on 22 lr rounds.
it generally dries in about 2 hours.
and i let them sit overnight at least before loading.Ahh, now I have a time reference. Will do some some more cooking today then. Will shoot for the pudding phase.

cooking down the jpw takes a little time you'll actually see the 'steam' come off.
don't breathe it.
but about 30% reduction by volume is about right.
no big deal you haven't ruined the batch.
just heat it up again for a few minutes.

you know when you have it as the lube will dry out between uses.
I throw a little more mineral spirits in when it does that.

it's all an educated guess,,,, till the trigger is pulled.

the more i find out about shootin boolits, the more it contradicts everything i ever learned about shooting jaxketed.

Boolit Mold Join DateFeb 2013Posts9

cooking down the jpw takes a little time you'll actually see the 'steam' come off.
don't breathe it.
but about 30% reduction by volume is about right.
no big deal you haven't ruined the batch.
just heat it up again for a few minutes.

you know when you have it as the lube will dry out between uses.
I throw a little more mineral spirits in when it does that.

Whew, thought I ruined it. Will simmer it this afternoon when I can open a window.

Just remember when cooking it that the vapors are extremely flammable. No open flame. You can even have a fire from an electric hot plate. Ask me how I know this.

Boolit Mold Join DateFeb 2013Posts9

Just remember when cooking it that the vapors are extremely flammable. No open flame. You can even have a fire from an electric hot plate. Ask me how I know this.It sounds like you have first hand knowledge. No open flame here, not even an open element. Glass top range, easier to clean up, too. So I am headed for the pudding stage? Is that when it is warm or cool. I wonder how hot I should get it? I guess I will treat it like baked beans, low heat for most of the day, well, about 20 min. I will just keep an eye to the vapors. I did see some when I melted the JPW.

I will keep a lid and wet dish towel handy just in case.

Get it melted and not much hotter than that.
If time allows leaving the can open for a period of time will do the same. May take a few months but it will let the solvents evaporate.

I made this stuff using Directions and mine came out almost like a lube stick (once it cooled). I was worried I had made it wrong so I posted on here and was told thats the way it was suppose to work! Never looked back and have had no problems!! This stuff for Tumble Lubing works GREAT!!

45 ACP because shooting more than once is just silly!!

Democracy is two wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for lunch. Liberty is a well-armed lamb contesting the vote.

Boolit Mold Join DateFeb 2013Posts9

Ok, I got the blend cooked down, warm like smooth chocolate, cooled down, hardend up like chocolate too. Had trouble scraping it with putty knife. Warmed it up a bit, poured into bottle, let it cool there. Not it is hard as a brick bat! also, I have less than 1/2 the volume of what I had to start with. I mixed 16 oz of xlox, and 16 ox of JPW now I have about 10oz of a tar like brick.

boy did I learn my lesson. Next time I will just order the 45-45-10 from LLS. This was so not worth it. Thaks for trying to help an old hard head, everyone. Guess I will use the straight Lee mule snot.

just add some mineral spirits to the warmed up lube.
you want it semi hard when it dries in the container [that is what it does on the boolits too] or you just end up with a sticky mess on the boolits and in your seating die.
the mineral spirits evaporating is what dries the lube out.

it's all an educated guess,,,, till the trigger is pulled.

the more i find out about shootin boolits, the more it contradicts everything i ever learned about shooting jaxketed.

Boolit Mold Join DateFeb 2013Posts9

I'll give that a try. thanks, right now, it is a tar brick.

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Encore Problems

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Casting Accurate Mold Problems

As you can see by the picture I have a problem with one cavity of my mold. I need some help on what I can do about it. I have tried heating it up an wiping it down but it has not helped. I am new to casting and I am sure there are some lessons I have to learn. The mold dropped good bullets at first but now I have small indents in one bullet of a 4 cavity mold. I am not sure how to clean a mold and start over.

Last edited by billdean; Yesterday at 10:48 PM. Reason: forgot pictures

Boolit Master Join DateApr 2009LocationiowaPosts213

If it were me I would take it apart and scrub the heck out of it, hot water with dawn does a pretty good job, use a stiff tooth brush, dry it good and maybe use a bic lighter to O so very, very little smoke, get it up to temp and have a ball.

