Cast bullet reject rate

[big al hunter]

. I rotate between two double cavity molds. Between the time I'm releasing bullets or refilling the lead, the other mold is resting on the aluminum plate under the pot.

I use aluminum molds. I preheat them by resting the mold on the top edge of the melting pot. It heats up with the lead. When the lead is ready, so is the mold.

Something to remember with aluminum. It dissipates heat very quickly. And if you place something on aluminum it transfers heat from that item very rapidly compared to other materials. By placing your hot mold on the cold aluminum base plate your mold is cooling more than you would think. Steel and brass molds tend to heat up slowly, but they cool slowly too, so you might need that time using 2 molds to be efficient.

Try running one mold at a time. As soon as the lead gets hard on the sprue, empty the mold and refill it immediately. The mold will not cool as much, and you don't get wrinkles near as often. When I keep that pace I only have to reject the first 2 or 3 casts. Sometimes only the first one.

The size of the bullets makes a difference too. I have to move pretty fast when casting 124 gr 9mm. I have to slow down a bit with 300 gr .452. I turn the pot temperature up a little on 9 mm and down a little on 452. Just some things to think about and experiment with.

 

[reddog81]

I'd stick to one mold. If you're having problems getting one mold to run right there's no sense in trying to run 2 molds. A lot of time wrinkles show up because the mold is too cold. When I start a casting session I warm up the mold on a hot plate for a couple of minutes and then cast the first half a dozen pours as fast as possible to try and get the mold warmed up. usually after half a dozen to 10 pours and bullets will be coming out perfect.

 

[BJung]

Do you use single and double cavity molds? The 6 cavity molds look like they would take time to heat up. I'm thinking about buying 38-148gr and 9-120gr 6 cavity molds. The rest I might just use double cavity molds.

Do you place your molds on top of your lead pot on something to insulate it like a piece of wood?

 

[big al hunter]

. Do you place your molds on top of your lead pot on something to insulate it like a piece of wood?

No, that would defeat the purpose. I set the bottom of the mold directly on the rim of the pot. The mold needs to be hot.

I only run the 2 cavity molds. If you want to run the 6 cavity Lee molds, look up Fortunecookie45 on YouTube. He loves the 6 cavity and shows how he uses it.

 

[BJung]

dropping your cast bullet

Big Al, where are you dropping your bullets? I am dropping mine to air cool because I want to drop them in water after powder coating from the toaster oven and get the hardest bullet. If I'm dropping the bullet on the ground when the lead solidifies on the sprew plate, that bullet is soft and will get dented, yes?

Your aluminum molds are always on the rim of the pot so it can stay warm. You watch the lead on the sprew plate solidify and then remove the bullet and repeat, yes?

Do you add lead to keep the gravity level up in the pot? Otherwise will the bullet weight change?

 

[big al hunter]

I drop my bullets on an old towel, from a couple of inches up. They are hard enough to not be dented.

I only rest the mold on the rim of the pot until I start casting. Once I begin casting I don't put the mold down until I am finished for the session. I don't add lead to the pot until it is almost empty. The level of lead in the pot will make no difference in the cast bullets. That is only true for powder in a measure.

Adding lead to the pot while casting lowers the temperature, possibly causing wrinkles in the bullet. When my pot runs low I add more ingots, then put the next mold on the rim of the pot and wait for everything to melt and come up to temperature.

 

[BJung]

Got it

Got it, thanks.