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I am a first time caster in this great hobby Pastime. Here is my concern. I am casting a Lee 125 Gr. 356 Dia. RN bullet from a 6 cavity mold.
I weighed the bullets and they came out at 128.7 to 129.4 . Why is this? I have no clue as I am using Range scrap / Lynotype in my castings.
Other concern is I don't know the Load data on these projectiles using 231. Any help will definitely be appreciated. Love this Hobby.
I plan on Powder Coating the bullets then resizing.
They tend to drop oversized, normally around .3575”. I use this, unsized in a .357mag and size for 9mm, normally .356”.
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Originally Posted by PapasandBullits
Your "other concern" should be a HUGE concern. You are brand new at casting, but casting a projectile in a caliber that has high CUP pressures and with a powder you have no load data for.
And yet, you're on the internet where there are a myriad of search options for the data you're looking for not to mention load data from the very manufacturer you mentioned.
You're coming out of the gates in a dead sprint (9mm, W231, powder coating) but it's in the middle of the night and there is no moon, no stars and you have no flashlight. There is a cliff very close to your vicinity.
Buy you a reloading manual from Lee or Hornady or Lyman. READ IT and follow the instructions to the letter. It will keep you from blowing your gun up with your hand still attached to it.
:coffee:
For your load data you can go here--http://www.hodgdonreloading.com/
They have data for your powder as well as others. Also for your boolit weight and many more.
As to the weight of your boolits. It isn't uncommon for the cast weight to be off a few grains. The specific alloy you are using is probably a little different than what the mold was set up for. This isn't a problem. As long as your boolits are within a couple of grains or so of nominal weight, you can use the data provided by the manufacturer. Just pay attention to overall length and start with the lowest recommended powder charge and work your way up, testing as you go. Normally you will find a really accurate load before you get all the way to the max load weight.
PapasandBullits, Welcome to CB
Here is a link to a sticky where you can find many different sites and sources of free load data.
This is the best one for cast boolits created by a member of this forum
http://castpics.net/dpl/index.php/re...et-data-lookup
Range scrap is a floating variable, usually, the softer the lead the heavier the boolit.
Spend some time reading on this site http://www.lasc.us/ there is a lot of good information there.
Until you become familiar with the different powders and loads, it is a good thing to check at least 2 published sources before using that load.
Any information posted on this forum should be double checked also.
The great thing about casting and loading your own is you can tailor the cartridge to what works best for you in any particular gun. Use the advice you get as a starting point, mix it with research and common sense and ALWAYS lean towards the safe side. What works well in someone elses gun may not work well in yours. Some of the things you need to consider are bore size, riffling type twist rate throat size, barrel length. Even weather, temperature and elevation can affect your results.
When you get all the variables lined up and get your first 1 hole ten shot group, I cannot explain the feeling! you will be addicted for life.
Welcome to the Board. As far as bullet weight goes the devil is in the details. Manufacturers spec their molds with a specific alloy and I think Lee uses a 10/1 lead tin mix or linotype which would cast lighter than your range scrap mix. I cast a lot of the Lee 125 rnfp bullets for my 38/.357 and using wheel wts and 2% tin my bullets run right at 130 grs. The link to the LASC site is the best place for you to start. There is a wealth of information there.
Go to the Hodgdons site and look at the load data for 231. 3.8 gr 231 with that bullet worked for me but follow Hodgdons data.
Websites are fine for some data, but there is way much more to a reloading manual than just load recipes. Do yourself a favor and buy at least a Lyman Cast Bullet Handbook, or at least Lyman't 50th. Your post sounds like you are a newer reloader and a new caster, so perhaps other texts would help too; mebb a copy of The ABCs of Reloading. I found it best to find all the load data I need in a published manual before I purchased or cast components...
There are a few different conditions that will determine how cast bullets turn out (weight, size, etc.) like mold temp, alloy temp, alloy composition, and casting method...
Go slow. Double check everything. And most important, have fun...
As everything else your results may vary but I load my Lee 356-125-2R with 4-4.2gr of W231/HP38 with good results but functionality will greatly depend on how heavy your recoil spring is. In my FNX45 I had to install 15lb Glock 17 spring before I could shoot light target loads. Original FN spring is so heavy that I had to run 6.0gr of unique or over 7gr of HS6 before it would cycle properly (dont have my notes with me). Glock 15lb spring works much better.
Start low and work your way up slowly and test, test and retest.
Just to clarify what has already been said. There is a lot of VERY useful info in the loading manuals that are extremely helpful to a new caster. They will give you a basic understanding of the do's an don'ts of casting and what to look for. Then you are able to come ask more focused questions and able to understand the answers more clearly. Don't worry, we all were new once and we love helping and talking about casting here. Most of the comments come from people concerned that without the fundamentals a good load manual provides you may accidentally do something dangerous to yourself, others or your equipment. Read, read and read some more is some of the best advice I was given when I got here.
Welcome to the addiction!
Kraken Fan #69