First mold, First casts

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Kevin, what a brave soul you are! I don't envy you, as I have no plans whatsoever to shoot lead, but I give you a lot of credit. I know things aren't exactly as you expect them to be, but think back to your first loads. At least in my case I'm glad that I shot them all up and have no visible evidence of how bad I was. You'll get it...just keep at it. Congratulations on the good rounds, and just keep re-melting the bad ones.
 
Working backwards,
Mark, thanks for the encouragement. I'm actually enjoying myself.
whughett, yes I have been told repeatedly about the quality of Lee Molds. Sadly Lee is the only one that has this profile. Yes I already have a Lyman ladle that I am using.
reddog81, I need to clear up my explanation. The mold states 102gr bullet and what I am dropping are between 105gr and 108.4gr.. So the deviation I am actually getting is 3.4gr. The concern was/is getting 108gr bullets from what is supposed to be a 102gr mold. Hope that is a little clearer and makes more sense.

Tried casting again today and just couldn't get the temp up high enough. everything had wrinkles some not too bad but still there. Even after letting the pot sit while covered and the mold sitting on the lead I couldn't get any frosted bullets to drop. So I packed it in and quit for the day. My thinking now is that it may be time to look for an electric casting pot.

For all those that are FREE with spending Others Money please do no suggest a $200.00 pot because that is never going to happen. So save you fingers!
 
I think an electric pot will make all the difference as you're close now.

The only suggestion I'd make is get some tin to add to your lead when needed. There are more than a few advantages to adding tin. Fill-out will get better, your bullet weight will drop much closer to advertised, and the sprue will cut much cleaner without smearing. Lead free solder and pewter are great sources of tin.

What I did was hit every thrift and antique store to find cheap pewter(tin) and managed to find five pounds for about $10 in one afternoon. I melted the pewter and cast come 200 grain 45s which actually dropped at 138 grains. Using range scrap lead, my Lee 451-200 SWC mold was dropping at 206 grain, so when I added two tin bullets to each pound of lead, that mold started to drop a consistent 200-201 grains with a much lower reject rate. If you are going to look for pewter, only get the food grade stuff, drink cups, pitchers, plates etc, which is pure pewter. Stay away from figurines, candlesticks and such as those are mostly lead and have other undesirable junk mixed in.
 
There are numerous electric pots on EBay under $100. You could also look for an older Coleman camp stove, the old type using white gas or Coleman fuel with a pressure fuel tank. That electric hot plate isn’t going to cut it. My experience is lead throws best at 600 to 700 degrees F. A slight frosting is better than wrinkles.
 
kmw1954 said:
So last night before I went to bed I went to the bench and weighed and measured these new casting. They all measured out at about .3565" to .358" most were right at .357".. The weight was a little different. The lightest weight was 105gr while the heaviest was 108.4gr.. Is this normal? How does this compare to what I should expect? How does lead alloy effect finished weight?
Click to expand...

The variation in weight and diameter is the result of a cheap mould. Not knocking them, as I have several Lee moulds, but the difference in bullets from a $20 Lee mould and a $50 + Lyman, NOE, Accurate, Arsenal , et al is really profound.

Some time back I bought a Lee 429-240-2R 6-cavity mould. One would think this mould would drop bullets in the vicinity of 240 grs., not mine. Cast of WW's, bullets as much as 260 grs., with a few weighing over 260. But, I bought the mould so I could cast lots of plinking bullets, and it serves that purpose well.

One word of caution; compared to other aluminum moulds, the aluminum used to make Lee moulds is quite soft. Handle them gently, don't bang on them with anything, run them hot enough that you can open the sprue with a gloved hand, and they'll give reasonable service.

Welcome to the highly addictive world of casting!

35W
 
Great responses folks, the one advantage I have is I'm only a little more than an hour away from Titan Reloading and a new Lee electric. The small 4# pot is only $39.00+ tax, the Magnum is $59.00 and the Production IV is $64.00 and the Pro4 is $69.00 so at this point I am unsure which way to go. The small 4# pot would probably handle what I'm doing very well as I could keep the hot plate to premelt. The Magnum at 20lbs is much more than I believe I would cast at one time. Even 10lbs is probably more than a session. If just casting these 102gr for the 380 then 5lbs would be about right.
 
