First cast...

[burninghXcsoul]

So I built a .300 AAC Blackout pistol and decided to try my hand at casting boolits. I've been reloading for about a year now and reload mainly cast rounds for my different pistols so this kind of seemed like the next step.

I did a lot of research before buying anything and this is basically what I've done so far.

This is my casting table I put into my garage, I put it on Caster wheels so I can wheel it over to the garage door and vent it with the Box Fan. I bought the Lee 4-20 Pro pot and I lapped the seat of the valve thing and so far no leaks. I use a Lyman casting thermometer and so far didn't really have to chase any temps at all. At first I started out at #7 and it melted fairly quick and was at around 800-750 degrees, I then turned it down to a 4 and added 2 more 1lb ingots and the temp dropped to right around 700 which seemed to work out nicely.


20140502_190359 by burninghxcsoul, on Flickr

This is the lead pot stuffed full of ingots for the first time. I got ahold of some wheel weights and snip sorted them and then smelted them all down. I got maybe like 7-8 lbs of zinc and FE ones that I set aside, and then another 7-8 lbs of SOWW,s and ended up with around 80lbs or so of COWW which melted down nice. I used a harbor freight dutch oven to smelt in over a $40 walmart turkey fryer. I made all of my ingots out of the lee mold. Half my smelting time was waiting for the ingots to cool down in the mold enough to dump them. Might have to buy a muffin pan or 2 to speed up the process.


20140502_190405(0) by burninghxcsoul, on Flickr

This is a shot of all the ingots I got out of the batch of wheel weights.


20140502_190412 by burninghxcsoul, on Flickr

And this is the end result! I made a bunch out of the two molds that I currently own, the 230 gr Lee 300 Blackout mold and their 312 160 gr 7.62 mold. I have an sks so I might try to make some rounds for it also. I mainly just plink in my backyard alot so some of the boolits were a bit frosted but it doesn't bother me. There seems to be a fine line of just right hot and too hot with the lee molds. I would switch between the 2 every 10 pours or so otherwise the bullets came out really frosty. I would then set it aside and start with the new one which by the time I had done a couple they weren't wrinkled anymore. I'm still not getting that consistent shiny pure lead look but I'll keep messing with the lead temp and mold temp and see what I can't do...

I tried my hand at powder coating but the toaster oven a co-worker gave me must run hot because a lot of the rounds came out slightly bent. granted I did the idiot move and didn't wait till they were cool before I dumped them so that is partially my fault. I also had made a wire basket to hold them in and didn't use the pan so it also might have been to much indirect heat. I'll post more pics of that endeavor here soon but I was just happy to start casting boolits. Now I just need some handgun molds....

This is becoming an addictive hobby...


20140502_212935 by burninghxcsoul, on Flickr

[Mike / Tx]

Looks like you have it going your way so far...

I'll toss out a couple of little tidbit's that might save you a fancy dance later on.

First, if you have that towel laying there and get enough of those cut sprue piled up on top, it can get a fire started fairly easy. I only point this out as I have had a couple of cotton kitchen towels get very close to it while dumping bullets on top of them. It only happened however when I was pouring the bigger bullets of around 300grs though. Just an FYI. Get the conditions right, don't walk off and leave it just sitting there to cool off, It might not.

I also found that dumping the cut-offs back in the pot helps to keep things on a little more even temp. I realize you mentioned temp wasn't an issue, but I am wondering if you watched your thermometer as your level dropped?

Around 700 is a decent temp to work with, however your mold temp is also just as important. IF your alloy is only 680 but your mold is only 250, you get wrinkled bullets. Take the same alloy temp but bring your mold temp up to 350 and now your getting nice bullets. Just something to keep in mind. Pour rate will help control mold temp easier than alloy temp. Having a mold too hot is also not so good for production either. You simply need to find a happy medium. Read through this link to see what I am referring to,About Temp

Don't get me wrong, I am not criticizing your pour in the least. Just throwing out a few tips which might help you out on down the line.

One last thing, if you look in the background of that first pic, you have a clamp on light hanging back there. What I have found is that you can take one of those cheap lights, and unscrew the reflector off of it. They make an excellent funnel to set atop a 3# metal coffee can where you can dump your cuts offs. Most of them fall right through the hole in the center and those few that don't only take shaking it a touch to get them to go as well. I have a nice big one that is about a foot across I use when I get out the Lee 6 bangers. It is real easy to dump all six right into it and have them fall straight into the can, even with a few of them connected. It makes keeping track of them MUCH easier and I don't have to worry about anything but my cadence.

Anyway be sure to post up a report on how those shoot, not to mention a pic or two of that handgun for the Blackout. That sounds pretty cool. I had envisioned something along the lines of a Contender that would take a blown out and necked down 7.62x39 case. I was thinking of something in a .257 that might get an 85 to 100gr bullet up to around 2800 or so fps. I just never seem to have enough spare cash laying around to pursue it. I seem to spend it all trying to stay ahead of Beagle in the mold count....

[Beagle333]

Those are some neat lookin' rifle bullets!! Great job!

you have a clamp on light hanging back there. What I have found is that you can take one of those cheap lights, and unscrew the reflector off of it. They make an excellent funnel to set atop a 3# metal coffee can where you can dump your cuts offs. It makes keeping track of them MUCH easier and I don't have to worry about anything but my cadence.

Now you decide to share that.

Nice trick!

[burninghXcsoul]

I built an AR pistol, I like it, its just a fun gun to plink with in my backyard.

