Loading PRB's

[hocuspocus]

Got the 562 RCBS. cast about a hundred. Now wondering if their loaded sprue flat up or down?Or does it matter

 

[slowpokebr549]

Up.

 

[jtmattison]

Up.

Down!

:haha:

It doesn't matter as long as it's centered up or down. It's easier to keep it centered if loaded sprue up.

HD

 

[Stumpkiller]

Doesn't matter. I load up as how can you tell it's centered if you load down? ;-) Gonna be mushed smoother as you load with the rammer tip that way, too.

 

[hocuspocus]

Up it is :v

 

[bwhoffman]

I roll/squish around all of mine in a cloth bag, when I am done, sprues are hardly noticable and look like swagged balls. I just put them in and dont really pay any attention to orientation.. I get good scores repeatedly so it works for ME! your milage may vary!

 

[gsptarget]

up or down :v

 

[ian45662]

Is it better to have the balls with the spure on them or does it matter if it has one or not?

 

[hocuspocus]

I was thinkin bout hollow pointin them :youcrazy:

 

[Moloch]

I was thinkin bout hollow pointin them :youcrazy:

Probably too much beer? :hmm: :blah:

 

[boar]

I have allways loaded spruce up. Some do it with the spruce down, some say it doesn't matter. Dilly

 

[ian45662]

would a ball without the spur be more accurate than one with it?

 

Big balls like .62's shoot way better up! :wink:

 

[jerem0621]

Pardon my ignorance please. What is a spruce?

Jerem

 

[Otter]

Pardon my ignorance please. What is a spruce?

Jerem

It's a kinda tree . . . often used at this time of year to bring inside and decorate (and cuz it's gettin too cold for the dog to go outside).

 

[Zonie]

Pardon my ignorance please. What is a spruce?

Jerem

When metal is cast into a form the hole that feeds the molten metal into the die is called a gate.
After the metal cools, the metal that is left in the gate is called a sprue.
In the case of some of the nicer bullet molds this sprue is cut off when the steel plate with the gate in it is tapped to the side.
Often there is a small remnant left on the ball and this is the subject of this post.

When the ball is cast, the metal in the gate (the sprue) is the first thing to solidify because it is small. This prevents additional molten metal from flowing down into the die. The net result is that as the metal in the die cools and starts to solidify it shrinks. This shrinkage will often create voids in the lead casting, and lead, being heavier than a void sinks resulting in the void (if present) being located right under the sprue at the top.

For years it has been debated as to what effect this void would have on the trajectory of the ball if it were located up, down or to the side when the ball was loaded into the gun.

Many feel that loading a cast ball with the sprue at the side will harm accuracy not only because the little bump on the casting will prevent a uniform centering of the ball in the bore but because if a void is present, the ball will be out of balance and move in a spiral manner as it flys towards the target.

Although this does make sense, several years ago the Bevel Brothers (who write for the NMLRA magazine Muzzle Blasts) tested this theory and, as I recall, they didn't find that there was enough effect on accuracy for it to be a major concern.

 

[jerem0621]

Really? I prefer the plastic version. :rotf:

Zonie,

Thanks for the explanation. I now know

Jerem

 

[paulvallandigham]

A " Spruce " is a misspelled " Sprue", which is the small arm coming off a round ball when its cast, created by a hole through the top of the mold where the molten lead is poured into the mold to make the round ball. Some molds have pivot plates on top, so that when you knock the plate our of the way, the beveled hole in the plate giving access to the mold for the molten lead acts like a shears, and cuts off this arm, or sprue, flat. Sometimes there is a slight raised plateau to the sprue rising like a mesa over the round surface of the cast lead ball.

Jim has written well about the concerns that casting improperly will leave air holes in the lead ball under the sprues, and cause the balls to to fly less true. This MAY BE the case with very small diameter balls. It does not appear to be the case with larger bore calibers and balls.

Many casters today will sort their balls by weight, using a plus or minus 1/10th to 2.5 grain variable depending on caliber, and intended use. Target shooters use the most exacting standards, sorting balls not only by weight, but also by appearance.

Whether it has any actual affect on accuracy is the subject of many debates. The last reason most shooters are willing to accept is that " They blew the shot!" Blaming the equipment, casting equipment, powder, primers, patch, lube, weather, noise from other shooters, noise from traffic a mile away, thunder booms miles away, etc. all come long before people get around to admitting they " screwed the pooch!" Welcome to the fray.

 

[almrl]

REMARKS ON RIFLE GUNS: BY EZEKIEL BAKER,

After you have loaded the piece with powder, then put the greased patch of leather, calico, or soft rag, provided for that purpose, on the end of the barrel, as near the centre as possible; place the ball upon it with the neck or castable, where it is cut off from the moulds, downwards, as generally, there is a small hole or cavity in it, which would gather the air in its flight; but if this plan be adopted, and the smooth side always kept upwards in the barrel, it will not be so liable to be obstructed in its passage through the atmosphere.

Old Coot

 

[Stumpkiller]

If he's castin with an air hole on the sprue he's underfillin the mold or not waiting for it to harden the full 18 seconds. :wink:

"Catch the air in flight". Guess I better toss out my cat-ridge gun hollow points.