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Old 01-14-2013, 06:16 PM
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venomballistics venomballistics is offline
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the first thing to look at are molds.
the first one in a given caliber should be as much of a do all bullet as possible, you can flesh it our later with others that do a given job better.
steer clear of the LEE tumble lube designs. While they provide the fastest turn around on a production run, they lead line the bore something fierce when you try to push them much past bunny puff loads. Look at the front band forward of the lube groove. You want enough full diameter shank up front to engage the rifling without skidding through the forcing cone. You can always load a proper design light but you cannot load a weak design hot.
Sizing dies ... the LEE dies work fine on a budget, fit your press and are convenient to use. Furthermore, they are low cost enough so that you should have little objection to the use of some rolled up silicon carbide 600 grit sandpaper to let one out a thousandth or two if necessary.
You will need lead. Wheel weights work fine, however if you come into need for a harder bullet, adding some plumbing solder can help.
another trick for a harder bullet is water quenching.
get a bucket of soapy water with a pie plate in the bottom. Keep a bottle brush on hand to whip up a head of foam. its important to maintain a good head of foam to arrest the splash when you drop bullets from the mold into the bucket ... water and molten lead don't play nice together.
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