I recently bought a Lee double cavity .445 mold to use with my 45 SMR. I poured a bunch of balls with it and when I measure with my calipers I get .455. Anyone else have this issue?
.445 mold
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If they consistently measure .455 I would say you have the wrong size mold that casts balls for a revolver.
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The .45 cal. rifles I've used in the past , used .440 cast balls , and about a .012 , to .015 patch thickness.
Are you using pure lead, or hard lead like wheel weights? the quality of lead will change the diameter of the ball/bullet.
My lead is pretty pure I have bricks that came from a certain power plant that had an accident in 1979. I have poured 100’s of balls for my 54 and do not have that big of a diameter difference in the mold size vs the actual ball
Gotcha, I prefer a bit of a tighter fitting combo since I shoot a fair amount of paper and steel. Friend of mine with the same gun uses .445 balls with great success. The balls I poured do stuff down the barrel but they are difficult to get started
You said ----
"I recently bought a Lee double cavity .445 mold to use with my 45 SMR. I poured a bunch of balls with it and when I measure with my calipers I get .455. Anyone else have this issue?"
Well if I do the math the difference is 0.010" which is a large amount from your original desired mold requirement of .445". Lee either sent you the wrong mold or YOU asked for the wrong mold. A .445" mold will NEVER cast an oversized ball 0.010" over its stated size no matter what kind of lead you are using.
"I recently bought a Lee double cavity .445 mold to use with my 45 SMR. I poured a bunch of balls with it and when I measure with my calipers I get .455. Anyone else have this issue?"
Well if I do the math the difference is 0.010" which is a large amount from your original desired mold requirement of .445". Lee either sent you the wrong mold or YOU asked for the wrong mold. A .445" mold will NEVER cast an oversized ball 0.010" over its stated size no matter what kind of lead you are using.
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Like ZUG said probably the wrong mold if the number on it is correct, Lee messed up. I would contact their customer service about that. I have had good results with their service of course that was years ago, no telling about now.
If your other Lee molds cast true to diameter then the problem is not with it, make sure Lee knows that.
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What diameter is engraved into the mold?
Did you check your micrometer with a known thickness material? A set of calibration blocks will open ones eyes to the variability of different micrometers and calipers. They vary a bunch when you are getting down to 0.0010" accuracy. Tiny technique changes make a big difference. Even my best high grade micrometer needs to tweaked and cleaned to get really accurate readings. A set of calibration check blocks from a used machine tool vendor is a a great addition to the tool set.
IF it is casting that much oversized, is it doing so across the mold line of perpendicular to the mold line? If it is across only then something is holding it open. It is truly round, then it is casting as designed.
Lee puts a hardened balls of precise size into the mold then squashes it to final size and finish. They can not cut it to big my mistake.
If they used the wrong balls they will replace it.
I have had Lee bullet molds that cast was oversized. I had a 451 230 gr RN that cast 0.456". Oopsie! I gently lead lapped the cavity's to .458". IT make dandy 45-70 gallery bullets. The OP's 0.455 balls would be great as a galley bullet in 45LC, 45Auto etc as well as working great in 44 cap and ball revolvers.
Lee molds are so cheap that I would keep it for other uses and buy a new one.
Did you check your micrometer with a known thickness material? A set of calibration blocks will open ones eyes to the variability of different micrometers and calipers. They vary a bunch when you are getting down to 0.0010" accuracy. Tiny technique changes make a big difference. Even my best high grade micrometer needs to tweaked and cleaned to get really accurate readings. A set of calibration check blocks from a used machine tool vendor is a a great addition to the tool set.
IF it is casting that much oversized, is it doing so across the mold line of perpendicular to the mold line? If it is across only then something is holding it open. It is truly round, then it is casting as designed.
Lee puts a hardened balls of precise size into the mold then squashes it to final size and finish. They can not cut it to big my mistake.
If they used the wrong balls they will replace it.
I have had Lee bullet molds that cast was oversized. I had a 451 230 gr RN that cast 0.456". Oopsie! I gently lead lapped the cavity's to .458". IT make dandy 45-70 gallery bullets. The OP's 0.455 balls would be great as a galley bullet in 45LC, 45Auto etc as well as working great in 44 cap and ball revolvers.
Lee molds are so cheap that I would keep it for other uses and buy a new one.
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I completely forgot about that and the "wings" of the cast ball/bullet.
It is not unknown for Lee to make misteaks in marking mould sizes. Unlikely they will exchange for you. You will have to purchase another mould and hope it is the right size. FWIW, ye ain't a genuine ml'er until you have about a dozen moulds on the shelf you can't use.
Well I’m a *******. I looked at that mold several time and kept reading .445. But then again today I looked and it is .454. Looked at the box and lo and behold it’s .454. Even checked and yup I ordered a .454 mold by mistake.
Know anyone who might want a .454 mold?
I already have a .454 mold or I would probably buy it.a dozen moulds on the shelf you can't use.
I bought a .424 Lyman RB mold a while back which I have no use for at this time, however I may run across something that takes that size and the price was right. That gives me 45 molds on the shelf.
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Good start. Few more and we will let you into the fraternity.
I have two identical .44 molds that came from Italy, and they both cast balls that measure .451. Now the interesting thing is that I shoot those in a 45 caliber percussion and don't have that much problem loading with a .015 to .018 patch. The molds are made out of brass with real short handles that I have extended with half inch conduit. They pour nice balls, I warm the dies up by sitting on a hot plate before I begin as I do with my Lee molds. I do have a percussion pistol that is .44 caliber and I have loaded a few in that and they seem to work alright, it just seems odd that the molds would say .44 on them and measure that much oversize.
Squint
Squint
Squint, if they are pedersoli molds they are for revolvers. Revolvers use oversized balls and get swaged down on loading for a .44 cal cap and ball. Thanks for the tip on using conduit for extending the handle.
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