A good heavy scrubbing with rubbing alcohol and a rag or a toothbrush often helps clean out oil or grease that you can't see with the naked eye. I like to follow the alcohol with a detergent like Dawn, as mentioned above, and hot water, and then making sure to dry the mold with a rag before starting again. Sometimes with a multi-cavity mold a particular cavity may be the one that consistently drops the poorly formed bullets in a given session. Sometimes the cause is not a dirty cavity but an improperly heated cavity, and this can be corrected by filling the cavity that is not filling out well first.

By the looks of the bases, if your using a down pour pot, try pressure casting. I have to do that to all my Accurate molds in the 45-70, to get my bases to fill out.

I start out by boiling my molds, any mold, in water with a few drops of Dawn dish soap. I'll let them sit in this water that i brought up to boiling and pulled off the burner for a good 5 min. Scrub with a nylon brush, toothbrush ect ect, rinse and repeat. I boil the water a couple of times and do this to make sure all oils get out of the pours of the mold.

I would look that cavity over with a magnifying glass.
I bet you know exactly which cavity it is because the boolits are hanging up in it.
look for a little rolled over or dinged area right on the two drive bands.

it's all an educated guess,,,, till the trigger is pulled.

the more i find out about shootin boolits, the more it contradicts everything i ever learned about shooting jaxketed.

I would look that cavity over with a magnifying glass.
I bet you know exactly which cavity it is because the boolits are hanging up in it.
look for a little rolled over or dinged area right on the two drive bands.There does seem to be a sliver right at the drive band. What would I do to remove it? All the bullets seem to hang up.

+1 on cleaning it.
I use carbe cleaner, or break cleaner.
Ok now that we got that out ofthe way.
What cal. and what grain?

Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy!
Ben Franklin

45/70 caliber. The mold is a 4 cavity. 2 are 430 grain and 2 are 350 grain. The 350 grain is giving me the problem.

Fill the 350 grainer first. ... felix

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Lee Dispensing Problems

VolusiaJ,

My guess is you are suffering from "artificial precision" in your measurements. Balance beam scales measure to the tenth, because that is really all the precision you need. Unless you have a lab grade scale that measures in grains (something I've never encountered in a lab, they were all metric) your scale is giving you artificial precision.

1. 4.78 gn = 4.8
2. 4.86 gn = 4.9 *
3. 4.84 gn = 4.8
4. 4.84 gn = 4.8
5. 4.82 gn = 4.8
6. 4.88 gn = 4.9 *
7. 4.76 gn = 4.8
8. 4.74 gn = 4.7 *
9. 4.84 gn = 4.8
10. 4.84 gn = 4.8

So you are right at 4.8 grains with the volumetric charge with a standard deviation of less than a tenth of a grain. That is pretty good for volumetric dispensing.

I recommend not using a digital scale, go back to a balance beam scale and do a load workup from 4.5 to 4.9 grains. If your pistol is happy with a 4.8 gr charge, by all means use the volumetric dispencer to load more rounds quicker.

Also, the volumetric density conversion chart that Lee provides is a great place to start, but by no means is it the correct answer. I challenge you to weigh a 20 grain charge of powder, then leave it exposed to damp air for three or four weeks, then weigh that same charge again. I did that with rifle powder and my charge weight (unchanged in volume) had gone up a grain.

Jimro

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HELP! ......I'm having problems with a Mihec brass mold!

I have a Mihec brass four cavity mold for the .455 Webley Hollow Base Boolit, and I have been having a devil of a time producing good boolits with this mold!

As you can see in the picture, I am having problems with ?fill-out?.

If I get both the mold and the lead REALLY hot (?.too hot, in my opinion) I might get 25% of the boolits to fill out completely: ??But if I work the mold fast enough to keep it that hot, the boolit skirts crack due to the opening stresses!

If my math is correct, the alloy I am using contains between 3% and 4% tin, and it is quite soft. (?Easily marked with a fingernail.)

I cast maybe 1000 boolits a month in other calibers, and I have never had issues like this: ??..Can anyone shed some light on this problem?

Do you think more tin might be the answer???

Kent

Boolit Buddy Join DateJan 2013Posts60

might a venting issue several stickys on the subj

Boolit Mold Join DateMar 2013LocationW. Central INPosts18

venting or mold fouled with oil.
I'd start by making positive the mold is clean..maybe boil in a TSP solution.

you may be opening the mold before the srue is hard enough
causing the cracked or torn skirts on the hb
never had a problem with any of Mp's molds
I think after you cast awhile with it things will work out

Wash the mold with TSP. It'll be squeaky clean.

