I need one in .38 special..

do I need wafers between the bullet and the powder?

I just ordered a LEE 459-500-3R mold. A few weekends ago I attended a branding and after lunch we did some shooting. I got so pissed off with my .45-70 bullets not chambering because of fouling blocking the bullet. This new mold is very much like the bullets you gave me, Lumpy.

I did the same when I shot with you. 3 blows and a swab of the breech. My 500 government bullet is just too long, with no taper for my chamber.

TF

I have not shot them yet, BUT they slide right on in when my old ones need a little persuasion in a dirty barrel

.450 past the band till the last 1/4" of the bullet, same as lands.

Yeah-That's to 'fat' for sure.
Bore ID is .4495-.450
You want a 'nose' .447-448 then.
You are 110% sure, it's not because of the case mouth be'n to wide-'rite'??
Check out the Cartridge Seaters in this link.
http://www.arizonasharpshooters.com/1794.html
Here is where my next mold is coming from.
http://www.sageoutfitters.com/catalog/item/8878510/10028748.htm
You REALLY should consider one also!
LG

What alloy are you casting?
I only cast with 30:1(lead/tin)alloy.
LG

Do you neck size or FL?
That 'ring' maybe from 'short' cases.
What powder are you using? What load?
How much compression?
Does sound as if the bullet nose is to large.
LG

Tell me your load-I have forgot'n it.
LG

Stop the FL-Size just enough to reduce the case's middle .002-.003" at most.
Have you loaded the 'brass' I loaned you yet?
IF, your loads will chamber in a clean bore. Then NOT in a fired bore. You have a fouling issue to deal with.
What bullet lube are you using?
You may need to swab the chamber and first inch or so of the bore.
When do you want to meet at DM again?
I'm good with ANY good weather day, during the week.
Is the powder load by weight or volume?
LG

Hope you didn't get 'overcharged'......... :D
Sorry-my bad...........
LG

I shoot but never have competed. I love my Quigley clone! Not legal for NRA matches. But I love shooting it anyway.
.45-70, home cast 500gn lubed with Felix of all things! getting good fouling control shooting Black or Subs with a breathing tube.

I'm not any good, I just like shooting it when I can.

One of the reasons I joined the DM club was so I could shoot past 100yards. Last year I messed up and went back to school for some creds for work and let my membership lapse.... argh! so I'm waiting until the membership year comes round and will join again. Wife wouldn't let me pay a whole year membership for only 3 or 4 months... Oh well.

Anyway, Yeah, I shoot BPCR.

I'll be joining back up again when the renewal period comes around, they don't allow prorating so I'll wait. My fault I should have paid closer attention to the calendar.

Felix lube is a homemade lube I use with good results for my smokeless loads and I tried it on my BP loads and so far it's working great. Just google "world famous felix bullet lube" and you'll find lots of links. I make it up about twice a year and pan lube or pour it into my lubrisizer depending on my need. I have no idea if others use it for BP but I have no complaints so far. I use it in all my BP CAS loads in .45colt out of my Dragoons.

Maybe we could get enough HDC members to want to shoot a BPCR shoot.
DM has steel hang'n at 400 & 500 yds.
We could put one at 300 yds, for the match.
Grump-We need to meet at the range(dur'n the week)when the weather gets better.
Wait'n for Tom Foolery to get his stuff going also.
LG

Done some PP.
Have 'old-arthur' in my right hand, that makes roll'n the paper on a problem.
Stay'n with GG bullets for now.
Our first 'real' match was the Quigley Shoot in Forsyth, Montana in 2010.
How are you stocked on BP? These loads eat it up.
I try to stay away from DM, Friday-Tuesday because of crowds. Can you take any other day??

