Custom smoothbore moulds

[hp gregory]

i wanted to make mention of this for those of you who are having a hard time finding the perfect smoothy mould. when bobby elka came over to the 17th we talked about what it would take to make a good mould for a smoothbore. bobby said he could make them in his machine shop. bobby has a complete shop including cnc equipment. there is realy very little he cant make. so he started to experiment in his shop and came up with a way to make a very beautiful iron mould that fits rcbs handles. the sprue plate is very thick which helps fill out the ball so they weigh the same ball after ball. one realy great thing is there is practicaly no sprue to deal with. there is also no flat spot on the ball. the balls are round and very easy to get ready for lubing. due to the way bobby makes these he can vary the outside dia to fit your barrel. in other words he can make you whatever size you need. bobby gets $125 plus $10 shipping. i was paying more than that for custom moulds 20 years ago. bobby may also be geting into some 54 and 58 minie moulds down the road as well. so if you need a quality mould made to your specs give bobby some thought.

hp gregory

[Phil Spaugy, 3475V]

I purchased one of Bobbys moulds at the Nationals, the workmanship is simply superb !! And at $125.00 is a great value.

I am looking forward to his .54 and .58 moulds when they come out.

Phil

[tony 1st regt]

contact info, email add etc for Bobby???

[Bob Elka, 12001]

Email custom.moulds@gmail.com for orders and questions.
Please include your name and contact information when contacting.

Feel free to ask any questions via email or private messages on this board.

Thanks,

Bob Elka

[Brownie 12th U.S.]

What's the best way to determine the perfect size mould? Do these need to be roughed up with the file or can these be shot as cast (with lube of course)?

Thanks

[hp gregory]

that all depends on what your gun likes. most people rought them up on rasps. some however are lucky enough to shoot them out of the mould. the best fit seems to be one that just slides down the barrel with little effort. loose is good tight is bad in my gun. a very thin coat of alox works best. so the size of the ball will depend on how you want to shoot you smoothy.
hp

[Brownie 12th U.S.]

So, you just have to experiment. Thanks.

[Bob Elka, 12001]

I tend to seek .003 - .004 clearance. Anything tighter is tough to load and accuracy will suffer. If I plan to knurl with files i want a cast bullet .008 - .012 under
bore size before knurling. I've shot well with both knurled and unknurled balls its all about the fit and how much and what kind of lube is used.

[Brownie 12th U.S.]

Thanks for the guidelines, now I have a better idea of where to start looking.