Resizing TL Bullets, revisited.

TXGunNut I have one of the Lee molds that had a slight alignment problem,there are a couple ways I found to fix that. The first is I have a piece of thin aluminum material about 1/8" under my casting pot that extends out several inches on either side,after dropping the bullets I sit the open mold on the flat plate and close the handles it aligns them perfectly.

For a more permanent fix I found the side of the block that was causing the problem and shimmed it with some brass shim stock so the mold block doesn't flex so much on the handles.
 
Thanks, res45. I've tried your first idea and am considering your second. The right side of the block is always the culprit so will shim there. I think I could work on my technique a bit to minimize this issue but I feel the alignment pin and bushing on the commercial mould is a better design and will solve the issue.
I didn't have this problem with the round ball moulds of the same design so I'm thinking a shim would indeed solve this problem.
Thanks again!
 
Figgered it out!

Well, in 45acp for my gun, my moulds and WW alloy sizing really isn't necessary. Added a bit of tin to my last batch, bullets grew a couple thousandths and suddenly I needed another piece of quality equipment from Lee.;) I think I'll keep sizing them, doesn't take long and I think it will give me a more consistent product and consistency is what I'm after.
New moulds look like fun but this heat is going to break any week now. I think they'll have to wait.
 
TX,

Man you had better get your ingots in line when you fire up on that 6 banger, they will empty the pot quick. :D

I have the Lee TL230gr 6 banger and a couple of others as well. The one I have been working with the most is the C452-300-RF for my 454. while it isn't really a TL design by any stretch, I have used the LLA on them with good results up to 1500fps. Trust me when I say, pouring six of these at a time, will keep you adding ingots about every 5 or so minutes to keep the pot level. I set three corn cobs up on the side when I start, and ease them in as needed.

As for the 230gr, I have only loaded up one box of 50 for my Govt 1911, and there was a bit of a curve there for me as I am used to shooting only JHP's through it. It took a bit of trial and error to get the seater set so the fit and function test would pass. Having already had one of the LFC dies in 45 I decided to run a few through it just to see what if any issues it would straighten out with a few of the ones that didn't quite fit the chamber. What I found was that on the half dozen or so that didn't simply drop right in, it only touched the very lip of the case which indicated to me it was some of the first ones I loaded when I was setting up the OAL and clearing what little bell I had put on the mouth. I loaded them with 6grs of Unique and they averaged around 850fps from my pistol. Groups weren't terrible, but I have done better. Of course it was close to 111 when I was shooting, so the sweat in my eyes probably had as much to do with it as anything.

I have read time and time again where folks suggest NOT using the FCD for this, as it some cases it sized the bullets down as they were run through the carbide ring. This I could easily see being done, but in this case the lip was the only thing being touched, and I wasn't using it to crimp, but only to check the size of the loaded round per say.

Another thing I have done with regard to the LLA completely coating the tips and all of the bullets is to dip lube instead of tumbling. Now when I say this I am using a 300gr bullet with plenty to hold on to, but even with the shorter nosed ones it wasn't too bad. I simply used a water bottle cap so that I didn't have a lot of LLA to deal with, and a pair of needle nosed pliers with duct tape on the insides of the jaws, to grab and dip with. It goes pretty fast, and everything just moves along on the wax paper as you progress through the bullets. It helps if you stand them up somewhat in rows ahead of time, then simply move down a row, picking one up, dipping, and setting it in a line above where your picking them up from. I cannot say how quick doing 4-500 might be, but knocking out 50 or so was pretty fast.

Oh yea, so when is that 100+ heat going to end??? I have been hearing that for over a month now.
 
Shouldn't have more than a couple more weeks of triple digit torture. Headed to the range to test some boolits I lubed with Rooster Jacket soon. These are the boolits I sized after I found them to be a bit oversized. Put another light coat of RJ on, we'll see.
Spent the cool(er) part of the day watering trees and doing laundry. :rolleyes: May toss some gloves in my brass bucket to keep from burning my fingers. ;)
 
I recently bought the Lee TL die system. All I have is conventional moulds. Is there any reason one can not TL a traditional cast boolit? Thanks, Mac
 
Mac1
I recently bought the Lee TL die system. All I have is conventional moulds. Is there any reason one can not TL a traditional cast boolit? Thanks, Mac

Hey Mac1, here are a couple of links which might help out with your question,

First Home Poured thru the 454....

