equip. needed for casting.?

bullet44 · April 13, 2001, 06:22 PM

What is the basic tools needed for casting my own
bullets, I reload but have not tried casting. Advice please.

Southla1 · April 13, 2001, 08:37 PM

I guess its like a car. You can get a Cadillac or you can get a Ford. The basic stuff you need would be a mould in the proper size and shape, a means to melt the lead, a pot made of cast iron or steel to hold the molten lead, and finally a way to size and lubricate the bullet. Lyman and Lee sell moulds for 20 to 40 bucks or so. You can find a cast iron pot at flea markets or even Wally World. The wifes stove can melt the lead if she is not around

. When it comes to sizing the cast bullets a tool like the Lyman 450 or the RCBS Lubramatic with the proper sizing die works really well. These run about $120 with one size die. Lee makes a lube/sizer that fits on your reloading press and from what I hear it works very well but I have no first hand experience with the Lee system. I have used other Lee tools and have no complaints at all about either the quality or the price of them.

a-bolt · April 14, 2001, 01:09 AM

i would hasten to say that you can find a lot of common caliber moulds on ebay.com for much less than new ($8 - $25). also, midsouth shooters supply has the lee production pot IV for about $40 and its pretty handy. they also sell the lee sizer luber for ~$11.

I also use a stainless steel 1 cup soup ladel with the handle bent down so i have a nice caldron to melt over a coleman camp stove.

cheap and fun but beware of too much lead fumes... if you taste "sweetness in your mouth" its a sign of lead poisoning. it does other nasty things to you too.

all in all, for the trouble and time spent i have reverted to buying lead cast, presized and prelubed bullets. I have a lot of wheelweights and will no doubt produce some more bullets someday hence.

goodluck.

labgrade · April 14, 2001, 10:59 AM

I've used the Lee sizer system & tho' it works, I don't care for it. It is very inexpensive comparably. The "roll the bullets around in the lube" leaves a tacky lube which picks up lots of crap if you don't load 'em right away - yuck. Many moulds throw bullets right at or just oversize & don't require any sizing at all.

I'm still melting lead in an old cast-off heavy aluminum pot on a Coleman camp stove - pouring with a Lyman ladel I bought second-hand.

Lee aluminum moulds are OK but can get beat up pretty quick.

I did spring for a Lyman 450 sizer/lube w/the preheater so I can use the harder lubes. Makes for a good lubed bullet that you can store forever & doesn't pick up lint, etc. The softer lubes are pretty tacky, especially in warmer weather although that doesn't matter if they're loaded right away.

As with a lot of reloading, you can save a ton of money by rolling your own but use up quite a bit of time doing so.

Johnny Guest · April 14, 2001, 02:21 PM

I began casting my own bullets in the late 1960s as an economy measure. I was a newly-married deppity shurf and college student and there wasn't a lot of disposable income. (We'd never heard the term back then, but still true.)

I started out melting and pouring led in a ten-pound pot on the kitchen gas stove. I used a fan to keep the temperature under control. Luckily, it must have kept me from inhaling the worst of the lead fumes.

Then I melted and poured lube over bullets set in a pie pan, picked them up with a Lyman Kake Kutter, and forced them base-first through a die in my loading press. A little messy but cheap and satisfying. I later got the Lyman sizer-lubricater, and much later, the RCBS rig.

My long-suffering mate ran me out of the kitchen into the garage and I used a Coleman stove for a while. Then same wonderful lady gave me a proper electric lead furnace, and I was on my way.

I cast my own for a long time, until I started shooting on the IPSC circuit and the casting seriously began cutting into my shooting time, and I learned of the (relative) economy of bulk packed commercially cast bullets.

There are a couple of bullets I really like that I can't find commercially offered, so I occasionally have a friend case some for me, but I'm really out of the bullet making business now.

I wouldn't take for the experience, but I just don't have time for the bullet making process now.

Best,
Johnny

handgunhunting · April 15, 2001, 11:36 AM

I think the way to go is the lyman "master casting kit" for about $124.99 ( in cabela's 2001 shooting catalog)
you get a sizer (less sizing die and top punch) casting dipper, eletric melter, ingot mold, gas checl seater, a tube of lube, And a cast bullet handbook.
then get a lee mold for about $20 ( this includes the handles)
you will need a sizing die and top punch for each bullet you want to cast. sizing die is about $18 and top punch is $7

