lee micro something cast boolits

[Masterdebater]

http://www.titanreloading.com/molds/bullet-molds/44-special-44-mag-4440/lee-dc-mold-tl430-240swc-

im looking to just make some beginner molds that will shoot for general plinking not hunting so im not worried about slugging the barrel and have read the .430 is a good all around boolit, does this look like it will be a good start seeing as these lee molds dont require sizing? and how to u lube cast boolits?

step one-melt lead (have melting pot)
pour into mold
lube boolit
press into bullets?

fill the missing spots if i missed something here ive been reading and cant find anything very explanatory on what exactly to do.ive been casting jig heads today and need to get started with boolits! thanks in advance

[kmca]

You missed the important step #1...find lead of the proper alloy. From what I've found, I can get cast bullets for the same price or less than if you have to buy lead. You'll only save if you shoot a less popular calibers or can't buy the profiles you want. If you're doing it for your own satisfaction....that's another story

[pisarski]

go to cast boolets .com a ton of info

[pdq_wizzard]

I can find lead for about $1.20 per lb, so I can make 230gr .45 RN for about $3.40 per hundred.

I don't count my time because it is unwind time for me

[Masterdebater]

i have a bunch of my own lead here where im at so no purchase necessary, ive lurked castboolits.com a bit but i trust my buds at calguns the most lol. does anyone know if this is all i need to start loading cast boolets? i have the melting pot and reloading dies but no mold or sizer and this mold claims no sizing needed, and i havent quite grasped what is necessary for lubing them. any casters here can lay it out for me? oh these will be shot from a s&w revolver if that changes anything

[Cowboy T]

I have the 6-cavity version of that very mould and was just using it earlier this week for some light .44 Mag load development. That's a fine boolit. Speaking from experience, I highly recommend the 6-banger if you're going to buy a mould.

Know that the Lee aluminum moulds do like the alloy a bit warm. I typically run my alloy at about 700 to 750 deg. F., and this gives me very good mould fillout and very few rejects.

Finally, please remember Step 0: GET THY PROTECTIVE GEAR!! Should the Tinsel Fairy come to visit you, and you're not wearing your gear, you will be very, very sorry that you weren't.

Here's a shopping list for what I use.

1.) Mould
2.) Mould handles, if a 6-cavity model (the 2-cavity ones come w/ handles)
3.) Downpour-spout electric melting pot (I use the Lee Pro 4-20--the 10lb version's too small IMHO)
4.) Old metal coffee can, or aluminum pie tin, to put your hot sprues in
5.) Boolit lube
6.) Micrometer, which goes out to at least 4 decimal places (calipers aren't precise enough for this work)

All of this can be had for well under $200, including shipping.

And for your protective gear, I suggest the following:

1.) FULL FACE SHIELD (available at Home Depot and Lowe's for cheap). Mere safety glasses are not good enough. Think Tinsel Fairy here.
2.) Welding gloves. Also available at Home Depot or Lowe's.
3.) Old leather jacket
4.) Good, thick, leather boots. I use hiking boots.
5.) Thick denim or canvas pants of some sort. Long Johns underneath 'em is not overkill, BTW.

And the most important piece of protective gear: COMMON SENSE.

[bumpo628]

You can definitely save money buying lead. The going rate for wheel weight lead on ebay is about $1/lb delivered. Look for "50 wheel weight" and you will find several sellers with lead in 50 lb lots. Wheel weight lead is already a good alloy for casting so you don't need to add anything. Stay away from the stick-on weights since they are softer than the clip-on weights and will need to be alloyed with something harder.
Here for example: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...m=300516387971

Expect to pay more for lead that is already melted into clean, ready to cast, ingots.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=120676823253

As for the dies, the tumble lube models are the easiest and cheapest to use. While they don't require sizing, I still recommend it since it keeps things consistent.
Basically, you cast them, drop em in a small tub, put some Lee Alox in there, tumble them around for 30 seconds, run them through the sizer die, re-tumble with more Alox, and spread them out on wax paper in no particular order to dry.

If you can afford it, I recommend going straight for the 6 cavity mold. Not only is it faster, but you don't have to hit the mold with a mallet to break the sprue. You'll probably get it eventually anyway unless it is a seldom used caliber. You do need to buy the handles separately, but you could use one set of handles for all your 6-cav molds until you get tired of swapping them out like I did.

