Howdy Pards,
Some of you recall the trials and tribulations of the Pigeonroost Slim bullet, I'm sure! Well, while awaiting delivery of mine I decided it was time to jump into a project that's been on my mind fer a while now...modifying my current mold.
I've been using a lyman Maxi Ball mold to make slugs for my .45 rounds in my Remmies. It carries enuff lube to keep those Remmies running through an entire match without stopping to clean the cylinder pin/face. But it has a small meplat that's not suitable fer use in a lever gun. Having recently acquired a Rossi in .45 from Quiet Jake, it was time to get a suitable mold! My idea was to get a mold along the lines of what Pigeonroost was thinkning of with his PRS mold, something that would carry enough lube to keep fouling soft in rifle length barrels. And the Maxi Ball could do that, but there was that lil problem with the tiny little point on the end.....
The solution turned out to be very simple! Simply mill a new "nose" into the mold cavity! I chucked a 29/64" drill rod into the drill press and used this to center the mold blocks under the drill, then clamped it solidly to the table. (the 29/64" rod fits into the opening in the mold perfectly) After everything was centered and clamped I replaced the drill rod with a 5/16ths end mill and ran it down into the cavity until it bottomed out and then went about 3/10" deeper, cutting away the nose of the mold. When I was done with this part there was a small "tit" in the center of the flat, left by the area in the center of the end mill, which I cleaned up with a tiny milling head and my dremel tool.
The end result looks sort of like an odd semi wad cutter, with HUGE lube grooves! The original mold throws a slug that weighed 245 grains when cast from pure lead. The modified version drops a 255 grain slug.
http://www.cartogra.com/servlet/LinkPhoto?GUID=517841b5-1cfe-16a6-de13-632447213026&size=lgThe slug and loaded round on the right are from the orginal mold, the ones on the left are from the modifed version. They feed through the action of my Rossi very nicely too!
Ok, now ebberyone agree to not make fun of an ol mans eyesight, ya hear me!?!?!
http://www.cartogra.com/servlet/LinkPhoto?GUID=4f1ab05b-661a-168e-105d-1e796968f431&size=lghttp://www.cartogra.com/servlet/LinkPhoto?GUID=3db74c6a-7475-1a7a-3fe2-29457dc615d0&size=lgThat's the best I could do in 30 degree weather while wearing sweat pants, t-shirt, hooded sweat shirt, 'n tennis shoes. (fergot all about grabbing my coveralls! )
Anyway, that's at 50 yards with the modified bullet, 30 gr of Elephant 2F, 50/50 lube with a little extry olive oil in the mix, kicked off by Remington primers. 5 shots, holding on the bottom of the outside circle as best as my aging eyes could manage. I put the first twenty rounds on the 50 yard gong, then sat down to shoot the target, and used the last 25 rounds to dance pop cans down range!
I was very pleased with the first two shots there!
