Casting your own bullets?

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It has been my experience that those without knowledge on a subject, are almost always the first weighing in to demonstrate said lack of knowledge.
 
hang fire said:
It has been my experience that those without knowledge on a subject, are almost always the first weighing in to demonstrate said lack of knowledge.
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So do you have anything to add, other than that you are late to the discussion?
 
I would say that's a heck of a state to make on its own without any additional information or insight to go with it. Since they assume to be so knowledgeable I would assume some pearls of wisdom would have been left.
 
Geeze. You don't need no thermometer. A manual is a lot better for information than some salty old forum members! Heat gun? Turkey basters? Hardness tester? With a response like the above I'd go, nope I'd run to any other forum for info...
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Please do.
 
My reading comprehension is just fine. The Lyman casting book that I read was all about casting, it had great detail on the whole process. There were a lot more than 9 pages in the book about casting. Are you sure you are referencing the right book? After all they have a reloading manual and a casting manual.
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I meant to type 19. The rest is historical info and load data which is pretty sparse. You'd have to get all the Lyman Handbooks ever published to to get a decent amount of info.
 
I did some casting back in the late 60's. Single cavity Lee 255gn RNFP. Still have a few and they are pretty nice looking.
I have been thinking about getting started again and looking through my literature. Can't seem to find anything on casting and don't remember where I got my info that long ago, but it would have been from books, as that was well before the internet.
I have the current edition of Lyman's Cast Bullet Handbook that I purchased for the lead bullet loads, so I started there. I also was pretty disappointed in the amount of actual step by step content.
May seem silly to the youngsters, but one of my big decisions before starting to buy equipment is what size mold to buy-the two cavity or the six cavity. I remember the single cavity was slow, but I don't know if the arthur in my hands will let me handle a six cavity for a very long period at a time.
Any experience by aged casters would be appreciated.
 
255 is a big bullet. The 2-cavity mold is cheap; about $20 including the handles. You can't go too wrong starting with that.

In smaller (lighter) bullets, like 38's and 9mm's, the 6 cavity mold is *so* much faster than a 2 and it should be manageable.

With Lee molds, there's not much risk if you choose the wrong one. They don't cost much to start with, and you can sell them used for close to what you paid.
 
Go to the cast boolits site. There is
more information on casting then here.

Since you'll be shooting cast bullets then you'll want the Lyman Cast Bullet Handbook. It has more load data then you will get from the powder manufacturers. It also explains the casting process from start to finish. You'll want the 3rd and 4th editions if you get into it seriously.

Go to the Cast Boolits and start reading. Since the site is built around casting there is really in depth information.

Here is a pic of my production setup.
10444ECC-9BBE-4718-917C-589F4FC72E0D-318-0000002EB034C4B8.gif

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Quote:
"255 is a big bullet. The 2-cavity mold is cheap; about $20 including the handles. You can't go too wrong starting with that.

In smaller (lighter) bullets, like 38's and 9mm's, the 6 cavity mold is *so* much faster than a 2 and it should be manageable.

With Lee molds, there's not much risk if you choose the wrong one. They don't cost much to start with, and you can sell them used for close to what you paid."

I see what you mean. The bullets in a 6 cavity 125gn mold would be 750gn as opposed to the 400gns in a two cavity 200gn mold. This translates into only 1/2 oz difference in weight. Of course the mold and handles would weigh more on the six cavity.
 
Duckdog said:
I find it odd that the OP has not replied back to any of the posts. I think the most important question asked to him that he did not reply back to was if this was for pistol or rifle. Casting for pistols is far less critical as far a Q.C. than for a rifle.

Bullet casting is certainly not like making a swiss watch and much is learned by doing, not overthinking. I've been casting for more years than I care to remember and most of it was learned along the way... pre internet.
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Sorry I didn't reply back to anyone I have been offline for a while and haven't had the time to see if there was any responses, and boy did I get a lot! Right now I want to cast for my 45 colt and 45-70. Later on I might cast for some of my bigger calibers but right now Im just going to cast for these two to start with.

Ok so now that I have read all the post I have a few more questions.
Can you use straight bees wax for lube?
Why do you need to size the bullets once they are cast? I would have thought the mold would do that?
Would it be a good idea to put gas checks on all of the bullets? I am undecided on if i should do that or not.
Can you get wheel weights at any salvage?

I plan on buying the Lyman manual and reading it. When I started reloading I found out that having a reference book handy made a big difference.

Thanks again to everyone for the replys!
 
Answers interspersed...

Can you use straight bees wax for lube?

You can, but you'll have limited success. Regular paraffin wax makes the lube a bit harder, easy to handle, and it won't melt or migrate easily to your powder.

Why do you need to size the bullets once they are cast? I would have thought the mold would do that?

Each mold has its own characteristics--and each alloy will be different, casting bullets that vary slightly. Sizing the bulets will make sure that they are of a uniform diameter for better results.

Would it be a good idea to put gas checks on all of the bullets? I am undecided on if i should do that or not.

Gas checks will help if you routinely plan to push bullets at increased velocities. Other than that, a regular base will do fine.

Can you get wheel weights at any salvage?

Most metal salvage places will carry them. You can also be creative, and look around for large chunks of lead to salvage as well.
 
