Thanks to a fine member of this board, I have acquired a rifle in .380 Rook (almost, but not quite, a .38 Long Colt).

In order to feed it, I need a bullet almost, but not quite, like a 150gr round nosed .358 (.38 special) bullet.  The "not quite" part is it needs a .376 diameter stop-ring on it to ride the groove diameter (the bullet is rebated inside the case, like .310 Cadet or .22 LR).

So... being too poor to afford a proper "professional" mold, and possessing a lathe, I want to bore out a cheap Lee 358-150-1R mold with that .376 driving band.

That's not the hard part...as it turns out.

What I did not consider before laying out the princely sum of $18 for the mold complete with handles is that Lee handles are blind-pinned through the mold block to the mold!

Does anyone have experience getting these staked in, blind holed pins OUT of a Lee mold?
Are they ONLY staked in? Or are they PRESSED in, THEN Staked?
If the pins are pressed AND staked, starting over with some 2024 aluminum bar stock is starting to sound easier...

Suggestions appreciated (even "You idiot... you should have just dropped the (insert $ amount here) on a REAL mold from (insert mold maker here)!    ).

Paul F.

Hmm...
Simple.. Straightforward... effective..

No WONDER I didn't think of it!  LOL!
(DUH!)   

Thanks!

Paul F.

Shucks,
Why don't you just have Vinny and Guido fix this for you too?

Glenn

I shot a 38 rook for years and eventually invested in the correct heeled bullet mould. It was a waste of money: best accuracy is obtained with 38 special hollow based wadcutters and 3 grns of bullseye. I won two 50m Rook and Rabbit comps at Bisley with this load.
Fred.

For a quickie boring bar, try using a modified Allen wrench.  For aluminum or short term use on an iron mold block, there's no need to heat treat it.  To center the cavity, turn an aluminum or brass plug to just fit in the cavity on the bottom of the grease grooves, and indicate it from the outside.  Much easier than reading an indicator on the inside of the cavity.  I did this on a Lyman 3118 to make a stop ring bullet for use in a .310 Cadet, with the ring in front of the crimping groove.  Works well, no sizing needed on either the bullet or brass, just pan lube and thumb seat.

David
Montezuma, IA

The 3118 as modified works quite well.  Good enough to plink life size prairie dog silhouettes offhand at 85 yards, with issue sights.  This spring I'll have to put it on paper, after the snow's gone and the mud has firmed up!   

Nope, never lived in Grinnell.  There's a Dan Kaiser, no relation, who teaches at the college who lives there.   

David
Montezuma, IA