Lee six cavity mold

[The Shrink]

I have the Lee six cavity mold for the 44-40 MAV bullet.  When I cast I tend to have bullets with tails.  That is, the sprue cutter is not cutting across straight but tilting up.  The screws are tight and the screws tend to loosen after five or six throws.  That is when I get the tails.  

Is this "normal", whatever that is?  Is there a solution?  I've thought of having a steel sprue cutter made that would be dimensionally the same, but I get the impression that the problem is in the screw/spring washer setup rather than in the cutter.

Or do I always cast with a wrench and tighten those screws every few minutes?

Wayne the Shrink

[Leftoverdj]

Problem is in the screws/screw holes. End of the screws should be bottoming out just as the shoulder comes in contact to put the threads under pressure. Take screws out, drop a single #8 birdshot down each hole and tighten down hard. If the birdshot makes you nervous a tiny wad of aluminum foil should work as well.

Also sounds like you may be letting the sprues harden a bit too much. Timed tight, there ain't a lot of cutting involved in sprue cutting.

[Castaway]

Don't want to sound like a spoil aport, but I've had good luck calilng Lee.  If there is a problem, each time they take the time to talk you through your problem.