Pouring Bullets

[BigErn]

I have a Lee Real 54.cal mold.Says 380gr,how close should you be to the 380gr.Do you all who pour,hit the number everytime?I poured a batch of 50,they all came in at 372grs.
Just want to see what you all do!
Thanks Ernie

 

[necchi]

Your good, your lead, your alloy, your temp,, all that effects drop weights.
What is key is consistency,, and if all yours are close to the same to each other,, all is good.

You can change that weight. By changing your lead, your alloy or temp. That's the neat thing about casting,, you control the variables.

 

[smo]

Welcome Ernie,

If they all weight the exact same I wouldn't be concerned.

I think most people try to stay within 2 grns above or below the listed weight.

 

[Zonie]

I don't think I've cast many bullets that came out at the weight that was marked on the box.

As the others said, if the lead isn't pure because it has some other metals mixed into it, that can make a big difference.

The heat of the lead when it is poured can change the weight because if the melt is hotter or colder it changes the amount the lead will shrink when it cools off. That can change the weight.

Heat also effects the bullet mold, especially if it is an aluminum mold.
Aluminum expands quite a lot when it gets hot so a change in the melted lead temperature can change the size of the cast bullet.

A change of 100°F can change the size of a aluminum mold by about a thousandth of an inch.

That doesn't seem like much but the difference in the lead bullet can add up to several grains of weight difference.

 

[smo]

I fully agree Zonie, I have weighed balls before , but no better than I shoot it didn’t seem to matter. :haha:

The Guys That do weigh them ,are very serious about it and try to keep the weights as close as possible .

Now I just look mine over as I drop them.

If I spot an abnormality it goes back in the pot. :thumbsup:

 

[tenngun]

That’s how I do it, no wrinkles,holes,frosting it goes down the bore.

 

[mooman76]

Everything everyone else said + factory mould almost never come out exactly what they say. Usually a few gr. + or -. Sounds like you are pretty close. You're only .02% off.

 

[Stumpkiller]

Anything else in the mix will come out lighter. Antimony, tin, zinc, etc.

Pure lead is hard to find.

 

[Don Steele]

If they all came in at 372 gns. you're doing great. Getting them all to come in at a consistent weight is waaayyyyy more important than matching the weight on the box.
I'm one of those who weighs EVERY projectile I cast...bullet or ball. My acceptance range depends upon the nominal size I'm expecting. Smaller roundballs...say 40 caliber....are weight graded to +/- 0.1 grain. Large 500 gn. conicals +/- 1.0.
Hope this helps. :hatsoff:

 

[BrownBear]

Lee Real 54.cal mold....

If your weights are consistent, you're doing great.

Gotta add that I'm impressed if you're doing that with pure lead. Might be a sign that your lead temp is well up and your mold is good and hot. I had trouble getting consistent fill of the "grooves" in REAL molds until a little bird here on the site (Don't remember who, but thanks) told me to add just a little bit of tin to my lead. It helped the lead flow and fill better while not making the lead so hard that it increased seating difficulties.

Long as I'm jawing I'll pass this along if you haven't tried shooting them yet. That REAL stands for Rifling Engaged At Loading, and it means that the top band on the bullet is a little oversize, requiring you give them a pretty good whack when starting them. If your lead is too hard a "pretty good whack" requires a running start and a big swing with a hammer. That's why the little bit was the important part in me adding tin.

One more point on the REALs. In every gun I fired them from including all weights in 50, 54 and 58 caliber, accuracy was not so good. That is, until I put a lubed felt wad between them and the powder (another tip from a little birdie here on the site). With the lubed wad, they shoot amazingly well.

 

[Loyalist Dave]

Heat also effects the bullet mold, especially if it is an aluminum mold.
Aluminum expands quite a lot when it gets hot so a change in the melted lead temperature can change the size of the cast bullet.

Of course it would..., I never thought about it until Zonie mentioned it.

I don't think with a conical bullet as long as there isn't some void within the projectile that being "off" by 8 grains is going to harm its accuracy.

I don't normally weight my cast ball, as I just worry about elimination of a void at the sprue, and go from there. I'm getting good accuracy at the range.
:idunno:

LD

 

[BigErn]

Thanks for all the responses.
Ernie