Bullet moulds, regardless of the material they are made of, are all pieces of precision equipment that are subject to wear, abuse and the elements. Handled incorrectly moulds are easily damaged and while certain components the likes of screws and sprue plates may be replaced any damage to the cavity in which the bullet is formed is not so easily corrected. Likewise, light, surface rust can easily be removed but years of neglect and long term corrosion can be a challenge to remedy. That said, a surprising number of simple fixes can be put into to play to make a mould serviceable again and similarly some straight forward modifications or alterations may be made to moulds. Let’s address each individually.
Maintanence – break in.
RUST.
Light rust may easily be removed from the surface of a mould or sprue plate by using very fine steel wool and oil. Care should be taken around the crisp edges of the bullet cavity so as not to round off any corners. For a gentle, elbow grease free approach to rust removal try emerging the mould in apple cider vinegar or covering it with a paste made from baking soda and lemon juice. Either substance will remove the rust in short order and do so without major expense or harm to the environment. For rust in the bullet cavity the best removal is to polish it out by coating a bullet in very fine abrasive compound and rotating the bullet in the mould. Take a bullet and place it in the mould and via the hole in the sprue plate drill a centred hole in the base of the bullet. Remove the bullet from the mould and wind a suitable screw into the newly drilled hole and coat the bullet in car paint work cutting compound or even tooth paste. Place the shank of the screw in a cordless drill and put the bullet back into the mould. Holding the two halves of the mould together firmly with one hand SLOWLY operate the drill in the other hand to rotate the bullet in the cavity. This rotating action in conjunction with the very fine abrasive will polish out the rust but care should be taken to work SLOWLY and check the cavity often. Don’t be too concerned about enlarging the cavity as this takes a lot of work even on a relatively soft aluminium mould.
OUT OF ALIGNMENT.
I have a Lyman 311008 double cavity mould for my .32-20 Martini. Some years back the mould started producing bullets that were far from round. In on dimension the bullets measured .310 inch and 90 degrees to this .315 inch. The problem on closer inspection was the second hand mould had sustained a bit of abuse of the years and the alignment pins were not engaging properly. The pins protrude from one half of the mould (male side) and mate with holes in the opposite half (female side) however due to some ‘stout’ usage the leading edges of the alignment pin holes had been chamfered and now the pins, when engaged, were a sloppy fit. This remedy this problem take the half the mould with the pins in, lay it cavity side down on a piece of hard wood in which holes matching the pins have been drilled and gentle tap the back of the pins to push them further out on the cavity side. Surprisingly little movement is required; perhaps 0.010 inch. The pins then protrude more and engage fully on the female side of the mould. Alignment corrected. Depending on previous history it may also be necessary to take a countersink tool and resurface the leading edges of the female side into which the pins engage.
SPRUE PLATE TUNING.
The sprue plate is a particularly critical part of the mould and with the exception of nose pour moulds it is this humble piece of metal that creates a perfectly square base on your bullet. Of course the role is the sprue plate is also to cut the sprue from the formed bullet prior to removal from the mould however if the plate is not perpendicular to the bullet cavity axis the base of the bullet will not be square and this will lead to inaccuracy. Sprue plates should be dead flat and mate perfectly to the top of the mould. I tune all my sprue plates such that when held up to a strong light little or no gap between the top of the mould and the underside of the plate may be seen. This is achieved by honing the underside of the plate to remove high spots and to match the mould. DO NOT be fooled into thinking you can generate a perfect match between the two by over tightening the sprue plate screw as you will just ruin the mould/screw/plate.
Start by removing the plate from the mould. Find a dead flat surface to work on – an old sheet of glass can be useful or a drill press table. Take some 300 grit abrasive paper and lay it on the surface then with even pressure on the sprue plate begin polishing. This process will remove any high spots on the surface of the plate at which time wipe the surface to remove all particles and place back on the mould to check progress. If the mould is raised on one edge when in place on the mould with the retaining screw tightened to usual operating tension, remove the plate once again and remove material from the opposite edge. Of course much care should be taken but don’t be put off. I use very fine files and with the draw filing process work areas of excess material prior to final polishing. Again care should be taken to work SLOWLY and check progress OFTEN. Continue until the plate, under the usual amount of screw tension or operation, is mated perfectly to the mould and no light can be seen between the surfaces.
At risk of making the reader squirm I have even been known to polish the top of a mould in order to remove any high spots. Remember this. Your mould, if from a major manufacturer, is a mass produced product and will not be perfect.
