Probably a stupid mould question , but?

JWFilips

Well-Known Member
OK, I finally found a bullet that fits the throat of my 6.5 x 50 Jap. It is the lowly Lee 277-135 With PC and sized it looks pretty good but it is about .25" short if I want to set it nicely in the neck! Have had a few folks give me samples of bullets but even the longest (Lee Cruise Missile is to short because the nose it too skinny! The Lee 277 fits the nose nice but needs to be longer.
So Here is my question: (I have removed gas check shanks on moulds successfully with a drill bit and a drill press)....... Could the nose of this bullet mould be extended via the same method? Don't really care what the noses ends up looking like
 

Dusty Bannister

Well-Known Member
Are you wanting to drill the mold so the nose is longer, or so the body of the bullet is longer and the bullet remains the same OAL? If to extend the length of the nose, a ball end drill bit might keep the bit centered in the mold easier. I have to wonder if you can keep the bit from contacting the portion of the mold that forms the lube grooves.
 

JWFilips

Well-Known Member
Just have to get the nose out there longer by .25" The nose is .270 thinking I can run an "I' bit into it with out affecting the bands and grooves
 

Bret4207

At the casting bench in the sky. RIP Bret.
IMO you used up all your luck drilling out those GC shanks. I don't think it will come out acceptably. Wasn't there a guy that was doing hollow pointing and opening up moulds? Eric/Erik maybe? That might be a better bet.
 

fiver

Well-Known Member
JW I'd just shoot it short.
there is nothing wrong with a bullet having to jump a ways to hit rifling.
ask anyone with a 7.65 argentine, a weatherby anything, a marlin lever gun, or the 5.56 chamber.

support and fit isn't the same thing, and you have 2 different types of fitment.
your mechanical fit [which is the one your trying to achieve] and your static fit which is what you'll have when you pull the trigger and the bullet moves ahead.
skip the mechanical fitment part and focus on achieving the second one successfully.
 

Ian

Notorious member
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
I think you meant "dynamic" as the second type but geez, I been trying to figure out how to say all that in less than two pages for years. Cast bullet fit is a state of mind, and 99% of the time people are in the wrong state.
 

Jeff H

NW Ohio
IMO you used up all your luck drilling out those GC shanks......................

This is so. I had two LEE C309113 2Cs and de-gc'd one such that the outcome indicated real professional execution of the work.

I knew it was luck and decided to HP one cavity of an identical mould the next day, thinking I'd hit it while Lady Luck was at my elbow.

Turns out she has limited patience for those who should know better and she looked away as I drilled an off-center HP pin hole trough the second mould.

I gambled. I learned.

I'd shoot the "short" bullet and see what happens. Little to lose.

I just may also print and frame the two posts immediately preceding mine.
 

JWFilips

Well-Known Member
Ok you guys can always calm my nerves ! When I think about it; all of those bullets I used to shoot it my first time out were short plus were a bit skinny and I was pretty happy with how it shot. Guess I should try to shoot the bullets from that mould first before I start worrying about it.
Thanks
 

358156 hp

At large, whereabouts unknown.
Jim,
Since you're looking at 270 moulds (we get it!), have you considered a heavier bullet, maybe a Loverin design (or similar) in the 150+ weight range? I see NOE has one at 165 gr, unless the 6.5 Jap has an unusually slow twist. All of the big name companies, Lyman, RCBS, SAECO, & others, have made 270 moulds in the past. Now most of them appear to be discontinued, but there are a lot of used examples of some higher end moulds on the auction sites at bargain prices. I see SAECO still offers a 270 mould listed at 140 gr. that looks really good.
 

fiver

Well-Known Member
saeco has some very good designs, the price tag on them is a bit scary though.
the ones I have also just barely make diameter with WW alloy.
for instance my 358 mold scuffs like 2 spots on my 358 size die.
 

JWFilips

Well-Known Member
Being cheap I was hoping the fatter Lee 277 bullet would get me a decent bullet for shooting this rifle with minimum investment.
Yes the NOE 270-165 FN would be ideal With PC coating it would fit the bill nicely. I have only fired 21 rounds thru it as of now and most were that very bullet however sized back to .266" I had to put 2 separate coatings of PC on them to get get close to .277 and even then they did not make the rifleing! However they shot surprisingly well.
The Lee $19 mould was to get me a bunch of bullets to start shooting it and decide if it warrants add'l TLC and maybe a receiver sight
 

Ian

Notorious member
Military cupro-nickel bullets in 7mm Spanish cases, loaded in stripper clips.