Lyman Plains Bullet (Paper Patched)

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Idaholewis

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Got another project started, Gonna try these in my Stock 48 twist .54 Cal TC New Englander. I have been down this road before and my results were LESS than Stellar! I am going at it quite a bit different this go around, I’ve got high hopes for this go around! My goal is to get a stock 1:48 twist to shoot a Paper Patched bullet well. This Lyman Plains is a REALLY good shooting bullet greased or Paper Patched in my Fast Twist barrels, This is 1 of my favorite stock mold bullets in both .50 and .54 Cal. These have shot really well Greased in stock 1:48 twist barrels i have tried them in (what they were designed for) These bullets are from the 40:1 Alloy i got over at BACO. These might be better suited with pure lead? There’s 1 way to find out, Send em!!

Lyman Plains .54 Cal bullet freshly poured, Lubed and sized to .534


Patched up to .540-.541, I test fitted to the New Englander bore and they felt perfect, they load good n snug. I have a .538 and .539 sizer, I might try a Group through my .539
 
Lewis you sure cast up some purty bullets... how often and what do you use to flux your pot with?

Themoose
 
themoose said:
Lewis you sure cast up some purty bullets... how often and what do you use to flux your pot with?

Themoose

Thanks! I go against the rule and use a Lee 20 pound bottom pour pot, since i mostly pour large bullets of 400 Grains and larger I modified the spout by drilling it out to dump MUCH faster, this wouldn’t work worth a darn for smaller bullets, But I can pour 100 BIG bullets in a hurry with this setup! I am really selective/picky with my bullets, they all get weighed and i only keep the ones that are + or - 1 Grain of eachother, most of the time my bullets will run closer to a 1/2 Grain of eachother once the mold is up to temp and i get on a roll.

When my pot is melted and ready to go i stir it really good, skim the top off a few times, then i flux with bone dry pine shavings, I don’t flux very often, i let the top skim over and i leave it alone. That is the beauty of a bottom pour pot, But if you leave Alloy in it very long rust will form on the pot walls and then you have problems! When i fill my pot up i usually have plans to use it all up, when i am done casting i empty the pot into ingots, and when it completely cools down i coat the pot walls with motor oil to prevent rust. When i am ready to cast again i spray the pot out with brake cleaner, blow it out with my air compressor and I’m ready to go again.

I have 2 nice Ladles but have never liked using them, i have a Rowell bottom pour, and a Lyman. I much prefer my Big Lee Bottom pour pot. It’s all in what you get use to!
 
Lewis, I tried drilling out the bottom spout on my Lee pot, but I guess I didn't do it wide enough. I got tired of my bullets coming out with various weights or the spout would get clogged up. So I fixed it by putting a screw in the bottom of the spout and now for the last couple of years been using a Ladel. Now my bullets come out weighing for the most part within 1 grain.
 
edmehlig said:
Lewis, I tried drilling out the bottom spout on my Lee pot, but I guess I didn't do it wide enough. I got tired of my bullets coming out with various weights or the spout would get clogged up. So I fixed it by putting a screw in the bottom of the spout and now for the last couple of years been using a Ladel. Now my bullets come out weighing for the most part within 1 grain.

The Lee bottom pour pot is a PAIN in all honesty. But i have learned a way to make it work well for me. If i were to make myself use my Ladles i would eventually get a Rhythm with them as well. The biggest 2 problems with the Lee Bottom pour is CONSTANT dripping, I finally fixed that, or at least made it MUCH better (i lapped the seat and stem with valve grinding compound) And the next is corrosion/Rust in the pot, if you don’t empty the pot after each session and treat it with a rust preventative the darn sidewalls will rust, then when you start casting again the Spout will clog, This is bad in 2 ways, 1 it doesn’t flow worth a darn, and the bigger problem is contaminants ending up in the bullets, 99% of the time the clogged spout will be from pot sidewall rust/scale, The old saying an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, VERY TRUE here!!

The way i do it is more time consuming, emptying the pot and treating it with a rust preventative is a must to keep everything running tip top. The speed and accuracy i can pour BIG bullets with this thing is pretty AMAZING though! I can outrun the mold in a HURRY, i could run 2-3 molds no problem, which would really be about optimum by allowing the molds to slightly cool off by cycling through them. But i NEVER do that, i just allow the mold to cool off when needed.
 

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