Thanks for the tips, I'll take all the help/knowledge I can get haha. I had already decided againist the towel for the sprues, it seems like a lot of lead gets stuck to/in it. I was gona buy a small pan or something to dump them in to make it easier to put them back in the pot. As far as dumping the bullets, do you guys normally drop them onto a towel or just the table? I know some guys water drop but I wasn't going to do that so just wondering what the alternatives are and I definitely don't need a fire in my garage...

I did watch the temp every 10 minutes or so and it was fairly consistent, I think I added the sprues back maybe 3 times or so?

Its definitely fun and I'm pretty excited about it. I built a rubber mulch bullet trap for the intent to keep and be able to resmelt the boolits that I have.

I smelted down 100lbs of wheel weights and after sorting I think I have around 60-70 lbs or so of lead and I'm picking up another 100lbs this weekend to do, at 20 cents a lb which seems to be cheap I figured why not. I estimated that if I have around 300-400 lbs of lead and just keep recycling it I should be good.

Now I just need some molds for my 9mm, .38 spc, .45 ACP and I should be good to go.

[Mike / Tx]

at 20 cents a lb which seems to be cheap I figured why not.

That really isn't a bad deal, especially if they will buy back the steel and zinc ones you end up culling.

I estimated that if I have around 300-400 lbs of lead and just keep recycling it I should be good.

Yep, I remember thinking that, while I was only pouring bullets for one revolver....then I added 4 more the the mix, and figured I probably need that much per caliber, or was it per mold... Just keep piling it up and smelting it down. Look at it like this, it won't spoil, smelted into ingots it takes up only a little space, but you DO have to spread it out in several differrent areas if you put it on a slab. They are also very similar to a small savings account as they do not depreciate in value, in fact they will appreciate over time. If you have enough you can even sell a box here and there to purchase a new mold..

Now I just need some molds for my 9mm, .38 spc, .45 ACP and I should be good to go.

Yep that "some" is the kicker for sure. When I started I figured I would pick up a 6 cavity for each revolver for production, and practicing, and one for each in a good hunting version. Well it was a good thought, but it didn't last very long. I think I have half a dozen just for my 45 Colt now, and close to if not that many for my ACP. I'm not even getting into what I have for the 38/357, 41, or 44.

Well hope that helps you get a little better handle on where you need to be heading... If not you need to run away, and run away fast while you still can.....

[Beagle333]

One mold per caliber people! That's all you need... just one mold per caliber.
Try to show a little restraint, okay? Let's not get crazy on this..... you don't need every mold ever made, since the holes in the paper all look the same!

[histed]

burning - looks like you're well on the way. If you like Lee molds (I do) their 2 cavity pistol molds are on sale for under $20 at https://fsreloading.com/. Along with what Mike said, there's a process called "leementing" that may make your boolits drop from the molds more easily. I would describe the entire processs, but its easier to send you here http://castboolits.gunloads.com/show...ght=leementing
to read it for yourself. This get addictive quick! And pay no attention to Beegle - he's just hording the molds for himself

[Mike / Tx]

And pay no attention to Beegle - he's just hording the molds for himself

Ain't that the truth.... Glad I got the few that I have, or I might not be able to even pour things up......

Yep those Lee's are a good buy either type. They have their little quirks but are pretty easily worked around. The biggest issue I have had with them is they seem to pour fine one time and then dump junk the next. All I can figure is they need a few cycles to settle out. In other words they need to be heated up and cleaned when cooled down. I figures the aluminum is simply holding more of the cutting oil in the pores and after you clean the first time and pour bullets, they cool off and excrete more oil.

After a few sessions this all stabilizes and they seem to pour great from then on. Also I have found that the smoking seems to be just that, I did it at first but I didn't know any better. Now I don't and I get as good or in most cases better bullets out of them. But like mentioned above they still need a few cycles to settle. So don't get up set. Just give them a good scrubbing before casting each time for a few times and it will go away I promise.

[burninghXcsoul]

Thanks for all the advice. I had gotten a free toaster oven from a guy at work who never used it and I got all excited, twirled the 230gr boolits in HF red and put them in the toaster over and they melted!!! The noses of them drooped down and they started to flatten. Craziness.

I ended up going and buying a oven thermometer and that toaster oven when the knob was at 400 degrees it was actually at 475! I've got it down now and 12 minutes at 400 degrees bakes the powder coat just fine and when I smacked it with a hammer on my anvil the powder coat didnt flake off or anything even when the boolit was about 1/8 inch thick.

Also I tried the Airsoft BB's thing with some green ones I had laying around, that definitely improves the coating for me of the PC. I'll have to take some pictures and post them up. I was pretty happy with the way they turned out.

Thanks again.

[Beagle333]

Those "glowing rod" toaster ovens can be tricky. It will get waaaay over the set temp in there during pre-heat, and that is made worse if the thermostat is wrong as well. If you get a good thermometer and watch it closely during a few bake times, and keep your "load" the same, you can learn that toaster though and make something useful with it.

Keep your eye out at the Thrift Stores and Craigslist for a cheap convection toaster if you see one. They are much easier to use.

[David Bachelder]

I had trouble with bits and pieces of lead getting everywhere. I bought one of those oil drip pans pans at Walmart. Now 99% of everything I drop lands in the pan and clean up is simplified. it measures about 25 X 36". My Lee 20 lb pot, hot plates and everything will fit inside it.

It has saved me a lot of floor sweeping.