Lee 2-Cavity Bullet Mold TL430-240-SWC 44 Special, 44 Remington Magnum, 44-40 WCF (430 Diameter) 240 Grain Tumble Lube Semi-Wadcutter:

http://www.midwayusa.com/viewProduct/default.aspx?productNumber=194309

Lee Lube and Size Kit 430 Diameter:

http://www.midwayusa.com/viewProduct/default.aspx?productNumber=333470

Lee 6-Cavity Bullet Mold TL430-240-SWC 44 Special, 44 Remington Magnum, 44-40 WCF (430 Diameter) 240 Grain Tumble Lube Semi-Wadcutter:

http://www.midwayusa.com/viewProduct/default.aspx?productNumber=656156

Lee Commercial Bullet Mold Handles for 6-Cavity Lee Bullet Molds:

http://www.midwayusa.com/viewProduct/default.aspx?productNumber=117892

[pdq_wizzard]

i have a bunch of my own lead here where im at so no purchase necessary, ive lurked castboolits.com a bit but i trust my buds at calguns the most lol. does anyone know if this is all i need to start loading cast boolets? i have the melting pot and reloading dies but no mold or sizer and this mold claims no sizing needed, and i havent quite grasped what is necessary for lubing them. any casters here can lay it out for me? oh these will be shot from a s&w revolver if that changes anything

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=PIBLfUQS5_A

[Masterdebater]

bingo. the last three posts were EXACTLY what im needing, im not looking to do crazy amounts of bullets so im gonna stick with the 2 cavity since funds are tight and its unneeded. also went ahead and got the lee sizer and tumble lube. thank u guys this backs up my statement about trusting u guys more than other forums lol.

[bumpo628]

If you thought reloading was an addiction, wait until you start casting your own boolits...

I haven't heard of titanreloading.com before.
Their prices aren't too bad, I'll have to check them out later.

[bohoki]

i cast using the lee tumble lube groove molds the tumble lube smokes atrociously and i get a bit of leading in the bore but the cleaning effort is well worth the savings



i fire them out of my glock 17 and 21 using aftermarket stainless barrels


my safety gear is just a long sleeve cotton shirt, blue jeans, cotton socks and some supple leather gloves I often just wear the left one only

ive done thousands with just the 2 cavity mold they are super cheap as they come with handles

i also bought the lee bullet sizing kit .356 and .452 they are cheap and came with bottles of lube that do plenty of bullets

lee says you dont need to size them but i do it helps me pick out ones that are undersized or malformed


every boolit i make feels like i am casting a nickel

[Masterdebater]

I have the 6-cavity version of that very mould and was just using it earlier this week for some light .44 Mag load development. That's a fine boolit. Speaking from experience, I highly recommend the 6-banger if you're going to buy a mould.

Know that the Lee aluminum moulds do like the alloy a bit warm. I typically run my alloy at about 700 to 750 deg. F., and this gives me very good mould fillout and very few rejects.

Finally, please remember Step 0: GET THY PROTECTIVE GEAR!! Should the Tinsel Fairy come to visit you, and you're not wearing your gear, you will be very, very sorry that you weren't.

Here's a shopping list for what I use.

1.) Mould
2.) Mould handles, if a 6-cavity model (the 2-cavity ones come w/ handles)
3.) Downpour-spout electric melting pot (I use the Lee Pro 4-20--the 10lb version's too small IMHO)
4.) Old metal coffee can, or aluminum pie tin, to put your hot sprues in
5.) Boolit lube
6.) Micrometer, which goes out to at least 4 decimal places (calipers aren't precise enough for this work)

All of this can be had for well under $200, including shipping.

And for your protective gear, I suggest the following:

1.) FULL FACE SHIELD (available at Home Depot and Lowe's for cheap). Mere safety glasses are not good enough. Think Tinsel Fairy here.
2.) Welding gloves. Also available at Home Depot or Lowe's.
3.) Old leather jacket
4.) Good, thick, leather boots. I use hiking boots.
5.) Thick denim or canvas pants of some sort. Long Johns underneath 'em is not overkill, BTW.

And the most important piece of protective gear: COMMON SENSE.

dammit cowboy u jinxed me... id been melting lead all day without issue then i come in hear and ask u guys my questions, moved my stuff outside and i threw in some lead that had water on it and had a little boof and got lead all over my arm and shirt... u win,off to home depot tomorrow.

thank u guys for all comments keep them coming so if anyone in the future searches theyll get answers

[bruce381]

go over to cast Boolits.com and read the stickiey things they will give way more info than anywhere else. Yeah tinsel fairy sucks now you know.

[mif_slim]

Lol. That's sucks. Gear before anything else.

I recently used peel off lead and pushed full loads in my 7.62x39 w/o gas check... I think I was lucky because I don't has any leading. Pushed the lead at about 2000fps~ rough estimate since it's full load.

Maybe it was my home made lube that kept it from leading??!!??

[pdq_wizzard]

one other thing, you might run into problems with your molds, there is a ton of info / how too's on youtube.

hear is one that kept me from loseing my mind.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WHFE4aonTog

and there are many more .....