Lee ROUND BALL Bullet Mould 490 diameter

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Lee ROUND BALL Bullet Mould 490 diameter
[90448]

75.00 Euro

Lee ROUND BALL Bullet Mould 490 diameter

Product may vary slightly from image representation

Description

This Lee Bullet Mould is made from solid aluminium because of the molding qualities.
Aluminium bullet moulds heat up and cool down faster than steel bullet moulds. Good bullets can usually be produced after a few casts.
Aluminum bullet moulds are about one third the weight of steel bullet moulds and are rust resistant.
The mould cavities are CNC machined for roundness and size control.

Product Information

Brand	Lee
Caliber	.490
Type	Round Ball

Bullet Diameter	12.446 mm	.490 inch
Bullet Weight	11.444 gram	176.61 grain

Bullet Material	Lead Alloy, 1 part Tin to 10 parts Lead

Mould	2 Cavity
Gas Checks Needed	No
Mould Handles Included	Yes, Hardwood Handles

Attention

Melting lead and casting lead objects will expose you and others in the erea to lead.
Always take care and provide for sufficient ventilation of your workspace.

Caution

● Be extremely careful not to get any water into the molten lead. Even a small drop will explode into steam and violently spatter hot lead.
● Wear safety glasses while using.
● Use only in areas of adequate ventilation. Air flow sufficient to carry away the smoke of an extinguished match is considered adequate.
● Keep food and drink out of the work area. Wash hands before eating or smoking.

Instructions

To prevent damage to your mold or poor quality bullets follow these instructions exactly.

Step 1 Save yourself a lot of time by cleaning your mold before the first use. Use any volatile solvent to clean the cavities of the machining oils used in the manufacturing process. White gas/cigarette lighter fluid on a cotton swab works well.
Step 2 Smoke the cavities with a match, bees wax candle or a butane lighter. The smoke provides a micro insulating layer in the cavity allowing easy fill out and easy release from the mold. Smoke the cavities whenever the bullets begin to stick when casting. You will find that after some use the mold will become seasoned and smoking will not be required as frequently.
Step 3 Pre-heat your mold by laying it on top of your lead melter or dip the corner of mold into molten metal for at least 30 seconds. If the lead sticks and solidifies on the mold block it is not hot enough.
Step 4 Lubricate your mold using beeswax or Permatex anti-sieze lubicant or equivalent. Do not use Lee Liquid Alox as it will bake on the mold surface, preventing proper closure. Do not use paraffin wax as it does not provide adequate high temperature lube and tends to migrate to the cavities, causing wrinkled bullets. Lightly touch the preheated mold alignment pins and the sprue pivot point screw. It will instantly wick into the sprue plate pivot area and allow gall free operation of the sprue plate. As soon as you feel the sprue plate bind touch the now hot sprue pivot point with lube.
Step 5 If you are using a six cavity mold be certain the sprue lever cam surface is in contact with the mold block side and there is a gap between the edge of the sprue plate and the formed stop on the sprue lever.
Step 6 Fill the mold through the sprue plate, puddle enough so all of the sprues are connected. Leave a ¼ inch to ½ inch gap between the sprue plate and the nozzle when filling the mold cavities. Resting the mold on the sprue plate while filling will pressure cast the cavities and may push molten material into the vent grooves, causing flashing on bullet.
Step 7 Immediately after sprue solidification operate the sprue lever if equipped or rap the sprue tang with a wood dowel. (A frosted surface will appear on the sprue puddle upon solidification)
Step 8 Open the mold and drop the bullet onto a soft cloth. (An old towel works well.) It may require a few taps on the handle bolt to free the bullets.
Step 9 Continue casting until the mold becomes too hot. This will be apparent when it takes too long for the metal to solidify and the bullets are frosty. Frosty bullets may be desirable when using Lee Liquid Alox. Lee tests indicate the lube adheres better and they can be shot at higher velocities without leading.
Step 10 The mold can be cooled by touching it to a wet sponge.
Caution: Water will cause molten lead to explode violently, splattering hot lead everywhere!

Out of round bullets
This condition is always due to the mold not being fully closed. Check your mold faces for a lead splash or raised nick. A tiny burr or lead splash as small as .001 inch will cause out of round oversize bullets.