I have the pro 4. If you start casting for another caliber with bigger slugs, you Will appreciate the size. A 6 cavity 240 grain mold empties a 20 pounds pot quickly. Ditto 50 and 54 cal muzzleloader projectile molds.
 
KMW,
A question as you seek the upgrade pot -- what other calibers/cartridges will you possibly cast for?
Since you tried casting, did you find you liked it?

Then, I'd say get the pot that will likely fill (no pun intended - maybe) the current and anticipated needs.
If you're anything like me... Once I started down this road I found that I WANT to cast for all my other calibers and cartridges.
 
For the 30 bucks I’d go with the larger. I use scrounged lead mostly from my gun club ranges back stop. In my case I have heavy cast iron lead pots and furnaces from my telco days to clean and prep this stuff Before casting into small ingots of a pound or so. (Corn bread stick pans, aluminum or cast iron found in thrift stores are great for this )
My thinking the larger pot will speed that process along greatly should you start acquiring free lead.
 
mstreddy said:
KMW,
A question as you seek the upgrade pot -- what other calibers/cartridges will you possibly cast for?
Since you tried casting, did you find you liked it?.
Click to expand...

As others have weighed in right now I think I too am leaning towards the Magnum pot. The small 4lb pot would be efficient but the size I think is just too small at only 3" in dia. and just 2" deep according to Lees website. The sauce pan I am using right now is 5.5" in diameter. Also in this I am considering the cost of operating it. As I stated previously I think the 20lb capacity pot is much bigger than I would need and probably cost more to use in electricity to maintain the temp on that amount od lead.

I only have 3 calibers; 380, 9mm and 45acp. Though at some point I have a 38Spl. coming to me. The 9mm will probably never be cast for. that leave just the 380 and the 45acp.

So far it do like this and am sure I will like it more once I actually start turning out really good Boolits!
 
45 slugs empty a pot quickly. I suggest the 20 pounder. A 6 cavity 200 or 230 grain mold wolfs the metal down.
 
OK, since you're talking 38 and 45 ACP, now you're talking... 38s at 158 gr and 45s at 200-230 gr will eat through lead quick!
Get the 20# pot. I see the Magnum is 20#, but it's for ladle pour. I have the 4-20 bottom pour. Once you have a rhythm going you will go through 10 or more pounds of lead quickly.
Question -- why not 9MM?
I shoot, therefore, load more 9 than anything else. Similarly I find that I'm casting more 9 as well.
 
Understood, though at this time I am in no hurry and haven't even thought about loading for the 45 and the 38 will be an inheritance so that may still be a while.
 
mstreddy said:
Oh wait until you start loading for the 45... :)

And what's more, when you cast for it...
Click to expand...

Why do you assume I don't already load for the 45acp, which I do, and why do you also assume that I will automatically cast for it? Even between two of us I am loading and shooting less than 1k 45acp each year.
 
kmw1954 said:
Why do you assume I don't already load for the 45acp,
Click to expand...
kmw1954 said:
though at this time I am in no hurry and haven't even thought about loading for the 45
Click to expand...

That's why the assumption, or rather, inference.
If it was misunderstood, then my apologies.
As to
kmw1954 said:
why do you also assume that I will automatically cast for it?
Click to expand...
This was an assumption, as I have found that casting, as a supplementary, or is it alimentary, operation to reloading, has opened up a whole bunch of possibilities - for me.
Of course all of this is just IMHO, and YMMV, and I DID NOT sleep at a Holiday Inn Express.
 
One of the nice thing about cast is that you can often shoot milder loads than you would get away with compared with jacketed or cast. My standard 45 load is a coated 200 grain SWC over 4.5 grains of bullseye, which is considerably below the book minimum. Cycles the action very reliably, quite accurate in my pistol, and soft enough recoil that I can shoot until my eyes get tired. I have found that 7 grains of Unique with the same bullet is extremely accurate, but since it is a full power load with a lot more recoil and blast I mostly shoot the bullseye load. I can tell you that if you start casting for 45 you will be shooting it more.
 
Guys, we are digressing here. A big part of this casting hobby is going to revolve around the availability and cost of lead. Here in this part of the world lead is not very plentiful anymore. Because of the EPA dealers/scrappers will not sell to the public. Many of the auto salvage yards also no longer permit customers out into the yard because of liability issues. That leaves tire dealers or repair shops and so far the few that I have talked with already have someone picking up their lead. That leaves scrounging craigslist or ebay, neither of which are cheap. Also I live right on the state line of Wisconsin/Illinois and Illinois had banned the use of lead WW years ago so it's not even worth traveling down that way.

