Casting Session, NOE 310-165-FN (30 XCB)

Idaholewis

Active Member
I recieved the 5 Cavity NOE 310-165-FN (30 XCB) Mold today from Forum member RBHarter (Thank you!) I pulled it from the Shipping Box, Mounted it on Handles and Started Casting :) It Casts a Nice Bullet
:lewis:


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Cast of Lyman #2, They Weigh 166.5 Grains, and Measure .312 Diameter
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A look standing Beside the Lyman 200 Grain Bullet i will be Testing as Well
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Spindrift

Well-Known Member
Congratulations! Nice bullets, and a 5- cavity sure drops a nice pile of bullets in a hurry!
I like the XCB- bullet very much. It shoots very well in all my .30-cal rifles.
 

argie1891

New Member
I have the same mould cleaned the mould with every type of cleaner known to man and still get wrinkled bullets… I have found the darn thing needs to be really hot to cast good bullets. have loaded it in several rifles and it shoots ok but not as well as my heavier bullet like 311284 and 214299.
 

Idaholewis

Active Member
Now you have something you can work with. Good deal. How's the weather up there these days?

It sure is a Nice Looking Little Bullet. The Weather has GOT ME, We are Covered up in Snow, and it just Keeps coming. Suppose to be more Today/Tonight. Longer distances are out of the question til Spring Thaw, But I’m not ready for that yet anyhow, i got Lot’s of Tinkering (Load development) Stuff to do, I will be Trudging my Way out to 100 Yards in the next Few days :) My last Needed Components are suppose to Arrive today. .309, and .310 Neck Expander, .310, and .311 Bullet Sizer.

This isn’t much of a Picture, But kinda Shows the Snow Depth in between the Trees, this was Yesterday, easily 4 Feet in the Open. Plow Trucks are Running out of Places to Put it in Town. If we get a February like Last year, We will be BURIED in Snow, Last year we got 90-95% of our Snow Fall in Feb
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Springtime can be a SLOW GO here as well, this was Last April, And stil down here in the Low lands, I couldn’t access Mountains til May
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Idaholewis

Active Member
I have the same mould cleaned the mould with every type of cleaner known to man and still get wrinkled bullets… I have found the darn thing needs to be really hot to cast good bullets. have loaded it in several rifles and it shoots ok but not as well as my heavier bullet like 311284 and 214299.

Casting this Lyman #2 Alloy has been an interesting CHALLENGE For me, I have done about everything Wrong that i could Possibly do, I knew if i Kept Tinkering i would eventually stumble across something that works :) For me that is 700-725 Degrees, And be really careful to Not overheat the Mold Before i start. My very 1st attempt i tried to Cast EXACTLY the same way i do Pure Lead, That was a DISASTER with this Lyman #2

I hear folks say that Pure Lead is Tough to Cast good Sharp Bullets? I find Pure Lead REALLY EASY to Cast, But that is also what I learned to Cast. In my experience thus Far, this Lyman #2 is FAR More difficult/temperamental.
 

fiver

Well-Known Member
the hard part is keeping the mold hot and the alloy cool.
then finding a fill rate that works.

Argie.
those NOE molds can be a pain to get going, you have to heat cycle and clean them 5-6 times.
I hear his newer ones ain't as hard to get going.
 

Bret4207

At the casting bench in the sky. RIP Bret.
They sure look nice! I've never used actual Lyman #2. I assume you're using something from Roto metals or something like that?

Your pics of the snow look very much like where I grew up in NY's Central Adirondacks.
 

Kevin Stenberg

Well-Known Member
Aaaaa the joy of snow down the back of your neck.
We had another 6" last night. My driveway is only 6" wider than either vehicle. Yesterday we ordered an auger type snow blower for the front of our ATV. I can't wait for it to come in.
 
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freebullet

Guest
Makes me greatful for our fairly mild winter so far. Think if I lived there I'd rig something with tracks.
 

Idaholewis

Active Member
They sure look nice! I've never used actual Lyman #2. I assume you're using something from Roto metals or something like that?

Your pics of the snow look very much like where I grew up in NY's Central Adirondacks.

I got this Lyman #2 Alloy over at Buffalo Arms, With them being Local to me I do a lot of business there, Mostly Blackpowder stuff. When i started this little .308 Cast Bullet Journey i had to find something Hard Enough, I didn’t have any WW or access to any of it. Lyman #2 looked like my best option?