TriSodium Phosphate

I used the powdered form and I bought it in home depot.

Rich or poor, it's good to have money.

Well klcarroll, the first thing you should have done is contact the mold maker (MiHec) and throughly describe your problem along with your "procedure" for using the mold. Since he sold the mold he has an obligation to make sure you are using it correctly.
It could be a bad mold or it could be you. However it appears you do have experience in using bullet molds.

Then post back if there is a problem with him using his instructions or whatever.

Well klcarroll, the first thing you should have done is contact the mold maker (MiHec) and throughly describe your problem along with your "procedure" for using the mold. Since he sold the mold he has an obligation to make sure you are using it correctly.
It could be a bad mold or it could be you. However it appears you do have experience in using bullet molds.

Then post back if there is a problem with him using his instructions or whatever.

Sorry! ......I didn't realize I was violating established protocol and procedure!

Please forgive my ignorance!

KLC

The picture of the bullet you posted does not appear to be frosted indicating a hot alloy and mould. How loose is the sprue plate? If it is too tight it will prevent air from escaping causing defects. As other have already said try cleaning the mould again.

I have had problems with fillout in the past and when I have exhausted all other methods to correct it, i.e., cleaning, venting, sprue issues, I turn to lapping. I quick five minute lap with 500 grit lapping compound using two or three boolits cast from that mold and that cavity usually works. I believe the problem is a cleaning issue that ordinary scrubbing with detergent can't cure.

Paul G.
Once I was young, now I am old and in between went by way to fast.

The end move in politics is always to pick up a gun.
-- R. Buckminster Fuller

It appears from the picture the melt temp is less than 700F and mold temp nearly half that. Also looks like the mold has some impurities in the grooves facing us. I would scrub the mold with a soft toothbrush and diluted solution of scratch-free Comet (AKA liquid Comet). Then I would warm the mold on an electric hot plate up to about 450-500F and introduce 725-750F metal into it. If the sprue stays liquid for about 3-5 seconds, you should be in the zone. Don't open the mold until the sprue looses its shine. Also, lube the sprue plate with Bullplate or an equivalent.

MJ

P.S. Also, scrub the mold face parallel to the vent lines and make sure there are no burrs impeding the venting.

It's not about gun control, it's about people control. The progressives are using terrorists and the insane to further their agenda. If the socialist news media wasn't complicit, we could sit back and watch Fast & Furious and Benghazi-gate unfold.

Thank you all!

I will try the actions that you have suggested.

KLC

MP molds, especially the HP and HB cramer types, need to run very hot. Until I got a hotplate, I couldn't get a Miha crammer type HP mold to work until it was very hot. By pouring a lot of boolits real quick, it finally got hot enough.

Forget about worries oh, I'm gonna warp it if I get it too hot! I don't have an exact heat number to list, I just turn the hot plate on high, leave the mold on there for 20 minutes. it STILL is not hot enough! The HB pins need to be hot enough so they don't suck the heat out of the metal before it can finish filling out. Since it is a nose pour boolit, you have to run the lead in there as fast as you can, no dribbling.

My big 500 S&W "grand canyon" 700 grainer actually only works when I use a ladle. I'm using a pretty soft alloy so I can expect some expansion of the enormous HP cavity boolits. It still has to be very hot to work.

Don't try to solve the heat problem by cranking the alloy heat up. That depletes the tin which makes fill-out worse. Get the mold hot, leave the alloy at about 725-50.

He is your friend, your partner, your defender, your dog.
You are his life, his love, his leader. He will be yours, faithful and true, to the last beat of his heart.
You owe it to him to be worthy of such devotion."

?At the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat?--Theodore Roosevelt

Since it is a nose pour boolit, you have to run the lead in there as fast as you can, no dribbling.That's a good point too. Perhaps you need a Rowell ladle. The #2 is my go to ladle for .30 caliber and bigger molds... it really keeps the blocks operating at a consistent temperature.

MJ

It's not about gun control, it's about people control. The progressives are using terrorists and the insane to further their agenda. If the socialist news media wasn't complicit, we could sit back and watch Fast & Furious and Benghazi-gate unfold.

When i cast with my mihec molds i run it at 750
the longer the mold runs the better the boolits will get until it starts to frost.
If i am on a roll i sometimes crank the heat up to 775
If you have the mold at correct temp the sprue cuts with no effort.

