Possibly the BEST plain base .30 cal. bullet out there
- Thread starter Ben
- Start date
That is a very good point !
If you order the wrong thing, he will cut and ship the wrong thing.
None of us should blame that kind of thing on Tom.
I have found that once he is CLEAR on what you want, he is near flawless in his ability to produce a nice mold to YOUR specs.
Ben
Sendaro
Active Member
Ben, Please advise who TOM is. I'm somewhat new to this forum. He sounds like a real craftsman and has the ability to make a quality product.
The last custom mold I had made ( I will not say who)I sent a sample of the bullet that I wanted the mold to cast. When I received it it just didn't look exactly like the sample bullets that I sent. I cast up a batch and took measurement. Not only was the design way off but the bullets from that mold were egg shaped. I had several Schuetzen shooters/caster take a look. They advised me to send it back. I did and months later a new mold was sent to me. This second one was no better than the first. It also is being returned with a mold from the same maker that a friend had made that not right. I don't mind paying for quality, and that is what I expect nothing less.If you guys say Tom is that good I will look into have him cut some molds for me.
Thank you, Sendaro
The last custom mold I had made ( I will not say who)I sent a sample of the bullet that I wanted the mold to cast. When I received it it just didn't look exactly like the sample bullets that I sent. I cast up a batch and took measurement. Not only was the design way off but the bullets from that mold were egg shaped. I had several Schuetzen shooters/caster take a look. They advised me to send it back. I did and months later a new mold was sent to me. This second one was no better than the first. It also is being returned with a mold from the same maker that a friend had made that not right. I don't mind paying for quality, and that is what I expect nothing less.If you guys say Tom is that good I will look into have him cut some molds for me.
Thank you, Sendaro
My apologies..........Tom Ellis at Accurate Molds.
Here is a link for you :
http://www.accuratemolds.com/
Here is a link for you :
http://www.accuratemolds.com/
Tom will be the 1st to tell you that his hearing is basically gone.
Being around loud machinery for many years has taken its toll on his hearing.
He checks his Email and responds to your questions.
Email is the best way to communicate with Tom , not a phone.
Ben
Ian
Notorious member
Also, after perusing Tom's on-line catalog, if you don't find exactly what you like you can design your own or alter an existing design for shape, tolerance centering, etc. Each mould is made to order, to the size you specify, with the alloy you specify, out of the material you specify. Designing your own involves submitting a detailed sketch to him via email and he will render it in his CAD program, or if a simple modification to an existing design, a written description will often suffice.
I have shot the 315 at 100 yards.
It is very accurate.
I have no ability locally to shoot beyond 100 yards.
Ben
quicksylver
Well-Known Member
35 Whelen
Active Member
Nice group Ben!
That is a couple times now I've seen a picture of that 31-175BP.... Each time it has taken me back to my youth! This time I went to Accurate and looked at a drawing... I can see why it shoots! Harry Pope himself had such a design when cast plain base was still king!
A couple of years after the war (that's WW2) I remember my father ordering a mould from Lyman in Middlefield CT. I even remember him buying a money order for $6.00 for it which included shipping! It was for 308403.......
Here's the cavity. Note my father's scribe lines for venting in these early blocks.
(What looks like lead by the alignment pin hole is from the box.)
My father told an interested kid (me) that the bullet was tapered... I said "tapered?"
"Well he said.... "Each band gets larger from front to back.... So it can go into the lands a ways." Later I would know what he meant.
It didn't shoot well in the beginning in his double heat-treat '03 Springfield. My Dad thought the base band cast too big. (I think it casts .315"?) So he sized it to .309". Does this sound familiar Ian??
Dad started with Unique but soon changed to 2400. 12 grains.... This interested young kid asked Dad why..... "Know those bullets you dug out of the backstop?" I nodded. "I saw gas cutting on the base band so I changed powder to a slower one." I nodded like I understood (and did later)
We always shot 200 yards... Even now I can reminisce the .22 rimfire like crack, then the pause, then the 'slap' on the thick military type elevating targets!
Dad won a lot of events at the range using that load usually again other '06 rifles as the club got G.I. ammo from the DCM for military qualification courses. Dad was winning with that soft plain based bullet at 200 yards against full power jacketed .30-06!!
I sent a Winchester Model 94 barrel to a fella named Ward Koozer in Oregon to rebore to .38-55.... About 1959 or '60..... I remember talks later about my Dad's target rifle in the '30's after I showed him a cast round for my 'new' .38-55 ... Dad had a Winchester Hi-Wall .38-55 with a 28" octagon barrel! We talked about the "Hudson bullet".... This was an early Lyman bullet for .38-55 with bands increasing in diameter towards the base like the Pope bullet..... He told me his mould was for the standard Lyman bullet but the Hi-Wall throat allowed him to seat out a "couple lube grooves" from the case.
My Dad sold that .38-55 Hi-Wall and a Colt Single Action Army .44-40 that he bought new in 1935! Money for my Mom when he went into WW2.
My Dad taught me to cast and reload when I was still single digits! Must be why some think me 'old fashioned'!!
Pete
Thanks for sharing that Pete.......your Dad was a good man.
Canuck Bob
Active Member
May I ask someone for a picture of this bullet loaded in a 30-30 please?
i'm interested for my Win 94 32 Special.
Bob
i'm interested for my Win 94 32 Special.
Bob
Canuck Bob
Active Member
fiver, I'm referring to the 315 clone 175 gr from Accurate in post #1. I was interested to see how many grooves were visible after loading. I found some 30-06 pictures later. Ben got some excellent groups in his 30-30.