Thank you I will look in to finding oneStart with a Lee REAL mold reasonable/ most likely available new/used and get to making bullets you can shoot till you learn more about what you really want /need. And the best part while getting through the long wait for a great bullet mold you learn casting techniques and sell the Lee mold for what you paid ! A win win/Ed
I'm looking to get into casting for a 50 cal 1:28 twist as well. I appreciate the ideas that have already been shared. If you have a lead on a mold please let me know. Thank you!
Accurate Bullet Molds is HARD to beat I have MANY of His Iron Molds.
This is 1 of my Favorite Hunting Style Accurate Molds Bullets, #50-415i, Here is a Good thread to read on My i Series Bullets
https://www.modernmuzzleloader.com/threads/the-i-series.37327/
This is a 5 shot Group at 50-60 Yards from my 1-28 Twist GM LRH .50 Cal
As previously I pointed out Lee REALs /like Lyman Plains were meant for pure lead and engraved upon loading ,(NOT ) for resizing . If you resize you diminish the engraving and ruin/lessen accuracy . A more useful way is to seat over a 1/8 inch felt dry or lubed for better results/EdAccurate molds makes excellent molds, and they are made to order (for a great price). The only thing I wish they did was hp or hb pins, but a decent machine-shop should be able to do the work for reasonable, if you feel you need it. NOE makes nice molds as well, everything of their's is just out of stock right now, and unless you're part of a group buy, you just have to pick from what they make, and size from there. I tried Lee REAL's almost a decade ago, was never happy with the accuracy, I feel I was having to deform them too much to get them down (it was before I had bullet sizing capabilities), ended up just shelving the mold (might have to break it out again to see if sizing the largest band down would help). Also tried the Lee minie's for .50 at the same time, and the mold I got was oversized, and the bullet was groove-diameter lol (once again, now that I can size bullets, might need to break it out). Those 50-415-I bullets are darn good hunting bullets, rounded flat nose just smack the heck out of things!
as I've previously said, I had too much deformation on loading (the mold was bought at the same time as my oversized minie mold from Lee, so IDK if they were just having quality problems or what). But, since I have the molds, I might play around with them in an "off-label" application. Even in it's intended role, if you only take enough off the top band (which is around .52 for the .50's, as I recall, and that rifle has .0045" grooves, those REALs were designed to work even in deep-groove cloth patched round ball barrels (grooves can run .008-.01")) to make loading a smidge easier, you would deform the bullet less, while not ruining anything. But it's also known that solid base bullets don't have to be groove-sized to get great accuracy (I've utterly abandoned groove-riding bullets due to that experience, plus, I like the easy loading land-riders anyways). A wad (added, generally unnecessary, expense) has nothing to do with nose deformation.As previously I pointed out Lee REALs /like Lyman Plains were meant for pure lead and engraved upon loading ,(NOT ) for resizing . If you resize you diminish the engraving and ruin/lessen accuracy . A more useful way is to seat over a 1/8 inch felt dry or lubed for better results/Ed
You obviously have a different experience than I with yrs of shooting Lees and more recently Lyman (Plains) /go for it , I thought you wanted real world experience /I stand corrected and not for nothin it is the base with the large 1st diameter (and not for nothing) ,(ACTUALLY STEERS) the bullet not the nose /But I guess that DONT count ./I"M doneas I've previously said, I had too much deformation on loading (the mold was bought at the same time as my oversized minie mold from Lee, so IDK if they were just having quality problems or what). But, since I have the molds, I might play around with them in an "off-label" application. Even in it's intended role, if you only take enough off the top band (which is around .52 for the .50's, as I recall, and that rifle has .0045" grooves, those REALs were designed to work even in deep-groove cloth patched round ball barrels (grooves can run .008-.01")) to make loading a smidge easier, you would deform the bullet less, while not ruining anything. But it's also known that solid base bullets don't have to be groove-sized to get great accuracy (I've utterly abandoned groove-riding bullets due to that experience, plus, I like the easy loading land-riders anyways). A wad (added, generally unnecessary, expense) has nothing to do with nose deformation.
I have plenty of real experience with them lol, otherwise I wouldn't have said my piece. Haven't messed with the lyman's, the REALs convinced me that I needed to look another direction than groove-sized bullets. Unless they've changed the design of the REALs (they haven't, as far as I can tell), the bands increase in diameter from bottom to top. (I don't have any bullets cast from mine around, it was about 9-10 years ago, but I remember them being, from bottom to top something like: .505, .510, .515, .520).You obviously have a different experience than I with yrs of shooting Lees and more recently Lyman (Plains) /go for it , I thought you wanted real world experience /I stand corrected and not for nothin it is the base with the large 1st diameter (and not for nothing) ,(ACTUALLY STEERS) the bullet not the nose /But I guess that DONT count ./I"M done
"Lee Double Cavity Mold produces a 50 Cal. Diameter 320 grain bullet. Driving band diameters from the base of the bullet to the tip: .502, .507, .512, and .517." |
You are correct ,I said bass acward but the Lee with the correct starter and pure lead does not mess with the nose and the base still steers the bullet ,hence the protection of the base is most important for accuracy .I know if not pure size will increase with BHN and harder starting . And like you said Lee mold could be on the generous side or bore on the tite side , I shoot Lyman Plains in 45/50/54 but before that the REAL killed a bunch of deer and that is only because of that wad mentioned otherwise accuracy wasn't much. The one thing I learned on this sight from Idahoelewis is go up 1 size when making wads 45 uses 50/50 uses 54 ad so on ,only thing I alter now when I used to make wads and lubed verses dry . /I really am done with this ,just made a mistake and corrected it/EdI have plenty of real experience with them lol, otherwise I wouldn't have said my piece. Haven't messed with the lyman's, the REALs convinced me that I needed to look another direction than groove-sized bullets. Unless they've changed the design of the REALs (they haven't, as far as I can tell), the bands increase in diameter from bottom to top. (I don't have any bullets cast from mine around, it was about 9-10 years ago, but I remember them being, from bottom to top something like: .505, .510, .515, .520).
Edit, just looked on Lee's site they say:
like i said, mine might be oversized idk, it might be within their tolerances.
"Lee Double Cavity Mold produces a 50 Cal. Diameter 320 grain bullet. Driving band diameters from the base of the bullet to the tip: .502, .507, .512, and .517."
Thanks, leftymlForum rules are 25 post minimum for Classified postings (which this isn't in the Classified forum) and the ability to send PMs.
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