Oh the joy of casting!

[Skip Sackett]

There are times when things just don't work right. No matter how hard you try, sometimes things just don't flow like you want them to.

Well, tonight was NOT one of those times! I think I even know why!

I started out casting my 45 RN mould from Saeco. Now, I love this mould but have had some problems with fillout when it is at the temperature I like to cast at, around 700*F.

If you go much hotter, although I smelt in another sequence all together, there is a chance that zinc can melt and ruin your alloy. So tonight, I added just a touch of lead free solder (90somthing % tin), about a foot long piece of 1/8", and things really took off. Bullets were flying out of that mould tonight like crazy! I got about 14lbs of them and stopped.

I switched to the H&G #68 mould, a 200gr LSWC. Now, that original Hensley & Gibbs mould will cast good bullets when nothing else will! It's awesome. At any rate, after about another hour I had right at 14lbs of them! I used the solder in that alloy too although I have never needed it when I cast with wheel weights before.

So, a little math tells me I have about 400 230gr bullets and about 490 200gr ones to lube soon!

Gonna loads some this weekend and hit the range!

 

[michael thornton]

im ready for it to cool off so i can cast what little lead i have left, i realy enjoy it

 

[Yurko]

I bought a new single action 45 colt & with the price of bullets I'm thinking I may need to start casting too.

Missouri Bullet (my new favorite bullet maker) is the cheapest I've found but even they want $86/1000 shipped.

I began reloading on my own, but this is one area where I want to have someone show me how.

 

[Bib]

The great thing about casting is that you can melt down & re-use all your "mistakes"

 

[Harrison]

I know what you mean about the Hensley & Gibbs molds. I have two of them and they both cast like crazy.

 

[FrankD45]

Skip, if I wasn't so damned old I would start casting now. Based on your descriptions I am sure I would love it. I guess I will just have to content myself with using commercial cast and figuring out how hard I can push them. Tomorrow is a range day with some .38 Special 158gr HP/XTP over a bunch of SR4756 as well as some .45ACP 200gr LCSWC over enough Unique to get close to 1,000 fps out of a 1911. If all goes well I will publish something tomorrow night.

Frank

 

[AzShooter]

You are never too old to start casting. It's a great hobby. Won't save you any money because you will just end up shooting more. But, you can tune your gun to the perfect bullets it likes.

I find 700 degrees a little cool for my casting. I get better fill out at 750 - 800 degrees. I set for 800 using a Waage caster and it stays + - 5 degrees for my entire casting session.

I too occationally add a large strip of solder and it helps the fill out.

Good luck. Post some pics of your groups.

 

[Skip Sackett]

I second the notion of never being too old!

Skip, if I wasn't so _______ old I would start casting now. Based on your descriptions I am sure I would love it. I guess I will just have to content myself with using commercial cast and figuring out how hard I can push them. Tomorrow is a range day with some .38 Special 158gr HP/XTP over a bunch of SR4756 as well as some .45ACP 200gr LCSWC over enough Unique to get close to 1,000 fps out of a 1911. If all goes well I will publish something tomorrow night.

Frank

Frank,
As AZ says, never too old. Start cheap. Use a gas grill or turkey fryer and a ladle. That way when you get the bullet going like you like to have them, you will have your chest really puffed out!

At any rate, here are a couple of pictures from the last session with the M625JM. About 300+ rounds of a soft cast Lee 228gr RN, never liked that mould too much, with several different powders. AA#2, Bullseye, HP-38 were just a few. Had a bunch of boxes of stuff I wanted to empty so I could have the brass for my new Saeco 230gr bullet.

After working over 220 hours in the last three weeks, I took a half day off and headed to the range. I had one week of 90 hours and another of 80+ and a whole month is only supposed to be 160!

Anyway, I went had some "me" time and let loose a bunch of rounds. Someone left a couple of tennis balls at the range and by the time I got done they looked like baseballs that had had the strings removed! The the golf balls that someone else left, WOW! Those are fun to shoot. Only bad thing, when you hit them with a 230gr bullet at 800fps +, they tend to fly out over the berm! Better than I can do with a set of clubs!