U don't need no manual.

U don't need no other forum.

What you do need is a furnace, a thermometer, a mold and appropriate handles, a sizer, some pans to lube with, a pair of pliers, a towel, a heat gun, beeswax, alox, turkey baster, hot plate, a large piece of cardboard, an ingot mold, and a hardness tester.
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I'll agree with you that the Lyman manual is a disappointment if you have read much else about casting. I will say the same for the RCBS cast boolet book as well. Other than the load data they contain and the section on heat treating I didn't learn anything that Dean Grinnell didn't teach me in The ABC's of Reloading. I do think the load data makes the Lyman book a worthwhile investment, so maybe we differ on that.

The part of this post that struck me was your recommendation to get a turkey baster. I've been casting since 1987 and I've never needed a turkey baster. I always thought they only had two uses--basting turkeys and insemination!
 
Beeswax is good as a base, but it is best mixed with stuff like vasoline,stp,olive oil,Johnsons paste wax,mobil red grease. Ya you can get a mixture of a lot of ingredients to make your own lubes. For starting cheap to get your feet wet, pan lubing works,so does tumble lubing. All that is needed is a pan to melt the lube and put your bullets in.

You can shoot bullet "as cast" if they are the right size,depending on how the mold drops(custum molds are made to your specs), otherwise sizing down is needed.Some like the more uniform size and roundness of sized bullets for accuracy, but that is up to the individual.
Gas check are optional as stated, they help with dealing with leading in higher velocities or guns that are a pain to eliminate leading.

I get all the WW I need from several local recyclers, most garages around here don't want to bother selling to an individual, they just sell for less to the junk yards(ya doesn't make sense, but they do). Some states are harder to get. I do sell some ww,pure, and range lead, if your interested. Otherwise there are several others over at cast boolits forum(you should really go there).Hint, hint;)
 
You picked 2 of the easier calibers to cast for. Normally, you shouldn't need gas checks on either of those unless you are hot rodding them. If your gun handles the bullets as cast and loaded, you can probably get by without sizing.
I personally use Lee Liquid Alox or Johnsons Paste Wax on my bullets and get zero leading up to 2250 fps in a 30-06.

Aother good resource for info on casting is the Lee 2nd Edition. You'll learn a quite a bit on how loading and pressures work with lead cast bullets.

Like was mentioned, casting isn't rocket science. Get the basics and the basic supplies and have at it. One main piece of advise is do not allow any water, sweat, etc, in the hot melted lead! If you do, you'll meet the tinsel fairy real fast!
 
I use an old whipped cream container and dribble some lube on them and just flop the bullets around until they are coated. Then I just dump them out on wax paper to dry. Sometimes for rifles I use two coats.

It really doesn't take a heck of a lot of lube if it's good lube like liquid alox.

Like I mentioned above, the Lee 2nd Edition has a good section on casting. You can pick it up for around $10 and the loads in it are worth that if all else fails.
 
If you do the tumble lube, the Alox will be sticky, even after drying. sprinkle some powder corn starch on them and roll em again on a clean wax paper or cloth and it'll go away.
 
As previously stated, go to the cast bullets website. In addition to a bunch of very knowledgeable guys, they have group buys going on for unique custom-made moulds. I picked up several brass moulds made by a guy in Europe that are simply first-rate.

Don
 
Dragon doesn't the handle on the pot get hot without the wooden knob? Mine came without the knob, I called lee and they sent me one.
 
I accidentally threw the knob away. I wear welders gloves when casting so it doesn't bother me. Now when a
sprue plate doesn't open easily by hand, that bothers me ;)
I thought about just making a knob but I've gotten used to it.

And as to the OP's questions. Everything you're asking can be answered by reading the manuals or running a google search. You're already on the Internet and the basic questions have been answered countless times. If you type in something like "cast boolits tumble lube" you will get results for specific threads that deal with that topic. And there is no waiting around for someone to type a response.

I also find the Lee Second Edition to have a good overview. You will get info on tumble lubing and push through sizing that works well for a lot of applications.


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Do you need to pack lube in the lube groves on the bullets? The reason I'm asking is because all the cast bullets I have bought all had lube packed in the grooves.

I am defiantly going to check out the casting forum.

Thanks again for all the replies!
 
That is done with a lubrisizer. Its kind of like a single stage press that has a die and the bullet is pushed down into the die(it sizes it to the dia of the die), when the bullet is down the lube is pushed through holes in the die and fills up the groove. In tumble lubing you just coat the whole bullet with a film and not fill the groove. Two different methods.
 
If you choose to tumble lube you can use Lee dies that fin in your single stage press. They are about 20.00. That is all I have used so far as I have not had the money to buy a lubing and sizing press. It has worked will for me so far. I imagine I will eventually get one. I have been able to push a 270 grain 44 call bullet out of a 444 lever at 2,100 fps without leading issues.
 
I'll chime in here. I used to tumble lube using bullets I cast in Lee molds made for tumble lubed bullets. My bigest problem with the tumble lube set up was the lube would stick to the bullet seating ram and more and more would build up there by seating the bullet deep and deeper into the case. Solution was to clean the inside of the seating/crimping die every 10/15 rounds.

Finally gave up and purchased a lub/sizer press and problems solved.
 
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