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  • #16
    bigbossman
    I need a LIFE!!
    • Dec 2012
    • 11091

    Originally posted by NapalmCheese
    I picked up my lead pot for 8 bucks at an estate sale along with some 9mm molds... I still have yet to use it but I got a deal on it!
    $8? With molds? I love a good deal.

    Still...... I watched a good friend cast his 38-55 bullets. Fascinating to watch, but all the hot molten stuff near me..... no thanks. I still remember when I was a child, my father getting a pretty bad burn handling molten lead way back in his plumbing days.
    Last edited by bigbossman; 11-12-2020, 2:07 PM.
    Always looking for vintage Winchester and Marlin lever action rifles. Looking to sell? Know of one for sale? Drop me a line!

    "Give a conservative a pile of bricks and you get a beautiful city. Give a leftist a city and you get a pile of bricks."

    Comment

    • #17
      Hinnerk
      Senior Member
      • May 2015
      • 779

      Originally posted by bigbossman
      .... Fascinating to watch, but all the hot molten stuff near me..... no thanks. I still remember when I was a child, my father getting a pretty bad burn handling molten lead way back in his plumbing days.
      It isn't a task to wear shorts and flip flops. Just gotta remember "Everything is HOT. Don't think its not".

      Comment

      • #18
        Lead Waster
        I need a LIFE!!
        • Sep 2010
        • 16650

        It took me just a few hours to get the hang of it (not perfect).
        I have a lee bottom pour pot, lee molds and lead.

        The great thing is if they are screwed up, just toss them back into the pot and try again!
        ==================

        sigpic


        Remember to dial 1 before 911.

        Forget about stopping power. If you can't hit it, you can't stop it.

        There. Are. Four. Lights!

        Comment

        • #19
          NapalmCheese
          Calguns Addict
          • Feb 2011
          • 5953

          Originally posted by bigbossman
          $8? With molds? I love a good deal.

          Still...... I watched a good friend cast his 38-55 bullets. Fascinating to watch, but all the hot molten stuff near me..... no thanks. I still remember when I was a child, my father getting a pretty bad burn handling molten lead way back in his plumbing days.
          Well, the molds were separate.

          It's a better set up than I used when I was a teen melting my old fishing weights to make new fishing weights using my mom's stove, and old spoon, and a chunk of wood for the mold.
          Calguns.net, where everyone responding to your post is a Navy Force Delta Recon 6 Sniperator.

          Comment

          • #20
            Abenaki
            Senior Member
            • Mar 2008
            • 1075

            This is some advice that I give to every one.

            When your casting boolits.....Boolit fit is King! Lube is Queen. And hardness is an ugly step child!

            Be safe and keep an eye out for the tinsel fairy!!!!!! She will get ya when you least expect it!

            A visit from the tinsel fairy is when you have a pot of molten lead blow all over the place.....because of moisture getting in the pot.

            Take care
            Abenaki
            "Waiting periods are only a step. Registration is only a step. The prohibition of private firearms is the goal." U.S. Attorney General Janet Reno, December 1993

            I'd rather be a Boomer, than generation crybaby!

            Comment

            • #21
              Psychbiker
              Senior Member
              • Jul 2009
              • 1671

              Great site with great info. http://castboolits.gunloads.com/

              A PID as mentioned is great as it keeps the lead usually +/- 10 degrees depending on quality of furnace.

              You'll want to slug the barrels of the guns you wan to cast for. A 9mm might be .355 or up to .357. I cast .002 over usually.

              You'll need a hot plate if youre using hand molds to get the mold up to temp or you'll be tossing back the first bunch of castings.

              I would not mess with anything under 4 cavity molds. 5 and 6 cavity are nice.

              I'm using a Lee 4-20 and it works. Drips but I've modded to fix that. Also built a PID to help with temp. The issue, I'll cast for about an hour I think the 20lbs of lead is gone and it takes awhile to melt another batch soooo....I bought another 4-20 lee and plan to mount that above and use it as my reserve pot so my bottom is always full. It's all about consistency.

              If you havent bought a pot yet, I'd get a magma 40lb master pot or a master caster. The master pot holds 40 lbs and thats a good amount. Thats about 1500 180gr bullets and would take probably 2-3 hours.

              1lb of lead is 7000gr. So figure out if you cast a 180gr bullet and have 20lbs of lead thats about 770 bullets but would be more like 650 because the sprue, what's trimmed of the top, is waste and will get added back to the pot.

