My first batch of cast bullets

[awaveritt]

With a lot of help from you guys on the forum, I cast my first 100 bullets this week - Lee TL356-124=2r double cavity. I've loaded up ten of them at 3.5 grains of bullseye to make sure they cycle the action of my CZ75 before I do any mass production. I did have to get the Lee double cavity very hot to produce good casts but once I got the hang of it, it seemed pretty straigtforward. I do need a little more experience to learn just the right time to cut the sprue and drop the boolits. Out of a little more than a hundred I wound up culling 7 that had the krinkled noses or poorly filled out bases. all in all, alot of fun and just thought I'd share. (see pic)

[rbf420]

very nice! careful it's adicting though lol

[IllinoisCoyoteHunter]

Those look mighty fine for a beginner! Great job! As far as cutting the sprue, the best time is when the sprue "frosts over". You will notice that right after you pour the lead into your mold, the puddle of lead on the sprue plate will change color/texture and go from a shiny (molten lead) look to a frosted (semi-hardened lead). When you see this change, you are OK to cut the sprue. As the mold and sprue plate gets hotter and hotter, it will take a little longer for the sprue to harden...thus you have to wait longer to cut it. What I do is I have a damp sponge on hand and when the sprue is taking too long to harden (more than 5 seconds or so) I will touch the bottom of the mold to the sponge for 2-3 seconds (with the bullets still in the mold) to take some of the heat from the mold. This helps keep the mold temperature in the "sweet spot". Keep up the great work!

BTW....try Bullplate lube on the mold....it makes casting a dream! http://bullshop.gunloads.com/