sticking problem

[bear-kodiak]

Hello List: Decided today to cast some 200 gr. bullets for my 44-40.
One problem: From the start, my bullets were sticking to the right mold block.
I tried smoking the block with candle smoke but that didn't help at all. Does anyone have any suggestions as to what I should try the next time ?
Thank you for any and all help....jim z

[jimb16]

You probably have a burr on the edge. Take a sharp knife and gently scrape the edges. That should remove the burr.

[sagacious]

You can also use a magnifying lens to closely inspect a cast bullet from the sticking cavity. You may find a slight scuff at one location on the parting line. That's where your burr is. Remove carefully as described by Jimb16. Good luck.

[theperfessor]

jim -

Candle smoke leaves an oily residue that really doesn't help the casting process. It often leads to wrinkled and undersized bullets. Most people recommend using something such as a kitchen match or a hardwood stick. I suppose anything that produces an oil-free soot would work.

You didn't say what brand of mold you're using. Lee's are aluminum, Lyman, Saeco, and RCBS molds are a ferrous material (some type of nodular/malleable iron). The best cure for sticking bullets is to lap the mold. The basic process involves casting a bullet in your mold, coating it with any type of mild abrasive, and turning it in the cavity to smooth out any burrs and roughness. Lee molds don't take much lapping because they're aluminum. There are lots of previous threads and stickies on "beagling" Lee molds and lapping in general that you might want to check out.

I've never smoked a mold, preferring to make sure the cavities are burr-free and lapped/polished when necessary. Others like to smoke their molds and have good reasons to do so and report great results so you figure what works for you.

[1stSkink]

I have a bunch of Lee 6 bangers and 1 .40SW 2 cavity mold. When I first started pouring the molds would stick. I Kroiled a 6 cav Lee 230TL and it stuck. I cleaned the mold and smoked each half with a match per 1/2 cav. works like a charm once it is up to temp. 2 cav. .40 mold works the same after smoking. Lee actually recommends using a butane lighter. haven't tried it yet.

skink

[sagacious]

Butane lighter is the way to go for smoking cavities. Leaves a very thin, non-waxy 'smoke' coating.

[Artful]

Butane lighter is the way to go for smoking cavities. Leaves a very thin, non-waxy 'smoke' coating.

Butane or carbide lamp only way to go IMHO

[pdawg_shooter]

I have a Lyman that the hole is cut off center. Try getting a bullet out of that!

[qajaq59]

You may need a good magnifying glass to find the burr. I had one on a Lee mold that took me a good 30 minutes to find. It was really tiny, but it doesn't take much to hold on to that soft lead.