You did nothing wrong with posting your question here like you did.
If you want a answer right now then go to the chat room. Someone there will know the answer to most casting/mold issues you got.

I would also run it at about 725. All my hollow points Mihecs like that temp. I also like frosty bollits. It tells me they are hot enough. I turn on the music and really fly when I get my molds up to temp. I never stop to check on the boolits. I don't put the sprues back in the pot until it is time to take a break or run out of alloy and need to refill.

I'm with all the "run it hot" comments. Cast fast and keep the mould temperature up. If that doesn't do it and skirts are tearing then I would suspect venting.

It certainly wouldn't hurt to scrub clean though I seldom ever clean new moulds other than wiping down well with a paper towel or rag. What I do is pre-heat until they smoke. You do not want to overheat and I do not have any temperatures to give you but I have heated until the sprue plate lube starts to smoke and that is probably just a bit too hot as the sprue takes a while to harden when I first start casting. I set my casting rhythm and lead temperature from there and stay casting quickly. I have not warped a mould yet.

All my brass moulds (and NOE aluminum) like to be run fast and hot.

Another thing I have had to do with some moulds is to use a fine stone or diamond hone to just break the top edge of both mould faces under the sprue plate. That adds a bit of venting. Usually rounded bases (in your case nose) or at least fill near the end of pour is not good if the sprue plate is tight and venting under is poor. Simply loosening the sprue plate may help.

I would check out all other options before lapping a Mihec mould.

Longbow

I have had problems with fillout in the past and when I have exhausted all other methods to correct it, i.e., cleaning, venting, sprue issues, I turn to lapping. I quick five minute lap with 500 grit lapping compound using two or three boolits cast from that mold and that cavity usually works. I believe the problem is a cleaning issue that ordinary scrubbing with detergent can't cure.I would be really hesitant to lap a MP mold until I had tried a whole bunch of other options first. My first suggestion with almost any problem with the MP brass molds is that they need more heat. More heat (in the block, not necessarily the melt) usually solves the problem.

NRA Endowment Member

I don't own an assault weapon. I own a counter-assault weapon.

You paid top dollar for the mold. You shouldn't need to modify it in any way.
Clean it with brake cleaner.
Start casting hot
If in 30 mins you don't have good boolits its got a issue

I have a 375449 mold that makes the best one sided boolits in the world.
flip them around however and they get all rounded over like you have in that picture.
mind you this is a 2 cavity lyman 375 caliber mold and I should be looking for way's to cool this mold down.
but no sir I have to run it hot and fast like 5 pours a minute and waterdrop.
I have cleaned the vent lines and recut them.
the sprue plate spins in a light breeze.
I have polished the cavity's.
and after all that.
I have to run it smoking hot and fast, the boolits pop out of the cavity's and are well filled out, anything else is a waste of time.

it's all an educated guess,,,, till the trigger is pulled.

the more i find out about shootin boolits, the more it contradicts everything i ever learned about shooting jaxketed.

Sorry! ......I didn't realize I was violating established protocol and procedure!

Please forgive my ignorance!

KLC

Hi klcarroll, I am certainly not implying you are ignorant ! You spent your money for a tool that is giving you a problem. It's very reasonable that you contact the manufacture before jumping to conclusions.

Who else would be better to help you than the person who made the tool? I can understand your frustation, However, there is a way to begin such problems other than "shooting" the messenger.

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Got my first NOE and already problems....

Boolit Bub Join DateMar 2013Posts22

The mold itself is fantastic! It's a 65 grain GC .225 4cav mold. 95.80 shipped to my door and it arrived in under 3 days. The issue I have is after following instructions on peeping the mold it doesn't cast well at all. I preheat the mold and when I pour my melt into the mold it just cools instantly and only fills the nose of the mold. It has done this about 400 times since I tried it and I only got 5 bullets out of it and they are not even serviceable.

Please help. I feel like I wasted $100 on a paperweight at this moment.

Alloy: WW and Linotype where needed
Mold: .225 65gr 4cav NOE
Lee furnace

Its not hot enough...alloy or mold. I have a double 92 gr. mold and it takes a lot of heat and fast casting speed to keep it running. You have even less lead with 65 gr. bullets. preheat more and try running your alloy at 700-725 degrees.

NOE molds like it HOT !!!

