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What makes bullets cast too small? (Read 6206 times)

Rek Ex Member	What makes bullets cast too small? Jul 30^th, 2014 at 6:44pm	Print Post
	I did my first casting session over the weekend, and later noticed that a surprising number of bullets were small enough to just fall down into their cases and the others were fine. I used an LBT two cavity mold which was a pleasure to use, and the alloy was 25/1, .446 and 438 grains. What reason might there be for bullets being cast too small?


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JLouis Frequent Elocutionist Offline Posts: 10625 Joined: Apr 8^th, 2009	Re: What makes bullets cast too small? Reply #1 - Jul 30^th, 2014 at 7:05pm	Print Post
	How hot are you casting? Once you start casting and the mould is up to Temp. you have to keep going at a fairly fast pace. When you see the bullet set from a liquid to a solid cut the sprue drop the bullet and refill the mould as quickly as possible and keep doing it at that same rapid pace until you have reached the last bullet in your casting session. JLouis

	" It Is Better To Now Have Been A Has Been Than A Never Was Or A Wanna Be "
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Rek Ex Member	Re: What makes bullets cast too small? Reply #2 - Jul 30^th, 2014 at 8:46pm	Print Post
	I'd say pretty hot though now I'll be getting a thermometer. The temp was almost at maximum. At one point I noticed some "frosting" on the inside edges of the bullets in the center of the mold and read that its caused by the mold being too hot there. I slowed things down and saw that gradually go away. I might have been waiting too long to break the spru and drop the bullets. Now I remember that the longer I waited to open the mold the easier the bullets dropped, they just jumped out of the mold. That's pretty interesting, I never equated that with smaller bullets. I'll get everything dialed in and do just as you say next time and see how it turns out.


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.22-5-40 Oldtimer Offline Posts: 826 Joined: Feb 13^th, 2010	Re: What makes bullets cast too small? Reply #3 - Jul 30^th, 2014 at 10:31pm	Print Post
	You might want to ask LBT what alloy their moulds are set up for. If the cavity dia. is based on a hard alloy such as Linotype..casting with an alloy richer in lead such as your 25-1 would cast a smaller dia. bullet.


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westerner Frequent Elocutionist Offline deleted posts and threads record holder. Posts: 12273 Location: Why, out West of course Joined: May 29^th, 2006	Re: What makes bullets cast too small? Reply #4 - Jul 30^th, 2014 at 10:41pm	Print Post
	Did you measure your bullets with a good micrometer? Are the bullets the variable, or is it the cases? Joe.

	A blind squirrel runs into a tree every once in a while.
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Seanmp Senior Forum Member Offline Posts: 294 Location: Land O Lakes Joined: May 19^th, 2014	Re: What makes bullets cast too small? Reply #5 - Jul 31^st, 2014 at 8:18am	Print Post
	Veral makes pretty good molds and he's usually fairly adament that he wants to know what alloy your using so odds are the mold is okay a given mold can can produce bigger or smaller bullets depending on the casting parameters cool mold/hot alloy=smaller bullets hot mold/cool alloy=bigger bullets bullets can also vary in size with alloy. Pure lead will throw the smallest and high tin/antimony will throw the biggest. But as others have mentioned your really not going to be able to gauge whats going on without a thermometer and a caliper. I reccomend a caliper over a mic for measuring lead as it takes a sensitive touch to accurately measure lead with a mic.

	Sean
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westerner Frequent Elocutionist Offline deleted posts and threads record holder. Posts: 12273 Location: Why, out West of course Joined: May 29^th, 2006	Re: What makes bullets cast too small? Reply #6 - Jul 31^st, 2014 at 9:32pm	Print Post
	All posts are for naught until we learn if the OP has measured the bullets. I'll put my money on the cases being the variable and not the bullets. A micrometer is more accurate than a dial caliper or a vernier caliper. If you're a knuckle dragging gorilla.....well.......... eh. Joe.

