Casting 20 gauge Lyman Sabot Slug grief
- Thread starter Brutus
- Start date
Griffin6869
CGN Regular
- Location
- Cloverdale, BC
Try spray graphite on the mold - ( canadian tire etc ) - I used to smoke the mold but I still had some slugs hanging up - graphite makes it really slick - my key molds slide right off with no tapping required and they are perfect.
just having some fun
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
What are you using for lead ? pure will give you problems
Did you clean the mold ?
are vent lines plugged ? you might have to clean them
Turn the heat up ---- and as mold heats up and you start getting frosting you can turn it down a bit
Don't be suprised if all of the good ones have frosting
the mold will have to be hot enough afer 20- 30 rejects (with pre heating the mould ) to be able to feel the heat of the handles through leather work gloves
Sort your cast slugs first by looking (bad/good/better/best) then check some of the best of them by weight to see how uniform they are
Last resort
Try having a propane torch handy and running to heat up the lower punch 3-5 seconds every cast till it heats up
Did you clean the mold ?
are vent lines plugged ? you might have to clean them
Turn the heat up ---- and as mold heats up and you start getting frosting you can turn it down a bit
Don't be suprised if all of the good ones have frosting
the mold will have to be hot enough afer 20- 30 rejects (with pre heating the mould ) to be able to feel the heat of the handles through leather work gloves
Sort your cast slugs first by looking (bad/good/better/best) then check some of the best of them by weight to see how uniform they are
Last resort
Try having a propane torch handy and running to heat up the lower punch 3-5 seconds every cast till it heats up
Brutus,
Two things you can try:
I'm not sure what you are using for an alloy (usually soft lead only) but if you add 2% tin to the melted alloy, you will get better fillout.
However, the first thing you might want to try (if you are already preheating the mould - I set the mould on a hotplate - MED heat) is to be sure the hollow base plug is hot. It has to be hot or it will cause the alloy to harden before it has a chance to fill out the skirt. One way to heat up the plug is to dip it in the melt until the alloy no longer sticks to it i.e. it has reached alloy temp. Another way to heat the plug (but I haven't tried this) may be to give it an even application of heat with a propane torch. Then, immediately insert the hot plug into the hot mould and do the pour. Hope this works out for you.
Be sure the mould and plug are scrupulously clean. I scrub the cavities, etc. with an old toothbrush, a drop of dish detergent in the half cavity and hot tap water. Final rinse in hot tap water, shake dry and set on hot plate to quickly get rid of all moisture. A clean mould will drop bullets easily. If not, you have a burr or rough area in the mould that has to be removed. I don't agree with using any type of release agent - not necessary and can give slightly undersize bullets.
40-82
Two things you can try:
I'm not sure what you are using for an alloy (usually soft lead only) but if you add 2% tin to the melted alloy, you will get better fillout.
However, the first thing you might want to try (if you are already preheating the mould - I set the mould on a hotplate - MED heat) is to be sure the hollow base plug is hot. It has to be hot or it will cause the alloy to harden before it has a chance to fill out the skirt. One way to heat up the plug is to dip it in the melt until the alloy no longer sticks to it i.e. it has reached alloy temp. Another way to heat the plug (but I haven't tried this) may be to give it an even application of heat with a propane torch. Then, immediately insert the hot plug into the hot mould and do the pour. Hope this works out for you.
Be sure the mould and plug are scrupulously clean. I scrub the cavities, etc. with an old toothbrush, a drop of dish detergent in the half cavity and hot tap water. Final rinse in hot tap water, shake dry and set on hot plate to quickly get rid of all moisture. A clean mould will drop bullets easily. If not, you have a burr or rough area in the mould that has to be removed. I don't agree with using any type of release agent - not necessary and can give slightly undersize bullets.
40-82
Last edited:
Brutus
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
Thanks for the replies fellas, just for info, it's a brand new Lyman mould, using pure lead with a touch on linotype. I just asked Silverback just this evening for advice & he says I'm not getting the mould hot enough too. I think I'm going to buy a propane tiger torch in the next few days. The guy that runs Gardner's Cache, makes and sells various cast bullets in the USA uses some kind of graphite spray as well. I'm on the fence with this one, although I must admit I've never used a mould like this one before guys.
Again, thanks for help everyone!
Again, thanks for help everyone!
gunrunner8
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Kamloops, B.C.
Yes, 2%+ tin added to lead alloy is critical to good mold fillout along with the proper (read high) casting temperature especially with slugs and hollow point style bullets.
Thanks for the replies fellas, just for info, it's a brand new Lyman mould, using pure lead with a touch on linotype. I just asked Silverback just this evening for advice & he says I'm not getting the mould hot enough too. I think I'm going to buy a propane tiger torch in the next few days. The guy that runs Gardner's Cache, makes and sells various cast bullets in the USA uses some kind of graphite spray as well. I'm on the fence with this one, although I must admit I've never used a mould like this one before guys.
Again, thanks for help everyone!
Are you running a bottom pour pot or ladle? Dribbling in or pressure pour?
Lotsa ways to get good results. I've been pretty fond of clean clean clean, for the mold, and hot as I need for the alloy.
Frosted bullets shoot OK too! So if you gotta crank the eat up that high to make it work... do it.
You WILL need to get into a decent rhythm to get consistent results on any kind of continuous basis. When you do, you will be much happier with the results.
Have you figured out what percent tin you have ended up with from the lino add? More than 2 percent is pretty expensive. And you can get good bullets on less, with enough heat.
Cheers
Trev
Griffin6869
CGN Regular
- Location
- Cloverdale, BC
My 10lb pot was slow to pour - when I gave it a full clean out I took a drill bit that fit the spout with some resistance and ran through on the same angle of the spout on slow speed. Lightly sanded the end of the bar that stops the flow and the inside at the spout exit. After that I filled it up and it was a night and day differance with a great flow and no leakage. I use a 1oz slug mould - took that apart and polished the inside.
Have you tried pressure pouring? With the mold sprue plate right hard against the spout, pop the lever up, hold it there for a few seconds to harden, then close the spout, and remove the mold.
I use a set of vise grips on the pour lever of my Saeco pot to get a reliable seal. Just adds weight to the lever.
Spin a small drill up through the spout to clear out any residue. Keep a cake tin or similar under the spout to catch the drips (hey, it's gonna drip. deal with it!
).I use a heavy set of gloves when casting, and open the sprue plate with the gloved hand, rather than hitting the plate with a stick, etc.
I'd say it was worth tracking down a ladle to try, too. Try to find one of the larger ones with the spigot, rather than the spoon type. You can move faster with the spigot and the sprue plate in contact.
Gotta keep the pot clean no matter what, as well. I keep a bent piece of wire on hand to poke up the spout as needed to loosen bits of sludge that affect the flow there.
Cheers
Trev
I have purchased a Savage 220 and I am looking to reload sabot shells for it. Similar to the remington accutip or hornady sst slug, I have reloading equipment, but I can't find the wads or slugs that will fit.
Any suggestions out there? the more I read, the more I'm thinking it can't be done.
Any suggestions out there? the more I read, the more I'm thinking it can't be done.
As trevj mentions, I found using a bottom pore and holding the pour handle open a bit longer, to allow more lead into the mold, as the lead cools and shrinks, solved the problem of hollows in the base, I experienced when casting big big bullets.