April 14, 2001, 02:21 PM	#5
Johnny Guest Moderator in Memoriam Join Date: August 28, 1999 Location: North Texas Posts: 4,123	One Shooter's Experience in Bullet Making I began casting my own bullets in the late 1960s as an economy measure. I was a newly-married deppity shurf and college student and there wasn't a lot of disposable income. (We'd never heard the term back then, but still true.) I started out melting and pouring led in a ten-pound pot on the kitchen gas stove. I used a fan to keep the temperature under control. Luckily, it must have kept me from inhaling the worst of the lead fumes. Then I melted and poured lube over bullets set in a pie pan, picked them up with a Lyman Kake Kutter, and forced them base-first through a die in my loading press. A little messy but cheap and satisfying. I later got the Lyman sizer-lubricater, and much later, the RCBS rig. My long-suffering mate ran me out of the kitchen into the garage and I used a Coleman stove for a while. Then same wonderful lady gave me a proper electric lead furnace, and I was on my way. I cast my own for a long time, until I started shooting on the IPSC circuit and the casting seriously began cutting into my shooting time, and I learned of the (relative) economy of bulk packed commercially cast bullets. There are a couple of bullets I really like that I can't find commercially offered, so I occasionally have a friend case some for me, but I'm really out of the bullet making business now. I wouldn't take for the experience, but I just don't have time for the bullet making process now. Best, Johnny

April 13, 2001, 06:22 PM	#1
bullet44 Senior Member Join Date: February 21, 2000 Posts: 819	What is the basic tools needed for casting my own bullets, I reload but have not tried casting. Advice please.

April 13, 2001, 08:37 PM	#2
Southla1 Member In Memoriam Join Date: March 19, 2000 Location: Jeanerette, La. Near the Posts: 1,999	I guess its like a car. You can get a Cadillac or you can get a Ford. The basic stuff you need would be a mould in the proper size and shape, a means to melt the lead, a pot made of cast iron or steel to hold the molten lead, and finally a way to size and lubricate the bullet. Lyman and Lee sell moulds for 20 to 40 bucks or so. You can find a cast iron pot at flea markets or even Wally World. The wifes stove can melt the lead if she is not around . When it comes to sizing the cast bullets a tool like the Lyman 450 or the RCBS Lubramatic with the proper sizing die works really well. These run about $120 with one size die. Lee makes a lube/sizer that fits on your reloading press and from what I hear it works very well but I have no first hand experience with the Lee system. I have used other Lee tools and have no complaints at all about either the quality or the price of them.

April 14, 2001, 01:09 AM	#3
a-bolt Member Join Date: July 11, 2000 Location: Los Angeles, CA, USA Posts: 61	i would hasten to say that you can find a lot of common caliber moulds on ebay.com for much less than new ($8 - $25). also, midsouth shooters supply has the lee production pot IV for about $40 and its pretty handy. they also sell the lee sizer luber for ~$11. I also use a stainless steel 1 cup soup ladel with the handle bent down so i have a nice caldron to melt over a coleman camp stove. cheap and fun but beware of too much lead fumes... if you taste "sweetness in your mouth" its a sign of lead poisoning. it does other nasty things to you too. all in all, for the trouble and time spent i have reverted to buying lead cast, presized and prelubed bullets. I have a lot of wheelweights and will no doubt produce some more bullets someday hence. goodluck.

April 14, 2001, 10:59 AM	#4
labgrade Member In Memoriam Join Date: November 29, 1999 Location: west of a small town, CO Posts: 4,346	I've used the Lee sizer system & tho' it works, I don't care for it. It is very inexpensive comparably. The "roll the bullets around in the lube" leaves a tacky lube which picks up lots of crap if you don't load 'em right away - yuck. Many moulds throw bullets right at or just oversize & don't require any sizing at all. I'm still melting lead in an old cast-off heavy aluminum pot on a Coleman camp stove - pouring with a Lyman ladel I bought second-hand. Lee aluminum moulds are OK but can get beat up pretty quick. I did spring for a Lyman 450 sizer/lube w/the preheater so I can use the harder lubes. Makes for a good lubed bullet that you can store forever & doesn't pick up lint, etc. The softer lubes are pretty tacky, especially in warmer weather although that doesn't matter if they're loaded right away. As with a lot of reloading, you can save a ton of money by rolling your own but use up quite a bit of time doing so.

April 15, 2001, 11:36 AM	#6
handgunhunting Senior Member Join Date: October 26, 2000 Location: Maryland Posts: 267	I think the way to go is the lyman "master casting kit" for about $124.99 ( in cabela's 2001 shooting catalog) you get a sizer (less sizing die and top punch) casting dipper, eletric melter, ingot mold, gas checl seater, a tube of lube, And a cast bullet handbook. then get a lee mold for about $20 ( this includes the handles) you will need a sizing die and top punch for each bullet you want to cast. sizing die is about $18 and top punch is $7