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December 16, 2013, 10:17 PM | #1 |
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Join Date: February 17, 2013
Location: South Louisiana
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Need help with bullet mold selection
OK guys, now I'm starting to look at the Lee bullet molds, but not sure which sizes to go with. I currently load .430 XTPs for the 44, and also load .355 for my 9mm. Now sizes are different for casting. I'm looking at the Lee 429-200-RF, and the .356-120-TC as the ones I would need to purchase? The pistols I am shooting are the Ruger New model Super Blackhawk 44 mag and a Glock and XDm-9 9 mm. These differences in bore sizes are a bit confusing. Any help is appreciated.
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December 16, 2013, 10:46 PM | #2 |
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Generally you go up .001" for cast lead. Some folks will say to "slug" your bore to fine tune.
Molds generally drop AT their stated size or *slightly* larger. One other issue is the polygon barrel. Net wisdom says it's a no-no, but there are more than a few folks that claim to shoot cast in their polygon barrels. My suspicion is *they* are right and the polygon legend had more to do with the idiot who blew up a Glock shooting unlubed boolits, and the fact that 9mm and .40 are pretty high pressure and require a *hard* boolit. If the alloy is too soft, the pressure of the charge overcomes the tensile strength of the alloy, pushes past and "gas cuts" the boolit (think acetylene torch cut principle) leading up the barrel. If too hard, the boolit doesn't take the shape of the bore, the lube blows out, and gas cutting takes place. People think the lube is for lubrication, and to some extent, I'm sure that's true. But it's most important function is as a liquid piston ring to hold back the gasses to prevent gas cutting. It only has to hold long enough for the boolit to take flight. If it blows out then you get gas cutting. 9mm runs about 33,000 psi, so a bhn of 26 is about right. 26 is pretty difficult to attain with any lead/tin alloy as I understand it. But I got 26 with water dropped wheel weights on my first try. Wheel weights are pretty ideal alloy though- other than being a little short on tin. Oh, and don't be surprised when your 9mm boolits come out .358"- they do double duty for .38 special, .357 magnum etc. which run larger than 9mm para/luger. I wouldn't even bother testing first with that mold- just get the sizing die. S'cuse my soapbox, but one last note: The Lee modern reloading book has quite a bit of info about using cast boolits. I imagine similar information is not unlikely to be in other handloading books. My Speer book didn't have much, but they manufacture bullets, so I can see why they might not want to share such info.
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December 17, 2013, 07:48 PM | #3 |
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Noe bullet moulds !!
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December 17, 2013, 07:53 PM | #4 |
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I'm with GP. You'll love em.
I just got the 358 135Gr. RF RG4 cavity BB in the mail yesterday, Merry Christmas to me!
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December 17, 2013, 09:58 PM | #5 |
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Mike your cylinder throats and cast to where you can just barely push them through your tightest chamber. My super blackhawk hunter measures .434 at the cylinder and .431in the bore. Much looser than "normal" cast boolits, before sizing my bore I couldn't shoot any lead aloy without SEVERE leading. Now that I'm sizing my boolits correctly I'm pushing them over 1300 with virtually no leading and great accuracy. Similar theory goes for your 9mm, cast .001 over bore. You will also notice when you change aloy you will drop different diameter boolits, my advice is find an aloy that shoots well and stick with it. I use 50/50 lead to wheel weights with a little tin added and have really good results in my 44 mag.
Also may be worth googling "lee-menting".
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December 19, 2013, 09:47 PM | #6 |
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I shoot as big a projectile as will fit .
Kinda like Flat Rate , "if it fits it ships" !
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December 23, 2013, 02:14 PM | #7 | |
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December 23, 2013, 07:02 PM | #8 |
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Skip the TC bullet mold. Lee makes a 356-125-2r that actually drops at 361. I size them to 358 for my CZ.
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December 23, 2013, 09:33 PM | #9 |
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There is a technique called "beagling". You can increase the drop diameter by using aluminum tape in strips to either side of the cavity on your mold. Extensive testing on these "oblong" bullets have shown no loss of accuracy. I have increase bullet diameter by .004" by using this technique. In a revolver you really want the cast bullet as close to the cylinder diameter as possible. The forcing cone will swage the bullet into the barrel and you will avoid the flame cutting around the bullet while still in the cylinder. That is your critical dimension with a revolver.
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December 28, 2013, 08:26 AM | #10 | |
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