One night i was looking in an old Ideal Catalog and i came accross the Ideal Cylindrical bullet mold they used to make, It got me to thinking.
So i went out to my shop and fired up the lathe and decided to build one my self after a little testing i finially got the diameter correct to allow for shrinkage , then set to building 3 different noses,1 spitzer,1 round nose and 1 flat nose, The spitzer really performes great,as a matter of fact i have had so much fun with it I havnt tried the others yet, I can vary the weight up to 575 grs.
The Lyman Cast reloding book shows a pretty good cut of this mold, and isnt to hard to figgure how its made.
If any one wants to try paper patched bullets , you may want to try a machining course at a collegeand just build your own
R B ! Or you can get sizing dies and size down cast bullets that are larger for paper patching like i do ! Thats a lot cheaper then going to college and buying lathes , milling machines etc. ! JAGG
Jagg,
What i was triying to get accross was that i made a bullet mold that I can change the weight in bullets just by readjusting the length of the plug in the bottom of the mold, I can cast bullets from around 385gr to over 500 gr in the mold and by changing the nose plug even the shape of the slug.
Where i live in Colo they have 6 week machining courses for adults at a very reasonable price at the local High School.
I was also just saying that there is a lot of satisfaction in making your own equipment when you can. I guess When i started shooting Black powder cartridge guns you couldnt get a lot of stuff that is now sold,
Old habits die hard and old shooters harder
R.B
Jagg,
I guess what i was triying to get accross was that the mold that i reproduced is fully adjustable for weights from 385 gr to over 500 gr just by adjusting the nose plug out farther, and that a person that wanted to can have 1 mold that has several nose shapes in one mold, just by changing nose plugs.
When i started shooting these weapons , it was hard to locate a lot of equipment . And i just like the satisfaction i get building this stuff for my own use, I guess old habits die hard and old shooters harder.
Ron,
Sounds like great fun to me. I've made a few moulds including one for an English 12 Ga. double rifle a friend picked up a few years ago. It's hard to beat the feeling of satisfaction you get when that first slug is cast. With all the custom manufacturers around today it seems most folks just throw money at the problem and have forgotten how much satisfaction can be gained from their own efforts.
Best.
Ron,
Did you generate any drawings to produce this mold? I have a image of the original mold. Just wondered if you made any improvements.
How does it eject bullets? Any issues there?
Thanks,
Ed
By the way, no home is complete without a mill and lathe in the basement. What you can do and make is endless!!!
Way to go Ron building the toys to go with the gun is at least half the fun .they take special tools to work with and most are very expensive so I like to build what I can as well ,it saves me money for powder and gives me unmeasureable satisfaction reloading with things I have built. It makes the game more personal.
I have been toying with building a mould like that just havent got good enough yet was thinking of building it out of brass stock
Dean Becker
only one gun and they are 74 s
3rd asst. flunky,high desert chapter F.E.S.
MYWEIGH scale merchant
reclining member of O-G-A-N-T
R B ! No bad feelings intended , I just was telling people an easier way of making Paper patched bullets ! 6 weeks with a coarse ? I damn near killed myself the first day i worked with a lathe in a machine shop ! Remember to remove the KEY and no sleeves shirts ! JAGG
Jagg,
No offence taken, I guess i kinda assume that because i have this equipment that everyone else does too.
I never thought of sizing them down though good idea! Do you have to size in increments? Or just to the finished Dia in one stroke?
I would like to hear more on your process. I have an old C-H swadge press that might work well far that.
Ron B
