New Caster

[ChestnutLouie]

All,

I have a Lee 20lb pot, a Lee 452-200 mold and I am using a 50/50 mix of Linotype and lead with 1% tin. This Lee mold is for tumble lubed bullets and though the ridges look the same size the bullets that I have cast are .452" for the first and and last ridge and the middle ridges are .451". Lee tech support tells me that I am not casting hot enough? I have purchased a thermometer; what temp should the lead mix be for proper casting? Some suggest heating your molds on a hot plate to 400 degrees.

What do you recommend? I am only plinking and practicing at 800fps.

Thanks
Francis

 

[S Mac]

Welcome ChestnutLouie, did you get your mould up to temp? I usually fill and dump ten to fifteen times before I start keeping them, takes that to get the mould hot enough. My thermometer will normally be around 725, 750. Cast and dump pretty quickly to start, when the mould is hot enough then slow the pace a bit.
Are you loading for 45 ACP?

 

[462]

Welcome, Louie/Francis.

Your alias reminds me of the old Byrds song, "Chestnut Mare".

Michael

 

[Ian]

100⁰F hotter than full liquidus point is hot enough to make bullets if the mould is kept at the correct temperature. Thing is, you can run it hotter to alter bullet size and speed up or slow down the casting pace to correct the mould temperature for good fillout and also to affect bullet size. 725⁰F pot temperature and a medium temp mould (very light, satin haze forming on cooled bullets) will probably be your zone for largest bullets. You could make bullets faster but a little smaller by running the alloy about 680 and casting about four complete cycles every minute.

But......what youre getting with what you're doing sounds about right to me on size. If the bullets are filling out well and have sharp edges, lube and load some up and go shoot them.

 

[Cherokee]

Welcome. Some comments
1. Your alloy of 50/50 lino & lead gives 2% tin & 6% antimony, adding another 1% tin is not needed as 2/6 is harder than needed for 45 ACP.
2. I always preheat on a hot plate but have no way of taking the temp, so I use half power for 20-25 minutes (while the pot is also getting up to temp) and start. Usually this gives me good bullets from the start. Your hot plate may vary so testing will be needed.
3. I cast at 700 to 750, depending on the mold.
4. Make notes of what does and does not work for you.
5. I would try some of those 452-451 bullets and see how they work; may be fine.

 

[RBHarter]

Welcome !
Just run those as cast .
As a 2nd option .
Cut your Lino back a little bit more , 25-75 . Let the bullet be soft and swell on firing .

3rd option is to lap mould or at least the base band to get .453 .

 

[CZ93X62]

Those bullets sound "Good to go" in their present form. Put a little lube in the grooves, and make some ammo. Welcome aboard.

 

[ChestnutLouie]

Thanks for the info. Now that I can measure the pot temp I will start with 700 degrees. I have read that some recommend that you preheat your mold to 400 degrees on a hot plate?

Yes this is for 45ACP. I recently got a Ruger SR1911 and want to shoot more and spend less.

 

[fiver]

400 would be close for a LEE mold.
425 might be better. [around 3 pours a minute]

I would also recommend you cut your alloy some more with the soft lead.
the 45 acp was originally run from 40-1 [lead to tin alloy] a little soft IMO, but not out of line for the round.
I'd be more inclined to go 3 or even 4 parts soft lead to the lino, and if you got it another 1% tin wouldn't be the end of the world, [except on your pocketbook] but not necessary.

 

[Bret4207]

Welcome. Be advised some moulds tend seem to take a few cycles of casting and cooling before they get their act together and start casting full diameter. Make sure the moulds interior is nice and clean and oil free. An old toothbrush and some detergent and very hot water can help, or something in the solvent line will often work too. As far as heat goes, understand that there is pot temp and there is mould temp- 2 different animals. You set you pot temp where you think it should be and then you control your mould temp by the rate you cast at. Undersized bands often mean the mould isn't quite hot enough. Pick up the casting tempo and don't worry so much about how the bullets look as they drop. You can always remelt them. You will eventually find a sweet spot that works best for that mould/alloy. Pour and dump, pour and dump, pour and dump. You will probably find at some point you need to slow the tempo when the sprue starts taking an unreasonable amount of time to solidify. Slow her down a little and see if you aren't getting "keepers" every cast at that point.

I'd agree that you can cut down the lino ratio and drop the tin altogether. You don't need that fabled "HARDCAST" at 45ACP pressures and harder doesn't mean better with most cast. "FIT IS KING"!!!!! There are 2 dimensions as far as "fit" goes, but that's a conversation fro another day. Work on getting fully filled out bullets for now and then work on finding a load your gun likes.

 

[KeithB]

^^Very good advice there^^

 

[CZ93X62]

^^Very good advice there^^

I second that motion.

 

[ChestnutLouie]

How long till I dump the bullets? I wait till the sprue just starts to look frosty, then I dump and re fill.

I will try your suggestions and let everyone know.

Thanks
Francis

 

[Ben]

That bullet shape may or may not work in your 1911.
A truanted cone bullet or a copy of the 230 gr. ball shape / design will work reliably in most cases.

 

[Rick]

How long till I dump the bullets? I wait till the sprue just starts to look frosty, then I dump and re fill.

I will try your suggestions and let everyone know.

Thanks
Francis

If the sprue isn't smearing you waited long enough, if the sprue plate is hard to open you waited too long. I open the sprue plate with a gloved thumb. It's a timing thing and a bit of experience will go a long way to making it habit & a natural thing.

 

[waco]

How long till I dump the bullets? I wait till the sprue just starts to look frosty, then I dump and re fill.

I will try your suggestions and let everyone know.

Thanks
Francis

I wait until the sprue frosts over plus a two count, give or take. Your mold and bullets will tell you what they want.

 

[waco]

Rick gives solid advice.

 

[Ian]

I do just what Rick does with pretty much all moulds. If you have to whack the sprue plate to cut the sprue you waited too long or aren't pouring a big enough puddle to keep the sprue plate as hot as it needs to be.

I also tend to push down on the sprue plate while swinging it open with a gloved thumb because that ensures the base will be nice and flat. Then, wait a good three count before opening the blocks because if you cut the sprue while still soft, your bullet may crumble or get dented if you open the blocks right away. Also, waiting a few seconds to ppen the blocks after cutting the sprue lets the bullets cool and shrink just a teeny bit and they tend to fall free much more easily.

 

[462]

Ian, said: "push down on the sprue plate while swinging it open with a gloved thumb because that ensures the base will be nice and flat."

Yep, except I turn the mould upside down and cut the sprue with the web between the thumb and forefinger, rather than with just the thumb.

 

[Pistolero]

I think you have a good chance that it will feed in your 1911 with proper mags, LOA and taper crimp, but it
IS on the short side for the SWC nose, so it is a little less certain that an H*G 68 length nose. I agree on cutting
the lino farther with lead and no need to add more tin, PROBABLY. Some really old lino is not up to full normal
tin spec. No way to know, except if fill out is poor. Tin helps fill out.

Have fun.

Bill