Accurate Plain base .30 cal.

Ben

Moderator
Staff member
I ordered ( about 12 days ago ) an Accurate 31-157-R , 2 Cav., Aluminum, .30 cal. plain base mould.
I asked for .302 " on the nose and .3115 " on the drive bands.
My mould arrived today.
Tom has hit another home run for me.
The numbers are " dead nuts on ". .302 / .3115"

I have been casting with the mould this morning.
One cavity cast a 160.2 gr. cast bullet, the other cavity 160.3 grs.

Ben

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Spindrift

Well-Known Member
Very nice mold and bullets! I have no accurate molds, but I can see one in my future....
That extra hole in the sprue plate, what is it for?
 

KeithB

Resident Half Fast Machinist
If I were to make that sprue plate I would drill the four holes, chamfer the two pouring holes, and then use the pivot hole and extra hole to hold the plate to a jig while I milled the outside profile of the plate.
 

fiver

Well-Known Member
I see a coupe of new design elements since my last accurate mold.
the plate is totally different, and the recess for the pins is new too.
 

Ben

Moderator
Staff member
Yes, it didn't take long once it was un-boxed to see those things also.

Ben
 

Ben

Moderator
Staff member
Ben, what rifle is this mold going to be used for?

T/C Venture 30-06
Tikka , 30-06
Handi ,30-30
Rem 788 , 30-30
Rem 788, 308 Win.
CVA, break open 30-06
Ruger # 1, 308
Howa, 308
Mauser Double set trigger , 30-06
 
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Ian

Notorious member
Ben, I know you end up doing a lot of nose-sizing with your various .30-caliber bullet moulds and assume you have a Lyman 45 or similar (450, RCBS, 4500). I made a reamer a while back that can make a nose-first, in-out H-die which will size the nose of ACWW bullets to .300" (or a little larger, up to .301" if I hone the bore a touch more) and body diameter from .3098" up to .311". The transition between the two diameters is a 1.5°-per-side taper. The advantage is being able to size bullet noses and bases CONCENTRIC to each other and bump the base flat at the same time. If I made you an H&I set and flat-bottom top punch (assuming you don't already have one of Tom Ellis' aluminum ones), do you think it would be any use for what you're doing? It's an extra step, best done after bullet is checked/sized/lubed about .001" larger on the driving bands than you want it to end up, then as a final step punch in/out of the two-diameter die.
 

Ben

Moderator
Staff member
If I made you an H&I set and flat-bottom top punch (assuming you don't already have one of Tom Ellis' aluminum ones), do you think it would be any use for what you're doing?

WOW ! !

I would be forever grateful Ian.
Yes, I'd love one.

Ben
 

Ian

Notorious member
OK, next time I'm fooling around on the lathe I'll make you one. I need to know what size you want the bullet's nose and body to come out. Also, do you have a flat, .30-caliber or smaller top punch?
 

Ben

Moderator
Staff member
Yes, I have several flat top punches.
The top punches are no problem.
I shoot a lot of .311 " on the bands
and .301 or .3015 " on the nose.
I have a Lyman 450 that I use for this kind of thing.
I also have an old Lyman 45 that still works great.

Ben
 
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Ian

Notorious member
Yup, I'll use the first reamer that ended up too big for yours by about a thousandth in all directions.
 

Ian

Notorious member
Got your die finished, Ben. An aged coww bullet comes out .3013" or so on the parallel nose part and then has a straight taper to .3105" on the body. If you want to enlarge the driving portion to .311" you can, but you might try it like it is first. I also put a long entrance taper to prevent hanging up the gas check because sometimes they spring back a lot after base-first sizing/lubing.

The ejector is made out of a grade 5 bolt so as to be softer than the die and not wear out the nose-sizing portion prematurely. A drop of STP or smear of lanolin every once in a while will help preserve it since the bearing surface is less and the potential for side-loading is much greater than with a regular H&I die.