Weighing Balls Again
 

Recently Cayugad gave me a good deal on a .535ball mold, one of those aluminum Lee double cavity jobs. It'sin great condition(thanks Dave). Of course, I had to cast some balls with it right after it arrived. After culling the obvious defects, I had 211 good balls. I was bored this evening and decided to weigh/sort them just for the heck of it. Here's what I got.

Weight Range No. of Balls Percent

235.0 to 235.9 grains 78 37%
234.0 to 234.9 grains 93 44%
233.0 to 233.9 grains 2713%
232.0 to 232.9 grains 13 6%

I think that's real good with81% of the balls from two different cavities ending up in the top two-grain spread(234 to 235.9)and 94% being within a three-grain spread (233 to 235.9). I probably should justtoss those under233 grains back into the pot, but I think I'll shoot a ten-shot group with them just to see how they do. I guess you'll be seeing a range report on them sooner or later.

RE: Weighing Balls Again
 

Yeah. do shoot them. I'll be real surprised if there is any appreciable difference. There are so many additional variables when loading and shooting a MLer that a RB that is, maybe, half to one percent different in weight from another is not going to shoot a whole lot different.
IIRC, the standard weight for a pure lead RB at .535" dia. is 231 grains.
FWIW - I just measured and weighed five RBs, picked at random, that were cast with a similar Lee mold. They were all at .5295 - .5305" dia. and weighed, cast in as pure a lead as I have, 219.9 - 221.4 grains, less than one percent different in those five.
Pete
Pete

RE: Weighing Balls Again
 

Semisane
Do you use a temature controled furnace? Lee

RE: Weighing Balls Again
 

No temp controlled furnace Lee. I use a pot and dipper over a home made jet burner. No thermometer either.

RE: Weighing Balls Again
 

Hey Pete, was that with a .530 mold, or a .535? I measured ten of the balls in my .234.0-234.9 group and they were all from.539 to.540. With the pure soft lead I'm using this .535 mold throws balls that are a little on the large size.

RE: Weighing Balls Again
 

My mold is the .530 version, #90283. It is supposed to drop pure lead at 224 grains, but like yours, it drops a little light.
Pete

RE: Weighing Balls Again
 

If it is dropping light the lead could have a little alloy in it.

RE: Weighing Balls Again
 

Semisane
most of the difference in size and weight comes from the tempture of the mold and the lead. Lee

RE: Weighing Balls Again
 

What's the rule of thumb with that Lee? Hotter mold = smaller ball or larger ball?

RE: Weighing Balls Again
 

Did that Rapine paint job I gave that mold help release them balls for you? That mold always did cast a nice ball with hardly any spur on them. And the weight of them sound about right. I am surprised at the diameter some of them are coming out at. It will be interesting to see the first range report with them.