Casting for 25acp

[lrrice]

So, I'm going to buy a mold for 25 acp. Unlike normal Lee molds which I can afford to buy before I try, this caliber requires a significant investment. I would like anyone's thoughts on the currently available molds to feed my starving little Berretta. Thanks

[Ranch Dog]

Not many choices. Know what your barrel needs via a slug. SAAMI spec groove is .251". Offhand, I only know of two: the RCBS and the mold I designed through NOE.

I would be leery of the RCBS's .251" design give the SAAMI spec. Years ago, I had the mold that Lee offered and it too cast a .251". It flew sideways out of the short barrels of my 25 Autos. The NOE offering is a .255" design that can be sized down to fit your needs. The NOE is in stock, the RCBS is not.

I use Rooster Jacket as a wash for lube and call it a day.

[RBHarter]

I second the NOE bullet .
I have several NOEs and aside from the initial start up they are a very easy shift from the Lee's , but you should also be warned that one is all it takes ........
All kidding aside NOE is worth every penny and in reality there's not that much cost difference for the production return from 2-5 cavities . Most even numbered moulds from NOE have a 1+1/2+2 W/W/0 gas check .

[Ranch Dog]

The main thing I notice between a Lee and NOE molds, I use their aluminum block molds, is that they take a bit more heat to operate smoothly because the blocks are heavier. I notice that in my casting as well as a mold gets heavy in my hands on a longer session.

What this would mean with the 25 Auto is that you are going to need to make sure that the is well heated so that you are dropping good bullets from the start, there is so much mold block compared to bullet cavity. I bring the mold, both Lee and NOE, up to heat with a propane torch. Resting the mold on top of my pot is sufficient to maintain the heat but I doubt you will ever see frosted bullets with they are this small.

[Ranch Dog]

In from running my raccoon traps at my protein feeders, a very productive morning of dispatching the bandits with the 25 Auto. I just went to reload my magazines, yikes! Time to start the Load Master.

With this session on the Master, I will be switching from the Lee Micro-Disk to the Auto Drum to deliver the small charge.

Al of NOE has also been after me to provide the Load Notes that I've been running for his various bullets and has requested it for the 25 Auto to go with his stock of molds he just inventories. I will get to that as well.

[Ohio3Wheels]

RD's point about getting the blocks hot is good advice. My experience with 25 caliber molds is with a Lyman that I used to cast for the 256 WM. It was difficult to get and keep hot, but when it did it threw great bullets. My original intent was to use it for IHMSA production in a 10" Contender and it worked out through the turkeys but it was no match for the rams so iy became a varmit pistol.

Make smoke,

[lrrice]

I'd be interested to know how the tiny charges work out on the auto drum.

[Ranch Dog]

I'd be interested to know how the tiny charges work out on the auto drum.

It didn't have any problems delivering the 1.7-grains (.24 cc) of Hodgdon's International.

What I look forward to the most with the Auto Drum and pistol cartridges is that I've always been a slave to the Auto Disk as I'm not going to measure handgun cartridge loads. I've had no luck with the Adjustable Charge Bar with either the Auto Disk or Auto Disk Pro, I've never had it deliver charges with low standard deviations and low extreme spreads of those charges.

So, now rather than shoot something close, I will actually do some bench work at the range and shoot a charge that is the best for each gun. This is where I'm at with my Taurus 25PLY. It is stuck with the 4 lbs I have of International, as it is not appropriate for anything else I shoot, but I can define a charge that it likes best rather than the .21 cc cavity of the Micro Charge Bar.