Anyone cast their own bullets for .45 acp?

[pepsi2451]

I'm about to order some reloading equipment. I will be starting out with .45 acp and I'd like to cast my own bullets to get the lowest cost per round. I've been reading up on casting but it seems different sites say different things. I was hoping maybe some of you guys would share your recipes.

What molds are you using for your 1911s? I was looking at a Lee 6 cavity mold, but I don't know what shape or weight to get.

What are you using for lead? I have lots of wheel weights, anyone use those? Do you add anything? Do you heat treat them? Do I really need a hardness tester?

I was thinking of getting the Lee Lube and Size Kit 452 Diameter from Midway, will this work?
http://www.midwayusa.com/viewProduct/?productNumber=116429

I'm just trying to get the cheapest possible .45 acp plinking round for my RIA 1911. I just need anything that feeds reliably and is semi accurate.

[StevieG]

I used to. Picked up a few buckets of used wheelweights from the local Firestone station and thought I`d give it a shot.

I used a LEE 20lb bottom pour furnace, a Lee mold for .452 diameter 200 gr truncated cone bullets and a mold for .311 diameter bullets for my M44.

You also gonna need an ingot mold, a spout and sizing dies with lube. You should wear a face shield, leather gloves and a shop apron while casting.

You should also separate the Zinc wheelweights from the lead ones.

Rifle bullets need gas checks.

Also, make sure the area is well ventilated.

I`ve cast about 3k of the .452 and 1k of the .311 bullets and decided it`s not really my cup of tea.

The stench of the molten wheelweights was too much for me. and the whole process too cumbersome.

Hope that helps.
The .45 loads were fairly accurate though.

[StevieG]

BTW that Lee sizing die + lube kit worked for me.

[gunboat]

Lyman 452374 220 gr is a standard round nose bullet for the 45acp/ar --Lee, rcbs and others make an equivalent bullet mould --
6 cavity mould is a bit much to start with, lee moulds are aluminum and while light weight cool rather rapidly. A 2holer would probably prove more useful to one starting out.
Wheel weights are a good source of casting material, be careful of the newer zinc weights -- For pistol, hardening is not needed -(heat treat)
No, a hardness tester is not needed - Like all reloading toys, it is nice but not a need -----
Lee luber is quite satisfactory, at least to start with - Some prefer it's simplicity and never use anything else --
I suggest a visit to "cast boolit" web site, lots of info and different perspectives seen there -- You can possibly even buy small amounts of different cast bullets to try in your weapon -- my ha-penny

[bohoki]

i use the lee 45 230 gn round nose tl design along with the lee 452 sizer and it comes with tumble lube that you just sprinkel on swirl your bullets around in a bucket and then place them out in the sun to dry on wax paper

i cast on a coleman stove in a cast iron frying pan that

i made sure and smoked my mold cavites with a bic lighter and preheat them in the melted lead till the lead doesnt stick to the bottom

ive made quite a few i get a little lead in the riflling of the handguns i use but it cleans out fairly ok
http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e366/bohoki/DCP_6878.jpg

http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e366/bohoki/DCP_6891.jpg

i bought the 2 cav molds cause they were cheap and i wasnt sure i wanted to do this or not

[gunboat]

bo -- can you post a close up of that bullet ? -- looks pretty good -- I am impressed with your results using minimal tooling -- Most everyone here seems to think you have to spend hundreds of dollars to get good reloads -- Does that bullet have grease grooves or is it made for dry lube?

[Sheldon]

Have you had any success with any cast bullets?? I'de get the mold for whatever load currently working well with your pistol. I like the SWC design, but the round nose it good too. I went and got the old Hensley and Gibb molds off Ebay, but plenty use the Lee aluminum molds with goos success and they are a hell of a lot cheaper.

I have had everything I need for years and still cannot get myself to bother to do it yet. I have made a bunch of leadheads for fishing plastic lures, but the price of those is much higher than bullets and I don't go through hundreds at a time so the 1000 or so I made will probably last me a lifetime. I bought a used Star Lubrisizer off Ebay yaers ago and recently discovered it's missing some internal parts that I have to order before I can use it. I'm hoping the price of cast bullets drops back to normal or I will end up finally firing up the caster!!

