Lachmiller update

[mdi]

My ebay Lachmiller mold arrived a couple days ago, and I cleaned it up and tried casting with it. Qualiy looking mold; blued sprue plate and looks like blueing on the sides of the mold. The sprue plate "locks" the mold halfs together with the locating pin on top of the mold (the slot in the sprue plate rides on the pin when closed, putting pressure on the halfs, keeping them tightly together). I discovered the Lachmiller 357 162 SW is the same bullet as my Ideal 357 446 (with my alloy, 157 gr., and average 358"). I had some bullets from my Ideal mold laying around and set one in the Lachmiller mold. Couldn't completely close it but it fit. I had to do some work on the mold before it would drop bullets cleanly. The bullets were sticking in the mold, rear cavity mostly, so bad I really had to whack the handles to get it out so I lapped the mold with lapping compound. Much better! I also had to work on the sprue plate. For the life of me I don't understand anyone using a steel hammer on a bullet mold. The sprue plate was mushroomed in the striking area so I ground the burr off and polished the bottom with emery and oil on a flat surface. All of my molds seem to have their own personality, and it took mebbe 50 pours to figger this one out; it likes the mold temp fairly cool and the melt mid range (I don't use my thermometer anymore), and the cavity closest to the hinge poured first. I know that sounds stupid/crazy, but it works for me...

[rintinglen]

doesn't sound crazy to me at all. The first 300 pounds of boolits that I cast when out on my own were cast in a yard sale 2 Cavity Lachmiller mold that was a dead ringer for the 358-432 that Lyman made. I had to polish the cavities as well to get them to quit hanging on to the boolits I cast. I haven't used that mold in 10 years or more but this weekend, I think I'll get it out for old times sake. That and a Cramer 16h were my only molds for nearly 20 years. I learned to shoot with those in my S&W Model 27.