casting wannabe

[FRANK1669]

I was thinking about getting into casting bullets But i have a few questions
What I was thinking of getting was lee production pot and 6 cavity mold
I realize ther will be a learning curve But with this kind of set up how many bullets could I make in an hour? Also is the lee alox lube Any Good ? the only casting knowledge I have was from reading the Lee reloading Manual so any thoughts on what they left out or is right or wrong would be appretiated. thanks in advance

[rick_reno]

I used to cast bullets - I'm pretty sure I've got that same pot sitting around in my shop (bottom pour?).

Are you planning on using aluminum moulds or steel? Lee makes aluminum moulds, they worked good for me. The only problem I had with them is they can get too hot, when they did I'd slow down. I didn't see any big differences in the bullets that came out of RCBS (steel) moulds vs. the cheaper Lee (al) moulds.

I don't think I'd start with a 6x mould, getting the mould up to temp is important and I found that was easier with 2x moulds. I think I used that lube too, it seemed to work fine but then I'm not sure I'd have known if it wasn't working ok. I recall it was a liquid lube, I found a small plastic container that I'd put some in, put the bullets in and shake them around.

I hope it mentions it in your book, but make sure that when you're adding material to the hot pot that it is dry - and do this someplace where you've got lots of ventilation.

[LAH]

Frank get a Lyman Cast Bullet Manual. Great read. I learned to cast reading the 45 Ed. Lyman loading manual. Like Rick I suggest starting with a single or double cavity mould...........Creeker

[PDshooter]

I've been casting now almost 20yrs. It takes time. But I've got my 45ACP reloads down to $1.50 per box of #50 ...CK out E-bay for used molds. I bought my H&G68 mold 20yrs ago...Back then it cost $180 for a 6-cavity... But there the BMW of molds......CK out http://www.castboolits.gunloads.com/index.php

Tons of INFO!!!!!!!
I use straight W/W for all my casting. Never melt your scrap lead in the pot used for castingI melt W/W down into 5lb bars, clean out all the crap you don't want. Then put the bars into the elec, pot
Then I lube them when all else is done

Have fun! I do !

[PDshooter]

5.3GR of W231.......208GR H&G68 bullet

[Unclenick]

I like the Lee tumble lube bullets and own their 6 cavity molds in .32 and .38 wadcutter, .44 SWC, and four different.45's, including a custom 287 grain mold I had them make up for me. All these bullets fire as-sized using the Lee Liquid Alox lube. They are typically more accurate than commercial cast bullets in my experience. I have one 1911 that doesn't feed reliably if I don't run the finished rounds into a Lee Factory crimp die first.

I use the RCBS 20 lb. bottom pour pot because its temperature control works better than the one on the Lee 10 lb. pot I own, and its inconel liner is easier to clean up. Even working slowly out of a hot pot, cycle time is typically about 45 seconds per pour once I get block temperature up. That's a rate of 480 bullets an hour and with 200 grain bullets that's about 13 lbs of alloy an hour. In reality, there are longer breaks to flux and remove dross and add fresh alloy and let it heat up to keep the pour pressure even, then you have to get the mold back up to temperature again. I think my real output is probably more like 250 an hour if I also count the prep time for melting alloy into ingots and cleaning the wheel weights up before a casting session can even start, then the lubing and setting the bullets out on waxed paper to let the lube dry, not to mention sorting out match candidates by weight.

Nick

[LAH]

Great pictures PD. I love that bullet. It was one of our best movers.

Not to hijack the thread but which MOS is 63H? I was 63K......Creeker

[PDshooter]

63H is heavy equipment repair..R&R...engines, transmission, also rebuilding them....I worked as a tech, full time for almost 11yrs at CSMS shop. Or DS 3&4 .
Biggest mistake I ever made was taking a "Med" out

[yodarkritch]

I prefer the Lee reloading manual for a real world picture of the casting and reloading effort over time and history but I prefer the Lyman cast bullet handbook for theory and meat and gristle answers.

The most important thing is to find a source of BEESWAX, ALOX 2138 F (discontinued) and wheelweights (make your agreements) and a souce of tin

yodar

[jsflagstad]

As I started shooting and reloading more, I saw the benifits in casting my own bullets. I started casting 175 grain LSWC for my 40 S&W in the Lee tumble lube design. These seem to work well. I went with the 2 cavity mold and makes good bullets once you get it up to temp. I did over heat the mold the other day as I was on a role and it needed a bit of down time to cool off. I also started loading the R.E.A.L bullets for my muzzleloader, seem like good bullets but are a chore to load. Recently, I bought the LEE shotgun slug mold as I am attempting to load my own slugs for the 12ga. This was a bit touchy until I got the mold smoked up good. I will probably run a post on the 12ga slugs to see if anyone has experience with these.

I bought the 10lb Lee production pot IV from Midway. I will be buying more molds soon for my 9mm, 357, and 45. I will buy the tumble lube design and the Alox as it seems to work well. All of the Lee stuf has always served me just fine.

Have fun!

JSF

[Ken - Oh]

400-700 an hour is quite reasonable with a six cavity mold. Things will go slower with larger bullets (you have to refill the pot more often, flux more often, clean off the dross, etc.) When making 255 gr bullets, it seems that refilling the pot is an almost constant job when using a 6 cavity mold.

Myself, I started with the two cavity molds but quickly went to six cavity. I have never used anything but Lee molds.

I use a steel pot (RCBS?) on an old propane camping stove. I cast straight wheel weights.

Ken