The Firing Line Forums

Go Back   The Firing Line Forums > The Skunkworks > Handloading, Reloading, and Bullet Casting > Bullet Casting

Reply
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread
Old November 13, 2020, 09:50 PM   #1
Geezerbiker
Senior Member
 
Join Date: March 20, 2011
Location: Willamina, OR
Posts: 1,908
The bullet casting season has started for me

I got as far as digging out my molds, cleaning out the casing furnace and casting a few bullets just to get the molds hot to burn out the oil.

Years ago I bought a bunch of Ideal molds from an estate. I sold a couple, traded others and I have 6 of those left and I haven't tried using all of them. I always thought that this round nose .358 bullet wouldn't be much use to me so I didn't get around to trying it until today. It was a much easier to get good bullets from than some of my other Lyman/Ideal molds but I only cast enough with it to get good samples for measuring and then I moved on to other molds.

Anyway the oldlady needed me so I shut down for now. But this one mold drops .362" bullets that weight 158g +/- .2g.



I was hoping to size these down for 9mm but that would be quite a stretch.

I have a lot more molds to get back to so more later...

Tony
Geezerbiker is offline  
Old November 15, 2020, 01:12 AM   #2
BJung
Senior Member
 
Join Date: December 5, 2019
Posts: 773
Fun
BJung is offline  
Old November 15, 2020, 08:40 AM   #3
Mike / Tx
Senior Member
 
Join Date: April 8, 2000
Posts: 2,101
The extent of my last 4 cast sessions has been fishing lures. We've poured up tail spins (Little George) and jig heads and blade baits in prep for winter hybrid and white bass.

Now if we can just get done deer hunting and get on with it.
__________________
LAter,
Mike / TX
Mike / Tx is offline  
Old November 15, 2020, 11:11 PM   #4
BJung
Senior Member
 
Join Date: December 5, 2019
Posts: 773
Lead Casts

I cast other things with my lead too

Last edited by BJung; September 12, 2021 at 12:13 AM.
BJung is offline  
Old November 18, 2020, 02:49 PM   #5
armoredman
Senior Member
 
Join Date: May 22, 2007
Location: Arizona
Posts: 5,295
Now those would be fun molds!
armoredman is offline  
Old November 18, 2020, 04:55 PM   #6
BJung
Senior Member
 
Join Date: December 5, 2019
Posts: 773
My wife's 15 year old nephew visited us from Japan so I bought the molds as a new experience for him and the chess set as a nice gift. I acquired spent bullets at a range. Everyone has heard of Japans gun control laws. So, after the set was made my wife asked him if he really wanted the set he made. His reply was "yes" because they were made from real bullets and that was cool! He has the chess set along with the brass jackets that the lead came from.
BJung is offline  
Old November 18, 2020, 08:09 PM   #7
Geezerbiker
Senior Member
 
Join Date: March 20, 2011
Location: Willamina, OR
Posts: 1,908
I'm too cheap to buy fishing sinker molds so I hold the brass wire loop in a medical forceps and use my bullet molds. Several years ago made a bunch with my .452 RN mold and I plan to make some pretty soon with my .32 RN mold...

Tony
Geezerbiker is offline  
Old November 18, 2020, 10:36 PM   #8
BJung
Senior Member
 
Join Date: December 5, 2019
Posts: 773
That's funny. My oldest brother did that to me once. I visited him and wanted to cast some bullets. Seeing my mold, he came back with some looped pieces of wire and asked me if I could pour a few bullets with the wire loops in them just as you describe.
BJung is offline  
Old November 19, 2020, 12:35 PM   #9
armoredman
Senior Member
 
Join Date: May 22, 2007
Location: Arizona
Posts: 5,295
i never thought of that - could get a roll of brass wire at the hardware store and make fishing sinkers from the junk lead.
armoredman is offline  
Old November 19, 2020, 01:43 PM   #10
Geezerbiker
Senior Member
 
Join Date: March 20, 2011
Location: Willamina, OR
Posts: 1,908
I bought a bag of preformed brass wire loops. I've never seen brass wire for sale but I've never looked either. I use the same alloy as I do for my bullets. I don't need that many so I don't worry about depleting my lead stash...

Tony
Geezerbiker is offline  
Old November 19, 2020, 04:58 PM   #11
BJung
Senior Member
 
Join Date: December 5, 2019
Posts: 773
The dollar store sells two roll wire packages..
BJung is offline  
Old November 19, 2020, 04:59 PM   #12
BJung
Senior Member
 
Join Date: December 5, 2019
Posts: 773
some grocery stores have bailing wire..
BJung is offline  
Old November 19, 2020, 09:04 PM   #13
Geezerbiker
Senior Member
 
Join Date: March 20, 2011
Location: Willamina, OR
Posts: 1,908
I used the brass loops because I wanted something that wouldn't rust. I'll keep an eye out for brass wire on a roll but I think I still have enough of the pre-made loops to last me though a couple years of fishing.

