Cold winters day casting

novalty

novalty

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Well had the day of, and really need some 9mm cast to load this winter. While 14° outside, it wasn't the ideal casting situation from my garage, but did manage to get some nice cast bullets. My melt was set to a higher temp this time, biggest issue came with sticking bullets, but got enough cast to help get me some loaded.




 
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Now you've got me curious who made the mold, and tell me about that BIG hole in the nose. Oh, and what alloy are you using? Ivan
 
Thanks guys. The mold is a 4 cavity brass M-P mold, 359-125 that I got in a Group Buy over at Castboolits. It drops around .360 and the flat nose run around 135gr. and the round HP's weigh in around 125gr. Also gave a pentagon shaped HP pin to use with the mold. I keep the mold heated on a cheap hot-plate, as it likes to run hot.


The alloy is straight wheel weights, mostly clip-ons with an oddball stick-on. I melted the weights down in a dutch oven over a propane fish fryer style burner, and fluxed 3 times with pine sawdust. Never ran a hardness tester on them. I size them for my S&W 5906 at .358, and haven't had any feeding issues or leading. They also fed well in my brother's new S&W Shield. (My last batch of 200lbs of wheel weights)


Here are the round and penta shaped HP's next to the 200gr. HP 45's that I cast.

Here is another pic of the 200gr. HP between Remington 230gr. FMJ, and some commercial cast 200gr. SWC. I have a 200gr SWC mold too from M-P Molds, but using up the surplus of 200gr. commercial cast that I had.
 
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Excellent! Good to see another dedicated caster. Good looking mold & bullets too.
Like you I spent a week+ casting in the garage and about week sizing & lubing, just finished today, the 26th Dec. (Garage totally converted to 3 safe gun room, 12' loading bench and shelving)

405gr .45-70, 300gr. .45 colt gas check (for a S&W .460) 450 gr. .44, and .500 S&W Mag. All told about 4,000 cast and another 1,000+ previously cast .500 gr. .45-70 bullets lubed. Not straight working, naps, TV, computer breaks. Took my time.
Now to work on the conical bullets for the Ruger Old Army.
 
Lead wheel weights are still pretty hard to come by at a reasonable price where I live. I have purchased 500lbs this year, and have a located another source for about 200lbs more. Trying my best to stock pile it while I am able to get it.
 
C Broad Arrow said:
Nice looking boolits!

Does anyone cast in their basement during the winter?
Click to expand...

I make the ingots in the garage in the Fall with all the doors open because quite a bit of smoke is generated. I use 100% wheel weights. I cast the boolits in the basement in the Winter because that's the time to do it! When the weather is good we are outside shooting or fishing or just enjoying the outdoors. I have a year's suuply of loaded brass, so loading is a Winter task as well.

I've been doing it this way since 1975. Haven't gotten goofy yet, unless you ask my wife, but her opinion doesn't count.....LOL.

In all seriousness, I read a report published by Lee, with data generated by an independent consulting agency. They tested air quality and people contamination when casting clean lead ingots. It particularly pique my interest because I'm an Environmental Engineer and the test methods were quite the same as I use to test factories. Bottom line is that bullet casting should not cause any concern.
 
Hi GypsmJim,

Like you, I have a large supply of brass, and am able to load during the winter enough to last me through the next shooting season--the only loading I do during the summer is load development. Besides casting some more 9mm, I have to finish getting my brass prepped to load.

As far as casting, I do it in my garage. When it is warmer out I do it right in front of my garage door with it wide open. Today, I had it closed almost all the way due to the cold weather and the fact that it was snowing, but my garage is unfinished, and doesn't have a ceiling, and I cracked the side entrance door some fresh air. Figured the heat rising principle would help keep fumes away.

Killed two birds with one stone today, as surprisingly we haven't had any power outages in awhile, so I used my generator (placed outside of garage with power cords under garage door that was open a few inches) to power the RCBS Promelt, hot plate, and a 1500 watt radiant heater. So I got to cast plus give the generator a workout with an extended load.

My task for next summer is to get a berm sand pit set up for my plate rack, so I can reclaim some of my lead easier.
 
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GypsmJim said:
I make the ingots in the garage in the Fall with all the doors open because quite a bit of smoke is generated. I use 100% wheel weights. I cast the boolits in the basement in the Winter because that's the time to do it! When the weather is good we are outside shooting or fishing or just enjoying the outdoors. I have a year's suuply of loaded brass, so loading is a Winter task as well.

I've been doing it this way since 1975. Haven't gotten goofy yet, unless you ask my wife, but her opinion doesn't count.....LOL.

In all seriousness, I read a report published by Lee, with data generated by an independent consulting agency. They tested air quality and people contamination when casting clean lead ingots. It particularly pique my interest because I'm an Environmental Engineer and the test methods were quite the same as I use to test factories. Bottom line is that bullet casting should not cause any concern.
Click to expand...

Perfect...I just started into casting and was doing it during the spring outdoors, but it leaves a narrow time frame before it gets hot. So I wanted to do it during the winter (like most people) in the basement, but was concerned I would have to put in a fume hood or some other system to deal with the environmental and possible lead issues.

I appreciate your response!
 
Nice!!!
Tis the season to catch up on the bullet stock pile. I do allot of the small runs on the oddball or hard to cast bullets in the winter. 10# of 1 kind one day, 20# of another kind the next.

The older molds that have the hp pins on a handle that pull out before the bullets are dumped from the mold takes forever to cast a pile of them.

It's easy to get spoiled with mihec molds, nice bullets Novalty. I don't know about you but I go thru anywhere from 200# to 300# of lead a year casting/shooting bullets.

forrest r
 
Thanks Nevada Ed.

Well you put more downrange than me Forrest r. This year I shot about 60lbs of lead.
 
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60#?
I think you need more range time. If your running:
40# of 200gr 45acp's ='s 1,400 bullets
20# of 125gr 9mm's ='s 1,120 bullets
or
30# of 200gr 45acp's ='s 1,050 bullets
30# of 125gr 9mm's ='s 1,680 bullets

Your under a 3,000 round count for the year. Bullets/lead add up pretty quick, you sure you're not running more lead down range than you think? The # or primers that I use are what I go by, a typical season is a flat (5,000) of small & large pistol primers.

That my sound like allot but that's going to the range once a week with 4 boxes (50 round count) of ammo.
 
I have considered casting many times, this is a great thread!! :)

If you do not mind, would anyone mind sharing what you typically pay for used wheel weights?

I hope to not look stupid when I go to offer to buy some weights at a local garage.
:confused:
 
SweetMK, Jump right in! You wont regret it. I enjoy it as much as reloading and shooting. Guess it's that "make it with your own two hands" kind of thing.
Here in NE Iowa the last 5gal bucket I got was $30. That's the most I've ever paid tho. Getting harder to find good WW's without zinc, but its out there. :)
 
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