Success with the .257 Rainstorm II

[YEMX]

Knife- do you have a separate build post?  If not, what-all did you do to the 'Storm? 

[KnifeMaker]

Denis, I found almost by accident that the Arsenal 257420 mold cast them just about perfect for my barrel. The Lyman mold is larger in dia. Requiring sizing.


A shame that NOE doesn't yet have a .257420, but I understand on is in the works.


Mike

[KnifeMaker]

Tom, yes there is. Check out the thread by RKR and Hobbyman and Oneshot, under bullet casting in the machinist section.


Also, Korean AG's in the pcp section, and big bore section. Lots of info there.


Mike

[KnifeMaker]

Newest test with the modded 2257420 to 51 grains at 55 yards.


At 80 yards they clustered from slightly over an inch to well under an inch for 9 shots.

4 shot group  of the Arsenal mold, 257420, measured .375 by .207 inch.


The top pic is the 43.6 gr NOE for comparison. It sure makes nicer holes with the large Meplat. LOL






 

[Hobbyman2007]

Very impressive shooting Mike . Like you said too bad NOE hasn’t made the 257420 yet . I can say the 260-63 fn is probably just as good in the barrel I’m shooting with as th 257420 I’ll be testing a few more sizes soon . Hoping to get as good of results as you’re getting .

[KnifeMaker]

Thanks Denis! I am very pleased with it. Only wish I had found the issue causing bad accuracy earlier. LOL!


I did screw up however, If yo look closely at the 257420 group,l it is 5 not 4 shots. The bottom marked #4 is oblong top to bottom where  two passed thru the same hole just as #'s  2-3.


I want ahead and cast another 1000 of the 420's tonight. Sure makes it nice to not have to size them. LOL!


Kinda a shame though, as I had just installed an upside down sizer. All you have to do is drop the bullets in and pull the handle. Been thinking about fabricating a bullet feeder for it. 
Mike

[Hobbyman2007]

Now there’s a good idea. I always put off sizing because it’s a bit of a pain in the rear. I’ll have to look closer at my set up and see if I can do that too.

[Loren]

Michael, excellent results!  That has to feel good to get it to that level.

Tell us more about your upside down sizer?  Did you just invert a press? 

[PakProtector]

I suspect you'd like a .257 version of the .225 WFN. It has quite a meplat... I don't know enough about how the are made to know if a .25 could be cut with a .22 cherry...
cheers,
Douglas

[KnifeMaker]

I got the idea from this thread.


I used the Lee classic as it has a handle that can be rotated to any position. Makes it a very straight forward set-up.


Thread:




http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?366296-Upside-Down-boolit-sizing-press-purpose-built-for-lee-dies


and a vid:


www.youtube.com/watch?v=_bhSQvM4xtQ&t=6s


One fellow made an auto feed. Neat!!!  (also on Youtube)


Mike/Knife

[KnifeMaker]

Great minds on auto feed for sizing.


www.youtube.com/watch?v=_E0pVamGIDg

[KnifeMaker]

Denis, While Swede at NOE doesn't make one (yet),  Arsenal does, and it cast smaller than the actual Lyman. This allows me to use it un-sized.


After the holidays, I can deck a mold for you. Only takes a bit to set up for it.


Mike

[Bob Pratl]

5 years ago I converted a $29.00 HF Arbor press to a upside down sizer which worked very well.
Here is the post on Cast Boolets:

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?212195-Cheap-simple-sizer

[Wayne52]

Bob the thing about buying a cheap HB arbor is there's so many things that you can use them for. I liked that setup you had there for sizing.  I've thought about making something to chop up the big pig ingots with, it could be easily done.  The way that I've been doing it is with a claw hammer and old hatched head that I found with my metal detector.  Even a cheap arbor like that is a good tool to have around.

[KnifeMaker]

Amazing what a little ingenuity can do!

[KnifeMaker]

I modded a Lyman 257420 mold tonight that came from Tofazfou. It already had the Hollow Point Mold Service work done to one cavity only. GRRRR! Very s-l-o-w-!!!


It now cast the shortened Lyman's at 47.6 in solid and the HP's at 44.2 grains. A net loss in weight of 3.4 grains. Nice!


Would like to test now, but heavy winds expected head on from the north, and spitting rain. Double GRRRR!!!


Wish me luck Guy's, Time will tell on accuracy and fps comparisons.


It is said that the Arsenal is a copy of the Lyman. It is very close, but not exact. The ogive is longer and quicker taper on the Arsenal, giving it a longer nose. I have a strong feeling that it gives the shortened bullet I have now a more nose heavy issue. I do see some spiraling at about 60 yards. It does go away quickly and is very accurate at 30-50 and 80 yards.


Now to find out if the shorter nosed Lyman, with the HP will stabilize faster. I do know that the BBT when hp'd, tends to be more accurate, as it too has the nose heavy issue in many versions.


If all goes well, next will be to mod. the hp cavity to be more explosive for vermin.   


Knife

[Hobbyman2007]

Mike I’ve got the Arsenal mold in an aluminum 4 cavity . It shoots so well I don’t want to change it . I’m keeping my eyes open for a Lyman for cheap . Thanks for the offer on decking the mold for me . I have a machine shop close by that will do it for me for pretty much free. I just received a 225 mold from NOE for my K550 and the missing sizing dies for my collection .

[KnifeMaker]

Dennis,


Please keep me in the loop on how the 225 mold does for you.


Too windy for testing today, GRRRR!


Tomorrow is looking good!


Mike

[oneshot61]

Hey mike, did you try those 51 grain? .257?

[K.O.]

what no pics of the rounds that are getting those groups...this running the light stuff is in my interested reading... it is almost like running a small bore... .250 and below..    I do not think I have read of anyone running sub 50g stuff in a .257..? or many even at 50 grain..?


Dennis have you given any thought to picking up a lee 225-55-rf and decking it should be able to get it down to ~48g ..?