LG

Morals, need to go on vacation from time to time too.
>:) >:)

LG

Now Rusty-Here I was almost feeling bad. About you guns sit'n outside, hold'n the rose bushes in place =))
LG

Hi Lumpy,
I don't have any black powder loads, but right after Christmas I went out and tested some loads thru my Uberti Hi-Wall replica. It is in 45-70 and has a 32" barrel. I had purchased fifty pieces each of Montana Precision Swaging's 480 grain Schmitzzers and 530 Postells, both with SPG lube. I don't want to quote exact charges because my information is at home right now, but I used Hodgdon's H4198 for all test loads and it performed admirably. I started my loads very light to simulate the bullet being farther down range that it actually was. I did this because my twist rate is 2" slower than your sharps rifles and we were worried about stabilizing the heavier bullets. Although my rifle currently has only semi-buckhorn sights, I got encouraging accuracy and intend to purchase some Soule sights for it. Both bullet weights flew true with no stability problems. I really like the 480's! Data to follow.

Doc

My sharps clone has never tasted anything other than Black or substitutes.

Doc-With Starline brass.
You really need to anneal the case necks.
That will drop your SD & ES a good amount also.
Plus more consistent neck tension--
LG

Do you guys think that this would be the right place to share load info for the rifle caliber, repeaters as well? How about pistol caliber stuff?

Doc

Doc. you can tag onto any of the discussions or start an entirely new one under the reloading category. If we keep the topics narrow on each discussion we can go back and search for the right discussion to pick up recipes someone might have shared on a particular weapon or caliber.

I can make it right. Go ahead and experiment. Remember Lumpy is our moderator.

nice work on the new discussions Doc. Now if we can just get your email working.

Just make sure it's an older JM marked Marlin.
The newer Rem owned Marlins have LOTS of QC issues. Those will have REM stamped on the barrel near the rec'r.
All are welcome to try my '86 and Sharps.
LG

That's the spirit Grumpy! We will let these fellers use our stuff a bit, and they will be hooked for life! Hopefully, I can get myself back into the reloading business soon. Once I do, I will bring out my Marlin 1895CB in 38-55 for the boys to try. Imagine 260 grainers at whatever velocity you want to drive them at, all from a rile that is at least two pounds lighter than the 1886. Rusty, I really want you to try this one!!

Doc

Yes, I do like Rusty. I have some ammo, loaded up for that rifle currently, but it is all hotter stuff than SASS rules allow. It is Cast Performance, gas checked 260 grainers that average 1700fps. A nice load, but too hot for this game.
Speaking of loads, I looked up the data that I had on hand for my 45-70, 535 grain Postell loads that I promised I would add to this discussion, so here they are. I loaded all of my Postells to an OAL of 2.927 which is .055 from the riflings in my Hi-Wall. With the same Star-line brass I use in all of my 45-70's, I loaded 24.0 grains of H-4198 and got an average velocity of 1093fps on the chronograph. With 25.0 grains, I got an average of 1157fps.

Doc

I did not know that! I figured that those velocity limits applied to all firearms used in SASS. That means that I could try these loads at the next long range side match. This is exciting news! 1600fps would probably be a bit more comfortable to shoot but, the1700 and 1800fps loadings showed the best consistency over the chronograph. 1800fps was getting a bit strong, as far as recoil is considered.

Doc

It would probably have to be in Autumn, once it cools down some. Maybe October? Any thoughts you guys?

Doc

Curly-DON'T change a thing in that load.
LG

i started prepping brass today. i might have to try the 405gn bullet again. my last attempt still delivered key holes so i went heavier with good results. but i keep hearing others making it work.. ill probably make both.

do you suspect the load is too fast for the rifling?

I don't have the twist info in my head, I'll get back to you on it.

My alloy is Wheel Weights and a little tin from solder (about 3ft in a 20lb pot.

Lube is Felix lube

That Sharps of yours might just prefer the heavier bullets Grumpy.

Doc

Doc, so far that is what I've seen. The rifle seems to hate the lighter bullets. I started seeing better results when I went to 500gn bullets.

I recently busted my Lyman Postell mold and will have to repair it soon. Meanwhile I'll be trying a Lee mould.

I'll have that twist data soon. I just plain forgot.

Doc knows how to fix this sort of thing? That would be cool!
I'm sure he'll drop in soon.

