new RANCH DOG mold casting small boolits???

[jeff223]

i have a couple of boolits left that Ranch Dog sent me some time ago and they both measure between .4315 and .432,these were boolits he cast and sized

my new RANCH DOG mold drops boolits out that measure .428 to .430 and at the base of the boolit just up from where the gas check goes it will measure in at .431??these new molds were to drop boolits out at .432 or bigger.am i doing something wrong?i used wheel weight lead with alittle solder added to help mold fillout

is there anything i can do to get a fatter boolit from this mold?i need a .432 boolit for accuracy.i got good accuracy with his boolits but not with mine.im sure its because mine mold is dropping the boolits out smaller than what i need.

there are a couple more things i noticed about these boolits i cast compairing them to RANCH DOGS boolits he sent me.my boolits are longer than his and they have a larger meplat than his.this is no big deal but they are differant than his

RANCH DOG bought a new mold from my group buy and maybe he will chime in on this.

thanks for any help in advance
jeff

[45 2.1]

There is one thing about LEE, sometimes you get near what you wanted and at other times you don't get anything near what you wanted. Anytime they get something really close to what you wanted, you better keep it and not let them get their hands on it again.

[jeff223]

45 2.1 thanks for the quick responce on this.i hope the others have good luck and can use their molds.i didnt know this was a crap shoot when we order from the Lee company

it will be interesting to see what RANCH DOG has to say about this.like i said he ordered a mold from me and he can compair the outcome from his molds.i sent him a PM about this ad expect some input from him

i also plan on talking to my gun smith who is also a master machinest to see if he can HOG OUT the holes on my mold.i would like at least .432 to start out with if not .433

i did notice when i used my .432 push through sizer die the boolits pushed through kind of easy.the die didnt even put any rub marks on the boolits bit it did install the gas checks nice and tite

[45 2.1]

Jeff, it normally isn't a crap shoot, but sometimes they just don't get it right or close to right.

I'll give you guys something to think about here. Even undersize, you can use your molds normally, since they are gas checked, by doing this. Use a very soft alloy, something between 8 and 9 BHN (pure lead & WW 1/2 & 1/2), that has a very low antimony content. Cast, water drop them,install the GC, lube with LEE liquid lube a couple of times and try it out. You will have to play with the alloy some to get it where you want it depending on velocity. The boolit will be hard and expand easily. You can probably get away with makeing it softer also.

[steveb]

I know I need at least .432 out of my Rossi 92. Thats what my bore measures. I MAY just use air cooled WW so it will obertrate and seal the bore. Beagling is always an option to I guess. I havent got mine yet but I will let you guys know what they are dropping out at as soon as I can.....Steve.

[Dutch4122]

Lets hope they do better with the original .434" WFNGC order that 10 of us stuck with and paid the extra setup fee to get. Situations like this were why I was pushing for going fat (maybe even as fat as .435" or .436") on the spec sheet sent to Lee; because it's always easier to size down than up. And, Lee will always call within .003" good enough so it might be a crap shoot getting them to fix any moulds you want to send back.

[steveb]

Another thing, can these moulds that we got out of this group buy throw different size bullets for all of us?? Say we was all using just straight WW??

[jeff223]

i will try using a softer lead like you said 45 2.1 but if it doesnt work out im sending mine back to LEE to have them deal with it.with my group buy from last year and my two buys from this year i or i should say we spent close to 5 grand on molds.i just started another group buy for a flat based 357 boolit and im thinking about calling that one off or changing to a company that can produce a mold that we want.

i sure hope the fat 44 mold deal i ran turns out better than this.im new at this cast boolit buisness and this undersized boolit thing is a pain in the A$$ for me.Ranch Dogs boolits shot great for me and these dont.i will play around for a spell but not for long.my mold will be going back so Lee can correct it for me and i hope the others do the same if need be.

im sure the molds will be getting into the hands of their new owners very soon and im waiting to see how their molds work out for them.i will keep my fingers crossed for you guys

later
jeff

[Ranch Dog]

Jeff...

I haven't received my mold yet but will give it a try as soon as it arrives. The drawing specifies .432". The guarantee is from -.000" to +.003". We should see .432" to .435". I can't use the small bullets so I will send mine back. You can make them larger but I doubt that I would ever get around to doing the work as I've been staying so busy on the ranch. Also remember that the guarantee specification is with a 1 part tin to 10 parts lead alloy (read WW). From what you described, it sounds like that is what you were casting with so that isn't the problem there.

