[Brian Williams]

What do I need to start molding my own.

I want to do 357 158GR LSWC & LSWCHP AND 45 255grLSWC & 230grLRN.

What hot pot, ladle, handles??????????

[Poodleshooter]

You can use a propane/Coleman stove, an iron frying pan and a set of Lee ladles and moulds if you want to do it on the cheap. Specify a price range and I can help you better.

[Brian Williams]

I want to do it right at least with the tools. I can get a hot pot and ladle later.

what do I need to do it right

Sizer, lubes, molds???

Who makes it all??? and how much do I need to spend, cause I have no clue.

this will be a start. propane/Coleman stove, an iron frying pan

[Cal4D4]

I'm waffling around the issue also, Perfessr. Sizer runs ~$100 for the Lyman to about $200 for the Redding/SAECO. On top of that you need 2 sizing dies and 2-3 top punches for the different bullet shapes/sizes. 2 cavity die blocks (Lyman) run about $50 per bullet. Handles are about $25-$30 each. Lee dies are way cheaper and are made of aluminum. Lube is about $3-$4/stick. Many of the newer lubes are hard at room temp and require a heating plate for the sizer. Both Lyman and RCBS make nice bottom pour furnaces in the $200+ range. Some like gas checks which add about .01/bullet.

[HSMITH]

I am casting 45, and 357. I use a stainles steel bowl, a spoon bent up into a ladle, and Lee molds. I melt on the side burner of the gas grill in the back yard. I lube with Lee liquid alox and shoot unsized bullets. I can shoot as accurately as jacketed bullets with both calibers, and better than jacketed in 357. You need a mold, everything else you can scare up around the house. Casting is not for everyone, give it a shot before you go whole hog on it.

[happy old sailor]

you use any food preparation/eating article, like a cast iron skilet, or a spoon, NEVER EVER use it for foodstuff again. also, don't let the lead boil. makes for deadly fumes. cast out of doors and stay upwind.

i began making bullets with a cast iron skillet and a coleman stove using a casting "egg" to dip and pour the lead into a single cavity .45 mould. lubed by hand (fingers) and made a mess, but, it worked. softer lead bullets around 451 and 452 did not need sizing. dry moulds rust big time and rapidly. don't ask.

i found this to be way way cheaper than purchasing bullets. also found it an enjoyable hobby and began upgrading my equipment. first came an electric leadpot with bottom pour. that old SAECO still does the job with a cord replacement every decade or so. then a lubrisizer, more moulds with more cavities, high temp thermomenter, and other small items i thought i needed. thats the way i got into it.

this stuff served me for many years until my income was such that i could purchase cast bullets by the thousands. i still have it and a good supply of lead ingots in the barn if for some reason i must return to making my own again. like reloading, you can make as good as you can buy.

get the Lyman manual on cast bullets. also, ask questions on this forum before investing in some pricey piece of equipment. someone here has/had one of anything imaginable in this line.

[Poodleshooter]