              Youtube FortuneCookie45LC. He has tons of videos.

              Dont forget you'll need to lube the bullets after casting. Another process. You'll start off with stick alox and will eventually want to powder coat or hi-tek coat....don't fight it. You'll end up with a couple toaster ovens in the garage and odd looks from the wife.

              Oh and sizing. The castings often will come out fatter and will need to be sized. Another process. Means sizing dies for each caliber. This means likely getting another press to mount the sizing dies in and once you look at your box of 1500 bullets and think to yourself..no way am I handling one by one to size and you'll look into a bullet feeder to mount on your press to help in sizing.

              I enjoy it and haven't casted in about 8 months, had za baby. It's a process and if you shoot a lot you need to think about efficiency. If you don't shoot a lot, say under 500rds a month, then a single stage press and lee 4-20 would work.

              Finding lead is hard in Cali and anything over $2lb I think is no longer cost effective.....granted that was before Biden so ammo is way more now.

              Oh and lead hardness. Pistol rounds don't need that hard, like 8-10bhn is fine. You'll need harder lead the higher velocity. That means more expensive lead and paying attention to your lead ratio.

              There's more to it like gas checks for rifle bullets. Mold lube. Fumes. I'm sure I', forgetting something.
              Last edited by Psychbiker; 11-13-2020, 6:01 AM.

              Comment

              • #22
                Psychbiker
                Senior Member
                • Jul 2009
                • 1671

                Lee 4-20 next to a magma master pot

                Comment

                • #23
                  Lead Waster
                  I need a LIFE!!
                  • Sep 2010
                  • 16650

                  Originally posted by Abenaki
                  This is some advice that I give to every one.

                  When your casting boolits.....Boolit fit is King! Lube is Queen. And hardness is an ugly step child!

                  Be safe and keep an eye out for the tinsel fairy!!!!!! She will get ya when you least expect it!

                  A visit from the tinsel fairy is when you have a pot of molten lead blow all over the place.....because of moisture getting in the pot.

                  Take care
                  Abenaki
                  You can hide the ugly stepchild by powdercoating cast boolits.
                  ==================

                  sigpic


                  Remember to dial 1 before 911.

                  Forget about stopping power. If you can't hit it, you can't stop it.

                  There. Are. Four. Lights!

                  Comment

                  • #24
                    bigbossman
                    I need a LIFE!!
                    • Dec 2012
                    • 11091

                    Originally posted by Hinnerk
                    It isn't a task to wear shorts and flip flops.
                    "........and for that reason, I'm out".
                    Always looking for vintage Winchester and Marlin lever action rifles. Looking to sell? Know of one for sale? Drop me a line!

                    "Give a conservative a pile of bricks and you get a beautiful city. Give a leftist a city and you get a pile of bricks."

                    Comment

                    • #25
                      bigbossman
                      I need a LIFE!!
                      • Dec 2012
                      • 11091

                      Originally posted by Psychbiker
                      ......Fumes. I'm sure I'm forgetting something.
                      Could be the fumes?







                      Always looking for vintage Winchester and Marlin lever action rifles. Looking to sell? Know of one for sale? Drop me a line!

                      "Give a conservative a pile of bricks and you get a beautiful city. Give a leftist a city and you get a pile of bricks."

                      Comment

                      • #26
                        Cowboy T
                        Calguns Addict
                        • Mar 2010
                        • 5725

                        OP, if you want to learn how to cast, from a n00bie's perspective. check these out.



                        Most of the casting videos are the earlier ones. I use Lee six-cavity moulds, and they work very well. I also use the Lee Pro-4 20 melting pot. As you will see, they allow me to cast a whole lot of bullets.

                        Since you're in California, you'll probably want to powder-coat your cast bullets afterward so that you can use them at your local range(s).
                        "San Francisco Liberal With A Gun"
                        F***ing with people's heads, one gun show at a time. Hallelujah!
                        http://www.sanfranciscoliberalwithagun.com (reloading info w/ videos)
                        http://www.liberalsguncorner.com (podcast)
                        http://www.youtube.com/sfliberal (YouTube channel)
                        ----------------------------------------------------
                        To be a true Liberal, you must be 100% pro-Second Amendment. Anything less is inconsistent with liberalism.

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