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Ranch Dog
The NOE 680-500-HB CE1 arrived Tuesday afternoon, so yesterday, as soon as my morning chores were complete (kind of) I jumped right into casting slugs. I’m simple and just follow Al’s instructions to the letter. I lubed the sprue plate, block and hollow base pins with NRA 50/50 stick wax (just a touch each). I smoked everything well with a Bic lighter.
Using a Lee pot, the mould dropped usable slugs immediately. Slugs are big, and they can get the mold warm. No problem, placing the closed blocks on a damp cloth for a few seconds releases the heat immediately. The slug on the right was hot but not sticking; I didn’t have any of them stick.
I did not need to pop the mould to release the slugs. My gloved hand could cut the sprue without effort. Once open, rotating the mould blocks clockwise from your view causes the hollow base pins to slide out, and the heavy slugs immediately depart the pins. Be sure you have the blocks positioned where you want the slugs to land.
I have two column wads that I wanted to use out of many on hand. They both fit the height of the slug well, but the thin petals on Clay Buster SW250 slug wad are too thin for a tight fit.
It looks like the Federal 12S3 is perfect with my Marlin 512.
I’m going a different route with the alloy than most. So far the best 100-yards groups have come with Lightfield factory ammo and their super hard lead slug. 1.2XX MOA at 100-yards consistently. I cast these with the same alloy that I use for my hunting bullets, a 60/40 linotype/wheel weight mix and then water quenched them. They are 21 BHN as they sit now and will be 29 in 48 hours. I’ve never had a rifle bullet with this alloy mix fail and, and I doubt this projectile will either.
Diameter as cast was .682″ and the weight with the 60/40 alloy is 490-grains.
Before dark, I went out and shot three of them with 25.5-grains of International and the Federal 12S3 wad. The wads collapsed into the tail feathers but despite that, at 50-yards they shot a 3″ group. The hollow bases are now all filled with glue; I bumped the load up to 26-grains to help the hull fill and the crimp sealed up nice and tight.
I’m dropping charges with the Lee Deluxe Perfect Powder Measure and crimping the hull on the Load-All II.
The crimp is being started by feel, but I missed it a bit mid-run and went too deep on the hull by itself.
Pondered that for a bit and placed a BPI X12X Gas Seal in the priming well and it stops the press downstroke just perfect for the 3″ hull crimp fold!
Will see how these do today, if possible. We have had a front move through in the last few hours, winds are crazy and my food plots in view are flooded. Might actually be several days.
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