Cast round ball not round

[dwarvenchef]

Howdy all I mic'd my round balls (.490's) and they are anything but round. I get anything from .489 to .494 on the same ball. Not just around the spur, on many points around it. I belive these where cast from my Lee mould and I'm not very happy with these.

Is there a way to know your getting a good mould? I'm sure many people would say "Duh, it's a Lee" but are the other mould makers Going to be better?

I'm about to toss this mould and order steel moulds for my RB casting (about all I cast anymore). But want to make sure I'm not going to end up with the same problem.

I'm ordering .350, .440, .530, and .570 moulds soon, as I don't have them yet, and adding a .490 would not be much more.

I don't have any revolvers yet (ok a .31 pocket) and don't need those moulds (yet).

 

[Swampman]

I don't think it's that critical. I've found that Lee molds actually produce outstanding results.

 

[jtmattison]

I use Lee molds for six differents bullets/balls I cast. I never had a quality problem.

Make sure your mold blocks are clean and lined up preperly. Give them a tap with whatever you use to cut off the sprue to make sure they are closed tight.

Huntin

 

[doverdog]

The problem might be that you have not lubed the LEE molds properly. I cast with LEE molds for many years, also getting some balls with fins, etc. I happened to be reading the big, hardbacked LEE reloading manual, looking for some metallic cartridge info. I happened on the section about casting bullets and saw where they stress highly the importance of lubing the mold periodically when casting. Turns out, this was also mentioned in the directions that came with the mold, but I didn't bother reading them. I have since purchased a stick of commercial bullet lube to use for the purpose. I would think beeswax would work also. After the mold is hot, very lightly run your lube stick over the ridges and pins. Go lightly and be sure you do not get any, whatsoever, in the ball cavity. The balls will come out wrinkled until all the lube is burned away. LEE states that aluminum becomes "sticky" at high temps and will not slide on itself well enough to allow the mold to close all the way, thus the fins and lopsidedness. Try lubing the next time and see if this doesn't help your problem. I am a happy man, as my balls are no longer wrinkled, and are now perfect. :blah:

 

[Stumpkiller]

I use beeswax in my Lee mold.

Be very careful to never lube the cavity. And, a tiny bit goes a LONG wax. Beeswax behaves like penetrating oil when hot.

I blacken the cavity with soot before I lube (and leave the past ball of the day inside when I put them away).

 

[TANSTAAFL]

By the time a RB is patched, loaded, rifling engraved, fired & upset, it is anything but round. If it shoots good, I wouldn't worry about it.

 

[gordy]

I have to go along with the others here!If You lube the pins and run a little soot in the cavity,the Lee molds will cast a near perfect ball/bullet as any mold on the market. :thumbsup:

 

[OTHERN]

If you are looking for perfectly round balls, I doubt if you will find any,anywhere. I have miked balls from 8 molds made by 4 different makers and factory hornadays and speers. All were slightly out of round!! All shot better than I can.

Othern

 

[CrackStock]

Chef,

If a Lee mold throws an out of round ball, check to see that it is closing correctly. If it is not fully closed, then the ball across the seams will be greater than the measurement along it. Think that through a sec and try it as a diagnostic test.

You may have some lead bits caught somewhere that are keeping it from fully closing. Look it over carefully and clean it well.

Hope it helps.

CS

 

[dwarvenchef]

I did a closer examination of the mould and balls to see if I could see or feel and issues mentioned, feathers, wrinkles, bits in the mould, Nada. I got a responce from a cast bullit site that mentioned that I may have warped them slightly if I knocked them out to realy on a less that soft enough serface.

I do lube the locks on the mould, so I may be just worrying about nothing. I've been shooting this same batch of balls for about 10 years and can't remember them not shooting well. Only have about 30lbs of .490's left may need to make another casting run :grin: