Hello, everyone.  Well I finally had some time for myself & weather was right..I cast in garage with main door open & back door & windows open for draft..first time this spring when it wasn't raining & blowing wrong way!  I had a pot full of soft scrap & tried out the new Brooks .40 Creedmoor.  Right from the start, it started casting good ones, I like the vented sprueplate, as it seems to make less a mess when oveflowing sprue.  After it was very hot, I did notice a bit of sticking on one side..a quick rap on handle hinge. with a quick opening with a flick of left hand fingers got around this..I might have to go in there with a typwriter pencil erasure...Are these things still available?  I have a very worn down one, should have stocked up on these..their the best I have found for cleaning & slight burr removal & no scratching.  After I had cast up a good supply of these, I switched to the .25's.  Everything from a Winchester to various integeral handled Ideals.  I fiqure if I can get one of these originals to shoot in that .25-25 Ballard, I might have Fred Leeth make up a copy.
   These old moulds are interesting!  With the Winchester..marked .25-20 S.S.  bullet weight 86grs. but only .287dia.  The Ideals all came out .259-.260"dia.  The Win. has quite a bit more exposed metal in handles, this I believe acted as a heat sink, as a result I had to cast fast..as soon as sprue turned, I could cut off & it would be nice and smooth..When I switched to the Ideals, I forgot & continued fast pace..soon overheated.  Only one of these moulds had vent lines..a little 80gr. pointed Ideal..and this only had three, going off at differen't angles..But I never had a mould fill-out problem with any of them.  I ended up spending over 7 hours out there, using moulds..I wonder why I am a little sore this morning?