	A blind squirrel runs into a tree every once in a while.
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JLouis Frequent Elocutionist Offline Posts: 10625 Joined: Apr 8^th, 2009	Re: What makes bullets cast too small? Reply #7 - Jul 31^st, 2014 at 11:04pm	Print Post
	Joe has it right on the Mic. being more accurate and it being the proper tool to use for measuring your bullets. JLouis

	" It Is Better To Now Have Been A Has Been Than A Never Was Or A Wanna Be "
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Seanmp Senior Forum Member Offline Posts: 294 Location: Land O Lakes Joined: May 19^th, 2014	Re: What makes bullets cast too small? Reply #8 - Jul 31^st, 2014 at 11:10pm	Print Post
	Fair enough, sure a mic is more accurate than a caliper. However, with 40 to 1 torque multiplication you don't need to be much of a gorilla to impress lead. Whereas the thumb wheel on a caliper is direct force therefore requiring 40 times more effort to dent the lead....so says my ticket and the crotchety old english master machinist that was my instructor. Beyond that most people can visually resolve .0003" with a good .001' dial caliper...who are we trying to bamboozle here. Or are we suggesting everyone needs to spend $1000 on a variable force micrometer which is specifically made to measure lead?
	« Last Edit: Jul 31^st, 2014 at 11:24pm by Seanmp »
	Sean
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BP Frequent Elocutionist Offline Posts: 8039 Location: Westside Joined: Aug 27^th, 2006	Re: What makes bullets cast too small? Reply #9 - Aug 1^st, 2014 at 12:46am	Print Post
	Friction thimble?

	There are three kinds of men: The ones that learn by reading, the few who learn by observation, and the rest who have to pee on the electric fence and find out for themselves. Proud Noodlehead
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westerner Frequent Elocutionist Offline deleted posts and threads record holder. Posts: 12273 Location: Why, out West of course Joined: May 29^th, 2006	Re: What makes bullets cast too small? Reply #10 - Aug 1^st, 2014 at 2:06am	Print Post
	Seanmp wrote on Jul 31^st, 2014 at 11:10pm: Fair enough, sure a mic is more accurate than a caliper. However, with 40 to 1 torque multiplication you don't need to be much of a gorilla to impress lead. Whereas the thumb wheel on a caliper is direct force therefore requiring 40 times more effort to dent the lead....so says my ticket and the crotchety old english master machinist that was my instructor. Beyond that most people can visually resolve .0003" with a good .001' dial caliper...who are we trying to bamboozle here. Or are we suggesting everyone needs to spend $1000 on a variable force micrometer which is specifically made to measure lead? You're being way to over dramatic. It's not nuclear rocket science. I just disagreed with you because you disagreed with me. I know that you know that I know that. I still think the cases are the variable, not the bullets. Waiting for the OP to confirm. Joe.

	A blind squirrel runs into a tree every once in a while.
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KAF Ex Member	Re: What makes bullets cast too small? Reply #11 - Aug 1^st, 2014 at 10:40am	Print Post
	I'd guess something is not letting the blocks close together the same each time. Alignment pins and holes dirty or a burr in it. Something stuck on the face of the blocks. Like I say a guess......


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Rek Ex Member	Re: What makes bullets cast too small? Reply #12 - Aug 1^st, 2014 at 6:51pm	Print Post
	The cases are consistent, neck sized to .446 and the bullets vary a thousandth up and down from .446. Its the bullets that vary.


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westerner Frequent Elocutionist Offline deleted posts and threads record holder. Posts: 12273 Location: Why, out West of course Joined: May 29^th, 2006	Re: What makes bullets cast too small? Reply #13 - Aug 1^st, 2014 at 6:55pm	Print Post
	Casting bullets takes practice. Go make more bullets. Sort by size till you get the hang of it. Joe.

	A blind squirrel runs into a tree every once in a while.
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Cat_Whisperer Frequent Elocutionist Offline No 1, 9.3x74R Posts: 3982 Location: Mountains of Virginia Joined: Apr 17^th, 2004	Re: What makes bullets cast too small? Reply #14 - Aug 1^st, 2014 at 6:57pm	Print Post
	How tightly one squeezes the handles of the mould makes a small difference. Mould temperature (time it spends cooling between fills) makes a big difference.

	Cat Whisperer (trk) Chief of Smoke Pulaski Coehorn Works and Skunk Works Drafted May 1970, Retired Maj. U.S.Army assra #9885
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