Looking for a mold for slugging bores

12 January 2004, 06:07

Does anyone make, or can we get Lee to produce a generic mold capable of casting variuos size slugs for bore sizing??

12 January 2004, 07:22

Paul Brasky

bill, It's a lot easier to use buckshot or egg-shaped lead fishing sinkers. In a pinch swaged .38cal wadcutters will also work. ...Maven

12 January 2004, 07:28

trk

Quote:

Does anyone make, or can we get Lee to produce a generic mold capable of casting variuos size slugs for bore sizing??

Cool idea! You could have a 6 or 8 cavity mould that would do .22; .243 (6mm); .257; etc etc.

Sounds like a product that someone would put together a kit and sell for hard earned money!

12 January 2004, 10:49

bill

I'm good to go for now. Got some barrel weights for Wallymart and can get what I want. But the idea of haveing Lee produce a multiple cavity mold has merit. Anyone know how to kick it off. Anyone know Lee's number. Think I tried to find it once on their web site but struck out. Anyone want to help with this idea?? Tnks, Bill.

12 January 2004, 11:11

grumble

Bill, try www.leeprecision.com. Their phone # and address is at the bottom of the page.

I don't want to throw cold water on your idea, but here's a bucketfull anyway. Lee charges a $100 setup fee for each design they put into their molds. So, if you get a 6-holer all of one design, it would cost $100 + the retail cost of the mold. Two types of cavities would be $200 + the cost of the mold, and six different design cavities would be $600 plus the cost of the mold. For single design molds, they'll waive the setup fee if you order 25 molds. If you have two designs in the same mold, they'll waive the fee for 50 molds. So, unless you can come up with 150 takers for the mold, you'll end up paying some portion of a setup fee. On the bright side, the cost of the molds themselves go waaay down if you have an FFL.

Call them to confirm, but I think you'll find the project to be pretty expensive.

12 January 2004, 12:36

trk

That's why I figured someone could put together a kit - a handfull of various diameter soft lead plain cylindrical 'booltets'.

12 January 2004, 12:57

grumble

I don't quite understand the desire for such a mold anyway. So few slugs would be cast that it doesn't seem to me that it would be worth the cost of a mold.

I just use oversize boolits, and they tell me what I need to know, namely the land and groove diameters. If I use a regular ol' boolit sufficiently oversize and smack the drive dowel pretty hard, it will also give me a good impression of the throat. A smooth-sided slug would be nice, but not really necessary. IMO, of course.

12 January 2004, 13:05

StanDahl

Bill, Next time you see someone shooting black powder at the range, ask to buy some of those big soft round balls. He'll probably give you some. I use 45 cal round balls for almost all of my bore slugging needs. I use 50 cal for 45 cal bores. I have lots of these on hand anyway for my muzzleloading needs and they go down a lot easier than the harder bullets. Stan

12 January 2004, 14:21

Sky C.

Bill-

There's a way to do this "on the cheap" that my Dad suggested to me; I've tried it and it works great.

For whatever size bore you want to slug - choose a drill bit a little larger. Saw a hardwood block in two, screw the two halves together, then run the bit in a ways - not thru. Pour your lead into the "mould cavity" - not full since you've no sprue cutter and when you pull the blocks apart - presto! Lead slug to measure the bore! Make as many as you want & in whatever diameters you need. I've found you can re-use the mould a number of times.

Best regards-

Sky C.

12 January 2004, 17:20

bfrshooter

bill, use a round ball or any soft slug close to bore size. Put it down the bore where you want it. Put a bore size brass rod in against the slug. Then put another brass rod in from the other end and pound on it to expand the lead into the grooves and drive it out with one of the rods. Just make sure the rods are clean with no grit on them.

13 January 2004, 07:17

bill

Good tips one and all. Yep the round ball soft lead would work, but I guess this time of the year we're all looking for something to think about. Grumble, I lost your math somewhere along the way. Did you understand that the mold would be something like a 6 cavity ranging from 228 through ???. But the idea of the wood blocks from Sky seems like a quick way to see how thing might go. Could even upgrade with a couple pieces of aluminum bolted together, then bored to the diameter you need. Could make a quick shop project. Still with all the cast molds out there for fishing weights, I am kind of surprised there isn't something on the market. After all, Midway has the kits don't they? I'll let you know how things progress. Bill.

13 January 2004, 07:31

grumble

Yep, I thought the discussion moved toward a Lee 6-holer with different size cavities.

If someone is really interested in a mold for slugs, I'd think the cheapest way would be to buy some used 1- or 2-cavity Lee molds, and just drill them out to the size desired on a good drillpress.

