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Very Hot Topic (More than 25 Replies) bullets not dropping (Read 1057 times)
Joe_S
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Re: bullets not dropping
Reply #15 - Aug 29th, 2025 at 8:12pm
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Update continued
Its a little discouraging to see that there were only nine bullets in the 320-322 range. Lead temp was very consistent, the culprit there is probably mold temperature. I warmed it up with a hot plate, next time will wait till it gets up to 300 before I start casting. I did not do that this time, mainly because I was getting really good bullets right from the start, so I did not anticipate a problem. 

Honing the burr did fix the drop out problem. There were only a few times I had to use the hammer handle more than once to drop  a bullet, and the one cavity was the main culprit. Photos to follow. 
Please let me know what you think as to how these should be sorted and anything else I should be doing.
Danke Sehr!
Joe S
  
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Joe_S
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Re: bullets not dropping
Reply #16 - Aug 29th, 2025 at 8:18pm
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Here are some photos of the casting session: I know you have seen bullet bases before, but just want to show what I consider to be good bases, the  sprue marks are visible but perfectly smooth
Bases:
  
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Joe_S
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Re: bullets not dropping
Reply #17 - Aug 29th, 2025 at 8:20pm
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The shiney spot at the corner of the base of the bullet mold is where the burr was. I could feel it but wasnt sure how much of a problem it was until after that casting session when I put the Optivisor on, at which point I noticed it was actually hooked toward the inside of the cavity, ( and therefore holding the bullet in) and probably protruding enough to cause flashing.
  
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Joe_S
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Re: bullets not dropping
Reply #18 - Aug 29th, 2025 at 8:21pm
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a bullet with flashing
  
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Joe_S
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Re: bullets not dropping
Reply #19 - Aug 29th, 2025 at 8:22pm
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A keeper
  
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Joe_S
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Re: bullets not dropping
Reply #20 - Aug 29th, 2025 at 8:24pm
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The honing stone used to take out the burr. I was reluctant to try it but when you are at the bottom of the well looking up, what difference does it make? I wasnt getting good bullets so I figured I had nothing to loose. Seems to have worked out all right.
  
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Schuetzendave
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Re: bullets not dropping
Reply #21 - Aug 29th, 2025 at 9:39pm
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Try not holding the dipper against the sprue plate too long and it will reduce your flashing when pouring a hotter alloy.
The longer you hold the dipper against the sprue plate the weight of the lead drives the lead in deeper resulting in more flashing.
Commercial bullet manufactures declare a bullet is match grade as long as the bullets are within 1% deviation.
That means your  bullets can vary by 3 grains and still be match grade.
I use to meticulously weigh bullets so I had batches that never varied by .1 grain and I tested my unweighed bullets against these precisely weighed bullets.
Absolutely no difference in accuracy.
I gave up weighing bullets decades ago and have shot many perfect targets using unsorted bullets.
Weighing bullets is a waste of time.
Many times the flashing results if you end up with a bit of lead in between the halves of your mould.
I keep a wedge of wood and a brass brush to scrap off  any bits of lead adhering to the side of the mould faces.
« Last Edit: Aug 30th, 2025 at 9:27am by Schuetzendave »  
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oneatatime
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Re: bullets not dropping
Reply #22 - Aug 30th, 2025 at 12:44pm
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Much better but a gas flame should maintain an accurate temp. Do you let it stabilize after the lead has melted? 775 should be a good temp. I preheat my moulds on a cheap (like $13) Walmart hotplate set to medium. I start them before I melt the lead being careful to have the mould basess fully in contact with the plate. Have you tried using 2 moulds in succession (fill 1, set aside, drop 2, refill 2, drop 1, refill 1 and so on)? This helps to maintain an even temp on the moulds and guarantees the sprue is set evenly hard. Once you have the rhythm it goes quickly since there is no time wasted waiting for the sprue to set. I would be suspicious of that lead showing in the far end of the mould joint line. That area should be just as tight as the joint near the mould hinge.
  
