Casting bullets
- Thread starter Clifford
- Start date
- Status
GP100man
Member
JackOfAllTradesMasterAtNone
Member
I'll second that... (CastBoolits.com). There is more experience there with the membership of that forum than you'll ever find published in any book. I would suggest the Lyman Cast manual for starters.
-Steve
-Steve
James Thomson
Member
- Joined
- Feb 28, 2007
- Messages
- 39
You can buy lead bullets pretty cheap that wasn't available when I started casting. If you decide to go ahead, I would look at Lee for a lot of my equipment. I have mostly RCBS equipment but that stuff has gone through the roof the last few years. Lee's prices have stayed low for the most part.
loadedround
Member
Lyman has a "Cast Bullet Handbook" that is probably the best guide on the market. I haven't checked to see if it's still available, but if out of print, you could try Ebay or Amazon. I had casted bullets for many years, but as others have said it may be cheaper to buy your cast bullets than make them. I now buy all my cast bullets in bulk. If you have a cheap/free source of lead, then it's worthwhile. 
NuJudge
Member
Decide what you are going to shoot the cast bullets at. Decide on the quantity you want to cast. Decide on the level of capital investment you want to make. Make sure you are willing to dedicate the necessary space to casting bullets.
Can I suggest you first measure barrel groove diameter and cylinder throat diameter where applicable, then buy a variety of correct diameter commercially cast bullets to find ones your pistols like, and then get the gear to produce them yourself?
I shoot a lot of cast bullets, through rifles as well as pistols. A lot of bullets means I need 4 and 6 cavity molds, and need a big furnace to feed the molds. For Lubing and sizing, nothing beats the speed of the Star lubricator sizer. The Lee Tumble Lube system works, but is messy and in some ways inflexible.
There are safety concerns working with molten Lead: burns as well as toxicity. Read enough to take appropriate measures.
As with jacketed bullets, there are some cast bullet load combinations that work through most firearms, but there are fewer of them. The older Lyman manuals listed some of these in their data, the newer Lyman manuals do not.
Cast Boolits can save you a lot of grief. A lot of supplies and equipment can be purchased there cheaper than anywhere else. The site will not save you any money, because the increase in your shooting will consume all savings. They will also train you to be a first rate scrounger.
Can I suggest you first measure barrel groove diameter and cylinder throat diameter where applicable, then buy a variety of correct diameter commercially cast bullets to find ones your pistols like, and then get the gear to produce them yourself?
I shoot a lot of cast bullets, through rifles as well as pistols. A lot of bullets means I need 4 and 6 cavity molds, and need a big furnace to feed the molds. For Lubing and sizing, nothing beats the speed of the Star lubricator sizer. The Lee Tumble Lube system works, but is messy and in some ways inflexible.
There are safety concerns working with molten Lead: burns as well as toxicity. Read enough to take appropriate measures.
As with jacketed bullets, there are some cast bullet load combinations that work through most firearms, but there are fewer of them. The older Lyman manuals listed some of these in their data, the newer Lyman manuals do not.
Cast Boolits can save you a lot of grief. A lot of supplies and equipment can be purchased there cheaper than anywhere else. The site will not save you any money, because the increase in your shooting will consume all savings. They will also train you to be a first rate scrounger.
dardascastbullets
Member
Hi Clifford,
Ditto on the Lyman Reloading Handbook. That volume is THE cast bullet primer and has a mountain of cast bullet loads in it for all the common pistol and rifle calibers. I have seen it for sale on Amazon.
I trust that this will help you.
Ditto on the Lyman Reloading Handbook. That volume is THE cast bullet primer and has a mountain of cast bullet loads in it for all the common pistol and rifle calibers. I have seen it for sale on Amazon.
I trust that this will help you.
putteral
Member
Youtube.com has some interesting videos on bullet casting. I found them very helpfull.
Careful, Clifford.
If you think handloading can become dangerously addictive, Casting is just another spinoff. You will soon find yourself trying to locate as much lead as humanly possible and then once you began the smelting process, (Did I mention that you will find yourself searching out the best smelting system?) You will then want a good bottom pouring pot, ladles, fluxing material, mold sprays to make your bullets drop out easier, Oh yeah, Molds... You will want molds for all the bullets you shoot (sometimes 3 or 4 types for one caliber) gas checks (1 year ago, I had never bought a gas check in my life) Lube/sizers, oh yeah, lubes... you will find yourself pouring this into that, mixing this with that to try to find a good lube you can make yourself, tumbling in alox, mica, floor wax, and using Crisco, Vasoline, bees wax, surf board wax, parifan wax, STP oil treatment, castor oil, and your favorite color crayons...
Crazy... but you're going to love it, Mate.