Tips
Never Drop Bullets Directly from the mold into the lead pot. Metal will splash onto the mold faces and prevent complete closure. Be extremely careful not to get any water into the molten lead. Even a small drop will explode into steam and violently spatter hot lead a surprising distance.
Glasses and Gloves are Mandatory when handling molten metal.
Loads should not exceed 34000PSI with plain base bullets. This means most pistol loads can be loaded without gas checks.
Bullets for modern cartridges will be stated size to plus .003 inch. Most bullets from Lee molds can be used as cast.
Sizing should not be considered as an absolute necessity. However, all cast bullets must be lubricated.
When using a hard alloy like linotype multiply the listed bullet weight by .93 to obtain the approximate bullet weight.

Bullet Metal
Pure lead is too soft to make good bullets for all but very light loads or black powder guns.
Lee bullet weights are based on a 95/5 lead/tin alloy.
Addition of tin to the alloy will improve the castability by lowering both the surface tension and viscosity.

Approximate hardness of various lead alloys and the minimum / maximum load pressures that should be used to prevent leading of the bore.

Alloy	Brinell	Minimum PSI	Maximum PSI

Pure Lead	5 bhn	7200	9600
1/10 Tin/Lead	11 bhn	15840	21120
Wheel Weight	12 bhn	17280	23000
Lyman #2	15 bhn	21600	28800
Linotype	22 bhn	31680	42000

To harden your alloy, add tin and /or antimony.

Rule of Thumb for Hardening Lead
For every 1% additional tin, Brinell hardness increases 0.29
For every 1% additional antimony, Brinell hardness increases 0.92

Sample equation: Brinell = 5 Brinnell Pure Lead + (0.29 x Tin percentage) + (0.92 x Antimony percentage)

For example, if you increase the amount of tin by 10% and the amount of antimony by 5%, the Brinell hardness of your lead will be 12.5.
Brinell hardness 12.5 = 5 + ( 0.29 x 10 ) + ( 0.92 x 5)

Casting Bullets
If you are an experienced bullet caster, forget most of what was true when using cast iron blocks.
The Lee Bullet Mold makes casting bullets easy and fast.
No need to cast 50 to 100 before you start getting good bullets. Many times the first one you pour will be good, provided you follow the simple instructions.
Because the aluminum mold blocks conduct heat fast, the metal must be extra hot for good bullets.

Take care of your mold
The bullet mold is a precision-made tool. To preserve this built-in accuracy, it is necessary to lubricate it properly.
Beeswax or an anti-sieze lubricant must be applied to the locating pin and sprue pivot point. Lack of lubrication will cause the sprue plate to gall and damage could be irreparable.
When storing for long periods, lightly oil steel parts to prevent rust.
Never wire bush or contact the mold with anything hard like steel.

Preparing your metal
Wear safety glasses and gloves.
After the metal has melted, it will have a grey scum on the top. Do not remove this as it is the tin that has separated from the lead.
Flux the metal. Do this by making use of Lead Flux. Follow the instructions on the packaging.
Stir with the ladle until there is nothing but a dark grey powder floating on the metal. This should be removed with a small ladle.
Always flux the metal after adding to the pot or if it needs it.

Caution
Your bullet mold will be damaged and your bullets will be of poor quality unless lubricated as in Step 4.

Troubleshooting

Mold not filling out


Cause	Remedy

Mold Cold	Dip corner of mold in molten metal

Oil in mold	Wash blocks in white gas or any volatile solvent

Metal not hot enough	Increase heat

Alloy no good	Sometimes an alloy just will not work easily. It is best to start with a new batch and blend it to use it up

Metal needs fluxing	Flux the metal as per instruction

Mold not smoked	See step 2

Takes long for the metal to solidify


Cause	Remedy

Mold too hot	Touch mold to moistened cloth or sponge. Caution: Do not get water in the block or lead as it turns into steam instantly and the metal spatters with explosive force

Mold does not line up or closes with difficulty


Cause	Remedy

Needs lubrication	Lubricate your mold as in Step 4. Do not get any in the cavity.

Mold casts oversize bullets or out of round	• Nick or burr on mold face • Splash of lead on the mold face • No or insufficient lubrication on mold alignment pins. See step 4.

Lubricating Bullets
Lead bullets must be lubricated or your gun will be fouled with lead and accuracy will be poor.

Step 1 Place bullets in plastic container and dribble some Lee Liquid Alox onto the bullets.
Step 2 Gently shake the bullets in an orbital motion to coat the bullets. If they do not coat completely, add a little more lube.
Step 3 Spread bullets onto waxed paper; allow to dry overnight.
Step 4 Load at least one bullet into a case checking to be sure it easily chambers in your gun. If it fits tightly, before starting to reload all bullets need to be resized.

Bullets can be sized after they have been lubed.
However, for best results, Lee recommend bullets be relubed after sizing to be sure the sized portion is coated with Lee Liquid Alox.