[mike100]

When I started reloading, my uncle gave me a mold and a few items he had from the '60's. I made a few and it worked, so I bought a few more things for 44, 45, and 38. The 45 acp 200gr lswc work the best probably- that and the 38 full wadcutter bullets.

It's a pain to cast,but I also enjoy it once you get your rhythm. The key is to get your lead alloy right and then to see what velocities they work at. You will get leading...t the very least, you can gain a little experience so that when there is a run on projectiles, UPS won't deliver during a civil war, or you really won't pay more than 5 cents a cartridge, you'll be good to go on the homemade ones.

Finding lead is an adventure in itself- the wheel weights are best though.

[Rule .308]

Finding lead is a piece of cake, hang out at the Cast Boolits website and monitor the for sale section. You can pretty routinely buy 50LB boxes of lead, usually wheel weights, shipped to your door for $50.00 or less. Ebay has also been a decent source for this stuff, the cost of lead is coming back down right now so I have seen some pretty good deals out there right now.

[eijjie33]

I used to. Picked up a few buckets of used wheelweights from the local Firestone station and thought I`d give it a shot.

I used a LEE 20lb bottom pour furnace, a Lee mold for .452 diameter 200 gr truncated cone bullets and a mold for .311 diameter bullets for my M44.

You also gonna need an ingot mold, a spout and sizing dies with lube. You should wear a face shield, leather gloves and a shop apron while casting.

You should also separate the Zinc wheelweights from the lead ones.

Rifle bullets need gas checks.

Also, make sure the area is well ventilated.

I`ve cast about 3k of the .452 and 1k of the .311 bullets and decided it`s not really my cup of tea.

The stench of the molten wheelweights was too much for me. and the whole process too cumbersome.

Hope that helps.
The .45 loads were fairly accurate though.
:thumbsup::thumbsup:
my dad did that when i was growing up.he was making mold for his custom made airgun which is a shotgun he was making slugs.man the smell was terrible eventhough he was melting the lead outside you can still smell it

[Timberland]

:thumbsup::thumbsup:
my dad did that when i was growing up.he was making mold for his custom made airgun which is a shotgun he was making slugs.man the smell was terrible eventhough he was melting the lead outside you can still smell it

The smell is from the crap mixed in burning, clean lead ont smell bad. I finnially got a good source so now I am a very happy caster

[eijjie33]

you're right if i remember correctly i think the ones he was using has some stuff mixed with it that's why it smelled so bad,and also i think he was using the cell from car batteries.it's probably the acid burning is what i smell.

[CSACANNONEER]

I'm using an 8 cavity 200gr SWC H&G mold now. I use a Star lubesizer too. I highly recommend getting a Star/Magma Engineering lube/sizer. It will make your life easier!

[pepsi2451]

Thanks for all the replies.


I suggest a visit to "cast boolit" web site, lots of info and different perspectives seen there -- You can possibly even buy small amounts of different cast bullets to try in your weapon -- my ha-penny

Thanks for the site I have been reading there, seems to be lots if info.

i use the lee 45 230 gn round nose tl design along with the lee 452 sizer and it comes with tumble lube that you just sprinkel on swirl your bullets around in a bucket and then place them out in the sun to dry on wax paper

i cast on a coleman stove in a cast iron frying pan that

i made sure and smoked my mold cavites with a bic lighter and preheat them in the melted lead till the lead doesnt stick to the bottom

ive made quite a few i get a little lead in the riflling of the handguns i use but it cleans out fairly ok

i bought the 2 cav molds cause they were cheap and i wasnt sure i wanted to do this or not

I think this is what I'm gonna start with. I have casted using the stove and frying pan before, just not bullets. I think I'm gonna go with the same Lee 2 slot mold to start with (since the 6 slot is sold out at midway anyway).

