Thinking about casting.

4barrel said:
The wheel weights should be lead. Zinc will float anyway.
Click to expand...

If you get the mix, from what I understand ,, too hot by 80 degrees, the zinc will melt, and ruin the lead,,

I think it is important to sort, unless you have a temperature accurate melting furnace,,

The "turkey cooker" can ruin a batch, in a matter of minutes,,, :eek:

IMHO , of course,,
 
Despite having a plethora of casting gear and molds, it didn't make sense for me to cast my own rather than buy already finished boolits when I was away from home every weekday. After retirement, it's a different story.
FWIW, I tried both powder coating and Hitek in different loads, and found that boolits through the Star lube/sizer was better. Both faster and cleaner (that danged powder can get everywhere). Most of my guns didn't shoot differently either way, but the Sharps really prefers its favorite 535gr Postell lubed rather than either coating.
 
Fill your cast iron pot up and fire up the crawfish boiler! (That's a turkey fryer for you Yankees...lol). Just be mindful of how quickly your lead wheel weights are melting. Hotter is NOT better. As things start to melt, turn the fire down. If it's too cool, the melting will stop. You'll develop a feel for the right temp. Don't be in a hurry. The zinc and steel will float on top as the lead melts . Keep the fire just hot enough. Skim the zinc off fairly quickly. Call it good.

Also, don't add wheel weights to liquid lead. There may be moisture, especially when stored in a bucket. You DO NOT want any moisture anywhere near that lead pot...not even a drop of sweat.

This ain't rocket science. I'm proof or that!
 
I was given for free everything for casting bullets. Furnance, sizer\luber, molds, lead ingots, mold for ingots, 6.5mm bullets, 7mm bullets, plus a lee pro 1000 press for 45acp. The progressive press was out of time. Had it working in a few minutes. I heard the furnace uses lots of electricity. I was told to go to a motel to run the furnace.

L decades ago I was using Carolina Moly coated lead cast bullets. Loading the 45acp was $0.02 to $0.05 per round. I been buying sns casting bullets.
 
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I cast bullets for many years using the same equipment you will be getting. It always helps to 'warm' up the molds by casting a few bullets. Bullets from 'cold' are usually deformed. I only used wheel weights and to a 20 pound pot I would add one pound of lead solder (the solder without the liquid flux in it). That would add a little extra hardness to the alloy for shooting 1300 fps rounds. Always cast in a well ventilated place, ie: not your basement workshop. I quit casting bullets when prices for lead bullets became affordable in 500 count containers.
 
You can check your wheel weights to see if they are zinc or lead with some side cutters. You can cut the lead weights but not the zinc. I check all of mine this way. Don't need to cut into just put a nick in them.
 
If the price is right for you, do it!

Start looking for some sources to keep your lead supply up. I can almost bet you will want to upgrade your moulds over time. That's what I have done, started with some older Lyman's and Lee 2 cavities and now have some NOE, Arsenal and Lee 6 bangers. It's a natural progression in the hobby.

I would also advise taking the jump to Powder Coating. Find a cheap oven and you are good to go. My wife bought me a real inexpensive one for Christmas one year and then a digital one ce on sale, couldn't resist. Powder is cheap for how many bullets it can do.

There is something exciting about pouring your own and seeing them group well. The cost savings can be significant if you find a good source for more lead.

Good luck.
 
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WHAT IS THE ASKING PRICE?

You have been given a couple ballpark estimates...

Nobody here is going to try to get involved and squash your deal: we all (probably?) would just like to know...

Cheers!
 
Sorry, it's $500. I did the deal. I won't pick it all up for a few weeks , but it's not going any where. Though it comes with a lot of lead, I have been buying some here and there the last few weeks. For bullets, I was paying over $100 for 1K 240 grain 44 mags. That 34 lbs. I bought some wheel weights for .25 a pound. So that's roughly $8.50 for 1k 44 mags minus labor and lube of course. That's what kinda got me started on this path.
Thanks for all the tips, pointers, and responses.
David
 
Hey, 68 Dave,, you mentioned powder coat in the first post of this thread,,
On the Lee sight, I ran into something that stumped me.

Lee says,, DO NOT size bullets with out lube,, it will cause the sizer to "lead".

I too am interested in powder,
I wonder how you size the bullets, then paint them, without lube.

Surely, lube would stop the powder from sticking,, :confused:

Do you have to lube the bullets, then degrease, before powder coat?

Or, something else? :eek:
 
As I understand it , the Lee sizer likes a smidge of lube on the bullets prior to sizing. The tool I've purchased will lube and size at the same time.
Haven't gotten to the powder coating yet, but have been told that the coating likes very clean bullets, and they get sized after coating them.
So that brings me to a question. Can I size powder coated bullets with just a little lube in a lubersizer?
Thanks,
David
 
For me it was a matter of economics vs bother. I could reload, using purchased bullets, very quickly and save a lot of money. I decided to try casting - I saved a lot more money but the "bother factor" was much higher. It was very slow, with a lot of steps and I really didn't enjoy it.
Curiously enough the longer I reload the more I like it and I've even gotten into bench rest shooting and reloading with it's innumerable steps, but I'm not gong to get back into casting.
 
Should you get into it?

YESSSSSS!

Is is so much fun and a world to discover.
Shooting,reloading and bullet casting;three hobbies complementing each other.
Now try to find a guy who makes his own golf clubs!
 
I cast mostly for handguns but some rifle. Used to shoot in competition with The Cast Bullet Association matches. With all the stuff you have you'd be crazy not to. I find it a fascinating hobby. You can make it as simple or as involved as you want.
And you'll always have ammo. Just don't forget to buy powder and primers.
 
I started casting about 50 yrs ago ( I am 71) and had more led sources than I new what to do with. First I would melt it down in a plumbers furnace and pour it into the Lyman 1lb molds that way you are getting out all the junk and makes it WAY easier when you cast. I have cast for .44, 9mm, .38. .357and at one time had over 30,000 different bullets cast. I sold off a ton yes 2,000lbs of it and still had more left then I new what to with. I still have about 15,000 rds that I will never use. It has been a lot of fun knowing you are shooting for about .02 per round knowing you cast the bullets yourself. You can load them down so that my mod. 60 shoots like it was a .32 and anyone can enjoy it when there is just about no recoil and if you figure it out you can shoot for about a hour for under $3.00. Sad to say there is a time when you say maybe I should get red of the some of this stuff. when you still have ammo cans full of cast bullets, and not the time to enjoy shooting them up. David
 
I've been hand loading 40 years and casting only 10. What took me so long? I cast 38, 41, 44, 308, 264, 243,.
MAKE SURE YOU HAVE GOOD VENTILATION. I use a 20" breeze box outside, cold weather or not. Lead is not good for the bone marrow where the red blood cells are made.
 
I've been casting on & off for 45y. I enjoy the process & it saves me a lot of money on bullets. I wouldnt do it if I paid more than $1/# for alloy though. That would cost me $22/1000 powder coated 9mm. Fortunately I scrounge most of my alloy free. For me the autonomy of making all my own handgun bullets & even some rifle bullets is priceless.
 
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Been loading & casting for years, can't ever remember shooting factory loads in my pistols & revolvers. You've gotten some great advise here. It's a whole new learning experience, so be patient. The Lyman Cast Bullet Handbook is your Bible.

Also join the Cast Bullet Association website; Cast Bullet Association Forum

And the Cast Boolet website;
Cast Boolits

Great people on both sites willing to share their experiences.

Good luck.
 
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