Looking at the picture and the red arrow, is the arrow pointing to where the stuck/broken screw is located? Is that a through hole, accessible from the bottom? Does the screw come in from the bottom? Do I see threads in the handle? So does the screw pass through the hole in the mold half and thread into the tongue of the handle? Are these mold blocks hard as the hubs of hell? Is there more than one drill bit piece in the hole now? If the screw threads into the handle tongue, why is it stuck in the mold block? Is the screw heat treated? I will need a description of what happened or have the mold in my hands before I can say anything about getting the crap out of the hole. Generally speaking, if there are parts of more than one drill bit or if the piece of drill bit is wedged in because of un-lubricated chips that are jammed into the drills flutes, you will need to have it burned out by someone with a tap[ burner. I don't have access to one and you will likely exceed the cost of a new mold have the work done anyway. I would be happy to take a look at it for you to see if there is anything that I can do with it. Please let me know some details as to where the thread are and how this assembly works.

Doc

Oh, I get it, Doc is a professional at this sort of thing!!! didn't know that. Nice.

Doc, here you go:

1. Looking at the picture and the red arrow, is the arrow pointing to where the stuck/broken screw is located?

Yes, it's busted off in the bottom portion.

2. Is that a through hole, accessible from the bottom?

No. It doesn't go all the way through and it is threaded. The busted screw has at least one drill bit busted off in it (and possibly 2 others) I was trying to drill it and use an easy out tool.

3. Does the screw come in from the bottom?

No. It comes down from the top through a larger hole then through the handles' hole then screws into the bottom hole.

4. Do I see threads in the handle?

Yes but they are not used, the thread handle hole is bigger than the screw.

5. So does the screw pass through the hole in the mold half and thread into the tongue of the handle?

No. the handle's hole is bigger than the screw.

6. Are these mold blocks hard as the hubs of hell?

Unknown to me.

7. Is there more than one drill bit piece in the hole now?

Yes, at least three. I actually busted every drill bit I had that was small enough give it another try (11 in total including 4 Cobalt bits). But only broke 3 in the screw, the others just went flying. I didn't know before I tried that you can't drill out a drill bit...

8. If the screw threads into the handle tongue, why is it stuck in the mold block?

It doesn't. Not sure why it's threaded. None of my handles use a threaded screw hole in them.

9. Is the screw heat treated?

Unknown by me.

10. I will need a description of what happened or have the mold in my hands before I can say anything about getting the crap out of the hole. Generally speaking, if there are parts of more than one drill bit or if the piece of drill bit is wedged in because of un-lubricated chips that are jammed into the drills flutes, you will need to have it burned out by someone with a tap[ burner. I don't have access to one and you will likely exceed the cost of a new mold have the work done anyway. I would be happy to take a look at it for you to see if there is anything that I can do with it. Please let me know some details as to where the thread are and how this assembly works.

What happened is nothing special, I was casting bullets and the handle let go because the screw broke. These screws aren't overly tight to hold onto the handles.

I'll bring it with me the next time I'm at a match and you can give it the 'ol pro look see.

Thanks.

Let's see what Doc has to say and I'll go from there. I'm afraid I screwed it up to where it's going to be expen$ive to fix.

Got it. Thanks.

Fascinating. When does season two start?

dang. another cliff hanger season finale!

Hi guys,

I don't have access to an EDM. To be honest, it doesn't sound good. I would like to have a look at it and if you want to send it to me before the June Match, send me an e-mail and we will hook up. With more than one drill bit in there, chances are slim. But I would like to see it to be sure. Sometime, under the microscope, I can work out the small pieces of drill bit until all that's left is screw. that would allow me to drill it out for you. If we can't get it, there is Jerry's Broken Drill and Tap Removal Service. His number there is 714-836-6824.

My Best
Doc

Yes I did Grumpy. That's why I said it doesn't sound good. I'd be happy to have a look at it so we can know for sure. There's nothing like a little probing under the microscope to put a definitive answer to the big question!

Doc

We will see what we see Doc, thanks for being willing to take a look at it.

Doc can I borrow your Mustang for a month?

Wish I had skillz-
LG