VENTING.
All modern moulds have tiny little lines cut into the internal faces that act as vents to allow air to escape the mould as molten alloy is poured in. Without these vents the air becomes trapped in the mould and prevents 100% bullet fill out. Lee aluminium moulds are renown for poor venting and often benefit from a the use of a carbide scribe to ever so slightly increase the depth of the venting lines. Working from the cavity towards the outer edge of the mould CAREFULLY draw the scribe down the length of the venting line. Do NOT draw the scribe towards the cavity as you will create a burr at the edge of the vent where it enters the mould and this will prevent your bullets dropping freely. The upwards pointing lines are the ones to focus on as hot air rises and to begin with only every second line need be worked. With steel or brass moulds inspect the vent lines to ensure they are free of obstructions and should material be present very gently pick it out using copper/brass wire so as not to damage the mould. If the venting lines on your steel or brass mould are not well define follow the instructions for the Lee moulds above.
Maintanence – break in.
RUST.
Light rust may easily be removed from the surface of a mould or sprue plate by using very fine steel wool and oil. Care should be taken around the crisp edges of the bullet cavity so as not to round off any corners. For a gentle, elbow grease free approach to rust removal try emerging the mould in apple cider vinegar or covering it with a paste made from baking soda and lemon juice. Either substance will remove the rust in short order and do so without major expense or harm to the environment. For rust in the bullet cavity the best removal is to polish it out by coating a bullet in very fine abrasive compound and rotating the bullet in the mould. Take a bullet and place it in the mould and via the hole in the sprue plate drill a centred hole in the base of the bullet. Remove the bullet from the mould and wind a suitable screw into the newly drilled hole and coat the bullet in car paint work cutting compound or even tooth paste. Place the shank of the screw in a cordless drill and put the bullet back into the mould. Holding the two halves of the mould together firmly with one hand SLOWLY operate the drill in the other hand to rotate the bullet in the cavity. This rotating action in conjunction with the very fine abrasive will polish out the rust but care should be taken to work SLOWLY and check the cavity often. Don’t be too concerned about enlarging the cavity as this takes a lot of work even on a relatively soft aluminium mould.
OUT OF ALIGNMENT.
I have a Lyman 311008 double cavity mould for my .32-20 Martini. Some years back the mould started producing bullets that were far from round. In on dimension the bullets measured .310 inch and 90 degrees to this .315 inch. The problem on closer inspection was the second hand mould had sustained a bit of abuse of the years and the alignment pins were not engaging properly. The pins protrude from one half of the mould (male side) and mate with holes in the opposite half (female side) however due to some ‘stout’ usage the leading edges of the alignment pin holes had been chamfered and now the pins, when engaged, were a sloppy fit. This remedy this problem take the half the mould with the pins in, lay it cavity side down on a piece of hard wood in which holes matching the pins have been drilled and gentle tap the back of the pins to push them further out on the cavity side. Surprisingly little movement is required; perhaps 0.010 inch. The pins then protrude more and engage fully on the female side of the mould. Alignment corrected. Depending on previous history it may also be necessary to take a countersink tool and resurface the leading edges of the female side into which the pins engage.
SPRUE PLATE TUNING.
The sprue plate is a particularly critical part of the mould and with the exception of nose pour moulds it is this humble piece of metal that creates a perfectly square base on your bullet. Of course the role is the sprue plate is also to cut the sprue from the formed bullet prior to removal from the mould however if the plate is not perpendicular to the bullet cavity axis the base of the bullet will not be square and this will lead to inaccuracy. Sprue plates should be dead flat and mate perfectly to the top of the mould. I tune all my sprue plates such that when held up to a strong light little or no gap between the top of the mould and the underside of the plate may be seen. This is achieved by honing the underside of the plate to remove high spots and to match the mould. DO NOT be fooled into thinking you can generate a perfect match between the two by over tightening the sprue plate screw as you will just ruin the mould/screw/plate.
Start by removing the plate from the mould. Find a dead flat surface to work on – an old sheet of glass can be useful or a drill press table. Take some 300 grit abrasive paper and lay it on the surface then with even pressure on the sprue plate begin polishing. This process will remove any high spots on the surface of the plate at which time wipe the surface to remove all particles and place back on the mould to check progress. If the mould is raised on one edge when in place on the mould with the retaining screw tightened to usual operating tension, remove the plate once again and remove material from the opposite edge. Of course much care should be taken but don’t be put off. I use very fine files and with the draw filing process work areas of excess material prior to final polishing. Again care should be taken to work SLOWLY and check progress OFTEN. Continue until the plate, under the usual amount of screw tension or operation, is mated perfectly to the mould and no light can be seen between the surfaces.
