I made one years ago but it was made from all new material including 3+ lbs of thick aluminum and square stock for handles.
Too heavy and I did not have a drill bit large enough so I wallered the hole to size with carbide bits.
It worked but poorly.
So snow days got me thinking I need a better slug.
I found a large bit that would bore a hole almost .800"
I need this new mold to cast a bullet in the .720" area.
I want a bore rider like my last mold was.
I took that drill bit and made it smaller by grinding it on the bench grinder.
I then took a Lee 2 cavity bullet mold I have had for many years and drilled a hole with my new drill bit.
I did clamp the mold together with vise grips so it would not open up when I was drilling it.
After drilling I made a steel mandrel with a slit in it to wrap sandpaper around it and sand this hole just a bit larger and smooth it up.
I got it done and cast some pure lead slugs from it.
I then sized them to .718" and powder coated them.
How did I size them?
That same drill bit was used to drill a hole into a CV axle nut I had laying around and then the sandpaper treatment took to the inside of the nut.
Finish sandpaper grit was 320 for the mold and the nut.
I made a push through sizer stem by taking a Long tipped 45 cal bullet possibly 300gr and placing it nose down into a sized 45acp case.
Then took another sized 45acp case and put it over the base of the bullet sticking up in the first case.
Now I take my #2 shell holder and slide this sizer stem into it and place a cast bullet in my sizer die (Drilled Nut).
Then place it under the single stage press hole and push it through the nut.
Works like a lee push through sizer die kind of.
I did make the nut ID at the entrance larger than in the middle of the nut so I can start the bullet evenly and or square.
This sizer has only 1/2 a thousandths of runout. I consider that a win.
Just a few grains less than 1.5 ounces when finished.
Some pictures to explain it all.
Need to load some up and test them out now.
Will be a week or so before I get to do that shooting though.
Too heavy and I did not have a drill bit large enough so I wallered the hole to size with carbide bits.
It worked but poorly.
So snow days got me thinking I need a better slug.
I found a large bit that would bore a hole almost .800"
I need this new mold to cast a bullet in the .720" area.
I want a bore rider like my last mold was.
I took that drill bit and made it smaller by grinding it on the bench grinder.
I then took a Lee 2 cavity bullet mold I have had for many years and drilled a hole with my new drill bit.
I did clamp the mold together with vise grips so it would not open up when I was drilling it.
After drilling I made a steel mandrel with a slit in it to wrap sandpaper around it and sand this hole just a bit larger and smooth it up.
I got it done and cast some pure lead slugs from it.
I then sized them to .718" and powder coated them.
How did I size them?
That same drill bit was used to drill a hole into a CV axle nut I had laying around and then the sandpaper treatment took to the inside of the nut.
Finish sandpaper grit was 320 for the mold and the nut.
I made a push through sizer stem by taking a Long tipped 45 cal bullet possibly 300gr and placing it nose down into a sized 45acp case.
Then took another sized 45acp case and put it over the base of the bullet sticking up in the first case.
Now I take my #2 shell holder and slide this sizer stem into it and place a cast bullet in my sizer die (Drilled Nut).
Then place it under the single stage press hole and push it through the nut.
Works like a lee push through sizer die kind of.
I did make the nut ID at the entrance larger than in the middle of the nut so I can start the bullet evenly and or square.
This sizer has only 1/2 a thousandths of runout. I consider that a win.
Just a few grains less than 1.5 ounces when finished.
Some pictures to explain it all.
Need to load some up and test them out now.
Will be a week or so before I get to do that shooting though.