Have you had any success with any cast bullets?? I'de get the mold for whatever load currently working well with your pistol. I like the SWC design, but the round nose it good too. I went and got the old Hensley and Gibb molds off Ebay, but plenty use the Lee aluminum molds with goos success and they are a hell of a lot cheaper.


Actually I don't even have a reloading setup. I had everything picked out then I talked to a guy that wants to sell his setup, but he isn't getting back to me with a price. If he doesn't give me a price, I will be ordering a setup online later today.

I'm using an 8 cavity 200gr SWC H&G mold now. I use a Star lubesizer too. I highly recommend getting a Star/Magma Engineering lube/sizer. It will make your life easier!

Thats a little more then I want to spend right now, but if I keep casting I will definitely look into that.

So when you guys cast using wheel weights do you drop them into water or heat treat them at all? I guess it couldn't hurt right?

[bohoki]

here is a list of my casting accessories

coleman stove

6 inch frypan (7 inch holds too much lead and gets too heavy)

soup spoon for dipping and pouring into the mold and
skimming/scooping crud from the melt

wood plunger handle for tapping the bolt of the mold to release the bullets

5 gallon bucket with 2 gallons of water (to drop the bullets into not to harden its just a way to keep them from deforming and i dont like having hot things sit)

candle (cause people told me it helps pick out the crud i guess it works it smokes then bursts into flames then leaves dark grey black stuff on top)

bullet mold(duh)

wand butane lighter (for lighting the stove and blackening the mold cavities)

long aluminum rod for stiring the melt after adding wax chunks

echo brand non shiny cupcake pan(to make ingots) find an old one at a thrift store or boot sale that is not tin plated

i started cause i bought a couple tires at walmart and asked if i could have some wheelweights so i got a little 10 pound bag of them from the guy

and after casting

i tumble lube them with lee liquid alox then run them through the lee size die then tumble lube them again


so far ive made around 2000 9mm and 1500 45 bullets and my expense has been

the 2 molds at $17 each the 2 size dies (they come with the lee liquid alox)that were $12 each and a gallon of coleman fuel $8

[CSACANNONEER]

No need to have water anywhere around molton lead! I do drop them on a damp towel but, I've been to a few commercial casters who just let them drop into a bucket of air.

Also, having good equipment means everything! I never want to not have the ability to use a lead pot with a bottom pour spout and, the Star lube/sizer allows me to lube and size about 800 rounds per hour. With my Lyman 45, I can probably do 150 rounds an hour. I suggest getting a heater for your sizer too. My Star was less than $200 (with a couple dies) on ebay and I'm using a midway heater with it that I bought on sale for about $30.

[pepsi2451]

here is a list of my casting accessories

coleman stove

6 inch frypan (7 inch holds too much lead and gets too heavy)

soup spoon for dipping and pouring into the mold and
skimming/scooping crud from the melt

wood plunger handle for tapping the bolt of the mold to release the bullets

5 gallon bucket with 2 gallons of water (to drop the bullets into not to harden its just a way to keep them from deforming and i dont like having hot things sit)

candle (cause people told me it helps pick out the crud i guess it works it smokes then bursts into flames then leaves dark grey black stuff on top)

bullet mold(duh)

wand butane lighter (for lighting the stove and blackening the mold cavities)

long aluminum rod for stiring the melt after adding wax chunks

echo brand non shiny cupcake pan(to make ingots) find an old one at a thrift store or boot sale that is not tin plated

i started cause i bought a couple tires at walmart and asked if i could have some wheelweights so i got a little 10 pound bag of them from the guy

and after casting

i tumble lube them with lee liquid alox then run them through the lee size die then tumble lube them again


so far ive made around 2000 9mm and 1500 45 bullets and my expense has been

the 2 molds at $17 each the 2 size dies (they come with the lee liquid alox)that were $12 each and a gallon of coleman fuel $8

Thanks for this post. My setup will be vary similar to start with. Do you use a Thermometer? What kind of powder charge are you using for the lee 45 230 gn round nose bullets? Where did you get your recipe?