That big mold will definitely need preheating & with that small a boolit will probably cool as you cast .

I have a 5C 358429 & I have to go as fast as I can to keep it to temp.
I run my alloy at 745f for the 5C ,I also have a 360-180 rnfp design & if I make HPs with it alloy is at 810f.

I don`t understand as I can get a 6C Lee to the point of wait to cool ,but the NOE 5C I can`t ??

It`s gotta be the type of aluminum alloy they use because the NOE aluminum is harder than Lees.

Turn up the heat !!!!

Oh yeah if ya got a thermometer to check the mold with shoot for 350-400f & I use an old iron frying pan on the burner , never the mold or ingot directly on the burner!

That big a mould with that small a bullet is going require preheating. If it was a 250 gr bullet it wpuld heat up by just casting but the little guys just don't transfer enough heat.

Use the stove or a hotplate to get it hot, I want mine to enough to instantly boil off a drop of water. Then start casting. No messing around either, cast with a quick tempo or the mould won't stay hot enough.

All the guys above are telling you right. I have a NOE 225107 10 cavity that was lent to me by a member here. You think you're makin' little boolits? Try castin' 33 grainers!

This mold is double sided and has two sprue cutters. In order to make the mold sit flat on the hot plate and absorb enough heat, I had to take one sprue cutter off and cast into the five cavities on one side.

I put the mold on a solid top hot plate and cover it with the bottom of a no. 10 food can that's been cut to fit the handles so the can sits flat on the hot plate. This (I think) helps to trap the heat. I fire the pot and the hot plate and give them both 20 minutes to heat up before I even think about starting.

The hot plate runs at wide open. I have to run my alloy for this mold at an incredible 850 to get it to flow and fill out in those little tiny cavities.

I cast with the mold sitting on the hot plate. I pick up the mold to dump the boolits and it goes right back on the hot plate. I'm guessing over 99% of the heat in the mold blocks comes from the hot plate as I'm only using one side of the mold. Those little tiny boolits don't carry any heat to speak of and they're so small, they cool in less than a minute.

So, all that blather to verify what everybody else said.

Jim, that is proof that sometime should just have to do what a mould requires. Necessity is the mother of invention.

Anyone mentioned heat yet?

Aluminum looses heat very quickly. Don't look at it as pouring alloy into your mold, look at it as pouring heat and even though your pouring 4 of them you are pouring very little heat. You definitely need a hot plate to pre-heat the mold to casting temp and then DO NOT inspect your boolits while your casting because the mold is shedding heat fast, keep the blocks closed and full as much as possible and keep pouring heat.

If your new to casting you picked a tough way to learn. Don't give up though, it can be done and the rewards will be worth the learning curve.

Rick

"The people never give up their freedom . . . Except under some delusion." Edmund Burke

"Let us remember that if we suffer tamely a lawless attack on our liberty, we encourage it." Samuel Adams

One side is for Liberty and the Constitution and they are called domestic terrorist, anti-American, nazi's and mobsters. Just what is the side using these terms for?

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I run my NOE mold's at 800+Deg.

I have the same mold and when used the way it want to be used casts great. It needs HOT alloy and to be run fast enough to maintane temp once it gets hot enough.
Step one, I run an RCBS pot full tilt at the highest setting. That gets you a hot alloy.
Step two, I pre heat the mold until water will instantly sizzle and boil away in about 2 seconds when a drop is put on the sprue plate.
Step three, This is where dexterity and experiance comes into play. I try to work as smoothly and quickly as possible to set a rythem that yealds 4 cycles per minute. This will maintane the heat in the mold. Any interuptions to this rythem will quickly drop temp to a criticle point.
I moniter my rythem by hanging a large clock with sweeping second hand that is easy to see "AND TO HEAR" at eye level at my casting station.
Follow these three steps and you will make quality 22 cal boolits. BTW you have much to look forward to. This boolit design has proven wonderfully accurate for me from all rifles I have tried it in with twists ranging from 1/14" to 1/9".
Making good 22s is like making good music, you have to stay with the rythem. Now go make some sweet casting music.

OK, WOW...yes the mold needs to "up to temp" but from all the comments so far, it sounds like you need to be in Hades casting next to the river styx.

I have several 22 molds, including a NOE 5-cav 22-055 RCBS clone. I cast with the alloy at the same temp as most other molds, that is typically 100? above liquidus of that alloy or about 650? for my rifle alloy (94-3-3).

