Milling off a GC...

CWLONGSHOT

Well-Known Member
Anyone milled a mold off to eliminate a GC?

I have two LEE molds that basically are useless to me. Little Initial costs and fact that I cant use as is makes me think its worth a try.

One is a .375 FP I use for my 375 Winchesters. First of all, Velocity with Powder Coat means Its not needed. The extra work and cost pushes me to try this on this mold.

The second is a 309-230R black out mold. This is a mold I gave up on. I couldnt make it shoot and was difficult to cast with. (Way way too many culls) This one dosent really have a GC but a dove tail. Im wanting to remove that dovetail.

Then re tap the spure plate hole and re mount. Might dril a Pilot Hole on the 230 as i would Likely be milling off more than its depth. The 375 probably wont need this.

Whats your collective thought?

Has anyone done this?

Comments welcome.

CW
 

Glaciers

Alaska Land of the Midnight Sun
A friend up the road has a mill and lath set up and I'm hoping to get him to do the same. I'm going to give him a LEE 2 cavity for the same reasons, CW if he get's it right I will bring a couple of Lyman's to him.
 

Brad

Benevolent Overlord and site owner
Staff member
Why mill it off? The GC shank can easily be opened to remove it and lead a plain base. Rear band will be long but that isn’t a big deal.
A drill press and the right sized reamer make short work of it.
 

Glaciers

Alaska Land of the Midnight Sun
Actually I just looked at the molds I'm interested in, an a better way to go for me looks like just to relive the gas check or cut it out leaving the bullet full length. Then you don't have to mess with the plate and re-taping. I think Ben did that on a 6 cavity LEE just recently.
 

462

California's Central Coast Amid The Insanity
Yep, removing the gas check shank is much simpler, easier, and less expensive.
 

CWLONGSHOT

Well-Known Member
" removing the gas check shank is much simpler, easier, and less expensive"

I just dont understand this??

Whats easier that turning a screw. Then bolting the blocks in a vice level and square, and turning a crank?? For me anyhow as I have access and experience running a Bridgeport.

Lil experience helps drilling and tapping a hole I can agree there but its Aluminum and in my case something I have done thousands of times.

Removing the shank requires special sized cutting tool. Its been suggest a drill
Press but most have so much run out I dont think it will be so pretty.
Requires a depth cut not seen with a machine DP not really set up for precise depths. Sure you wont need to drill and tap but your gonna remove the spure to get it out of the way anyhow.

If you had specialized equipment or access to someone who does I might agree.
 

Brad

Benevolent Overlord and site owner
Staff member
Ben has done numerous shank removals with a reamer and drill press.
Milking blocks makes a huge change to overall bullet.

I own a mill and lathe and I would far rather just remove the check shank and keep the overall bullet as close to original as possible.

Just how I see it?
 

Rick

Moderator
Staff member
" removing the gas check shank is much simpler, easier, and less expensive"

I just dont understand this??

Whats easier that turning a screw. Then bolting the blocks in a vice level and square, and turning a crank?? For me anyhow as I have access and experience running a Bridgeport.

Lil experience helps drilling and tapping a hole I can agree there but its Aluminum and in my case something I have done thousands of times.

Removing the shank requires special sized cutting tool. Its been suggest a drill
Press but most have so much run out I dont think it will be so pretty.
Requires a depth cut not seen with a machine DP not really set up for precise depths. Sure you wont need to drill and tap but your gonna remove the spure to get it out of the way anyhow.

If you had specialized equipment or access to someone who does I might agree.


:headscratch:

Well CW . . . You did say . . . .


Whats your collective thought?

Has anyone done this?

Comments welcome.

CW
 

462

California's Central Coast Amid The Insanity
" removing the gas check shank is much simpler, easier, and less expensive"

I just dont understand this??

Whats easier that turning a screw. Then bolting the blocks in a vice level and square, and turning a crank?? For me anyhow as I have access and experience running a Bridgeport.

Lil experience helps drilling and tapping a hole I can agree there but its Aluminum and in my case something I have done thousands of times.

Removing the shank requires special sized cutting tool. Its been suggest a drill
Press but most have so much run out I dont think it will be so pretty.
Requires a depth cut not seen with a machine DP not really set up for precise depths. Sure you wont need to drill and tap but your gonna remove the spure to get it out of the way anyhow.

