Casting your own bullets

[Dirtlaw]

The five most important things to remember. Your best advice please.

[Sheldon]

This site will be your friend and answer a lot of questions. https://castboolits.gunloads.com/forum.php?

[Garv]

Not a reloader.

We had a thread here where someone did not pre-heat his molds sufficiently so the lead cooled early and did not fill the mold.

Calling Stilly.

[Dirtlaw]

I've read about getting soot on the mold so it doesn't stick. Trying to come up with my best understanding and solutions. Wouldn't even consider this in a world a bit less crazy.

[CSACANNONEER]

Not a reloader.

We had a thread here where someone did not pre-heat his molds sufficiently so the lead cooled early and did not fill the mold.

Calling Stilly.

So what? Just keep casting and the mold will heat up. Then, simply cull the bad casts and recast them. That's always been my quick way of preheating my molds. It's not rocket science.

[glassparman]

1. Keep yerself well ventilated.
2. Keep molds hot by using a hot plate whenever you set the mold down.
3. I could never get a steel mold hot enough . . . I like the aluminum ones best.
4. Sweeten the melt pot a little with pewter or linotype. It helps fill out the lube grooves and harden up the bullet some. The web is a good source for amounts.
5. Get a rhythm going and you will not have to set the mold down on the hot plate.
6. Get an old lube-sizer. Once adjusted, they are fabulous! I don't like the push through sizers that you roll around the bullets in the Alox stuff.
7. Have fun and experiment to see what works best for you!

[bigbossman]

1) Don't drop anything in the pot - gently place it. Lead burns are no joke.
2) Wear leather gloves, and an apron. This is not an activity for shorts and flip-flops.
3) water going into the molten lead will bite you, hard. Be careful of moisture and other contaminates.

[bohoki]

i love the lee molds i took a dremel and ground a groove between the holes so they both fill at once i use a coleman stove with a small cast iron skillet and a spoon

i smoke my molds with a propane torch that has the air holes covered with tape so it makes soot

you could you a candle

after filling i wait about 12 seconds and watch the lead pucker over the fill holes then use a broomhande to knock the sprew back into the skillet then

i use a short piece of broomhandle to knock the lead out by hitting the bolt and i plop them in a 5 gallon bucket half full of water

[jsanch03]

Keep a stock pile of lead ingots on hand. When casting for several calibers it can go fast. The little bit of candle wax your wife gets rid after a candle has reached is limit, is great when you need to flux your lead.

[smoothy8500]

Don't put your wiener in the pot. Don't pinch your wiener in the mold, don't touch your face, don't get your wiener stuck in the zipper...

[BIGOX]

1) Use good clean lead of the correct hardness for the velocity and pressure of how you intend to load it. Keep lots of lead on hand.

2) Only about 2% tin is required in your lead alloy for good fill in our mould. Much more than that is just wasting expense tin.

3) Flux our lead with bullet lube, saw dust (must be dry) or bees wax. Candle wax is a reducer. Works good but not a real Flux.

4) When it comes to moulds I think Lee is the bottom of the barrel. They make grate handles. Once you cast with a quality mould you'll know the difference.

5) Castboolits is a great source for information on everything you'll need. And I'm currently sell some high quality Saeco moulds and handles. The Lyman 450 lube sizer sold fast
Happy casting

[capo602002]

Wear safety glasses
wear long sleeve shirt - not synthetic and apron (woodworkers apron works)
wear gloves
Good ventilation
no fluid around casting area
load pot slowly - same for cold ladle - load slowly
Wear old clothes
SAFETY FIRST!

[Cowboy T]

I do a lot of casting, and yes, I use Lee moulds, smoked as the directions call for.

Another thing I haven't seen mentioned yet, so I will here, is to use a lead alloy that's appropriate for your application. For all handgun rounds short of .454 Casull, you don't need anything harder than BHN 12, and if you do use harder lead, you'll likely get lead-fouling because the lead is too hard to obturate to the chamber and barrel upon firing the round. I know this from experience. I use BHN 12 for .357 Magnum and .44 Magnum with excellent results.

Also, use the proper lube. Without the proper lube, you will get lead-fouling. That means forget about those hard-wax lubes. Softer is better. I use primarily Liquid Alox and tumble-lube with this. It's efficient and works very well. If you go old-school lube, then stick with the good ol' NRA 50/50 formula.

Cast your bullets as fat as your chamber will allow. That is, the bigger, the better, so long as the rounds still easily chamber (that means they still just slide in without being pushed).

[GraveTPO]

1) Use good clean lead of the correct hardness for the velocity and pressure of how you intend to load it. Keep lots of lead on hand.

2) Only about 2% tin is required in your lead alloy for good fill in our mould. Much more than that is just wasting expense tin.

3) Flux our lead with bullet lube, saw dust (must be dry) or bees wax. Candle wax is a reducer. Works good but not a real Flux.

4) When it comes to moulds I think Lee is the bottom of the barrel. They make grate handles. Once you cast with a quality mould you'll know the difference.

5) Castboolits is a great source for information on everything you'll need. And I'm currently sell some high quality Saeco moulds and handles. The Lyman 450 lube sizer sold fast
Happy casting

I have to respectfully disagree with your statement about Lee moulds. I've cast with Saeco, RCBS, Accurate, Lyman, and Noe moulds and it has been my experience that Lee moulds work just as well if not better than those listed. But we all have different methodologies and perhaps your techniques favor moulds other than Lee.

[Cowboy T]

I have to respectfully disagree with your statement about Lee moulds. I've cast with Saeco, RCBS, Accurate, Lyman, and Noe moulds and it has been my experience that Lee moulds work just as well if not better than those listed. But we all have different methodologies and perhaps your techniques favor moulds other than Lee.

Right there with you. I use both MiHec and Lee moulds, and the Lee moulds do a mighty fine job. That's why I use 'em so much, especially the 6-cavity models. One winter weekend about 11 years ago, over both days I made about 11,000 boolits (0.358", 105gr for .38 Special). Those lasted me about three years, at least (I shoot other chamberings as well). Good stuff.

The casting methodology, BTW, really isn't so much about brand of mould as I think it is the material the mould is made from. NOE moulds should have a very similar operation style as the Lee moulds, as both are aluminum-block types. MiHec moulds require a bit of a different technique, being brass, but they also turn out fine boolits.