casting bullets

bfox · June 30, 2001, 04:55 PM

I never cast my own but I sure would like to try.
My question is can you recast spent bullets
like ones you could scrounge up after a bowling
pin match?
Thanks Bill

zot · June 30, 2001, 07:20 PM

I dig bullets out of a berm of mud and clay where alot of people shoot,I find all calibers and jacked and lead, melt it all and dirt
and jackets float to the top when ya melt, just scim off, I put more wheel weights in if I get alot of shotgun slugs and black powder bullets, their soft lead,

Rottweiler · July 1, 2001, 07:34 AM

A healthy portion of my casting lead comes from spent bullets. I've found it's much easier to pick them up after a heavy rain.

swampyMO · July 1, 2001, 08:09 AM

bfox,

Casting can be an enjoyable exercise, but it almost has to be a labor of love, emphasis on the word "labor".

Back in my young & penniless days of the late 70's I cast thousands of .45 & .357 bullets over the kitchen stove, windows open & exhaust fan roaring. Lead was melted in a cast iron sauce pan. Lyman dipper, dual cavity mold, and hickory hammer handle was all I needed. Lubing was done with the LEE "cookie cutter" method, then sized with the LEE "pound it through" sizer die.

NOTE: got smart after a while and clamped the threadless sizer die into the top of my single stage press with two lock rings, then used a chopped off .308 case filled with lead as a ram to push those beauties through from the bottom. Worked fine. After a few years got even smarter and found a very old, used, Lyman sizer press and a full set of dies for about $25. Neat.

As cheap as it is to just buy lead slugs these days, I gave up casting many moons ago. Not worth the hours of hot & sweaty "ladle time" to do it. For the couple of pennies each I'd save by casting them myself, I'd rather spend my time actually loading them, shooting them, or just vegging.

As for a real learning experience though, It's GREAT.
If you do decide to cast your own bullets, enjoy.

Just my .02
Swampy

Kenneth L. Walters · July 1, 2001, 09:55 AM

Bullet casting can be REALLY expensive. I think that if I had never done it the money I would have saved would have easily allowed me to buy factory ammunition for a lifetime.

The problem is kind of like eating peanuts. You can not do just one. There are a lot of accessories and it is easy to spend a fortune on them.

Personally I got more than carried away. I tried just about every possible casting furnace, 12 + I think. (The RCBS is by far the best). I bought ever imaginable bullet mould, well over 400. (SAECO, NEI-iron blocks, RCBS & Hoch do beautiful work). I've had probably 16+ lubricator/sizers (the Magma made Star is the best).

Also it is fun. Spend three days a week casting and another couple visually inspecting and sorting the bullets by weight. I REALLY life this BUT, well, it can be expensive!

labgrade · July 2, 2001, 01:27 PM

Still casting over a pump-it-up Coleman stove & a heavy guage aluminun pot. Never could see the benny of having a plug-in melter (aside from obvious rain threats, etc.

casting outside).

Every once in a while, I'll take my "screen bucket" (made of 1/4" mess chicken wire) & shovel to the range. Shovel a load into the messs, shake to remove most dirt, etc. & top off a coupe 50lb buckets worth of lead. As mentioned, when meltined, all the light stuff floats to the top. After fluxing, you're set to go. Perhaps a hunk of 50/50 bar solder for some tin ....

Mostly have used old wheel weights but they're starting to get to be pricey.

In any event, if you cast, a screw driver & a dark night by a goodly filled parking lot & you'll be set for bullets again ....

Walt Welch · July 3, 2001, 04:37 PM

Just remember that when you are adding metal with a different elemental composition than what is in the pot, you are changing the density of the mass of the metal. Thus, the bullets may be of different weights during the course of a casting run. It is better to melt the alloy all at once and the pour it into small molds (I use an old muffin tin). This way, you do not change the composition of the metal in the molten pot.

Be VERY careful about adding bullets which may have water in or on them. An explosive release of steam and molten metal may be the result. Primers and .22 ammunition are likewise dangerous to have around a pot of molten alloy.

In general, recycled bullets, especially .22 and black powder projectiles are low in alloying elements. Some tin will improve the casting qualities of the melt, and possibly improve the hardness of the finished bullets.

I usually only cast anymore for specialty bullets, such as the Lyman #358156U HP. This is a gas checked hollow point bullet, and even if cast of linotype, it will expand violently in a fluid filled soft drink can.

The Lyman 311316 HP fired from a 30 Carbine, will put fragments through the bottom of the can. These bullets are useful for teaching children the danger of bullets.