Tony
Geezerbiker is offline  
Old November 22, 2020, 08:48 AM   #14
Geezerbiker
Senior Member
 
Join Date: March 20, 2011
Location: Willamina, OR
Posts: 1,908
I did a little casting the other night but not too much since I have some real work right now and I can't ignore work that pays right now.

Anyway I cast these.


The little ones on the left are from a very old Lee mold for a 105g bullet for the .380ACP but with my alloy they drop at around 101~102g. I used to load them in popgun .38 special loads. Since I'm low on 9mm bullets, I'm going to see if I can get a load with them that will cycle my S&W 9mm Shield.

The larger bullets in the pic are from a Lee .456" mold that I don't recall buying. It looks like I lapped it a bit and I was dropping nice bullets in no time once it was warmed up. I'm not sure what I'm going to shoot them from. I might patch them up to .458 and shoot them from my .45-70.

I can't find that Lee 9mm mold I was talking about in another thread. It might have gotten lost in the last move. If so, it's not a great loss. I seem to have all the Lyman/Ideal molds that I recall having. I thought I had a couple more but I might have sold them with plans to get others than didn't happen. I have 11 Lyman molds and I think 10 Lee but I didn't count the Lee molds.

I'll get another 9mm Lee mold when they come back in stock and hopefully before the winter bullet casting season is over...

Tony
Geezerbiker is offline  
Old November 22, 2020, 10:30 AM   #15
hdbiker
Senior Member
 
Join Date: December 19, 2012
Posts: 297
I as almost out of loaded .45 acp rounds and bullets, so last week I set up and cast 500+ LEE TL 230 grain bullets an just finished loading them up yesterday. hdbiker
hdbiker is offline  
Old November 22, 2020, 02:39 PM   #16
Geezerbiker
Senior Member
 
Join Date: March 20, 2011
Location: Willamina, OR
Posts: 1,908
I have that Lee mold too and it's one of my favorites. I'm still tumble lubing bullets but one of these days I plan to get set up to powder coat them...

Tony
Geezerbiker is offline  
Old November 25, 2020, 10:37 PM   #17
BJung
Senior Member
 
Join Date: December 5, 2019
Posts: 773
Shooting Season for me

It's shooting Season for me. I tend to shoot on my birthday which is coming up. This is what my small reloading bench looks like. Attached is another photo of the RCBS neck expander die with interchangeable mandrel/flare die. Bullets tend to feed into resize cases like lead bullets into pistol cases.

Last edited by BJung; September 12, 2021 at 12:13 AM.
BJung is offline  
Old November 26, 2020, 07:08 AM   #18
Geezerbiker
Senior Member
 
Join Date: March 20, 2011
Location: Willamina, OR
Posts: 1,908
It's the rainy season here and that's one reason it's bullet casting time for me...

Tony
Geezerbiker is offline  
Old November 26, 2020, 11:35 AM   #19
BJung
Senior Member
 
Join Date: December 5, 2019
Posts: 773
Before I was married, rainy season was the best time to go to the range because I had the place to myself.
BJung is offline  
Old November 26, 2020, 12:24 PM   #20
armoredman
Senior Member
 
Join Date: May 22, 2007
Location: Arizona
Posts: 5,295
I am a small volume caster - did 150 124 gr Lee 9mm bullets and powdercoated them on Tuesday.
armoredman is offline  
Old November 26, 2020, 07:40 PM   #21
BJung
Senior Member
 
Join Date: December 5, 2019
Posts: 773
Armoredman. I have read that 9mm bullets are hard to cast well and be accurate. Have you found this to be true? I have a Lee-122 TC mold but haven't shot the bullets yet.
BJung is offline  
Old November 27, 2020, 12:08 AM   #22
BJung
Senior Member
 
Join Date: December 5, 2019
Posts: 773
I resized 9mm bullets that were double coated because the first coat did not cover well. Using the sizer for the bullet that would be around the bullet with one coat, the sizer removed the paint.
BJung is offline  
Old November 28, 2020, 05:36 PM   #23
armoredman
Senior Member
 
Join Date: May 22, 2007
Location: Arizona
Posts: 5,295
Not at all. I warm up my Lee 6 cavity mold on the stove on low while the lead melts in the Lee Production Pot, then once the lead is fluxed and ready, go to work with a warm mold and I get good bullets right from the get go.
If the sizing die took over the powder coat it's either not on well, (cook right), or your bullets is larger than your sizing die by a wide margin. For instance, if you are struggling to show that bullet through, it's too big out of the mold for your sizing die. Example - I cast a 129 .314 bullet for 7.62x39mm. I size it down to .311 and add a gas check at the same time...and the powdercoat stays on just fine. In 9mm if the PC is coming off, the bullet was too oversize to the sizing setup. I use Lee push through dies .356 for 9mm.
armoredman is offline  
Reply

Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump


All times are GMT -5. The time now is 06:47 PM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.7
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.
This site and contents, including all posts, Copyright © 1998-2021 S.W.A.T. Magazine
Copyright Complaints: Please direct DMCA Takedown Notices to the registered agent: thefiringline.com
Page generated in 0.06551 seconds with 10 queries