At risk of making the reader squirm I have even been known to polish the top of a mould in order to remove any high spots. Remember this. Your mould, if from a major manufacturer, is a mass produced product and will not be perfect.
VENTING.
All modern moulds have tiny little lines cut into the internal faces that act as vents to allow air to escape the mould as molten alloy is poured in. Without these vents the air becomes trapped in the mould and prevents 100% bullet fill out. Lee aluminium moulds are renown for poor venting and often benefit from a the use of a carbide scribe to ever so slightly increase the depth of the venting lines. Working from the cavity towards the outer edge of the mould CAREFULLY draw the scribe down the length of the venting line. Do NOT draw the scribe towards the cavity as you will create a burr at the edge of the vent where it enters the mould and this will prevent your bullets dropping freely. The upwards pointing lines are the ones to focus on as hot air rises and to begin with only every second line need be worked. With steel or brass moulds inspect the vent lines to ensure they are free of obstructions and should material be present very gently pick it out using copper/brass wire so as not to damage the mould. If the venting lines on your steel or brass mould are not well define follow the instructions for the Lee moulds above.
POORBULLET DROP OUT.
Castbullets should drop freely from the mould. If they do not then no more than a couple of taps on the mould handlehinge should free them. Failing this thecavity or cavities are in need some attention and most likely microscopic burrswill be present that are enough to snare the bullet and prevent it fallingfreely. Again, Lee aluminium moulds areoften prime candidates for this doctoring and have giving birth the term“Leementing”. The oft referred ‘CastBoolit forum’ on the internet is my daily place of visit and has a combinedknowledge of casting that is beyond belief. One of the more well written and experienced casters and posters,“Buckshot”, coined the phrase ‘Leementing’ as a topic that refers to fixes forthe most common ailments with Lee bullet moulds. The most critical aspect is how freely (ornot so as the case may be) the bullets drop from a mould withoutassistance. As already eluded to, themost likely cause of bullet hang up will be tiny burrs on the edges of thefaces of the cavities and though not noticeable to the naked eye such burrswill bring a grown man to tears as he beats the living daylights out of a mouldin order to release the fruits of his labour.
The‘Leementing’ process is essentially two steps. First, take a magnifier and inspect the edges of the bullet mouldcavities for any obvious burrs. These,in the case of an aluminium mould, can easily be removed with the careful useof an art knife or scalpel – precise work and not for those with shakyhands. Second, follow the instructionsfrom the RUST section above but drilling a hole in a bullets, installing ascrew and lapping the cavity out using a fine abrasive. I own only two Lee moulds and the most recentis a semi custom 6.5mm purchased for my Carcano (see NZ G&H 122). From the outset the mould did not releasebullets freely and a goodly dose of ‘Leementing’ was unleashed on it withsplendid results. One cavity now dropsbullets out immediately upon opening and the other cavity takes only a rap onthe handle hinge to free its bullet. Besure to thoroughly clean the mould upon completion of the process in order toremove and greasy compounds that will inhibit production of properly formedbullets.
Castbullets should drop freely from the mould. If they do not then no more than a couple of taps on the mould handlehinge should free them. Failing this thecavity or cavities are in need some attention and most likely microscopic burrswill be present that are enough to snare the bullet and prevent it fallingfreely. Again, Lee aluminium moulds areoften prime candidates for this doctoring and have giving birth the term“Leementing”. The oft referred ‘CastBoolit forum’ on the internet is my daily place of visit and has a combinedknowledge of casting that is beyond belief. One of the more well written and experienced casters and posters,“Buckshot”, coined the phrase ‘Leementing’ as a topic that refers to fixes forthe most common ailments with Lee bullet moulds. The most critical aspect is how freely (ornot so as the case may be) the bullets drop from a mould withoutassistance. As already eluded to, themost likely cause of bullet hang up will be tiny burrs on the edges of thefaces of the cavities and though not noticeable to the naked eye such burrswill bring a grown man to tears as he beats the living daylights out of a mouldin order to release the fruits of his labour.