LGB
If you think handloading can become dangerously addictive, Casting is just another spinoff. You will soon find yourself trying to locate as much lead as humanly possible and then once you began the smelting process, (Did I mention that you will find yourself searching out the best smelting system?) You will then want a good bottom pouring pot, ladles, fluxing material, mold sprays to make your bullets drop out easier, Oh yeah, Molds... You will want molds for all the bullets you shoot (sometimes 3 or 4 types for one caliber) gas checks (1 year ago, I had never bought a gas check in my life) Lube/sizers, oh yeah, lubes... you will find yourself pouring this into that, mixing this with that to try to find a good lube you can make yourself, tumbling in alox, mica, floor wax, and using Crisco, Vasoline, bees wax, surf board wax, parifan wax, STP oil treatment, castor oil, and your favorite color crayons...
Crazy... but you're going to love it, Mate.
LGB
bullseye308
Member
Clifford, replace that 30 gal with a few 5 gal buckets or you will ruin your back hauling them home. 
I realized just the other day I haven't loaded a round in almost two months.
I have reduced about 2000 lbs of scrap lead to ingots, and cast close the 3000 bullets. Maybe I need to get the lead out (pun intended), load some ammo and get the to range.
On a side note. If you find a good supply of cheap to free lead, and are willing to count your spare time as having no value, you can pretty well turn shooting into a break even prop selling lead wheel weight ingots online. As of Saturday, I am back to even money wise on my reloading and casting hobbies.
lordgroom
Member
Ditto on Lyman Cast Bullet Handbook and Castboolits. Castboolits has some stickies that show step by step casting techniques.
Casting is a hobby for those who have too much time on their hands, and don't mind not shooting. Because all that you will do is cast bullets.
You have to find your lead, you have to smelt the stuff into ingots, you have to remelt the stuff and cast it in molds. You have to size, lube, and gas check the rifle bullets.
And the you will find everything you did is all wrong.
If you have compulsive characteristics, run away from casting!!
bullseye308
Member
Then you get into can you shoot it unsized or do you have to size it? Then you get into adjusting the hardness for different applications. Then you get a different mold or 2 for every gun. Then you try different lubes and don't like them so you experiment making them. Then you decide ladle casting is fun, but you want a bottom pour for those days you really need some bullets cast. Then you decide tumble lubing 3000 bullets isn't fun and invest in a lube/sizer. Then you find one gun just doesn't seem to like cast bullets because there is something you haven't tried yet but don't know what it is. Then you price jacketed and it is all worth it.
RustyFN
Member
I fall into that catagory.
Glad I don't fall into that one, I shoot when ever I want. This is how I look at casting.
Lead = free
time = free
equipment to smelt and cast = around $250
Now the equip is payed off and being able to load 45 auto with my own cast bullets for $27 per 1,000 = priceless.
Rusty
bullseye308
Member
What the heck kind of qty did you buy your primers & powder in to get that price???
I'm doing good to get primers at 25.00/1000
. Or maybe how long ago did you buy the powder & primers might be the better ? I'm happy to load at 40.00/1000 for pistols at today's prices.RustyFN
Member
I made a primer purchase last year, 50,000 primers for around $800. That's around $16 per 1K. Also get 8 pound jugs of powder for under $100 per jug and buy 48 pounds at a time. Comes close to $13 per pound. When you max out a hazmat order it doesn't add much on per thousand or pound.
Rusty
Dean Williams
Member
Nonsense. I shoot four times as much by casting/reloading my own as I would be able to if I had to pay retail for loaded ammo. Mostly 45 ACP, 45 Colt, 357/38.
For 45 ACP ammo it costs me $3 per box of 50.
jcwit
member
If it wasn't for casting I would not be able to shoot anywhere near as much as I do. I'd end up spending all my time comparing pricing, checking who has what in stock, filling out order forms, writting out payment checks, waiting & waiting till the order comes in, on and on. No way have I got that much time to waste, or money either for that matter.
I'll stay with my time efficient and cost effective way of doing things.
I'll stay with my time efficient and cost effective way of doing things.
RustyFN
Member
I agree. Not to mention all the fun you get out of doing it. I cast for one caliber now and will probably add two more this year.
Rusty
bullseye308
Member
I enjoy casting as much as reloading and shooting. It's like 3 hobbies that go hand in hand together. That and I can shoot so much more than if I bought factory. Clifford, you are gonna love it.
Clifford, you are gonna love it. Dean Williams
Member
Exactly! It IS a hobby, after all. A hobby that pays dividends in more ammo for less money.
I'd rather spend an hour at home making my own bullets than an extra hour at work earning money to buy them, and I don't have to pay income tax on the time I spend at home.
GP100man
Member
i`m happy & i shoot so i can cast & load!!!!
there i said it !!!!!
GP100man
will cosider going hungry for wheelweights .
always check your tires when ya come out of wal-mart!!!
there i said it !!!!!
GP100man
will cosider going hungry for wheelweights .
always check your tires when ya come out of wal-mart!!!
Last edited:
- Status