Which brings me back to this 102gr bullet and casting for the 380. At even 105gr of lead per bullet 15lbs. of lead will provide about a years worth of bullets while 30lbs would make almost a years worth of 200gr 45acp bullets. So at that rate I need to scrounge/find/buy about 50lbs of lead per year to feed this. If the effort becomes too great or the price of lead becomes too high then I just won't do it any longer.
 
A bullet trap works great and has safety benefits that are....... well,headed this way IMO. Don't want to get off track so,will leave it at that.
 
brewer12345 said:
45 slugs empty a pot quickly. I suggest the 20 pounder. A 6 cavity 200 or 230 grain mold wolfs the metal down.
Click to expand...
But it also throws a lot of bullets, so unless the OP is shooting hundred of rounds a week it’s just bullets tying up lead and sitting in inventory.
kmw1954 said:
Guys, we are digressing here. A big part of this casting hobby is going to revolve around the availability and cost of lead. Here in this part of the world lead is not very plentiful anymore. Because of the EPA dealers/scrappers will not sell to the public. Many of the auto salvage yards also no longer permit customers out into the yard because of liability issues. That leaves tire dealers or repair shops and so far the few that I have talked with already have someone picking up their lead. That leaves scrounging craigslist or ebay, neither of which are cheap. Also I live right on the state line of Wisconsin/Illinois and Illinois had banned the use of lead WW years ago so it's not even worth traveling down that way.

Which brings me back to this 102gr bullet and casting for the 380. At even 105gr of lead per bullet 15lbs. of lead will provide about a years worth of bullets while 30lbs would make almost a years worth of 200gr 45acp bullets. So at that rate I need to scrounge/find/buy about 50lbs of lead per year to feed this. If the effort becomes too great or the price of lead becomes too high then I just won't do it any longer.
Click to expand...
Aw man that’s a lousy situation. My sources have been my plumber son, union man doing industrial work who occasionally gifts me a tree of plumbers lead and the backstop on the 25 yard line at my gun club. I’ve been retired from the Telephone Co for 21 years so my telco lead stash is pretty much gone.
A bad experience fouling up my casting equipment with zinc cured me of using wheel weights.
 
The best thing about being a shooter in a free state is there are so many places to collect range lead. Where I shoot, my wife and I were scrounging lead last week after an afternoon of plinking fun. With two sifters and a shovel we collected 37 pounds in just one hour and only collected in a small area. Melted down it should yield over 30 pounds of casting lead.
 
Right now I am of the impression that if I cast up a few hundred at a time that would be very acceptable for me. Understanding that it could be a lot more work heating and melting for smaller batches which was one reason I thought about the small 4lb capacity pot until I read that it's only about 2" deep.

As for lead sources I haven't tried contacting any of the plumbers, roofers or renovators yet and there are only 4 outdoor ranges within a hour or so and I assume they too already have someone scrounging their berms. But I will still contact them to ask.
 
The nice thing about casting a big stack of bullets is that you have a big stack of bullets. They don't go bad. If you get to busy to cast or the weather isn't cooperating, it is nice to have bullets.
 
Most people assume you’ll shoot more because that’s generally what ends up happening. Before I started reloading I shot around 500 to 1,000 rounds per year. I figure reloading would save money but I just ended up shooting 3,000 rounds per year for the same $. I figured casting would allow my to save some money since bullets were the most expensive part of reloading. I’m currently shooting 5,000 to 7,000 rounds per year...

The 20 pound pot uses 700 watts an hour. I have no idea what the price of electricity is so I googled it and it looks like the average rate is $.12 for a kilo watt hour. That means running at full power for an hour you’ll spend about $.08 to run the 20 lbs furnace vs $.06 for the 10 lbs melter.

For lead keep an eye on Craigslist and armslist. There are sellers in Wisconsin with lead for sale in the $1.50 to $2.00 range on both those sites right now. If interested, offer to buy all they have for closer to $1 per pound.
 
One could order 50 pounds of lead ingots from a couple of sellers on the cast boolit site for around $65 or so. That comes out to $1.25 per pound. I've bought several packages and that is what I started casting with. There's no scrounging, no smelting, just melt and cast. If the local sellers on craigslist sell it for $1 per pound, then that's even better.
 
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