Here is a clip of the guarantee off the Lee Custom Bullet Mold Design Assistance Sheet.



The length is very puzzling to me???

If it needs to be returned, I'm not sure how they handle the guarantee with a group buy but let's do it with a smile as it will go a lot smoother than being angry or nasty about the error. I've had several warranty claims with Lee products including my TLC379-210-RF special order. They had me send the molds back and replaced them to my spec no problem.

[Ranch Dog]

What was the length of the bullet Jeff?

[jeff223]

my boolits were 3 to 4 thousands longer than yours and the meplat is much bigger.the meplat is the size of the Lee 310gr boolit.i dont care about the added length or the bigger meplat but they are too skinny.

i dont plan on getting nasty with them about this but i feel bad about these molds being out of spec.maybe with alittle luck the others will have better luck with their molds than i did.my mold casts some nice looking boolits that are filled out good but they just dont measure up good.i would be very happy if the mold dropped the boolits out at .434 or .435.

i cast about 150 of them to start things out and i only have a a few boolits that show any signs of being sized,then the only signs are down near the base of the boolit just up from the gas check.

maybe in a few days some of the others will be casting with their molds and there will be some input from them too

[cast-n-blast]

I received my mold today and am SAD to report that my bullets cast of pure WW are running anywhere from .430-.431" in diameter. In other words, useless for marlin triple 4 loads. I am disappointed in LEE, as I always stood up for their products in the past, as others would bash them. It will be interesting to see if they rectify their error. Wonder why they didn't just use Ranchdogs original cherry ?

[Buckshot]

".............Wonder why they didn't just use Ranchdogs original cherry ?"

They aren't cut with a cherry. They're lathe bored either using a 'form tool' or a form tool and some single pointing, or all single point tools. Depends on the design and their experience.

..................Buckshot

[jeff223]

sorry to here about your mold casting small too.i measured some boolits i cast today and the results are the same.i used wheel weight lead with some solder added to help mold fillout.the mold is casting some great looking boolits but who cares about that if you cant shoot them with accuracy out of anything?i can take a boolit and measure it down near the gas check and that measures .431 and as you move up the boolit the measurement goes to .427,then to 428 then it goes to .429??must be the mold maker was smoking grass that day

im packing my mold up and that baby is going back to LEE PRECISION in the morning.i hope someone who got in on the deal can use their mold but if not i hope they are all sent back to LEE for a hole hog out.im wondering what the poor dudes will do that bought molds that live in Sweden and Austraila?

PLEASE POST YOUR RESULTS HERE
we would all like to know how this mold works out for you

[AnthonyB]

Fellas, when I did the BD45CM buy I sent the entire lot back to Lee to be recut because they didn't cut them proporly. They will argue and fight about it, but persistence and a positive attitude pays off. I think they ran the entire group of moulds all over again, and I expect to see the originals on their surplus list at some point. I tried to buy a few at reduced cost and was told they would be sold as surplus/seconds. Tony

[krag35]

When mine gets here, I'll cast a few up. If they measure less than .432, back to lee it goes. I'm hoping the fat 44 comes out to spec.
krag35

[Ranch Dog]

Didn't get mine today. I'm really sad to hear that all the dimensions are different from my original mold.... not good.

Anybody have any experience with a group buy return? Shouldn't they all go back together? AnthonyB can you comment on how you think we should handle this in that you sent a group buy back...

I cast some of my new TLC311-165-RFs today, received them while I was gone this past week. They are right on the money so there is no reason why the TLC432 should not have been cut to the drawing...

[AnthonyB]

I think 25 guys complaining will get more attention than one guy trying to complain about 25 moulds. Why not wait a few days for all moulds to arrive, and then coordinate an onslaught of complaints to Lee? That way Lee can't dismiss it as an individual problem. Every returned mould would ideally have a copy of the spec sheet and a listing of where the mould fails to meet specs. Tony

[Newtire]

I think Buckshot's statement about the moulds being cut with a form tool explains lots of things. For one thing, if the tool is made improperly, then more than likely, none of the moulds will be cut right. But you would have thought they would have checked it out real good first before making a run. You would have to cast some boolits to do that. I know they can do that at such a place. Have to see if mine is good enough or not. If not, it's going back...moan...

[LET-CA]

I'll give mine a try when it arrives. If it's undersized, it'll go back for warranty repair. We may have to coordinate with Lee on how the return is done. I'm a big believer in leaving the temper at home though. They're an honorable company. Give them a chance to make it good.