Getting back to what I started yesterday.
The 7x57 and the 404 Jeffery were where I did a great deal of trials with cast bullets and while it was extremly simple to get 1900fps it was the heigher velocities with huntable bullets that I was mainly looking to work towards so there was experimenting with sizing and various alloys and it was the two part bullet that proved to have the best results on paper and game or me. My hand made gas checks were better than the commercial copper GC's with velocities up to the 1900fps mark but after that the commercial Hornadies worked better. Lube was important and the guys on an invitation only cast bullet forum designed a lube that gave excellent results at high velocity. They were denigrated on the main CB forums but the results they and I were able to produce were a positive vindication of all the experimenting done between us all.
Mold is the older Lyman #287641 with a nominal weight drop of 160 gr dependent on alloy being of a bore riding design.
I was able to nose size which was really only a light brushing of the main body of the nose with more focus on the seams to ensure a perfectly round nose
Using a block of hardwood to creat a depth stop for the nose sizing. Note that sizing is best kept to max .0005 so the best size bullet size to barrel dia is +.0015 and size that to be .001 over barrel dia whether it be a two part sizing for the nose in a bore rider then the shank of for a singular dia bullet for its full bore contact length.
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After the nose is sized the die is changed for the shank to be sized gas checked and lubed..
But to go back to the making of the bullet I cast a few in a 50/50 ww/pb alloy for plinking and for the noses I needed for my two piece bullet. I had a brass plate that I used to sit the bullet in and cut to length for a 60 gr weight.
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The shank of the bullet is lino so with the pot of alloy and the mold up to temp a pair of soft noses are put into the mold (use of a pair of fine needle nose is a must for this)
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The mould is filled with the lino and as it freezes quite quickly the mold is returned to the pot untill I see the frozen lino sprue silverup and know it has induced the nose and the shank to "join together" so they become one.
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To cool the mold and bullet to where I could turn it out of the mold I fan going and with wet towel on a chair that a light touching of the mold on all sides quickly has the bullet solid. After a while I got to know the timeing of this and a simple count to --- was enough to know when to open the mold. with the result that I had a 60gr soft nosed, 100gr hard shanked cast bullet ready for sizing etc
Weighing showed a consistent weight that made for no fuss continuation of the sizing process. After loading I dipped the nose in thinned mule snot and put nose down them in a rack till it dried and wiped the drip off the nose and they were ready to go.
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Loading was 39gn 2209/H4350 WLR in neck sized cases to give a .0005 neck tension loaded to give a positive engagment of .001 into the lead. Velocity was 2365fps with excellent hunting accuracy.
Adjusting the scope
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Results showing 100% weight retention.
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From 150 to 200yrds byt the time i got the last one.
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