Bullet Mold Enlargement

Mould Enlargement
“beagling”

This undersize 427098HP double cavity mould started it all.

A .003” brass shim between the cavities takes it from .428” to .433”

I suppose every caster is plagued with a mould that cast bullets undersized for the intended application at least
once in his lifetime. This fault, as I call it, occurs primarily with Lyman or Ideal moulds but moulds meeting RCBS
specifications are sometimes smaller than we need. I have searched carefully for a specific mould design many times,
only to find that it casts small bullets when I finally obtain it. It’s down right frustrating.

Many designs suffer from this problem but it seems that certain moulds or designs are worse than others.
Among these are the 457191, the 357446, the 429360, the 41032, the 427098 and the 429434. Then there are the true
old classics you obtain that were just cut small to begin with. I have a 358429 that drops bullets at .358 X .355 and
that was just a manufacturer’s problem but it is too old now for Lyman to do anything about it.

Some moulds were designed with small noses to fit in black powder rifles. Some of the older moulds were
designed with small driving bands so that they would fit in specific designer’s guns. We seem to run into these
problems often in casting bullets.

All of these small-casting moulds sat in my mould cabinet for years. Occasionally I’d learn something and try them
again, all to no avail. The bullets produced were still too small. After retirement, I had more time to mess some with
these moulds and attempt to improve them.

Three Failures, Then Success!

I made three attempts at this before I got it right.

First, I tried lapping the mould cavities with valve grinding compound. This is a very messy and often
unsuccessful project and you stand a chance to ruin a fine mould, even though it may not be doing any good for you.

Second, I attempted to increase the diameter by drilling and tapping the open side of the pin alignment holes
for setscrews that could be adjusted to hold the blocks partially open. This method works, but the proper adjustment is
hard to establish and maintain because changing block temperatures and vibrations from cutting the sprue caused the
set screw adjustment to vary.

Third, I took a 5/32” spring pin, cut 3/16” lengths off one end, and then drove them into the openings to hold
the blocks far enough apart to enlarge of the bullet. This method also works, but the correct adjustment is very
difficult to obtain due to the heat involved and the opening and closing of the mould blocks.

Success!

About this time, I acquired a H&G #73 double cavity mould from eBay. I didn’t worry about handles because
I already had several other 2 cavity H&G moulds. When the mould arrived, my handles were too thick to fit the block
cuts. I finally found that a set of Lyman 4 cavity handles would hold the blocks so that I could try the mould. I fully
expected a .358” diameter bullet, but instead they fell from the mould at .361”. Close examination of the gap between
the mould halves showed that there was a minute gap between the blocks. There was no gap when the blocks were
removed from the Lyman handles, so the handles were holding the blocks apart the exact amount required to produce a
nice large bullet.

I communicated this information to Orygun Mark and he drilled and tapped a set of handles to incorporate a
single .002” shim between a set of SC blocks and it worked for him. Now we were getting somewhere!

I finally located a set of brass shim stock at ACE Hardware of .001, .002, .003 and .005” thickness. I cut and
prepared a piece of .002” shim stock and prepared to shim a DC mould by securing the shim stock behind the mould
handle screw. It wouldn’t work because the alignment pins got in the way. So, it was back to the drawing board.

Beagle tape
Manufacturer: Royal Tapes

I had a roll of .002” aluminum tape with adhesive backing. This tape is used to seal air conditioning ducts. I
tried covering the entire mould face on a single cavity mould but the adhesive closed the vent lines on a .22 mould I
was attempting to enlarge. Finally, I placed a large square of this tape below the cavity and small strips on either side
of the cavity and it worked. Success!!!

Now, back to the double cavity moulds. The same method of using a large patch below the cavities and a
small strip along the outside of each cavity does well and stays in place because of the adhesive. Now, the Lyman
427098, which previously ran .428”, produces bullets that fall between .432 and .433.

I leaned several things during this experiment. I had first anticipated venting to be a problem, but it is not. The
gaps between the tape strips provide sufficient venting.

However, the shim must be directly between the mould handles. If the tape shim is placed below or above, the blocks
will tilt and close. The shim must be directly between the alignment pins for the same reason.

For reasons unclear to me, bullets don’t form “wings” at the side seams unless the mould is very hot and a lot
of lead pressure is used. Usually a .003” gap between the moulds can be tolerated without flashing between the mould
halves. A small seam is usually present but is small enough so that the bullets are useable. Very little flashing
between the mould halves occurs using this method. They will flash due to heat and lead pressure when dipper poured,
but no flashing occurs if you use a bottom pour pot and drop the melt ¾” to 1” into the sprue hole. This seems due to
reduced melt temperature and the reduced pressure of the melt going into the cavity.

Even elliptical bullets are rounded during the sizing process, especially if sized in one of the newer tapered
sizer dies. Accuracy is just as good as with completely round bullets. Even though these bullets may be slightly out
of round, they still maintain balance when fired.

If you are using only one thickness of tape in the mould, it seems to work best when placed on the side of the
mould with the index pins. I haven’t quite figured this one out yet, but that’s the way it works. More uniform results
can be obtained by applying tape to both halves of the mould. The best method of taping can be obtained by using
strips approximately 1/8” wide. If you want a bigger body, apply strips alongside the cavity and between the cavities
in the case of a double cavity mould alongside the area you wish to enlarge. These strips should be positioned so that
the two strips bear on each other. This separates the mould halves a uniform amount.

This method can also be used to enlarge the nose of the heavier .45 moulds designed for black powder to full
diameter for use in smokeless rifles, and also provides a better fit to the bore. Simply place strips of tape on both sides
of the nose area where you want to increase the diameter.

On SWC pistol bullets, the areas adjacent to the front driving bands can be taped with small squares to produce
a larger diameter front band.

358429 that was undersized in all dimensions

This coverage by .002” brass stock brought even the front band to full diameter.

If you’re having problem with a loose gas check fit, a small square on either side of the cavity in the area of the
gas check shank will increase the diameter and allow a tighter fit of the gas check to the bullet.

462560HP enlarges to .461”

This mould had a loose gas check also.

Using the current taping method, I am obtaining an additional .003” in diameter without undue design
distortion. This has been very useful in the .38, .44, .375 for the 38/55, and in the BP 45 designs in the 45/70.
Based on my experiments over the last year or so, there is still a lot to be learned about this process. As you
can see from the pictures, no two moulds behave alike. I started using the brass shim stock and then changed to
aluminum tape as it was easier to work with. This method has allowed me to use many moulds that would normally be
out of use because they produced bullets that were under the required diameter.
Get a roll of tape at your local building supply or home repair center and give it a try. If at first you don’t
succeed, try a different method. It will work and produce a useable bullet for you. The brightest point in this process is
that if you don’t get what you want with tape, you can peel the tape off with a single edged razor blade, clean the
mould, and you are back to the original configuration with no damage to the mould.
The proof is in the shooting. Good “beagling”.

John Goins /aka beagle

Bullet Mold Enlargement

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Bullet Mold Enlargement

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What problem is the author trying to solve with undersized bullet molds?

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Mould Enlargement

This undersize 427098HP double cavity mould started it all.

358429 that was undersized in all dimensions

462560HP enlarges to .461”

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