Bullet casting needs

[BillBro]

What besides good moldd would you consider to be the minimum equipment needed to cast pistol bullets? I really mean the minimum equipment. Imagine youre really really poor and you have to cast your own bullets, what would you gather up to do that. No luxury items, just the needed stuff. Dont mind paying for quality molds.

Yes, Im a bullet casting virgin and an uneducated virgin at that so be gentle.

Im not looking to cast a pile of bullets just a few hundred at a time in 44 and 38.

 

[6GUNSONLY]

You could get one of the tumble lube style Lee molds, which do fine to be loaded and shot as cast. A Cool Whip bowl to tumble lube them in, a way to melt lead, and some sort of ladle. You can flux your bullet metal with sawdust or a dab of bullet lube. Coleman stove, propane burner, what have you will work for your heat source. An electric furnace is nice but not essential. I've cast a lot of bullets melting lead on a Coleman stoves. If you feel you really need to size bullets, you could get one of the Lee push-through dies that work on your loading press, but I've shot a lot of the Lee bullets without sizing and they work fine. My experience with those is primarily with . 45 ACP.

 

[Mike SC Hunter]

A $25.00 Lee mold
A 1 quart metal/cast iron pot
A 1 burner gas eye/stove
A pouring ladle(RCBS?Lynman)
A 20 lb LP cylinder
A large spoon(s) solid and slotted
A supply of lead---wheel weight/fish sinkers /plumber's lead etc.

I've been casting bullets since 1972. I REFUSE to use an electric pot of any brand. They are slow to melt and remelt and you can only use CLEANED lead ingots. Plus most them leak out the spout. When it's supposed to be closed.
My way is fill the pot with lead. Melt. Skim all the trash off the top. Flux with wax and cast.

My style setup.

 

[oddshooter]

Find a mentor who already has all the gear. They are everywhere.

Prescut

 

[4barrel]

Watch some youtube. Go to garage sales and flea markets. Older people have things their wife's think are junk when they die. I know a woman that threw her husband's scopes in the trash because they were sticky.

 

[ACORN]

Eye protection first!

 

[glenwolde]

A ladle. A pot. A heat source. A mold (or mould if you're English).

That will get you bullets. As mentioned the tumble lube designs can be shot as cast but if you want to size other designs the Lee push-through sizers are cheap, fast, and effective. You can still tumble-lube or add a toaster oven from Goodwill and powder coat them. Or pan-lubing is the other option.

A thermometer will help a lot.

 

[mikld]

My first casting set up consisted of a 2qt. stainless steel pot. A single burner Coleman stove. A slotted spoon (stolen from Ma's kitchen). I used candle wax and paraffin for fluxing and used wooden sticks for stirring. I purchased a Lee ladle, and a Lee mold, used, and a Lee Pan Lube Kit that included a sizing die, unfortunately now discontinued (ebay for less than $10.00). I made my own bullet lube from paraffin, 2-cycle motor oil and Vaseline I had access to free wheel weights so my total outlay in 1988 was less than $30.00. I made enough 44 cal. bullets to keep my 44 Magnum revolvers fed for over 18 months before I got a bottom pour pot...

Best place for every day casting info; Cast Boolits

 

[6GUNSONLY]

Best place for every day casting info; Cast Boolits

Roger this. More bullet casting knowledge there than can be absorbed.

 

[Ivan the Butcher]

I prefer sized and lubed ballets to tumble lube, but tumble lube is the easiest! I have used some coated bullets, but haven't found them to be as accurate as bullets to made fit your revolver or rifle.

Ivan

 

[Fishinfool]

Eye protection, heat resistant gloves, and an old leather welders bib. I like one of those old fashioned hard leather mallets for opening sprue plates, and tapping the side of a mould to get a reluctant bullet to drop. Harbor Freight has that stuff pretty cheap.

Larry

 

[Luke Duke]

Lee stuff all the way. You can find cheap used stuff on EBay. Never had any leading issues with their Tumble Lube or TL Molds and they have always shot accurately for me.

 

[IAM Rand]

Cheap stuff on ebay??? We must be looking at different ebays. All of the steel molds are going for $$. The aluminum molds are cheaper. Some of the other stuff might be cheap but, not really. I am seeing RCBS Lube a matics on ebay for more than RCBS has them advertised with free shipping.

I got the dreaded electric pot from Cabela's. I got a small pot, bullet pourer, and lead ingots at an online estate sale. I am not going the lube route but, will instead powder coat with the help of a $10 toaster oven from the Arc thrift store. To get a harder lead, I have gone to several thrift stores to find their cheap pewter. Aside from the electric pot, my biggest expenses are the molds and the Lee sizing dies. Oh yea, the lead.

 

[BrovoEchoSierra]

The suggestion of finding a mentor is a solid suggestion.

Lee products in my view, run from ingenious, to barely usable. Their molds for me, fall into the later class.

I have been casting, and learning, since I was a teenager, as my Dad was a caster, as well.

