Bullseye loads, 200gn mold differences/accuracy?

[JackOfAllTradesMasterAtNone]

I know I could have put this in the Reloading forum, but I want to target the 'Bullseye' audience.

I'm using a Lyman 452460 (200gn swc, 3.9gns of Bullseye, seated just out to enhance feed/function), since I can't seem to find an H&G #68 at a reasonable price.

I had a Lee 200gn SWC mold and couldn't wring acceptable accuracy out of them.

Now, my Lyman 4gang mold is doing much better than the Lee bullets, but I haven't yet duplicated the accuracy my friend can from his H&G 185's or 200's.

I've got some Ransom Rest time coming this summer!

What is the trick to getting the Lyman mold bullets to be consistantly accurate? What is so different about the H&G design? Does anyone use Saeco or RCBS molded bullets will success in Bullseye?

-Steve

 

[Paul "Fitz" Jones]

I several decades ago I made the most beautiful 4 cavity 068 200gr swc molds with patterned gunstock walnut handles favored by Bullseye High Masters because they cast the most identical weight bullets from tire weights that I designed them to use.

Quality is expensive and you get what you pay for.

 

[GooseGestapo]

I've actually gotten quite good accuracy from my Lee copy of the #68. I've got both a 2-cavity and 6-cavity mould and accuracy is identical.

I suggest you try some variations on the alloy,(I've found that adding some 95/5% lead-free solder greatly improves the castability of the w/w.), and re-prep the Lee mould.

I've found that it's easy to get too much soot on the aluminum moulds and this seriously affects the accuracy. The bullets are out-of-round and hence out of balance.....

Just a very thin coat is preferable.

I size in a Lee sizer die to .452" -I lube them with Lee liquid alox. The reason for sizing is so that the .4525-.453" bullets don't cause resistance to the loaded round feeding and chambering as I'm shooting them in PPC where speed is added to the accuracy equation.

I use both the 3.9-4.0gr Bullseye load, but prefer the 3.5gr of Clays in this instance.

 

[Jim Watson]

I'd try to figure out a way to keep bullets from the cavities separate and see if that helped.

 

[saltydog452]

i can't give you an answer to your question, but i can offer an obversation.

getting repeatedly good bullets to drop from your moulds has a lot to do with casting technique. do you run more than one mould...do you return the sprue back to the pot after each dump...do you pre-heat the ingots before placing them in the casting pot...bottom pour or ladle...lots of stuff.

i could not get my bottom pour pot to play nice with two h and g moulds, numbers 78 and 130. what finally resolkved the issue was to use the bottom pour pot to feed the ingot mould so that i was getting pre-heated ingots to place in an open top casting pot and using a dipper to fill the moulds from the casting pot.

there is a rhythm involved also. using a fan helped, not only with the smoke from the flux, but let me settle into a consistent speed.

for me at least, casting repeatable good bullets was a lot of trial and error. it wasn't like filling a glass of water from the tap. consistent casting of match quality bullets was kinda similar to working up accurate loads for your bolt gun or learning to use a ransom rest.

i hope you take these comments in the spirit that they were intended and they were definitely not intended to be critical. dumping consistent match grade bullets is a large can of worms with lots of variables. start with technique and then work on the variables one at a time.

respectfully,

salty.

ps...didja know that, if you you have a star lubricator and sizer , you can/could rig it up to use bicycle pedals rather than the handle.

probabally not worth the effort for the hobbyist, but i've seen it done.

sd.