outward appearance of a bullet

[Kevin Stenberg]

I probably know the answer, but I have a question on the outward appearance of my bullets. I am talking about 200 gr. and larger rifle bullets.
When I am casting I sometimes move too slow when pouring from the first cavity to the second. An I get over run from the first cavity in the second cavity, before the stream of lead from the BP pot gets to the second cavity.
An the over run leaves a ring on the bullet. It is only a guess on my part. But I am thinking the ring has a negative affect on accuracy.

 

[Brad]

Define accuracy? It a 30-30 used for 50'yard hunting it may not matter. If you are looking for the absolute smallest groups then it certainly doesn't improve accuracy.

In short, it makes for a cull.

 

[RicinYakima]

Like Brad, fine for pistol bullets, not for 200 yard benchrest matches (those become foulers).

 

[Kevin Stenberg]

The farthest I shoot is 100 Y. in any of my rifles an my velocities generally run 18 to2400 fps. I am only looking for minute of deer which are usually under 30 yards.
So it sounds like I shouldn't be too concerned with miner flaws.
An yes I have read somewhere. It only matters if it does.

 

[Brad]

Yes, it only matters when it does.
Try some both with and without the flaw and see if you and your rifle can tell any difference.

 

[JWFilips]

I have shot some pretty knarly bullets to just blow out cases to my rifles chambers .....Some times on paper i'm very impressed ( actually more often then not)

 

[Roger Allen]

I normally shoot no more than 100 yards but most of the time w open sights.

At 50 yards w open sights it's tit for tat a wrinkle here or a ring there or a rounded lube groove there. That's w open sights have you.

I remember though one time w a Finn mosin I had would group 1 inch at 50 yards w a lee 180 gr sized to .311 w 2400 powder but would do 4 inches at 100.....I wondered how did my projected MOA increase 2x? So I carefully selected bullets, checked the gas check seating, weighed. Wouldn't believe my results that I shot one cold bore and then 3 shots.....the three shots together married at 1 1/2 inches and if I counted the 1st shot maybe 2 inches if a remembered correctly.

Now if I had a scope woulda prob been better as my shooting would have been more spot on and that in itself would have shielded a lot of the issues I was seeking to correct but that's what culling, weighing, and being anal about your bulleta can do when you step up in the game.

These days slightly rounded lube grooves don't get my panties in a knot but unfilled bases do. Wrinkles on a rifle bullet make me worried and I just remelt those. Pistol bullets I put up w a lot as I haven't seen the need until I do my 50 yard 44 mag stuff.

 

[Ian]

Don't take this the wrong way, Roger, but I find it just as easy to cast near perfect bullets as bullets with a lot of the imperfections you describe. All it takes is playing with pour technique, timing, and temperature (like Rick says, think of pouring metal as pouring HEAT, and pour extra where you need to to keep the mould at a happy temperature in all the right places) to get going in the sweet spot. Make notes once you find it, maybe buy a cheap IR thermometer and check mould temperature in a few places when you get it right, time each operation of pour, set, cut, dump and record that for next time once you get each mould and alloy figured out.

 

[quicksylver]

I suggest to KISS..and cast using one cavity at a time....i'd rather have 20 good bullets than 500 so so ones ....why waste the powder, primers and time it takes to size,lube and reload ?

Hot lead flows down hill so if you just have to use both cavities raise the handle when pouring the front cavity and lower it when pouring the rear...

And yes I have shot some pretty mangled bullets that have managed to stay inside a 3/4" group at 100 yds...

But i didn't reload them that way...

IMO opinion acepting lesser quality doesn't get you too far in this game...besides admit that casting near perfect bullets really make you feel good about yourself...

 

[fiver]

if I can see it without my glasses on it goes back in the pot immediately.
when I open the sprue plate I look at the bases, anything not the same as the others goes back before immediately.
I'm looking for a consistent finish on the bullets as they come from the mold and as they cool down.
you got 6-7 seconds waiting for the sprue to cool after it skins over,, use it.

 

[KHornet]

I am a base guy myself. figuring that it is the base that pushes the bullet. If the base is
not clean and sharp it goes back in the pot. little blems on the nose don't seem to have
much effect on accuracy with my old eyes, so they get sent down range.

Paul

 

[Rick]

Yes the base is what gets pushed on but a better description is that it's the base that steers the bullet not the nose. An equal defect on the base will have more effect on accuracy than an equal defect on the nose. My first bullet inspection is opening the sprue plate, if every base is not perfectly filled and sharp that bullet goes into the sprue pile and it doesn't matter what the rest of the bullet looks like. There is no better time to see very vividly a slightly rounded or incomplete base than when they are still in the closed mold, they stand out like a neon sign.

 

[KHornet]

Agree Rick!

 

[KeithB]

My only concern with a bullet that has a ring all the way around it would be: How much of the bullet's cross-section wasn't fused together? Worst case would be when the initial metal would freeze or skin over and the added metal would barely fuse to it. Not sure it would be dangerous, but at high RPMs the bullet might break apart somewhere downrange. I might be overthinking this.

 

[fiver]

not really overthinking it.
I have had bullets fall into two pieces from the mold.

 

[Ian]

But i didn't reload them that way...

That made me smile. They do get beat up when slamming through the machinery of an automatic battle rifle, don't they?

 

[quicksylver]

Ya...why?...they could be kinder...but hey they sure are fun..

 

[358156 hp]

I'm pretty much the same. Any base flaws will cause the bullet to be dropped in the sprue pan for remelting. Some days noting seems to work out, and I'll stop casting if I'm not really producing a reasonable amount of usable bullets. I look over what I have going on between the good and the bad, and will often remelt everything and try again another day due to my own lack of consistency. With the changes I feel necessary, of course. I have a 44 LBT mould doing this to me right now. The real problem? I'm not casting fast enough & hot enough to keep the mould at the temp it needs. 4 cav LBT moulds really want to run hot and fast, I'm not holding up my part of the deal. Probably because of the ambient temperature outside.

 

[Roger Allen]

Not to hijack the thread but I've been casting for 10 years now and I've heard this for 10 years and 1 day "rather make a few good bullets than a thousand ok bullets"

To be honest I just shot a 3 shot group w bullets that have great bases and mostly sharp lube grooves at 120 yards that equated to be 3/4 to 1 inch. Now here's the thing........was that just three bullets that happened to be great? Were they just the best out of my whole bunch?

I have a 3 cavity mold just come in and I carefully prepared it and ladled one bullet then got hot lead then ladled the next then got more hot lead and ladled the next and bam all perfect bullets.

Is it slow yes, did it get at my patience yes, did I wish I was cranking more bullets yea. But will I know for sure at 120 yards that it was as good as it could be and my results will be repeatable you bet you.

 

[Roger Allen]

Normally i ladle 2 bullets then get more lead and that's been working reasonably well. I like my results but one group at 120 yards will shoot 1 inch then the next 1 1/2 in. I'm pretty good shooter so it could be me but I do believe if one is to shoot past 50 yards get a 1,2,3 cavity mold and pour your bullets one at a time ladle or bottom pour your cavities. I like ladle these days but being deliberate and demanding more takes a lot out of our equation.