Ok, you've defined where you want to start. Personally, for now,I would stick with the frying pan and dipper method. As sailor stated, don't ever use the pan for anything else! Also, if you use the camp stove, clean it WELL after melting lead.
I recommed the dipper/pot method as opposed to a dedicated melter because: A it's cheaper and B. the pots tend to leak, require some maintenance,and in general are a little more troublesome. Their key advantage is that you can cast quickly, much quicker than by dipper. I use a pourable melting pot nowadays to facilitate production. It seems that all models with pour spouts are prone to leakage of some sort if temperatures aren't maintained within a suitable range, or if dirty lead is used, so the problem is pretty universal. Lee bottom pour pots run about $40-60 online, but lack a thermostat.
Ladle: The "egg" shaped dippers are far superior to the spoon type dippers such as the Lee model. The ability to hold a large amount in the dipper is helpful. The lee model has somewhat substandard assembly, and since it spends a lot of time in the pot and has a short handle, the wooden handle tends to char. Go with an RCBS or Lyman dipper. Use a long handled spoon for stirring the lead.
Moulds: Personally, I use Lee. They're cheaper, come with their own handles,heat up to casting temperature much faster than iron molds (less reject bullets), and they don't rust.
Disadvantages are that they can overheat and start to mismatch until cooled down (the halves of the mold don't mate up properly and you leak lead all over). They can get sticky under high heat, making smoking of the mold critical so that bullets drop free cleanly.
Basically, you have to take care of them, and know what you're doing to cast well with them. FWIW,most folks don't agree with me, and use iron molds.
Sizing dies: I shoot as cast. Lee has an inexpensive sizer, but I've never used it.
Lube:The simplest way to lube bullets is with an Alox type tumble lube, and a bullet with multiple grooves to facilitate tumble lubing. It's smoky when shot, and messy to handle but is a decent lube, and is much easier and cheaper to use than a hard lube and an expensive melter. It's probably the best option for a new guy as it requires no tooling at all (very inexpensive). If you really want nice bullets, the melter and hard lube are the way to go.

[Johnny Guest]

One comment, though - - -
Since you're sacrificing the melting vessel for food use for all time, I'd take a run around garage sales or second hand shops and look for a small Dutch Oven or the like. Iron skillets are certainly usable, but are pretty shallow and there's a LOT of surface area exposed to the air. Pots and Dutch Ovens are deeper and narrower - - Easier to control the temperature, less conducive to splashing (this can be kinda painful, y'know?) and easier to move without spilling.

As to lubrication - - I started out with this method. Set bullets base down in a pie pan. Pour melted Lyman/Ideal lubricant just up past lube groove. Let lube cool. Use Lyman Kake Kutter remove bullets from cooled lube. The KK is an aluminum tube just barely bullet diameter with a knurled handle. It is pressed down around the bullet-in-lube, and after 3 or 4 bullets are done, they begin coming out the top. Wipe bases on a shop cloth and they may be loaded as cast, or run thru the sizer die. I began with a Lyman 310 tool die threaded into a 7/8 x 14 adaptor in my press. this is a very cheap way to start out, and is really pretty satisfactory.

READ AND HEED ALL the warnings about lead contamination in the manuals and web sites and the above replies. This applies most especially if you contemplate having children. Even if you don't, lead poisoning is cumulative and insiduous. Causes nerve damage and other problems. Please understand: I am not trying to discourage anyone from bullet casting - -I just want all my friends to remain healthy as long as possible.:)

Best,
Johnny

[Edward429451]

All good advice. Take a real good look at the pictures of all brands of casting equipment to familierize yourself with it, then go garage saleing. Its absolutely amazing how many garage sales have a piece or two of casting stuff laying there that they have no clue of and will give up for pennies on the dollar.

When you cast, wear long sleeves and gloves, hat and safety glasses are a good option also. Molten fuming lead can absorb right through your skin and is very dangerous. Casting outside is the preferred method for men who wish to stay married, but the downside is...one single raindrop or moth/insect that falls into the pot will empty the pot of molten lead in an instant in all directions. Be careful. Its an explosion of lead so to speak.

Get the Lyman Cast Bullet Handbook for lots and lots of good data. A hammer handle or (fat) broom handle cut down is the preferred method of opening the mould. Dont bang on the mould to make a sticking bullet drop free, tap the handle pivot.

[Quantrill]

I would like to echo 429451 about the Lyman Cast Bullet Handbook. It is probably the only good cast bullet book still being published. Others that I don't think are still being published but are good is RCBS cast bullet book and the NRA Cast Bullet Handbook. Quantrill

[Thumper]

one single raindrop or moth/insect that falls into the pot will empty the pot of molten lead in an instant in all directions.

Not quite THAT bad, but it does hurt. Something to remember if you drop your cast bullets into water...that stuff tends to splash.

I use the inexpensive .451 Lee sizer. It works fine.

Bullet casting's one of the most relaxing things I do.