I use a hotplate to preheat the mold. I keep the hotplate on the whole casting session. Regarding the setting, that needs to be learned with your individual hotplate. My old hotplate, with exposed coil topped with a circle saw blade and notched coffeecan to create a mold oven...works well at the "low" setting. In the begining of the session, the mold should be dropping good bullets right away. If you can't keep up the pace, and I generally can't with a couple of my 22 molds, I put the mold back into the hotplate oven and inspect some boolits or whatever for a minute, that's all the longer it takes, then start casting again. The boolits should be dropping perfect again, right away !

Keep trying, you'll develop a technique that works for you.
Good Luck,
Jon

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I will be offering the GC seater plate for the lyman 45.
Also I have replacement springs for the Lyman 45 lubesizer, If your's is weak or missing, let me know

Don't feel bad. I have the same mold and had the same problems the first time I used it. Yesterday I cast about 500 with zero problems. The good members here gave me some excellent advice. Cut the sprue immediately, do not even look at the boolits and keep up that rhythm. As one of the members said above try to keep the cycle at 4 per minute. I was casting at 735* with a preheated mold. I did not try to put the sprues back in the pot. When the pot became half empty I placed the mold back on the hot plate, refiled the pot and took a break. Speed and heat. Also it takes molds more than one casting session to cast their best bullets.

Courage is being scared to death-but saddling up anyway. John Wayne

A man has to do what a man has to do. John Wayne

It took me a few boolits but I found where it likes to run, and yes its hot.

I agree that around 725-735 is plenty hot for the melt. Get your mold up to temp FIRST and then keep it there by casting fast enough. If 735 degree melt won't keep your mold at 400-425 (casting temp) your doing something wrong. Past 750 degrees tin cannot do what you put it in there to do and at that temp & hotter the tin oxidizes really fast and so does antimony. Tin reduces the surface tension of the alloy permitting good fill-out, it can't do that past 750.

Rick

"The people never give up their freedom . . . Except under some delusion." Edmund Burke

"Let us remember that if we suffer tamely a lawless attack on our liberty, we encourage it." Samuel Adams

One side is for Liberty and the Constitution and they are called domestic terrorist, anti-American, nazi's and mobsters. Just what is the side using these terms for?

NRA Benefactor Life Member
CRPA Life Member

Boolit Bub Join DateMar 2013Posts22

Well that was remarkably simple to fix. It was nothing wrong with the heat. It was just a ventilation issue. The sprue plate was too tight to the top.

I have a NOE 225107 10 cavity that was lent to me by a member here. . .This mold is double sided and has two sprue cutters. In order to make the mold sit flat on the hot plate and absorb enough heat, I had to take one sprue cutter off and cast into the five cavities on one side.Say WHAAAAAAT?

First time I've heard of THIS approach. I take it the idea is to fill one side, let the sprue sort of solidify, then flip 180 degrees and repeat - with the intention being to keep enough heat going into the mold?

Glad I read this thread before I started casting mouse boolits.

WWJMBD?

I like my science WEIRD.

I have two NOE .22 cal moulds and I had the same trouble learning to cast with them. I settled on running my pot wide open and preheating the mould by resting it on top of the pot while the lead comes up to temp. When the mould is uncomfortable to touch, I open the sprue plate and leave it that way. Fill the cavities, dump them as soon as they flash over, and repeat until it is screaming hot. Then I close the plate and cast normally. When I start getting finning on the nose, I drop the lead temp and slow down casting speed.

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Gas Check Boolit Loaded W/O the GC ?? Any Problems ???

Boolit Mold Join DateDec 2012Locationnorthern californiaPosts17

New to casting and was just wondering what would happen if a GC boolit was loaded up with out the gas check ?? I have a half dozen moulds on order thru the GB program .. With zero experience casting boolits I decided to jump into the mould collecting addiction and am now wondering if that was a prudent idea .. The more I learn from you folks the more I realize how little I know about not just casting but reloading in general .. I joined the forum a few months ago and have spent most of my free time browsing the threads and suckin up knowledge .. Thanks to the people that contribute to this forum .. You folks have taken shooting from a hobbie to a science !! My first 2 moulds arrived from NOE and I must say there were exactly as many of you folks had described them " A work of art " I quickly added my handle to 6 more GB's mostly with GC" mould requested because I plan to push the boolits hard but then I scanned the list and found more people with PB requests than GC .. I guess Dirty Harry was right " A mans got to know his limitations" Thanks Coltman

Welcome coltman

I asked the exact same question a few weeks ago. I tried pretty hard to get some 30 cal Lee GC boolits to work without the GC. Others with more experience and skill might have been able to make it work, but i ran into inaccuracy at low velocity then light leading at higher vel. When i adjusted the boolit diameter the leading reduced but accuracy got no better.

