Rangefinder
New member
Not sure if anyone is using the 93gr lee mold for 32 Auto, but I picked one up (hesitantly) for the purpose. I'll be honest in saying I'm a little nervous about the higher grain bullet than what is listed and such limited case volume. My first thought was to drill and pin it as a hollow-point mold to reduce weight a little. BUT, I found this really wasn't an option because the real problem is in bullet length. By the time I reach a seating depth that doesn't rest on the lands, I'm so deep into the case that it's very near if not for sure a compressed load--that just screams for a ka-boom. Then I had an idea---what if I shear off the base of the bullet right at the start of the bottom lube groove? The dimensions match perfectly with a gas check, and shorten the bullet by a fare amount as well.
So---the outcome was this: After taking off the base of the bullet, sure enough-a .30 cal gas check snapped firm onto the "new" base that was previously a lube groove. After running through a sizer and crimping the GC, I threw it onto a scale---dead-on at 80 grains. It shortened the bullet enough to NOT risk compressing a load the way I was worried about before due to bullet length, as well as getting back in the realm of existing load date and pressures.
So... Anyone else done this or something similar? I haven't ground down the mold itself yet (that might happen over the weekend), and this was just a morning brainstorm over my first cup of coffee--meaning I didn't even take any photos yet, much less had the chance to test the load. Any thoughts on this?
So---the outcome was this: After taking off the base of the bullet, sure enough-a .30 cal gas check snapped firm onto the "new" base that was previously a lube groove. After running through a sizer and crimping the GC, I threw it onto a scale---dead-on at 80 grains. It shortened the bullet enough to NOT risk compressing a load the way I was worried about before due to bullet length, as well as getting back in the realm of existing load date and pressures.
So... Anyone else done this or something similar? I haven't ground down the mold itself yet (that might happen over the weekend), and this was just a morning brainstorm over my first cup of coffee--meaning I didn't even take any photos yet, much less had the chance to test the load. Any thoughts on this?