Home Forums Reloading Bullet Casting Modifying the lee 44mag 310 mold

I have a lee 310g 44 mold but it's set up for a gas check. I'd rather not use a gas check but like the bullet design. Would it be possible to mill part of the back of the mold off, down to where the the gas check section ends. It would meN a bit lighter bullet but it would still be plenty heavy.

Bb

No reason not. I'm not familiar with Lee molds but you might have to do something with the sprue plate hold down screw/bolt.

why not just drill out the rear recess in the mold to full outer bullet diameter,to change the mold to plain base, seems to be a simpler option

That works if you can get centered.

The plate and everything will screw off. I'm just wondering what the best way to shave some off the back of the blocks would be. Surface grinder? I'm just thinking out loud but wouldn't mind a wide flat nose 44 bullet that weighed in around 280 or so that didn't take a gas check. I have the lee 310 mold already and wondered if it could be shortened. A 280g flat nose at about 1100-1200 probably doesn't need a gas check anyways and I think it would do most things pretty well.

Bb

the key is getting the sprue surface LEVEL again.

Milling would probably be the easiest.

This seems to be a worthy idea. I was just thinking this morning about looking into having my 6 cavity Lee mold for .429" SWC with gas check, modified to have a slightly larger diameter and flatter meplat.

Shortening a Lee 310 mold would net a similar, but slightly heavier bullet. I'm interested to see how this plays out.

Burleyboy, do you know anyone who owns an auto machine shop? Seems to me that the same equipment used to mill engine heads would do the job on a mold block.

I probably should just find a place and get a custom mold made. I'd like about a .340 meplat and a weight in the 250-280 range with no gas check. I've got a bunch of wheel weights and several pigs of Lino type. I have the little lee push through sizer but that's it for sizing.

What are people's thoughts on tumble lube bullets? Could I have a wfn tumble lube bullet designed and have a mold made. I saw some called ranch dog that were pretty close to what I was looking for but I don't want a gas check. Just looking for a simple to make bullet that I can plink a lot with and still feel ok using on game.

I think the 310g .370 meplat Trueshot laser casts that I've been using are a bit overkill for most of what I do and expensive. Time to put all the lead in my garage to use.

Bb

You can (or used to be able to) order that mold from lee with the base milled off to drop a ~280 gr pb bullet, buddy ordered one from Lee years ago.

As far as tumble lube bullets, I like them when being launched 800-1000 fps. My preference for full speed use is a conventionally sized and lubed bullet. Then again you can tumble lube a bullet designed for conventional lube so you don't have to restrict yourself to a tumble lube design.

I think a 270-280 gr LFN plain base would be an ideal all around plinking and big game bullet in the 44. The trouble is finding a mold maker that can deliver in a reasonable time frame. I've always had good results with Mountain Molds, and they are a true custom exactly the way you want it. I'd also check out Accurate molds.

check out NOE's place for custom moulds. He has a bunch on the shelf, you may like.

you may like this one.

http://noebulletmolds.com/NV/product_info.php?cPath=37&products_id=555

or this one 265gr, big meplat, plain base hits like a flying brick!

Devestating with a HP in it.

http://noebulletmolds.com/NV/product_info.php?cPath=37&products_id=218

oh yea, if he doesn't have it, pm him he'll give you a time he'll cut you one. Probably in less than two weeks.

Thanks, I looked over his selection and some are close to what I want. I wish I knew more about design and I'd work one up custom. I'm wondering mostly about nose design and making sure it will throat in my rifle too. Also wondering about stability and accuracy. Still thinking 250-280g no gas check .340" minimum meplat.

Bb

I plugged in some numbers on the MM website, printed it out and made a pdf but can't figure out how to turn it into a .jpg to post it.

Basically I selected a 270 gr weight, .375" nose length, 75% meplat set the groove to band ratio to 1.5 which results in 0.094" drive bands and a single large lube groove. I think you'd find such a design would work very well through both revolvers and rifles.