Cast Boolits > Boolit Lube Page !

The first is my initial step into the world of shooting my own cast boolits. I did extensive research on everything about it well before I got up enough grits to actually drop the hammer on one. Not that I was overly concerned about failure, just I had a very bad experience with leading years ago in my 41mag, which left me with VERY bad feeling towards cast in magnum calibers.

The mold I am using is not a TL design, but after reading hours and hours worth of post where folks were using or referring to using ALOX, I figured I might as well use it since I had it. Since then I have ordered materials, and made up some of what is called Felix Lube also. I have used it to pan lube these same with no issues either.

The second link is to the "Lubes" section of the Castboolit site. There you will find just about every conceivable method of applying or mixing of lubes to use on CB's. There are several post, and a sticky, on using the ALOX to lube up your CB's.

I also highly recommend touching base with White Label Lubes, he is the man with the plan on lubes. Tell him what your looking at doing, and he has what you need and it works, and works well, and you won't break the bank getting it.

Hope this helps
 
Mac1>> Since becoming "brave" and trying it with the notion I'd be spending hours scrubbing lead out of barrels for it, I tumble lubed conventional lube bullets---and haven't even looked at my Lyman 450 since. It works nicely. The trick to TL is a thin layer. I use tumble lube on everything smokeless.
 
I suspect a sizer may solve your issues as well, Steve.

Sizing might help reduce the size of the "lip", but the bullets are the correct size (.452", as I recall).

Another thing I have done with regard to the LLA completely coating the tips and all of the bullets is to dip lube instead of tumbling. Now when I say this I am using a 300gr bullet with plenty to hold on to, but even with the shorter nosed ones it wasn't too bad. I simply used a water bottle cap so that I didn't have a lot of LLA to deal with, and a pair of needle nosed pliers with duct tape on the insides of the jaws, to grab and dip with. It goes pretty fast, and everything just moves along on the wax paper as you progress through the bullets. It helps if you stand them up somewhat in rows ahead of time, then simply move down a row, picking one up, dipping, and setting it in a line above where your picking them up from. I cannot say how quick doing 4-500 might be, but knocking out 50 or so was pretty fast.

Hey Mike, that sounds like a good idea!

Do you have any problems with excess lube on the bullets? Do you thin out the Lee Alox Lube before dipping?

Steve
 
Is there any reason one can not TL a traditional cast boolit? Thanks, Mac

In their Reloading catalog Lee says:

"While it works well with all cast or swaged bullets better than any other lube, it works best with micro band bullets, which are designed for tumble lubing."

Steve
 
Hey Mike, that sounds like a good idea!

Do you have any problems with excess lube on the bullets? Do you thin out the Lee Alox Lube before dipping?

Steve

Hey Steve,

For the most part I haven't worried about having "too much" on those I am running out of the 454. With it pushing them easily over 1400fps I an just hopeful I have enough.;)

If you check out the second link there it will take you to the Lube section of CB's. Once there if you scroll down you will see a post called Dipping Alox Ranch Dog Style...That is for the most part all there is to it.
Here is a link to RD's Tip,
Ranch Dog Molds
Dipping Liquid Alox


Initially I didn't thin it down but it took all night to dry. The second time I used it I thinned it down with a bit of mineral spirits as per a couple of recommendations from CB's. It dried within a couple of hours and got a second coat.

While I am new to all of this for the most part I can say that the Alox has done what it was claimed to do, and even on the non micro banded bullets I have not had any issues. Honestly I feel the 454 with a stiff load of AA-9 or WC-297 under it, shoving out the 8.375" barrel at up to and over 1500fps, is about as harsh a test as I could come up with at the time, since I haven't quite made it into rifle bullets just yet.
 
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