Spring is here! Heat up them pots!

Beagle333 · February 25, 2018, 12:09 AM

Well, it's getting warm here. 85° today, actually. And so I thought I might kickstart this casting season with a few pics of some pans of bullets, just to get the ol' casting itch going in a few of you, perhaps. So, here's just a picture show of some bullets to remind us what we need to get out there and be reproducing.

I didn't cast these today, they are just a bunch of them in my library, so I probably don't remember the designs and I certainly don't know how they shot. It's just a picture show. This section of the forum needed some action.

Beagle333 · February 25, 2018, 12:10 AM

Beagle333 · February 25, 2018, 12:11 AM

armoredman · February 25, 2018, 12:13 AM

It's always casting weather in Arizona.

Well, maybe not in July.

Beagle333 · February 25, 2018, 12:30 AM

I thought I'd just throw something out there. We've only had two posts this month.
Looking at bullets just makes me want to make more bullets, so I thought I'd post a couple of pics. I hope everybody has wintered well and is ready for a new season of the bullet! Let's see some shiny lead!

Chainsaw. · February 25, 2018, 12:07 PM

Always enjoy seeing your photos Beagle! Thanks for the shake up. I had a big job back in January where I was stuck on the boat for 8 days straight watching drillers....drill. I brought along my pot, three moulds and about 60#s of lead and casted until I was sick of it, then cast some more. That set me up for a good while.
So since then Ive been powder coating fairly often, then sizing. Now Im half way through filling a 30 cal can with 158 grain, coated 38 specials. That should last me a month

gwpercle · February 25, 2018, 05:15 PM

Thanks....your posts inspired me to crank up the pot and cast a few in a recently acquired NOE-358-160-WC, a 160 grain button nosed wadcutter, 3 cavity mould.
Next will be some in the NOE-358-124-TC-GC , 4 cavity , it's a 124 grain truncated cone with a gas check....this is intended for 9 mm luger but I also have found it extremely accurate in 38 special and 357 magnum.

Beagle, what bullet is in your third photo, appears to be a button nose WC with a serious hollow point ...is one from NOE ? Looks like some wicked HP's ! Nice photo's too.
One day I'm going to learn how to take pictures and get them in the computer, I apologize for being computer illiterate
Gary

Beagle333 · February 25, 2018, 05:29 PM

Actually, that one is a custom that I called the TurtleBuster, which was a Lyman 358432 mold HP'd by member Rangefinder for me. But I did send copies to NOE and now they are making it available in multi cavity HP. It's the 360160WC in their catalog.

Turtle Buster Linky

Don Fischer · February 28, 2018, 10:23 AM

Nice looking bullet'! Mine don't come outlooking that good.

jamaica · February 28, 2018, 12:11 PM

reloader28 · February 28, 2018, 10:31 PM

Good looking bullets

I'd say your late, Beagle. I do my casting in the winter so I'm almost done. A little on the cold side but not bad if I light the turkey fryer for a little heat in my back room.

As soon as the ground starts thawing out and we get back to solid working its pretty hard to do much casting until next winter unless I absolutely need something.

Beagle333 · March 4, 2018, 02:37 AM

I am a little late. I like to do it before the mosquitoes get out, as well. I have a health issue that is slowing me down a little but, but I'm hoping to get a few poured before the hot weather gets here. I'm really going to try to get out there later today and get some round balls poured.

Beagle333 · March 6, 2018, 03:28 AM

Got em done!
(I made about 3X this many, this was right as I was getting started)

Old 454 · March 7, 2018, 01:38 PM

Darn Beagle... you did all that in one day ???? ...lolol wow !

Old 454 · March 7, 2018, 01:42 PM

Still cant post a pic grrrrr

Beagle333 · March 9, 2018, 08:26 AM

Yeah, I got crazy! haha That's probably a year's supply for me anyway.

I mostly shoot the bp pistols.

FrankenMauser · March 18, 2018, 10:36 PM

It was snowing, so we had to stay in the garage with some fans for airflow. But...

I poured some lead!
It's been too long.

We started at about 9:30 Saturday morning, and turned the pot off at about 3:30 in the afternoon.
Between my brother and I, we believe we went through 40 lbs of range lead.
There was no official bullet count, but I estimate it to be around 1,100. There would have been more, but we fought a few new molds (all NOE RGs) for far too long, multiple times, before just sticking with what was working.

Some, or many, of the following were cast:
(Not all of these designations may be perfect.)
Lee 430-310-RF
Lee 429-200-RN
NOE 430-153 (DE)WC (based on the old 90 gr "stackable" wadcutter design)
NOE 311-165 FN (RD)
Lee 476-325-WFN
Lee 476-400-WFN
MM 477-400-FN**
And more...

Eye candy:
MM 477-400-FN** and Lee 476-400-WFN

**Mountain Molds. Custom bullet for .475 Tremor (.458 SOCOM necked up), that will, hopefully, feed well in an AR. I calculated the largest meplat that I thought would be reliable, and combined it with the longest nose that the MM software would allow with an single lube groove of adequate size and a GC. I hope I was correct...
Yea, there are some round bases and other defects in there. They were unsorted, and I still need some for dummies anyway.

February 25, 2018, 12:09 AM	#1
Beagle333 Senior Member Join Date: January 7, 2012 Location: Auburn, AL. Posts: 2,332	Spring is here! Heat up them pots! Well, it's getting warm here. 85° today, actually. And so I thought I might kickstart this casting season with a few pics of some pans of bullets, just to get the ol' casting itch going in a few of you, perhaps. So, here's just a picture show of some bullets to remind us what we need to get out there and be reproducing. I didn't cast these today, they are just a bunch of them in my library, so I probably don't remember the designs and I certainly don't know how they shot. It's just a picture show. This section of the forum needed some action. __________________ . . . Have a Colt and a smile. Last edited by Beagle333; February 25, 2018 at 12:24 AM.