If you make the memplat too large it can be more finicky in getting top accuracy and could have feeding issues in a rifle. Same with making the front drive band or meplat too long which is why I went with the 0.09" drive band and 0.375" nose length.

I've fired lots of different cast bullet designs through .357's, 44's, 45's and 475's. IMHO the LFN design or similar tangential ogive bullets with a 73-77% meplat give the best combination of accuracy and terminal performance over a wide variety of guns.

Thanks Lott, that's the kind of info I'm looking for. So that's considered a lfn not a wfn? What is the meplat at 75%.

Thanks again,
Bb

0.75 x 0.43 = 0.3225

Per LBT, an LFN has a meplat that is 0.125" less than bullet diameter, so for a 44 the meplat would be 0.305" or 71% bullet diameter. A WFN is 0.09" less than bullet dia or 0.34" or 79% of bullet diameter. The percentages change slightly as bullet dia. increases.

While you'll gain a bit of terminal performance with the larger meplat, it can be more finicky getting top accuracy over a wider range of velocities and could cause feeding problems in a lever action. In the case of the 44, the 75% meplat splits the difference and is what I'd choose if designing a bullet for your parameters.

On the extreme end a buddy had LBT make him an XFN mold in 357, which had an 84% meplat (same dia as an LFN 44). The theory was you should be able to get the same terminal performance as a 44 with the same dia meplat. Trouble is, neither one of us could get decent accuracy from the bullet. So too much meplat is definately not a good thing.

I did that with a Lee .50 cal 440 gr. mold.
Took off spru plate, milled off entire surface.
Removed gas check area. You will have to tap the screw hole deeper for your spru plate. Works fine. Took the 440 gr mold down to a 370 gr mold. I shoot the 44 310 Lee as is with no gas check. Shoots fine. I would take a 310 gr bullet, file off the gas check area and weigh it before I machined the mold. It might be lighter than you want. Trial and error is a good teacher.

To the OP, Eric at hollowpointmolds.com (or something like that, can't remember exactly right now) use to offer a milling service on a mold for about $15. I can't remember if that inluded redrilling and tapping the sprue plate bolt hole though.

I had asked him about this when I wanted to have the bevel removed from the bases of a 6C Lee mold. To ream would have been about $10 or so for each cavity.

Burleyboy, I was just looking through a Lee catalog this AM, specifically at one of their 158 gr. .358" designs and think that if it were scaled up to .430" it would make an excellent all arounder for the .44's.

The .358" I'm referring to is the one on the top line, far right. I actually have this mold, but have yet to cast and shoot any through my .357's.

I have this exact mold in a six cavity,load it in my 44 and 444 its a real hammer in both loadings! IMO rather than risk the chance of screwing it up [centering as was previously pointed out] have a custom cut with similar specs and sell your gas check... would probably be less of a hassle in the long run.

Lee 429-200-RF is a fine plinking bullet from any 44. Cast mine from wheelweights, tumble lube, shoot unsized in several 44s over Trail Boss or Unique. Simple and 6 will go in 3" @ 25 yds with "hands on the bench". Never lead a bit. 6 gr trailboss gives a tad under 900 fps in the 44 magnum.

Lee molds are so inexpensive, I doubt remachining yours is worth the effort.

Cheaper than 22 RF at today's prices.

That Lee 358 158 is a great bullet. Started with a 2-cav, and eventually got the 6, because it shot so well in handgun and lever gun.

Same with the Lee 430 310. Mine cast right at 300 naked, and shoot very well as a plain base with mild loads around 1000fps in my 10" contender. I shoot them hot with H110 in my Marlin with a gc, and they are moa at 100. Most accurate bullet I shoot in the lever gun.

I started with Lee moulds because they were so inexpensive, an I figured I'd ruin a few learning the ropes, but the designs have shot great in every cal so far, and the dozen moulds I own are Lee.

I have done it with a Lee 458 mold. Just stuck it in a milling machine and cut it down to where I wanted it then drilled and tapped the hold deeper for the spru cutter screw.