The‘Leementing’ process is essentially two steps. First, take a magnifier and inspect the edges of the bullet mouldcavities for any obvious burrs. These,in the case of an aluminium mould, can easily be removed with the careful useof an art knife or scalpel – precise work and not for those with shakyhands. Second, follow the instructionsfrom the RUST section above but drilling a hole in a bullets, installing ascrew and lapping the cavity out using a fine abrasive. I own only two Lee moulds and the most recentis a semi custom 6.5mm purchased for my Carcano (see NZ G&H 122). From the outset the mould did not releasebullets freely and a goodly dose of ‘Leementing’ was unleashed on it withsplendid results. One cavity now dropsbullets out immediately upon opening and the other cavity takes only a rap onthe handle hinge to free its bullet. Besure to thoroughly clean the mould upon completion of the process in order toremove and greasy compounds that will inhibit production of properly formedbullets.
A 
Mould modification.
INCREASING CASTING DIAMETER.
There are three ways to increase the diameter of the cast bullet other than juggling alloys (softer alloys cast smaller and vice versa). They are lapping, machining and ‘Beagling’.
Lapping – A more aggressive form of the lapping referred to in rust removal and ‘Leementing’. This process uses the same principles but will rely on the use of much more coarse abrasive compound to remove the necessary mould material. Valve grinding paste is a good start and the stick I bought is in a double ended tube with fine compound at one end and coarse at the other. Start with the coarse and work towards the diameter required slowly and surely CHECKING OFTEN for progress. When within 0.0005 inch of the desired diameter change to the fine compound to finish off. The process sounds very hamfisted but be assured that even with an aluminium mould removing a 0.001 inch takes longer than you might imagine. I lapped out the front driving band on my Lee “Crusie Missile” 6.5mm mould with great success. Knowing the diameter of the first cast bullets produced from the unaltered mould I slowly increased the diameter of the cavity stopping periodically to measure progress. This was achieved but casting a bullet from melted sulphur prior to lapping then continued monitoring and measuring as the mould was lapped. An increase in diameter of the lead alloy bullet of 0.0015 inch was required so once the difference of this amount between the first sulphur cast and the last was made, the job was complete.
Machining – One best left to those in the precision machining business. I had a particularly clever engineer and shooter open up a Lyman 311466 mould from the original .311 to .315 many years ago. Think about that for moment. That is 0.002 inch from each side of the mould from each of the driving bands on a Loverin multi band mould. No mean feat and executed perfectly. Of course it wasn’t cheap either but certainly worked and the results speak for themselves; the .303 Brits love the bullets. Erik at www.hollowpointmold.com offers this service ex the USA and is rather competitive.
‘Beagling’ – John Goins uses the handle “Beagle” on the Cast Boolit Forum and introduced the world to his process of increasing the girth of cast bullets by applying a shim of material to either one or both faces of a bullet mould. Aluminium adhesive foil tape is his shim of choice. By applying material the face(s) of the mould the bullet diameter is increased in one dimension. In real terms the caster finishes up with an oval bullet but this increase is enough to improve accuracy in lots of case. I tried ‘Beagling’ for myself using some 0.001 inch brass foil attached to the mould with RTV silicone compound. The process works exactly how it should and the combination of the brass foil and RTV increased the diameter of my bullet in one dimension by 0.002 inch. Periodically the shim material may require reattaching but for virtually nil cost this is a fantastic innovation. Two thousandths of an inch may not sound like a lot but it can often be the difference between a ‘pattern’ and a ‘group’ when shooting cast lead alloy bullets. Don’t be concerned about the bullet being oval as it will be quite round by the time it reaches the muzzle.
SPRUE PLATE REPLACEMENT.
Mass producers of bullet moulds use the one size fits all theory when it comes to the pouring holes in sprue plates. I have a pair of Lyman .22 moulds; 225415 and 225462. The pouring holes in the factory sprue plates measure 0.160 inch. The base of the bullet/gas check shank measures 0.214 inch which makes the pouring hole approximately ¾ the diameter of the base of the bullet. Proportionally on a .30cal projectile the pouring hole is a little over half the width of the bullet. In terms of area of the sprue the .22 moulds are very poorly done by. Double the radius of a circle and you increase the area FOUR fold. This disproportionally large blemish leads to weight variations on the baby bullets of up to +/- 0.4 grain. My solution was to make a pair of replacement sprue plates from some 5mm thick, 7 series aluminium in which was drilled 2mm (0.078 inch) pouring holes with a deep, wide counter sink to allow for a larger sprue puddles supporting the forming bullet as it cools. The new pouring hole is only a ¼ of the original in area and weight variation from bullet to bullet has now reduced to +/- 0.1 grain.