13 January 2004, 07:38

bfrshooter

grumble, good idea. I just don't see a market for factory molds because the slug is only needed once per gun.

13 January 2004, 09:07

Sheriff Bart

I,ve gotten away from using oversize balls. I got a couple of brass rods made up and I swage the ball in place in the bbl. This has given me the same dimensions as running an oversize thru and I can swage right at the muzzle where the dimensions are most important.

13 January 2004, 11:46

bill

Yeah, to the comments that "it doesn't have high usage", I guess you're right. But I'm kind of neurotic about details and just think that "there has to be a formal process for this". The idea of using a mold from Lee has some merit. I'm going to ask Lee if they'll sell a blank mold when they open tomorrow. I'll let you know what they say. Thanks, Bill.

13 January 2004, 13:26

IceHoleKen

Is there a reason you dont want to use Cerrosafe? It can be used over and over, and less chance of damaging your barrel. Its avaiable from Brownells and Midway.

13 January 2004, 16:50

aladin

Quote:

Is there a reason you dont want to use Cerrosafe? It can be used over and over, and less chance of damaging your barrel. Its avaiable from Brownells and Midway.

I would never use Cerro myself. It shrinks and an impact slug is a permanent record which can be rechambered if you wish later on and comparing the exact amount of throat wear. And impact slugs are the exact dimension of the throating and neck dia. These three are from various sporter barrels I shooten. I had hoped to get a clear enough pic to show the rifling in the slug. But alass the pic density barely show them...

Sure Cerrosafe works, but I guess it's a matter of what ya get used to using.

Yes... I did edit out that other pic. This one clearly shows the rifling imprint of the lead slug-- albeit the rt one otta an 08 shows little starting out.... This is what alot of firelapping does. Note also the added length to the chamber cut, which allows much longer brass length than the Max length allowed by Sammi.

14 January 2004, 09:42

Ricochet

I really like Sky's wooden mould idea.

14 January 2004, 12:18

bill

Well, I got some answers from Lee. Yes they are happy to sell a blank 6 cavity mold complete with handls and spru plate. Sound like the whole thing is going to cost appox $38. I bit, ordered it and intend to use drill press to cut a many sizes as I can in it. Stamp the block to id which is which and I should be ready to go. What do you think?

14 January 2004, 13:16

C1PNR

bill,

Give it a go! Let's see what you think after drilling out the blank and casting a few.

Who knows, I may even ask for a couple of samples.

14 January 2004, 13:59

bfrshooter

Bill, I've been making my own molds for a while. Takes me a full day to make a cherry. It takes a long time to mill blocks, pin and split them, then mill the inner faces and cut vents. Only takes me 1/2 hour to cut the cavity though.
This sounds like a good idea, to order blank blocks from Lee. I could make molds like crazy this way. Thanks for the idea.

14 January 2004, 15:47

bill

Samples are not a problem. What bore sizes should I shoot for? I go all the way down to .22 cal's so it has to start from there. Currently my top end is a .35 Remington but should consider up to a 45. Thanks, Bill.

15 January 2004, 09:09

floodgate

I DO NOT cotton to the idea of whanging on a brass rod down a rifled bore. Even though it is softer than steel, brass WILL ding steel (try smacking a bronze or brass drift punch hard on a piece of mild steel and you'll see). Also, brass will pick up and imbed grit - that's why brass / copper is used for laps. My preference (as mentioned before) is to set a pure lead round ball about 20 thousandths over groove diameter into the muzzle, smack it with a plastic or - better - rawhide mallet (my most used shop tool!), and then tap it down the (lightly oiled) bore with a succession of clean hardwood dowels, catching the slug in a soft cloth wedged into the breech. A short, soft bullet of the next caliber up works just about as well. And a "quickie" slug mould in various sizes made in Lee blocks, as suggested, is a great idea, too. (Hmmm... a quantity buy of un-cut Lee blocks; wonder what they'd cost????) In my case, I have a heap of round balls cast years ago in various calibers I use for this purpose (I DO shoot them now & then, too). floodgate

16 January 2004, 21:18

C1PNR

Quote:

Samples are not a problem. What bore sizes should I shoot for? I go all the way down to .22 cal's so it has to start from there. Currently my top end is a .35 Remington but should consider up to a 45. Thanks, Bill.

Well, I'm shooting a 243, 257, 264, 277, 284, 308, 310/311, 321/323, 375, and 457 in rifles.

Also 358, 410, 429, and 452/454 in pistols.

You take your choice of what fits your needs. Did I hear someone say "group buy on blank Lee 6 banger moulds?"