February 25, 2018, 12:10 AM	#2
Beagle333 Senior Member Join Date: January 7, 2012 Location: Auburn, AL. Posts: 2,332	__________________ . . . Have a Colt and a smile. Last edited by Beagle333; February 25, 2018 at 12:26 AM.

February 25, 2018, 12:11 AM	#3
Beagle333 Senior Member Join Date: January 7, 2012 Location: Auburn, AL. Posts: 2,332	__________________ . . . Have a Colt and a smile. Last edited by Beagle333; February 25, 2018 at 12:23 AM.

February 25, 2018, 12:30 AM	#5
Beagle333 Senior Member Join Date: January 7, 2012 Location: Auburn, AL. Posts: 2,332	I thought I'd just throw something out there. We've only had two posts this month. Looking at bullets just makes me want to make more bullets, so I thought I'd post a couple of pics. I hope everybody has wintered well and is ready for a new season of the bullet! Let's see some shiny lead! __________________ . . . Have a Colt and a smile.

February 25, 2018, 12:07 PM	#6
Chainsaw. Senior Member Join Date: September 12, 2015 Location: Issaquah WA. Its a dry rain. Posts: 1,774	Always enjoy seeing your photos Beagle! Thanks for the shake up. I had a big job back in January where I was stuck on the boat for 8 days straight watching drillers....drill. I brought along my pot, three moulds and about 60#s of lead and casted until I was sick of it, then cast some more. That set me up for a good while. So since then Ive been powder coating fairly often, then sizing. Now Im half way through filling a 30 cal can with 158 grain, coated 38 specials. That should last me a month __________________ Just shoot the damn thing.

February 25, 2018, 12:13 AM	#4
armoredman Senior Member Join Date: May 22, 2007 Location: Arizona Posts: 5,297	It's always casting weather in Arizona. Well, maybe not in July.

February 25, 2018, 05:15 PM	#7
gwpercle Senior Member Join Date: November 30, 2012 Location: Baton Rouge, Louisiana Posts: 1,752	Thanks....your posts inspired me to crank up the pot and cast a few in a recently acquired NOE-358-160-WC, a 160 grain button nosed wadcutter, 3 cavity mould. Next will be some in the NOE-358-124-TC-GC , 4 cavity , it's a 124 grain truncated cone with a gas check....this is intended for 9 mm luger but I also have found it extremely accurate in 38 special and 357 magnum. Beagle, what bullet is in your third photo, appears to be a button nose WC with a serious hollow point ...is one from NOE ? Looks like some wicked HP's ! Nice photo's too. One day I'm going to learn how to take pictures and get them in the computer, I apologize for being computer illiterate Gary

February 25, 2018, 05:29 PM	#8
Beagle333 Senior Member Join Date: January 7, 2012 Location: Auburn, AL. Posts: 2,332	Actually, that one is a custom that I called the TurtleBuster, which was a Lyman 358432 mold HP'd by member Rangefinder for me. But I did send copies to NOE and now they are making it available in multi cavity HP. It's the 360160WC in their catalog. Turtle Buster Linky __________________ . . . Have a Colt and a smile.

February 28, 2018, 10:23 AM	#9
Don Fischer Senior Member Join Date: March 2, 2017 Posts: 1,868	Nice looking bullet'! Mine don't come outlooking that good.

February 28, 2018, 12:11 PM	#10
jamaica Senior Member Join Date: March 24, 2006 Location: Northern Utah Posts: 705

February 28, 2018, 10:31 PM	#11
reloader28 Senior Member Join Date: October 13, 2009 Location: nw wyoming Posts: 1,061	Good looking bullets I'd say your late, Beagle. I do my casting in the winter so I'm almost done. A little on the cold side but not bad if I light the turkey fryer for a little heat in my back room. As soon as the ground starts thawing out and we get back to solid working its pretty hard to do much casting until next winter unless I absolutely need something.

March 4, 2018, 02:37 AM	#12
Beagle333 Senior Member Join Date: January 7, 2012 Location: Auburn, AL. Posts: 2,332	I am a little late. I like to do it before the mosquitoes get out, as well. I have a health issue that is slowing me down a little but, but I'm hoping to get a few poured before the hot weather gets here. I'm really going to try to get out there later today and get some round balls poured. __________________ . . . Have a Colt and a smile.

March 6, 2018, 03:28 AM	#13
Beagle333 Senior Member Join Date: January 7, 2012 Location: Auburn, AL. Posts: 2,332	Got em done! (I made about 3X this many, this was right as I was getting started) __________________ . . . Have a Colt and a smile.

March 7, 2018, 01:38 PM	#14
Old 454 Senior Member Join Date: August 15, 2011 Location: Chesterton Ind. Posts: 822	Darn Beagle... you did all that in one day ???? ...lolol wow !

March 7, 2018, 01:42 PM	#15
Old 454 Senior Member Join Date: August 15, 2011 Location: Chesterton Ind. Posts: 822	Still cant post a pic grrrrr

March 9, 2018, 08:26 AM	#16
Beagle333 Senior Member Join Date: January 7, 2012 Location: Auburn, AL. Posts: 2,332	Yeah, I got crazy! haha That's probably a year's supply for me anyway. I mostly shoot the bp pistols. __________________ . . . Have a Colt and a smile.