[bohoki]

Thanks for this post. My setup will be vary similar to start with. Do you use a Thermometer? What kind of powder charge are you using for the lee 45 230 gn round nose bullets? Where did you get your recipe?


no thermometer i just wait till it gets all mercury like and let the mold kind of float on the lead holding the handles pick it up and it will have a bunch of frozen lead on the bottom i keep doing it till it doesnt do that any more then i turn the flame down about half

(dont forget to get your cavities good and brown black from butane lighter too i also put a touch of candle on the hot positioning pins every 100 or so drops in the bucket

(i fill both cavities at the same time from the side of the spoon,holding the mold good and level and leave a good gob on the top wait till you see little puckers over the pour holes and whack the sprue plate with the plungerhandle i knock it right back into the melt and if the bullets look cruddy drop them back in

if one looks good i try to get that one in the bucket (once lead gets wet it stays there never pick a reject out and throw it in the pot)trust me
http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e366/bohoki/DCP_6930.jpg

my load is 4.5 bullseye powder random large pistol primer and found brass

good luck
http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e366/bohoki/DCP_6929.jpg

oh yea you might want to wear gloves too

[gunboat]

Bo -- I admire your minimal outfit --- And I am sure your bullets are as good as ones made by outfits costing hundreds of dollars more. However - you knew that was coming, right? -- splurge on an old casting pot and lyman dipper -- you will enjoy it immensely - But maybe it don't take you long to look at a hot spoon :-)

[Trakker]

a little to toxic for me...
especially if i have kids running around outside my work area...
i prefer to buy FMJ bullets now.

[gunboat]

trakker -- by all means use fmj -- leaves more lead available for the rest of us ------

[otteray]

you're right if i remember correctly i think the ones he was using has some stuff mixed with it that's why it smelled so bad,and also i think he was using the cell from car batteries.it's probably the acid burning is what i smell.


Very toxic mix of poisonous vapors!
Car batteries bad for casting!

[CSACANNONEER]

Very toxic mix of poisonous vapors!
Car batteries bad for casting!

I've never had any luck with car batteries. The plastic burns before the lead melts and the acid always seems to take way too long to evaporate.

[Snapping Twig]

Check out the Lee 6 gang 230g TC mould.

I really like that round, and with a flat metplat it can be used to hunt.

Accurate too.

I use straight wheel weights, air cooled. I can't wrap my mind around water near hot lead either. Using the right lube makes a big difference. Try White Label BAC. Price is right and the smoke is low and it lubes really well up to 2200fps.

I use a traditional lubrisizer, an old Lyman 450, but many tumble lube successfully.

Be careful - once you start casting you'll get hooked.

[gunboat]

To each his own fears ---I drop the bullet directly from the mould into a pail of water to harden the bullet for rifle use. It become fully hardened in about a week after quenching. Your "lead" needs some antimony to fully exploit this phenomenon. I place a towel at bottom of pail to prevent damage to bullet.
Alternately some folks "heat treat" in an oven --my wife never seemed to cotton to that procedure --
I have never had a problem with water/lead -- water into lead makes a serious "explosion" -- lead into water is no problem - Just like dealing with acids and water - Since the pail is on the floor and the casting furnace on the bench - never the twain shall meet -- my ha-penny

[pepsi2451]

Thanks for all the help. I ordered the Lee 2-Cavity Bullet Mold TL452-230-2R to start with. This is probably a dumb question but where do you guys get your load data? Would a Lee manual have loads for the Lee bullet molds? Sorry I'm completely new to reloading.

[jumbopanda]

Thanks for all the help. I ordered the Lee 2-Cavity Bullet Mold TL452-230-2R to start with. This is probably a dumb question but where do you guys get your load data? Would a Lee manual have loads for the Lee bullet molds? Sorry I'm completely new to reloading.

Load data doesn't have to specify bullet brand. I have the lee manual and the loads are listed under "X grains lead bullet" or "X grains jacketed bullet" or "X grains plated bullet."