Interested in bullet casting

[Cowboy45]

I have been reloading now for several years still a green horn I am sure by many of ya'lls standards.. I am interested in learning about castin my own bullets.. I know absolutely nothing about that side of the reloading world.. So any information would be very helpful..

Thank ya'll, Cowboy

 

[dukeboy_318]

step 1, go here From Ingot to Target: A Cast Bullet Guide For Handgunners, Table of Contents - Fryxell/Applegate

step 2, go here Cast Boolits

 

[Cowboy45]

step 1, go here From Ingot to Target: A Cast Bullet Guide For Handgunners, Table of Contents - Fryxell/Applegate

step 2, go here Cast Boolits

Thank you very much for the information!! I greatly appreciate it!

 

[warthog]

You know, Cast Boolits is a great resource but frankly it isn't for beginners.

Sure, you can read up there if you search skills are good but asking a bunch of newbie q's there seems to only get you scolded. See they feel they have been over that enough times there. Here we seem willing to continue to answer you even though we have been over it before. I haven't been here long at all yet I have answered this sort of thing more often that I can remember without getting too snotty about using the search. Of course after getting schooled for a while they do finally answer your questions once they become more specific and they are a great bunch of folks. I've been casting for a while now before knowing about the forum there, same person gave me the link in fact. I was overwhelmed by most of the discussions and just shut up and read for a month before I asked about swaging (much different topic).

That first link is fantastic and don't just read the first PDF but look through all of them, I suggest either saving them to disk or printing them or both. I didn't have that when I started, I had the Lyman Manual and a little handbook they would mail you before all the interweb was available.

Anyway, I will answer your questions though you should read the first Ingot to Target PDF then return with more specific questions for us. I am not the only person who will answer you here either.

 

[Kirk Freeman]

Greetings, fellow reloading newbie/greenhorn.

IME, nothing beats a teacher at your elbow.

This goes double for casting!

 

[mr.steve]

Welcome, Cowboy. I too have just started casting. From Ingot to Target is a great resource. Also Lyman's book on casting is a must have. There's a lot of satisfaction in shooting your own bullets.

 

[dukeboy_318]

Cast boolits isn't a bad site. Just need to read through their stickies before asking a FAQ, but we have the same problem here sometimes....

 

[Cowboy45]

You know, Cast Boolits is a great resource but frankly it isn't for beginners.

Sure, you can read up there if you search skills are good but asking a bunch of newbie q's there seems to only get you scolded. See they feel they have been over that enough times there. Here we seem willing to continue to answer you even though we have been over it before. I haven't been here long at all yet I have answered this sort of thing more often that I can remember without getting too snotty about using the search. Of course after getting schooled for a while they do finally answer your questions once they become more specific and they are a great bunch of folks. I've been casting for a while now before knowing about the forum there, same person gave me the link in fact. I was overwhelmed by most of the discussions and just shut up and read for a month before I asked about swaging (much different topic).

That first link is fantastic and don't just read the first PDF but look through all of them, I suggest either saving them to disk or printing them or both. I didn't have that when I started, I had the Lyman Manual and a little handbook they would mail you before all the interweb was available.

Anyway, I will answer your questions though you should read the first Ingot to Target PDF then return with more specific questions for us. I am not the only person who will answer you here either.

I will take my time and read through the information and I am sure I will have more specific question for ya'll.. I have noticed all there talking about so far are pistol calibers.. Can you cast rifle calibers as well? Like 7mm and .30?

 

[Cowboy45]

Agreed

Greetings, fellow reloading newbie/greenhorn.

IME, nothing beats a teacher at your elbow.

This goes double for casting!

I would agree with ya there^^ Nothing beats watching some or having em next to ya.. Unfortunately I don't know anyone who casts.. If I did I would def be watching instead of asking..

 

[Cowboy45]

I hope

Welcome, Cowboy. I too have just started casting. From Ingot to Target is a great resource. Also Lyman's book on casting is a must have. There's a lot of satisfaction in shooting your own bullets.

I hope there is!! It seems like a farly simple process once you have done it about 100 times.. But I do think it's a skill worth learning and doing.. Especially in the world I will end up living in..

 

[billybob44]

Well Yes and No...

Can you cast rifle calibers as well? Like 7mm and .30?

You CAN cast rifle calibers. Most casters get to know their way around a "Pot" for awhile before they start on rifle calibers. Most rifle loadings demand a Gas Check at the base of a cast bullet, to avoid "Gas Cutting", or "Melt Down" of a cast bullet, at speeds over 1200fps.

Not hard to install gas checks, just another phase of making your own cast bullets.

Kind of like starting reloading with a straight wall pistol case, and then move up to a "Bottle Neck" rifle case load...NO...Not hard to do, just takes more knowledge, experience, and time...Bill.

 

[Cat-Herder]

You CAN cast rifle calibers. Most casters get to know their way around a "Pot" for awhile before they start on rifle calibers. Most rifle loadings demand a Gas Check at the base of a cast bullet, to avoid "Gas Cutting", or "Melt Down" of a cast bullet, at speeds over 1200fps.

Not hard to install gas checks, just another phase of making your own cast bullets.

Kind of like starting reloading with a straight wall pistol case, and then move up to a "Bottle Neck" rifle case load...NO...Not hard to do, just takes more knowledge, experience, and time...Bill.

I started out reloading 38Spl....then .40, then .45, then 357, then .380, then .308Win...then I started casting my own bullets...now I cast and load for all of those. All I buy is primers, powder, gas checks and lead.
The only ammo I ever buy is rimfire.

 

[Cowboy45]

Missed that Memo

Can you cast rifle calibers as well? Like 7mm and .30?