INCREASING CASTING DIAMETER.
There are three ways to increase the diameter of the cast bullet other than juggling alloys (softer alloys cast smaller and vice versa). They are lapping, machining and ‘Beagling’.
Lapping – A more aggressive form of the lapping referred to in rust removal and ‘Leementing’. This process uses the same principles but will rely on the use of much more coarse abrasive compound to remove the necessary mould material. Valve grinding paste is a good start and the stick I bought is in a double ended tube with fine compound at one end and coarse at the other. Start with the coarse and work towards the diameter required slowly and surely CHECKING OFTEN for progress. When within 0.0005 inch of the desired diameter change to the fine compound to finish off. The process sounds very hamfisted but be assured that even with an aluminium mould removing a 0.001 inch takes longer than you might imagine. I lapped out the front driving band on my Lee “Crusie Missile” 6.5mm mould with great success. Knowing the diameter of the first cast bullets produced from the unaltered mould I slowly increased the diameter of the cavity stopping periodically to measure progress. This was achieved but casting a bullet from melted sulphur prior to lapping then continued monitoring and measuring as the mould was lapped. An increase in diameter of the lead alloy bullet of 0.0015 inch was required so once the difference of this amount between the first sulphur cast and the last was made, the job was complete.
Machining – One best left to those in the precision machining business. I had a particularly clever engineer and shooter open up a Lyman 311466 mould from the original .311 to .315 many years ago. Think about that for moment. That is 0.002 inch from each side of the mould from each of the driving bands on a Loverin multi band mould. No mean feat and executed perfectly. Of course it wasn’t cheap either but certainly worked and the results speak for themselves; the .303 Brits love the bullets. Erik at www.hollowpointmold.com offers this service ex the USA and is rather competitive.
‘Beagling’ – John Goins uses the handle “Beagle” on the Cast Boolit Forum and introduced the world to his process of increasing the girth of cast bullets by applying a shim of material to either one or both faces of a bullet mould. Aluminium adhesive foil tape is his shim of choice. By applying material the face(s) of the mould the bullet diameter is increased in one dimension. In real terms the caster finishes up with an oval bullet but this increase is enough to improve accuracy in lots of case. I tried ‘Beagling’ for myself using some 0.001 inch brass foil attached to the mould with RTV silicone compound. The process works exactly how it should and the combination of the brass foil and RTV increased the diameter of my bullet in one dimension by 0.002 inch. Periodically the shim material may require reattaching but for virtually nil cost this is a fantastic innovation. Two thousandths of an inch may not sound like a lot but it can often be the difference between a ‘pattern’ and a ‘group’ when shooting cast lead alloy bullets. Don’t be concerned about the bullet being oval as it will be quite round by the time it reaches the muzzle.
SPRUE PLATE REPLACEMENT.
Mass producers of bullet moulds use the one size fits all theory when it comes to the pouring holes in sprue plates. I have a pair of Lyman .22 moulds; 225415 and 225462. The pouring holes in the factory sprue plates measure 0.160 inch. The base of the bullet/gas check shank measures 0.214 inch which makes the pouring hole approximately ¾ the diameter of the base of the bullet. Proportionally on a .30cal projectile the pouring hole is a little over half the width of the bullet. In terms of area of the sprue the .22 moulds are very poorly done by. Double the radius of a circle and you increase the area FOUR fold. This disproportionally large blemish leads to weight variations on the baby bullets of up to +/- 0.4 grain. My solution was to make a pair of replacement sprue plates from some 5mm thick, 7 series aluminium in which was drilled 2mm (0.078 inch) pouring holes with a deep, wide counter sink to allow for a larger sprue puddles supporting the forming bullet as it cools. The new pouring hole is only a ¼ of the original in area and weight variation from bullet to bullet has now reduced to +/- 0.1 grain.
NOSE PROFILE CHANGES.
The same Lyman 311466 double cavity mould that was fatten up also become subject to a nose job. The 311466 is a round nose bullet but for game hunting I want a flat nose for greater knock down. One cavity was re cut to a truncated cone profile with a .20cal metplat increasing the weight of the bullet in wheel weight from 165 to 177 grains and a difference in knock down power like that of day and night.
GAS CHECK SHANK REMOVAL/DIAMETER INCREASE.