I have shooting buddies that use Lee molds, and get along fine.
Personally I think life is too short to use Lee molds.
If you do use them, they seem to work best if you dip your lead, rather than pouring it, and they are very temp sensitive, if you over work them. (Cast and dump too fast)

The equipment that a person uses depends on the quality of bullet you wish to produce, and the duration that you wish to play the game, as well as thickness of your wallet.

A quality Steel mold, will set you back over twice the cost of a lee mold, but if cared for will make 10's of 1000's of bullets, where the Lee will wear out way sooner.

There are several Lee products that work really well. One of these is the Push through sizing dies, that use your reloading press. One of these dies, and a squirt bottle of Alox lube will cover the sizing and lubing needs, and will save you a couple hundred bucks over a dedicated sizer / lubricator.

So long story short, I would buy a quality Steel mold, and a Lee push through die, and a lee lead pot, and a dipper. A couple hundred bucks, more or less, should get you started.
See if you like the process, and if so spend the money at some point for more or better equipment.

Best of luck to you.

 

[glowe]

I would add a thermometer so you do not get the lead too hot and second the need for a heavy cast iron melting pot. A wood mallet comes in handy to knock the top loose from the mold. I use a turkey fryer burner fitted with steel rods for the burner.

Lastly, Lee bullet sizers work great and increase uniformity and accuracy of your reloads. Just screw into the collet of your press and allows you to size all your bullets. You will be amazed at the size difference between some of your castings. Alox is an easy coating to use and give great results. Just warm the material squirt it into a container full of lead then shake up the bullets and spread the out to dry.

I wanted to add that casting temperature opinions are all over the board, but I have settled on casting at 700 F for pure lead and 750 for hard cast lead. Perfect casting every time and nice shiny bullets.

 

[AlHunt]

You have your answers, I just want to pile on the thermometer. It's doable without but especially if you don't have a mentor, learning to control the heat will be a much longer and steeper learning curve and you run the risk of damaging your mold. Especially an aluminum mold.

By the way, I run the gamut of mold brands. While the higher end molds seem to drop nicer bullets, the Lee molds will also rain bullets if properly cared for and good technique is employed.

 

[Kinman]

A twenty five gallon fire extinguiser is a minimum in my shop, I had two, one on each main wall. If you've ever been through a shop fire you can appreciate my caution. I use a pyrometer that I built from parts like a Heath Kit radio, it keeps all of my pots within a couple degrees of whatever temp I set it at, regardless of year of manufacture. I have a pot with a sensor for pure lead, 1:20, 1:30 and Hardcast, switch the sensor out to the pyrometer as needed. I hand cast each bullet except gang casting for .38 from an old RCBS bottom pour unit. I prefer the control of hand dipping each ball or bullet, seldom have any errors. I also use a single burner hot plate to pre heat my molds, usually have few rejects if patient enough for the mold to fully heat. Gloves, aprons, eye protection are all standard...I've gotten some serious burns and many close calls not adhering to the standards.

 

[GypsmJim]

I started with a 4# steel pot, supported above a 2# propane bottle and "torch". Of course, Lee molds all the way. I used their sizing kit and used the torch to meld the wax around a bunch in the pan.

Graduated to a Lee Production pot, which really only added a coupleabucks to the mix. Now I also use a "free" whipped cream bown filled with water and I quench every round.

Now, I use Lee tumble lube dies and liquid alox exclusively. They perform well in every gun I own. The only possible negative is that it slightly builds up in seating dies.

Don't believe all the poopoos about Lee molds. I drop the first round and put it into inventory 99.9% of the time. Steel molds take a long time to heat up. My 45 ACP mold (which still requires sizing) was bought in 1975 and has produced thousands of rounds. But then again, I am a stickler about reading owner's manuals.

 

[max503]

My rig fits in a kitty litter bucket and goes camping with me. In it I carry my lead ingots, Lee bottom pour furnace, mold(s), a hammer handle, some wax/flux, gloves, a slotted spoon for skimming, some bullplate lube(2 cycle engine oil), a few q-tips, and a towel.
Hope I didn't forget anything.

 

[Luke Duke]

I started with a 4# steel pot, supported above a 2# propane bottle and "torch". Of course, Lee molds all the way. I used their sizing kit and used the torch to meld the wax around a bunch in the pan.

Graduated to a Lee Production pot, which really only added a coupleabucks to the mix. Now I also use a "free" whipped cream bown filled with water and I quench every round.

Now, I use Lee tumble lube dies and liquid alox exclusively. They perform well in every gun I own. The only possible negative is that it slightly builds up in seating dies.

Don't believe all the poopoos about Lee molds. I drop the first round and put it into inventory 99.9% of the time. Steel molds take a long time to heat up. My 45 ACP mold (which still requires sizing) was bought in 1975 and has produced thousands of rounds. But then again, I am a stickler about reading owner's manuals.[/QU
Never wore out a Lee Mold. They have worked great for me too. And Lee has a great warranty