You CAN cast rifle calibers. Most casters get to know their way around a "Pot" for awhile before they start on rifle calibers. Most rifle loadings demand a Gas Check at the base of a cast bullet, to avoid "Gas Cutting", or "Melt Down" of a cast bullet, at speeds over 1200fps.

Not hard to install gas checks, just another phase of making your own cast bullets.

Kind of like starting reloading with a straight wall pistol case, and then move up to a "Bottle Neck" rifle case load...NO...Not hard to do, just takes more knowledge, experience, and time...Bill.

Apparently I missed that memo.. Cause I started with .223.. Prolly not the best, I have crushed my share of cases since I started.. I have heard lots of different things over the years of shooting lead over copper plated.. I know that it can clog the rifle n if not properly cleaned.. But will it clog it no matter what you do?

 

[dsol]

I started casting last year. My 13 year old son has developed an expensive habit with my .357 and 45 LC lever action rifles. The boy and I can burn through 300+ rounds in an afternoon at the range easy. I have been reloading for years, my dad taught me when I was younger. I invested in a bunch of primers, have thousands of 38 and 357 cases from dear old dad, and keep a couple of 4 lb jugs of 231 and 2400 handy. Scrounging lead is the hard part anymore, but I have probably close to 500 lbs now, so that should keep us going for a while.

I read a lot on castboolits.com and the ingot to target book before ever touching a mould. Bought a few used moulds off castboolits to start with, got a few 6 gang Lee moulds for plinking production and now have coffee cans full just waiting to be stuffed into cases for weekend fun times with the kids. Found me some fantastic Hensley and Gibbs (the best of the mould makers) at a small local gunshow for a steal. Just was in the right place at the right time with some cash in hand. Paid $75 for two four gang H&G's.

Time to crank up the Dillon and make more for this summer!

 

[Cat-Herder]

Apparently I missed that memo.. Cause I started with .223.. Prolly not the best, I have crushed my share of cases since I started.. I have heard lots of different things over the years of shooting lead over copper plated.. I know that it can clog the rifle n if not properly cleaned.. But will it clog it no matter what you do?

If you're crushing cases, you probably didn't trim them all to the same length.

If you're getting leading in your bore, you either didn't slug it and use the proper sized bullet for that barrel, OR you aren't using gas checks, OR you are running them either way too slow, or way too fast, OR some combination of all of the above.

I run cast, quenched, gas-checked full-power 308s in my AR10 and my Remington 700 with no leading. I use Blue Angel lube and Varget.

If you don't clean out the copper residue from your barrel before switching to cast, you MAY experience leading.

 

[sbcman]

Lots of good info already posted on this thread. I'll offer mine.

Lee's reloading manual has a great section on casting. I've heard Lyman's does as well.

When you get going, don't start small. Get a 20 pound bottom pour furnace and 6 cavity molds for your handgun calibers. Be prepared to buy sizing dies for those bullets, even if they're tumble lube. When possible, buy your lead in ingots unless your lead is free. Yes, they're a bit more, but it's already been fluxed and takes a step out of your production.

The major cost of casting is your time, but it pays off in 1) controlling one more step of your ammo production and 2) money. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise- I shoot competions and put somewhere in the range of 10k down my barrels a year. The savings stack into the thousands in a year's time.

There's also the benefit of purchasing lead instead of bullets in times like we are currently experiencing. Lead is easier to get than bullets and it's nice knowing that a big pile of lead awaits the molds to make bullets at will.

 

[Cat-Herder]

The major cost of casting is your time, but it pays off in 1) controlling one more step of your ammo production and 2) money. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise- I shoot competions and put somewhere in the range of 10k down my barrels a year. The savings stack into the thousands in a year's time.

There's also the benefit of purchasing lead instead of bullets in times like we are currently experiencing. Lead is easier to get than bullets and it's nice knowing that a big pile of lead awaits the molds to make bullets at will.

^^^^THIS^^^^^^

It's a great feeling to shelve a 50cal ammo can full of your favorite 45 or 357 load....mostly because it weighs a friggin ton!

 

[woodsie57]

Once you aquire some lead,you can get started pretty reasonably-My low-tech setup uses an old coleman camp stove as a heat source. Steel pot,gravy ladle and slotted spatula came from Goodwill for around $5. Lube bullets in a cutoff milk jug w/a tablespoon or 2 of Johnsons paste wax. I'm using Lee tumble-lube molds in .44 and .357/.38,works out fine!

 

[bwframe]

Once you aquire some lead,you can get started pretty reasonably-My low-tech setup uses an old coleman camp stove as a heat source. Steel pot,gravy ladle and slotted spatula came from Goodwill for around $5. Lube bullets in a cutoff milk jug w/a tablespoon or 2 of Johnsons paste wax. I'm using Lee tumble-lube molds in .44 and .357/.38,works out fine!

This is some great info! Good to know it's possible to get started without a huge investment.

 

[Cowboy45]

Starting

Lots of good info already posted on this thread. I'll offer mine.

Lee's reloading manual has a great section on casting. I've heard Lyman's does as well.

When you get going, don't start small. Get a 20 pound bottom pour furnace and 6 cavity molds for your handgun calibers. Be prepared to buy sizing dies for those bullets, even if they're tumble lube. When possible, buy your lead in ingots unless your lead is free. Yes, they're a bit more, but it's already been fluxed and takes a step out of your production.

The major cost of casting is your time, but it pays off in 1) controlling one more step of your ammo production and 2) money. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise- I shoot competions and put somewhere in the range of 10k down my barrels a year. The savings stack into the thousands in a year's time.

There's also the benefit of purchasing lead instead of bullets in times like we are currently experiencing. Lead is easier to get than bullets and it's nice knowing that a big pile of lead awaits the molds to make bullets at will.

Thanks for the information!! I am going to start looking for the things I need and get this ball Rollin.. I am pretty excited about it..