Jeff Tanner mould

[2172]

when I posted a question about ball size for my .50 T/C, someone suggested a .48 ball, which works and loads well. When I wondered where I'd find a .48 mould, someone else suggested Jeff Tanner's site. The mould arrived yesterday...a beautiful piece of machined brass...Jeff engraved the .48 on one face, and my full name on the other. I fitted it to some Lee handles yesterday, and will run some ball today, and report back tomorrow....the mould does not have a sprue cutter, so I'll have to work out a technique to deal with that. Thanks to all for good advice and to Jeff for a job well done...Hank

 

[LFC]

How is the size on a Tanner mould? I've been trying to figure out a way to contrive a mold setup that will actually fit into a possibles bag--preferably without the expense of actually buying a $70 Rapine mould. Is the Tanner mould appreciably smaller than, say, a Lee or Lyman mould?

 

[silverfox]

Hank: Just get yourself a small pair of sidecutters or dikes and grind the backside to fit the conture of your ball. Sorry its to late but Jeff would have sent you one for about $3.00 if you had asked when you ordered the mould.
Now you have to make one but it's not a hard thing to do and you can use cheap cutters as they will work just as well as the expensive ones.
Good Luck.
Fox :thumbsup:

 

[silverfox]

Comus: The Jeff Tanner mould is about the same size as a Lee or Lyman and will require handles so I don't think you will save any space if you are going to try to use it as a bag mould.
Fox :hatsoff:

 

[LFC]

Thanks!

 

[Grizzled Roberts]

Hank, I use a set of toe nail clippers the kind built like a small pair of dikes. They have a curved blade and are great for the Tanner moulds.
On the Tanner moulds I have noticed that the brass heats up hotter than the aluminum or steel moulds. So I run my furnace a little cooler. Slightly over 715 degrees works best for me.
Jeff's moulds are a quality item for sure!

 

[2172]

Thanks for all of the responses..
1. The Tanner mold seems to be about the same size as my .49 Lee...both are single cavity.
2. It'll take either Lyman or Lee handles..the Lee handles require several small washers to fit.
3. What the heck is a dike? I mean, I know two uses of the word...neither one seems appropriate.
4. I used a pair of nail snippers..when I got to the range, two of the balls still had more sprue than I wanted..digging around in my bag, I found a very small pair of wire cutters, and they worked well.
5. Maybe I'll contact Jeff and ask him to send me a sprue cutter....I'm not that good a machinist to try and improvise one unless I must.
6. The balls shoot great. I had a 3 hole group at 50 yds that touched. No brag, as I was shooting off cross sticks. and they load with ticking and a good sharp rap on the short starter..Hank