GTA
All Springer/NP/PCP Air Gun Discussion General => Projectiles => Boolit and Pellet Casting => Topic started by: RonsPlc on August 08, 2022, 11:44:41 PM
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By looking at my .22 casts, I don't think I did too bad for a first timer.
But you guys are the experts.
These are from the NOE 217 20 hunter mold with the long pins.
the majority of them are coming in right at 20gn.
I ended up culling out about half of them for various reasons.
(https://i.imgur.com/I9lgTyQ.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/ZfRZj6z.jpg)
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Lookin' good!
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Nice 8)
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Not bad for a first time at all! Just in case your not aware of it…. bending the slotted tabs the pins ride in upward till they will just spin when rolled with your fingers when they’re settled in the mold will help eliminate any flashing on the skirts.
We’re those bottom poured or ladle poured?
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Not bad for a first time at all! Just in case your not aware of it…. bending the slotted tabs the pins ride in upward till they will just spin when rolled with your fingers when they’re settled in the mold will help eliminate any flashing on the skirts.
We’re those bottom poured or ladle poured?
Thank You!
How did you know what my next question was going to be? ;D
Lee 4-20 bottom poured.
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Time to shoot them see how well you did :) Look good, as the molds and you break in results do get much better.
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Time to shoot them see how well you did :) Look good, as the molds and you break in results do get much better.
How many sessions does it take to break in a mold? I can't get my .22 and .25 cal cast projectiles to shoot very well in any of my guns, and am probably going to sell all three .25 molds. The .457 slugs have done well since the first pour.
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Time to shoot them see how well you did :) Look good, as the molds and you break in results do get much better.
How many sessions does it take to break in a mold? I can't get my .22 and .25 cal cast projectiles to shoot very well in any of my guns, and am probably going to sell all three .25 molds. The .457 slugs have done well since the first pour.
Within 3 sessions one should have good results, if the mold was heat cycled and adjusted properly, and some guns just do not like home cast, or is just totally ammo picky.
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Time to shoot them see how well you did :) Look good, as the molds and you break in results do get much better.
How many sessions does it take to break in a mold? I can't get my .22 and .25 cal cast projectiles to shoot very well in any of my guns, and am probably going to sell all three .25 molds. The .457 slugs have done well since the first pour.
Within 3 sessions one should have good results, if the mold was heat cycled and adjusted properly, and some guns just do not like home cast, or is just totally ammo picky.
It does seem like my Eagle Claw is just very picky. I noticed all of my cast pellets chambered very easily, and the 'Claw has an unchoked barrel. The H&N Barracudas grouped at 1/2" CTC at 30 yards while breaking the sound barrier, so the NOE molds might not be "fat" enough for my application. The 'Claw wouldn't shoot the 251-40's very well at any velocity or size, even when matched to the superlative 33.5g .250" NSA slugs, which were 2 MOA in a breeze a few evenings ago at 65 yards. I suspect the tiny driving band is not enough stabilization for this particular barrel.
The NOE .25 wadcutters shoot great at pistol range out of my 12 FPE .25 cal Bandit, so well worth casting since the next best thing would be H&N FTT.
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I'd be happy with only 50% rejects, I'm close to 80% reject on my pellet mold. Bullets all work properly.
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Time to shoot them see how well you did :) Look good, as the molds and you break in results do get much better.
How many sessions does it take to break in a mold? I can't get my .22 and .25 cal cast projectiles to shoot very well in any of my guns, and am probably going to sell all three .25 molds. The .457 slugs have done well since the first pour.
Within 3 sessions one should have good results, if the mold was heat cycled and adjusted properly, and some guns just do not like home cast, or is just totally ammo picky.
+1 Some of my guns are picky with casted pellets and others do fine.
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Not bad for a first pour! I do see a number of cold pours and some incomplete pours. I am guessing some of those were the very first before the mold come up to temp. Overall, they look good! One trick for better consistency is to adjust the flowrate of the spout using the flowrate adjustment screw to get a flowrate you can work with.
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Thank you all for your encouragement, and tips.
I do read every comment posted, even if I don't reply.
I did discover NOT to try setting up and do a "quick" casting session. I had an hour to kill one evening, and thought that I should be able to get a batch knocked out. I was wrong. I ended up tossing the whole batch back into the pot.
Slow and steady wins the race. I will get it right. Practice Practice Practice. :)
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Thank you all for your encouragement, and tips.
I do read every comment posted, even if I don't reply.
I did discover NOT to try setting up and do a "quick" casting session. I had an hour to kill one evening, and thought that I should be able to get a batch knocked out. I was wrong. I ended up tossing the whole batch back into the pot.
Slow and steady wins the race. I will get it right. Practice Practice Practice. :)
I always dedicate a few hours to casting. After I incorporated a hot plate my casts significantly improved.
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Well, the verdict is in!
After receiving my new Air Venturi Avenger and tuning it to shoot JSB 18.13 pellets at 925ft/sec. I am pleased to announce that MY cast pellets group RIGHT with the JSBs at 35 yards!
I really did not expect to see that! I have the occasional flier, but I am sure that once I get more consistent with my casting, that will be minimized.
Casting my own ammunition is going to be VERY rewarding!