Another job for the precision engineer is the removal of the band at the top of the bullet cavity that forms the shank for a gas check. Where a gas check is not required by the owner this band can be machined out to the same diameter as the driving bands to create a plain base bullet. Similar where a gas check shank is not sufficient enough in diameter it may be opened up for better results.
HOLLOW POINT CONVERISIONS.
The old style Ideal Express moulds cast the most beautiful hollow point bullets by means of a pin inserted into the mould from the nose end of the bullet prior to pouring the alloy. Once the lead was hard the pin was removed and a perfectly formed hollow point bullet was ejected. These bullets increased the terminal effect of the old black powder, low teen velocity rounds drastically but like so many good ideas, fell from grace and nearly disappeared. Enter Erik Ohlen of Corvallis, Oregon, USA and www.hollowpointmold.com Erik converts moulds to produce hollow point bullets and thus increase the effectiveness of an existing mould and the terminal performance it has for its shooting owner. Further, Erik’s rates are astonishingly low even with our currency rate of exchange. He did a hollow point conversion on one cavity of my Lyman 225462 mould for USD35.00 plus post back to NZ! Preliminary tests with my 225462 HP cast in air cooled wheel weight alloy departing my .223 at a leisurely 2300fps were convincing to say the least. Rabbits hit in the chest cavity out to 100m literally rattled when I recovered them. The tissue damage was akin to a hit from a full power jacketed round at over 3000fps. Quite extraordinary. Alloy selection for each application is very important when shooting hollow point bullets and binary alloys of lead/tin are desirable for the classic mushroom expansion as the inclusion of antimony tends to lend itself to a more brittle alloy. 20 – 1 lead/tin is often a good starting place for bullets for larger game though in the case of my small game bullets regular clip on wheel weight alloy has been more than sufficient as fragmentation on rabbits and hares is not a disadvantage and often desirable.
Look after your bullet moulds and they will serve you a life time and like any piece of mass produced equipment it is often worth a small investment in time to achieve the absolute best results. You’ve must likely taken the time to tune your rifle. Time to tune your moulds.
The same Lyman 311466 double cavity mould that was fatten up also become subject to a nose job. The 311466 is a round nose bullet but for game hunting I want a flat nose for greater knock down. One cavity was re cut to a truncated cone profile with a .20cal metplat increasing the weight of the bullet in wheel weight from 165 to 177 grains and a difference in knock down power like that of day and night.
GAS CHECK SHANK REMOVAL/DIAMETER INCREASE.
Another job for the precision engineer is the removal of the band at the top of the bullet cavity that forms the shank for a gas check. Where a gas check is not required by the owner this band can be machined out to the same diameter as the driving bands to create a plain base bullet. Similar where a gas check shank is not sufficient enough in diameter it may be opened up for better results.
HOLLOW POINT CONVERISIONS.
The old style Ideal Express moulds cast the most beautiful hollow point bullets by means of a pin inserted into the mould from the nose end of the bullet prior to pouring the alloy. Once the lead was hard the pin was removed and a perfectly formed hollow point bullet was ejected. These bullets increased the terminal effect of the old black powder, low teen velocity rounds drastically but like so many good ideas, fell from grace and nearly disappeared. Enter Erik Ohlen of Corvallis, Oregon, USA and www.hollowpointmold.com Erik converts moulds to produce hollow point bullets and thus increase the effectiveness of an existing mould and the terminal performance it has for its shooting owner. Further, Erik’s rates are astonishingly low even with our currency rate of exchange. He did a hollow point conversion on one cavity of my Lyman 225462 mould for USD35.00 plus post back to NZ! Preliminary tests with my 225462 HP cast in air cooled wheel weight alloy departing my .223 at a leisurely 2300fps were convincing to say the least. Rabbits hit in the chest cavity out to 100m literally rattled when I recovered them. The tissue damage was akin to a hit from a full power jacketed round at over 3000fps. Quite extraordinary. Alloy selection for each application is very important when shooting hollow point bullets and binary alloys of lead/tin are desirable for the classic mushroom expansion as the inclusion of antimony tends to lend itself to a more brittle alloy. 20 – 1 lead/tin is often a good starting place for bullets for larger game though in the case of my small game bullets regular clip on wheel weight alloy has been more than sufficient as fragmentation on rabbits and hares is not a disadvantage and often desirable.
Look after your bullet moulds and they will serve you a life time and like any piece of mass produced equipment it is often worth a small investment in time to achieve the absolute best results. You’ve must likely taken the time to tune your rifle. Time to tune your moulds.
