Anybody doing any casting?

[Thursty]

I've recently started casting for .45, with a 230 gr truncated cone mold from Lee. I got probably 100 lbs of some sort of lead/antimony blend from my grandfather's basement. Then, when getting some tires changed, made friends with the shop owner who gave me free access to take as many of their old wheel weights as I wanted, so I took about 100 lbs of wheel weights home. I've got one of those Lee melting pots, so its pretty easy to set temp and watch the lead melt off and the steel and Zinc float to the top. Still very much learning all this, but I did get to shoot my first batch of cast bullets the other day, and they shot pretty well!

[Darrell]

I've been casting for years, and find it to be quite rewarding and fun. All of my molds are from Lee, and I have good luck with them once I've cast a dozen or so throw-aways and the molds get hot. 

There are two manuals that are pretty useful to casters:  The Lee reloading manual and the Lyman Cast Bullet Handbook. Both have  lot of good information, and the Lee manual includes some insight into alloy strength.  A very, very good forum for cast bullets is:  https://castboolits.gunloads.com/   Some of the guys you'll find there could probably write their own bullet-casting manuals.

I've tried powder-coating some .308 bullets, and while it's kinda cool, I'm not sure it's very utilitarian.  Gas checks help you push velocities, and paper patching can really make for some accurate rifle bullets, though I've not tried it.

[camp]

I have been casting for 45 ish years , started out on 38 s & 45s for my dad in a small Lee pot with a dipper , now I have a 20 lb bottom pour Lee and so many molds  I can’t count them , rcbs , Lyman , Lee ,noe my favorite are my brass molds from mp,  I make 5-6k of 9 mm a year for uspsa matches and powder coat everything from 9mm to 308 

Edited December 2, 2022 by camp
Dang spell check got me

[RED333]

I cast a few 35 caliber 300 gr, and some 250 gr for my 35 Whelen last week. I cast , power coat, reload and shoot, from 25 ACP to 35 Whelen. I cast 12 ga slug, 00 buck, drop #7 shot. Powder coat shoots a good as jacketed, just a bit slower.

[Skyhunter]

I've been casting bullets (and sinkers) since 1973. 

I cast for everything I shoot, excepting the rimfires. I shoot more handgun bullets than I do rifle, but have a stockpile of rifle bullets as well as the data for the loads that I worked up. Now that I'm "retired" (Involuntarily! and due to that darn China virus "epidemic") I've been exercising my rifle with cast projectiles a bit more.

I prefer the iron molds from Ideal, Lyman, RCBS, or Saeco. I tried the Lee molds, but never could warm up to them.

 

WYT-P

Skyhunter

[gregintenn]

What a timely thread. Dad’s birthday is coming up, and I’d like to buy him some pure lead for casting 38 wadcutters. Is there anyone in Middle Tennessee or Southern Kentucky who sells such ingots or something similar?

ETA:

I found some locally for $1.50 per lb. Unless you know of a much better deal, I’ll probably go with this.

Edited December 11, 2022 by gregintenn

[Darrell]

1 hour ago, gregintenn said:

I found some locally for $1.50 per lb.

That's a pretty good price. I think the last I saw was going for $2 a pound.  Pure lead isn't ideal for casting anything except black powder bullets, it's too soft for most bullets. I mix linotype or pewter in my lead pot to make the lead stronger.

[gregintenn]

1 minute ago, Darrell said:

That's a pretty good price. I think the last I saw was going for $2 a pound.  Pure lead isn't ideal for casting anything except black powder bullets, it's too soft for most bullets. I mix linotype or pewter in my lead pot to make the lead stronger.

These will be for target loads in a model 52 Smith and Wesson. I think pure lead will work. If not, he has some fun to add.

[seez52]

On 12/1/2022 at 7:18 PM, camp said:

I have been casting for 45 ish years , started out on 38 s & 45s for my dad in a small Lee pot with a dipper , now I have a 20 lb bottom pour Lee and so many molds  I can’t count them , rcbs , Lyman , Lee ,noe my favorite are my brass molds from mp,  I make 5-6k of 9 mm a year for uspsa matches and powder coat everything from 9mm to 308 

I've not powder coated any before. Have always used the old fashioned swager with stick lube. Are you sizing the slugs before powder coating or just coating them as cast? I have only cast pistol bullets. Have done it for years although none recently. 

[RED333]

4 minutes ago, seez52 said:

Are you sizing the slugs before powder coating or just coating them as cast?

I powder coat them first then run them through a Lee sizeing die.

[DeepSouth]

I started out helping my dad and granddad cast sinkers. Molds were made of sheetrock mud and would have to be remade a lot. 1969, my first job was casting babbit bearings while at Dover Elev in Horn Lake, MS. Saturday overtime I cast sinkers for whoever wanted some. Started helping dad cast bullets in 1974, 38spl 100 to 160 grain round nose mostly. Wheel weights were pure lead. All loads were under start data.

I've got lead, no hardness tester, $1 per pound, no shipping, pick up in Horn Lake, MS.

[Swede]

Go here for anything you want to know about bullet casting and other lead bullet information.

Cast Boolits (gunloads.com)