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Joe_S
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Re: bullets not dropping
Reply #23 - Aug 30th, 2025 at 1:16pm
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I preheat my molds on a cheap hot plate, but next time I cast, which should be tomorrow, I will not start pouring till the mold is up to 300 deg. I usually cast with two molds, but have been focusing on developing the best technique for really good bullets so have been just using one mold lately. 
Will keep experimenting till I get it figured out! I do appreciate all the helpful suggestions! Will let you know what works best for me.
Thanks!
Joe S
  
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steveu
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Re: bullets not dropping
Reply #24 - Aug 30th, 2025 at 1:26pm
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Joe,
Half a grain would be a good place to start when sorting bullets.  Two things that I have learned about getting weights consistent is to use a small fan to cool the mould and the second is invest in a pair of the locking handles that BACO sells.  The last batch of bullets I cast were 2-2-96 alloy at 740 degrees and out of 37 I had cast 32 were +/- .15 of a grain, my best yet.  The other 5 were 3 tenths more because I let the mould get hotter.

Cheers,
Steve
  
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rifleman
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Re: bullets not dropping
Reply #25 - Aug 30th, 2025 at 1:43pm
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I dont know much, but that first photo you showed of the bases in the mould seem to show that the blocks arent mated at the bottom leading to your major finning/flashing. Perhaps its just the light.
  
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Oleblacksmith
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Re: bullets not dropping
Reply #26 - Aug 30th, 2025 at 3:30pm
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I have found, and this just me, that the final weight of the bullets depends on the amount of lead in the dipper. If I am consistently getting exactly the same amount of lead in the dipper then the bullets tend to be very closely matched in weight. I'm not that good at estimating the volume of lead in the dipper or ladle so I picked up a used RCBS older model promelt melting pot. I have one I use for pistol bullets but thought maybe I could get closer to matching weights if I could control the volume/weight of the lead going into the mold. It seems to work for me but took some careful messing with the flow rates to get consistent results. I have cast bullets for more than 50 years with ladles/dippers and this is now the best matches I have achieved for large caliber bullets cast using pure lead and pure tin.
  
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Skalkaho
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Re: bullets not dropping
Reply #27 - Aug 31st, 2025 at 11:36am
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Took an old mold,cast a bullet pulled out,smeared with rubbing compound put screw in bullet.Closed mold and slowly spun bullet, did afew times....drops nice bullet now. Old trick i know others have used,read it somewhere,maybe here years ago.....
  

May the Bullet Gods be with you.......
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Joe_S
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Re: bullets not dropping
Reply #28 - Aug 31st, 2025 at 6:21pm
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Todays update:
I casted (any English majors out there, not sure if that is the correct word or is it "cast"?) some bullets today, alternated between a 250 gr mold and the 315 mold, both from Accurate Molds.
Lead Temp= 780-800
Mold temp=  300
Hot plate set at Medium
Help the ladle to the mold for a count of 5 ( which is less that what I was doing before)
Overall, quality was very good. Only had to remelt 4 bullets. Total cast was 95, less 4 rejects, 19 for practice and 72 match keepers. 
I got some flashing when the mold got up to 325 deg, had to lower the temp on the hot plate. 
I did not get as many bullets this trip because I took a lot of time to inspect periodically, so I could adjust mold or lead temp as needed. Bullets from each mold were all within one grain weight ( with two exceptions), which is about as good as I am going to get. 
Based on these results, I think this technique is meeting my requirements. The proof is on the paper, of course, and that depends on the nut behind the stock, the wind and to some extend the orientation of the moon and planets. 
Using two molds has been my habit for many years, not sure how much of a difference it made but it did not hurt, and may have helped keep the mold temp steady. 
Adjusting the temp. of the lead and  mold and reducing the time of contact with the mold and ladle were key improvements which were suggested in your replies, THANK YOU VERY MUCH!
If I make any more "discoveries" I will post them. 

Thanks!
Joe S
  
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oneatatime
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Re: bullets not dropping
Reply #29 - Sep 1st, 2025 at 12:55pm
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The hotplate is just to preheat the mold and after that the bullet keeps the mold hot and there is no need to measure the temp of the mold. That measuring is just breaking your rhythm. A count of three should be enough for bullets that small, maybe even two. A count of three, set the mold down, pick up the second mold, open the sprue plate, drop the bullet, close the sprue plate, pick up the ladle, pour the lead, count of three, set the ladle down, set the mold down, pick the other mold up, open the sprue plate, drop the bullet, close the sprue plate, pick up the ladle, pour the lead, repeat, goes faster than it takes to read this.
  
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