If you had specialized equipment or access to someone who does I might agree.
Since I have neither a mill nor a lathe, I made do by chucking a reamer in the drill press and turning it by hand.
The only cost was a "two-fer" set of Amazon reamers.

I removed the gas check shanks from a Lee two-cavity C-358-158, and the bevels from a Lee six-cavity358-158 RF.
 

Ian

Notorious member
The milling off the part you don't want part gets real complicated when you start trying to find a 10-24 NC LEFT HAND tap for that Lee 2C sprue plate screw.

It also gets complicated on older, full-block Lee 2C moulds if you don't drill the bottom of the blocks and remove the handle pins. The captive handle pins are made out of straight roller bearings (pretty sure they're 1800-series Spicer truck u-joint cap bearings) and are harder than a witch's heart. If you mill more than a bout 1/16" off the blocks without removing the handles you're going to be buying some new tooling and maybe a new mould when the cutter hits the tip of that bearing and everything explodes. At least the pivot screw is RH on those.
 

fiver

Well-Known Member
I'd be more worried about changing the c.o.b. of the bullet.
of course you could mill part of the base off and then just clean up the last little bit of the base of the bullet to help with that change.
the LEE 230 might not be too much of a problem after removing the weight but that long nose could still pose a problem in a slower twist rate.
 

Tomme boy

Well-Known Member
CW, just set it up into the bridgeport and sink in the reamer. You will have to measure how deep to go. but this would be the easiest way to get rid of the gas check shank and make a flatbase mold. Or if you have the means to orbit a cutter then you would not have to buy a specific diameter reamer.
 

Joshua

Taco Aficionado/Salish Sea Pirate/Part-Time Dragon
I've done it four times the way 462 just described, except I used drill bits, the 180 lee 8 mm I use in the milsurp matches couldn't be any better

Bill

I drilled out the gas check shank on the Lee 324-175-1R. On my drill press I took the belt off of the motor and turned the chuck by hand.
Sized to .318”, I shoot these in my Type 99 Arisaka. They shoot good!
Josh
 

Winelover

North Central Arkansas
While a lot of casters seem to be getting rid of gas check shanks, I'm adding them. I don't shoot a lot of low velocity loads, except for 38 & 44 Special and 45 Colt. I have companion carbines for all my magnum pistols/revolvers. I prefer gas checks for those cartridges. Whenever, I order a new mould, I get up to half the cavities cut for gas checks. That's one of the nice things about ordering custom.
 

Fiddler

Active Member
A drill press and a compound vice works for light milling work. I've done at least 3 of the older Lees, you don't have to remove the handles. One of the mods was a Lee hollow base 405 gr. 45-70, I wanted a flat point instead of round nose
 

CWLONGSHOT

Well-Known Member
I have the left twist taps. I knew that.

But thank you I would have missed the depth and hardness of those pins for sure!

Looking at those molds again. The 30 is just useless to me so I thought maybe I could save it. Shoots like pupu in five different barrels.

The 375 isnt a GC as I remembered its a BEVEL BASE. Its. NOt as bad as the 30 but my feeling as I have a single cav lyman that the GC. But I dont wanna mill that one. But it shoots better than the LEE.

I see more problems for me attempting reaming.

The 30 def would be alot of material and large chance of hitting those pins. So guess thats out for now. But the 375 is very little removal and quite likely wont even require drill or tap. Maybe just shorten the screw...

Time will tell.

CW
 

Ian

Notorious member
The newer Lee 2C moulds with the relieved blocks, vent lines on top, and the LH screw use twist pins to hold the handles on. Sometimes you can wiggle them out using an allen wrench. The spiral handle pins are not nearly as hard as the older moulds with the roller bearing pins hiding just under the top surface of the mould.
 
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Randominator

New Member
I have removed several gas checks from molds by milling them down. The trick is taking precise measurements so you know when to stop.

I also milled down the LEE 309-230 to remove the boattail. It shot as crappy after as it did before. I trashed the mold and purchased this NOE. Life has been great ever since.

MwCd47Gm.jpg