Walt

June 30, 2001, 04:55 PM	#1
bfox Member Join Date: January 8, 2001 Location: Pittsburgh (plum)Pa. Posts: 95	casting bullets I never cast my own but I sure would like to try. My question is can you recast spent bullets like ones you could scrounge up after a bowling pin match? Thanks Bill

June 30, 2001, 07:20 PM	#2
zot Senior Member Join Date: April 2, 1999 Location: U.S.A. Posts: 566	I dig bullets out of a berm of mud and clay where alot of people shoot,I find all calibers and jacked and lead, melt it all and dirt and jackets float to the top when ya melt, just scim off, I put more wheel weights in if I get alot of shotgun slugs and black powder bullets, their soft lead,

July 1, 2001, 07:34 AM	#3
Rottweiler Senior Member Join Date: January 30, 2001 Location: Texas Hill Country Posts: 391	A healthy portion of my casting lead comes from spent bullets. I've found it's much easier to pick them up after a heavy rain.

July 1, 2001, 08:09 AM	#4
swampyMO Senior Member Join Date: December 29, 1999 Location: Missouri Posts: 327	bfox, Casting can be an enjoyable exercise, but it almost has to be a labor of love, emphasis on the word "labor". Back in my young & penniless days of the late 70's I cast thousands of .45 & .357 bullets over the kitchen stove, windows open & exhaust fan roaring. Lead was melted in a cast iron sauce pan. Lyman dipper, dual cavity mold, and hickory hammer handle was all I needed. Lubing was done with the LEE "cookie cutter" method, then sized with the LEE "pound it through" sizer die. NOTE: got smart after a while and clamped the threadless sizer die into the top of my single stage press with two lock rings, then used a chopped off .308 case filled with lead as a ram to push those beauties through from the bottom. Worked fine. After a few years got even smarter and found a very old, used, Lyman sizer press and a full set of dies for about $25. Neat. As cheap as it is to just buy lead slugs these days, I gave up casting many moons ago. Not worth the hours of hot & sweaty "ladle time" to do it. For the couple of pennies each I'd save by casting them myself, I'd rather spend my time actually loading them, shooting them, or just vegging. As for a real learning experience though, It's GREAT. If you do decide to cast your own bullets, enjoy. Just my .02 Swampy

July 1, 2001, 09:55 AM	#5
Kenneth L. Walters Senior Member Join Date: September 2, 1999 Location: flagstaff, arizona Posts: 477	Bullet casting can be REALLY expensive. I think that if I had never done it the money I would have saved would have easily allowed me to buy factory ammunition for a lifetime. The problem is kind of like eating peanuts. You can not do just one. There are a lot of accessories and it is easy to spend a fortune on them. Personally I got more than carried away. I tried just about every possible casting furnace, 12 + I think. (The RCBS is by far the best). I bought ever imaginable bullet mould, well over 400. (SAECO, NEI-iron blocks, RCBS & Hoch do beautiful work). I've had probably 16+ lubricator/sizers (the Magma made Star is the best). Also it is fun. Spend three days a week casting and another couple visually inspecting and sorting the bullets by weight. I REALLY life this BUT, well, it can be expensive!

July 2, 2001, 01:27 PM	#6
labgrade Member In Memoriam Join Date: November 29, 1999 Location: west of a small town, CO Posts: 4,346	Still casting over a pump-it-up Coleman stove & a heavy guage aluminun pot. Never could see the benny of having a plug-in melter (aside from obvious rain threats, etc. casting outside). Every once in a while, I'll take my "screen bucket" (made of 1/4" mess chicken wire) & shovel to the range. Shovel a load into the messs, shake to remove most dirt, etc. & top off a coupe 50lb buckets worth of lead. As mentioned, when meltined, all the light stuff floats to the top. After fluxing, you're set to go. Perhaps a hunk of 50/50 bar solder for some tin .... Mostly have used old wheel weights but they're starting to get to be pricey. In any event, if you cast, a screw driver & a dark night by a goodly filled parking lot & you'll be set for bullets again ....

July 3, 2001, 04:37 PM	#7
Walt Welch Senior Member Join Date: November 3, 1998 Location: Alamo, CA Posts: 424	Just remember that when you are adding metal with a different elemental composition than what is in the pot, you are changing the density of the mass of the metal. Thus, the bullets may be of different weights during the course of a casting run. It is better to melt the alloy all at once and the pour it into small molds (I use an old muffin tin). This way, you do not change the composition of the metal in the molten pot. Be VERY careful about adding bullets which may have water in or on them. An explosive release of steam and molten metal may be the result. Primers and .22 ammunition are likewise dangerous to have around a pot of molten alloy. In general, recycled bullets, especially .22 and black powder projectiles are low in alloying elements. Some tin will improve the casting qualities of the melt, and possibly improve the hardness of the finished bullets. I usually only cast anymore for specialty bullets, such as the Lyman #358156U HP. This is a gas checked hollow point bullet, and even if cast of linotype, it will expand violently in a fluid filled soft drink can. The Lyman 311316 HP fired from a 30 Carbine, will put fragments through the bottom of the can. These bullets are useful for teaching children the danger of bullets. Walt