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Good to read, it shows Wayne and I are not making this stuff up ;D 8)
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I'd be happy with only 50% rejects, I'm close to 80% reject on my pellet mold. Bullets all work properly.
Greg, if you haven't seen it yet, check out Wayne's thread on casting at the top of the page. I've been casting for powder burners for 30 years with a plumber's ladle, never had a problem. Not so with my pellet mould. I was getting close to a 50% reject rate. I switched to an RCBS ladle with the spout, problem solved. I throw back very few and the rest shoot great.
Give it a try, it really does work.
Pete
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Thank you all for your encouragement, and tips.
I do read every comment posted, even if I don't reply.
I did discover NOT to try setting up and do a "quick" casting session. I had an hour to kill one evening and thought that I should be able to get a batch knocked out. I was wrong. I ended up tossing the whole batch back into the pot.
Slow and steady wins the race. I will get it right. Practice Practice Practice. :)
If not already, you'll be a casting pro soon. If you have them already shooting consistently straight that's the end game and you have won. The only thing left is to hone your casting efficiency skills to cut the time to complete future casting sessions.
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If not already, you'll be a casting pro soon. If you have them already shooting consistently straight that's the end game and you have won. The only thing left is to hone your casting efficiency skills to cut the time to complete future casting sessions.
Well I now have about 1200 pellets cast, and am looking forward to depleting my stash a bit this weekend!
I'll keep you informed on them.
I cast for about an hour this evening, and came up with about 180 keepers, and very few rejects. (I switched to Wayne's method with the lee dipper.)
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If not already, you'll be a casting pro soon. If you have them already shooting consistently straight that's the end game and you have won. The only thing left is to hone your casting efficiency skills to cut the time to complete future casting sessions.
Well I now have about 1200 pellets cast, and am looking forward to depleting my stash a bit this weekend!
I'll keep you informed on them.
I cast for about an hour this evening, and came up with about 180 keepers, and very few rejects. (I switched to Wayne's method with the lee dipper.)
Wayne makes some pretty cast ammo. I bought one of those Lee dippers also after watching Wayne's video. I use it sometimes and like it.
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Well, after doing some tuning on the Avenger for my cast pellets, (874 ft/sec.) and getting a bit better grain scale, I have a question for those of you that may know.
I was seeing a bit of a variance in the point of impact when reaching out to my 100yd target (mostly in the vertical).
So I decided to weigh, and separate my pellets. I found quite a difference, with the majority coming in at 19.3-19.5gn but they ranged from 19.1 all the way to 20.1gn.
It takes a while to weigh 1200 pellets one at a time!
Is this typical for cast pellets?
Over all I am pleased! These things hit HARD! I put a hole in a cast iron dutch oven lid at 35 yards!
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What I would do is at the end of a casting session, open the mold sideways to keep the pellets in the mold, then when cool enough to handle, weigh each pellet and note what cavity they came from. some pins may need adjusting, or a polish to get the weights more even.
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Well, after doing some tuning on the Avenger for my cast pellets, (874 ft/sec.) and getting a bit better grain scale, I have a question for those of you that may know.
I was seeing a bit of a variance in the point of impact when reaching out to my 100yd target (mostly in the vertical).
So I decided to weigh, and separate my pellets. I found quite a difference, with the majority coming in at 19.3-19.5gn but they ranged from 19.1 all the way to 20.1gn.
It takes a while to weigh 1200 pellets one at a time!
Is this typical for cast pellets?
Over all I am pleased! These things hit HARD! I put a hole in a cast iron dutch oven lid at 35 yards!
If you only had a one grain difference out of 1,200 casts pellets you should probably get into the ammo making business. JSB could also use you. I sorted eight tins (2,407 count) of JSB MKIIs, and the spread was 2.66 grains which I thought was very good compared to other sorts from them.
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What material is the mold made of. I feel brass will give a more consistent weight do to holding the heat better.
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What material is the mold made of. I feel brass will give a more consistent weight do to holding the heat better.
It is the brass mold.
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👍👍
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Brass molds are nice, but you have to be careful about getting them too hot as they can warp more easily than aluminum molds which cool faster. Keep the brass under 600° and you should be good.
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Keith I've done a heck of a lot of casting with the brass molds and have yet to warp one 8)
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Keith I've done a heck of a lot of casting with the brass molds and have yet to warp one 8)
I was quoting from the instructions shipped with mine. With pressure pouring from a dipper, it is not likely to happen. If you were to use a Lee gravity pot at a steady pace using high melt temps the brass molds can become very hot without taking breaks or cooling them down with a damp sponge. Aluminum molds actually work better with the Lee gravity pots in this regard.
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For those that claim the NOE hunter round to be effective to a max range of 50yds, I say NOT!
I increased my Avengers power a bit. It is now pushing my cast pellets at 900ft./sec.
I was ringing my 100 yard target (6.5" round steel plate) 8 out of 10 shots!
They stack almost pellet on pellet at 35 yards, and blow THROUGH a 1" deck board at that distance.
I am thrilled at my results so far.
Thank you all for your assistance, and encouragement!
My casting is also getting a LOT better. I set up, and cast for an hour this afternoon (time includes melting the lead).
I ended up with 190 keepers, and 9 rejects!