Winters here are something one has to learn to get use to that’s for sure. 5-6 Feet of Snow is Quite Common. It’s amazing how much this place has Grown over the last 4-5 Years, Most of The Locals consider the Snow a Welcoming thing, North Idaho’s Harsh Winters have always been one of the biggest reasons for Less People, That’s NOT so much the Case anymore, People are learning to Adapt to it. But, There have been a LOT of people Moved here in the Spring/Summer, Spent 1 Winter and LEFT, Lot of Estate Sales Around here :)

I don’t mind the Snow as much as the Bitter Cold. We don’t get a Lot of BITTER Cold here, 0 and Below. I would say an Average of 2 Weeks or So of it? I can only imagine The Dakota’s where they commonly see -20-30, I wouldn’t like that at all!
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This was that same -7 morning
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Idaholewis

Active Member
Lewis,
I dare you to stand by one of those trees pictured and test fire some of those new bullets! Don’t forget your umbrella!
nice looking bullets.

:rofl: I’ll Pass on that one!

I have worked in the Woods as a Timber Faller Most of my Life, I have spent some MISERABLE days out there!! Every Tree you Cut is “White Out” Some of these outfits hire Kids to Dig the Snow out from the Tree Bases So we can Cut a Short Stump, You spend most of the Winter Below the Snow Surface
 

Bret4207

At the casting bench in the sky. RIP Bret.
Sounds a lot like northern NY. People move here 'cuz it's cheap land and pretty. One or 2 winters and they sell out to someone else from NJ and the process repeats. Propblem is they are willing to pay Jersey money for St Lawrence County property and keep bringing the taxes up.
 

Idaholewis

Active Member
Sounds a lot like northern NY. People move here 'cuz it's cheap land and pretty. One or 2 winters and they sell out to someone else from NJ and the process repeats. Propblem is they are willing to pay Jersey money for St Lawrence County property and keep bringing the taxes up.

EXACTLY Like here Bret, Literally Sounds like to a T

We are COVERED up with California Folks here, They sell out there and move here, Their Homes in Cali are Worth a FORTUNE Compared to here, Even the Lowest end of their Homes would Be The Highest Here. They are Willing to PAY when they get here! This obviously Drives the Market up SKY HIGH Here, to the Point that Idaho income Folks can’t afford Land/Homes here in their Native State. You just don’t make the Money here, Not even Close! A good example, My Timber Falling Job on the Wa Coast, I made 300 a Day (6 hr days) Here you are DARN Lucky to make 200, 150-175 is the Norm, and lots of these Guy’s have to Work 8 hr Days to get that (OSHA Law I believe is 7 hr days for Fallers now?) My Wife works in a Hospital here, she makes 13-14 an Hr as a Lead in her Dept, And She has been there 8-9 Years to Make that. She would EASILY be Making 20 or Better on the Wa Coast Doing the Same thing
 

Idaholewis

Active Member
Ready for my MAIDEN VOYAGE :)

I customized/Opened a Cheap Lee .309 Push Through Sizer to EXACTLY .310, and it’s actually True when you Roll the Bullet it Stays a Concentric .310, I was gonna go 0.001 Case Neck Tension (.309 Expander Plug) But decided to Test 1/2 that First at 0.0005 (309.5 Expander Plug) They Hold Good n Snug, I FULLY trust them to Hold good here, Unless they were Handled Ridiculously Rough, Dropped Directly on the Nose Etc.
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I THOROUGHLY Cleaned my Rifle Bore Yesterday, Fully Stripped it down to Bare Steel, Then Played With Seating Depth to Lands, This is Jammed up against the Lands
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The Gas check is Seated Nicely in the Bottom of the Case Neck, They look Good
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Gonna Run out and Test these Real Quick, I’m not expecting much, Fully CLEAN Bore, Just a Trial Run to make Sure they Go BOOM :) My jacketed loads are 45.5 Grains of Varget, These are 40 Grains on the Dot
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358156 hp

At large, whereabouts unknown.
You live in a really good area to be a shooter! All that (somewhat) open space, lots of hunting land, and you even have Buffalo Arms nearby to restock your supplies:rofl:. I hadn't bought from BACO before, but in the spirit of spreading my business around I ordered a starter amount of 1:40 alloy from them for my winter 45 ACP hollowpoint project. Their prices were competitive, actually a bit lower, they shipped the same day, and the shipping costs were as good as shipping costs can reasonably be. The alloy casts great too! I can usually find something to grumble about, but I didn't get any new material with this transaction. Thanks for the tip!

I see you're ready to shoot your first cast .308 cast loads. Best of luck and success!