Then i tried a range of velocities with good fitting boolits and GC installed. With all other factors held constant (diameter, powder charge, lube, alloy) the GC helped every load improve accuracy. I cant explain it, maybe someone else can. I suspect that some moulds designed for GC will work better sans GC than others. Maybe wrong there. I was shooting Lee boolits exclusively and most of the testing was with 30-30 and 7.62x39.

The only load i was remotely happy with was about 8 gr unique behind a 150 gr in my marlin 30-30, leaving the GC off. Very light. But even that load shot better with GC.

If I were to take a stab at guessing how many boolits designed for GC are fired with total satisfaction without the check installed I would put it at about half.
I would add that it is by casters/loaders that are well up in the learning curve not beginners.
Think about how accurate 22 LF RF are and how similer the base of a gas check type boolit is without the check to a heeled boolit design.
I also base my 50% guess on my own shooting of GC type boolits w/o the check.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I will be offering the GC seater plate for the lyman 45.
Also I have replacement springs for the Lyman 45 lubesizer, If your's is weak or missing, let me know

Cant be done!

Where there is a will, there is a won't

Pay particular attention to post #7 by Bret4207 . He's put a lot of thought and effort into it.

I'm particularly interested in this thread as I don't want to use gas checks. The point that the gas check protects the boolit base, keeping it square is probably the most important aspect. Something not mentioned by Bret is trailing edge feathering or distortion. A plain base boolit will suffer trailing edge failure at a certain point, however, a GC design boolit is going to suffer other deformations as well so one can expect a plain base to perform higher than GC boolit without the gas check.

As for gas sealing, I would say yes but I've had gas cutting with a gas check. I've also had a plain base hard cast boolit suffering gas erosion down the grooves, leaving the land impressions sort of higher than the groove impression! But no skidding. A softer boolit did not do that and shot better. That was a 44 mag revolver. I've also experienced 357 mag plain base shooting very well in a rifle. The only experience I've had with GC boolits with and without the gas check were 224's in a 223 and a hornet. In the 223 I tried without the gas check working up and found the accuracy to drop off at around the sonic level while with gas check accuracy levels were considerably higher. I use the term 'accuracy' loosely here. These boolits never gave stellar accuracy for me but then again the castings were not good. They were from a RCBS 22-55 FN mold. In the hornet if I call, I shot them with gas check and accuracy was also iffy but I did get them on paper but I don't remember whether that was at 100 or 200 meters. If I could cast decently with that mold I would try them again in the hornet without the gas checks. Now days I like to use a filler which I believe acts as a gas check and the hornet is an ideal case for such loads.

I've done a fair amount of 'test tube' firing in which I can examine the boolit bases and that's quite revealing. I can't do anything for check-less boolits right now as I don't have any. I could mimic a GC design for the purposes of testing but probably not today. For starters, my 'test tube' is now outside and the neighbours would hear the shots - not as a muzzle blast but as a clang and thump as the metal parts jump - so I'd be loath to test full power loads just yet.

Just another point - all my testing is with smooth sided boolits which can take higher pressure and velocity because they don't have narrowed lube grooves and have full length rifling engagement.

Regards
303Guy

?It is hard enough to remember my opinions, without also remembering my reasons for them!? Nietzsche

Nice link! I get too stuck searching sub forums sometimes and forget about the classics and stickies. Thanks!

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Problems with my Saeco Model 24

Boolit Mold Join DateOct 2008LocationPhiaPosts7

My Saeco #24 has recently become a "dripper". Today I emptied the pot and removed the "plug". I can carefully polish the plug but need a bit of help with the "spout". Right now it is clogged with a bit of lead and crud. I need some advice on how best to clean the crud that is blocking the spout. Thanks in advance..............

Use propane torch to heat the spout to melt out the lead and crud. Then use a metal rod close to the diameter of the hole and run it into the hole, or use a drill bit to open up the hole.

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Abbreviations used in Reloading
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