Here are some after pictures of the JM:

 

[K.R._Rabbit]

I have casted for years, got a great deal on lead years ago and I have finally begun to think about getting some more. I went to the scrap yard to pick up some wheel weights, they wanted .75 a lbs.! I used to get em for free at the tire stores, not anymore. It still beats the jacketed bullet price, but it was a shock. By the way, Smith crazy, how do you clean that revolver after a lead session like that? What gets the lead out?

 

[Skip Sackett]

K.R.,
The trick is not to get the lead in!


Honestly, I will show the patches as I clean it and there will be minimal leading. A few flakes from the forcing cone that might be eliminated should I get it polished.

It is dirty on the outside! I'll give you that!

The solvent I use is my own concoction that is almost Ed's Red solvent. I will wet a rag with it and scrub the outside with a hard bristled nylon tooth brush and all of that dirt will go away. The chambers will get soaked with the solvent and swabbed clean and dry.

The reason that there will be minimal leading is because my bullets are sized correctly. The lube I use, White Label BAC or 2700 may play a part in the leading factor. Both work superbly and there is minimal smoke involved.

Sure, there were some that I thought that I was shooting black powder for a minute but that's OK for what I was doing today.

At any rate, I'll get some pictures of the cleaning process, maybe even a video.

 

[Skip Sackett]

No Trick Photography Here!

For all of those that claim shooting lead bullets is an unmanageable chore to clean up after, check out these pictures.

It took me 15 minutes to go from dirty to clean 1. At that point, all that is clean is the outside of the firearm.

The next thing I did was the cylinder. That took another 15 minutes. The patches are each used in all 6 chambers:

Then it was the bore. I am kind of ashamed to admit that this firearm has a wrung barrel. I was shooting some 160gr LRNFP that went POP............................................................................................ding but I didn't notice the one that only went pop. It still shoots like a champ and is more accurate than some other firearms I have. I mean, at 25 yards I can chase a golf ball all over tarnation!

The patches are from left to right then to the top row. You will see some lead on the first patch. That comes from the forcing cone. This firearm is stock from the factory except for the front sight and has had a minimal amount of jacketed bullets ran through it. Not enough to polish up the forcing cone.

At any rate, all in all it took me maybe 40 minutes to get this firearm back to shooting clean. Now that doesn't mean it would pass an Inspecting General's inspection. But it is clean enough to shoot again!

 

[chief38]

PLEASE be cautious and wear all the necessary safety equipment while casting. I used to cast, but when I went for my yearly check up my Doctor informed me that my lead levels were quite elevated. I stayed away from indoor ranges for a year and quit casting. I am back at the indoor range now that my lead level has slowly come down,but I am done casting forever. Kind of scared me a bit when I looked into the effects lead can have on the human body. Anybody casting a lot should have their lead levels checked.

chief38

 

[Skip Sackett]

I've had my lead levels checked for years. Been as high as 32, 40 is in the danger area. Casting is not the problem unless you eat it, have your lead too hot or lick your hands while doing it.

The problem comes in when you shoot it inside A LOT! Now that is dangerous, hands down. It's the atomized lead, and all primers can give you problems at an indoor range, from shooting it in a poorly ventilated area.

The last I had my level checked, I think it was this year or last, it was 25. I have kept casting but stopped shooting competition inside once a week, and my extra practicing inside too.

When you come away from a range and have that strange sickly sweet taste in your mouth, you have taken in lead dust, no two ways about it.

That is what you have to be careful of. Besides, I'm done having kids anyway! (Just kidding)

 

[Rule3]

When you come away from a range and have that strange sickly sweet taste in your mouth, you have taken in lead dust, no two ways about it.

That is what you have to be careful of. Besides, I'm done having kids anyway! (Just kidding)

But we all see what it's done to your mind.

If I had a cheap source of lead, I would give it a try. At least for revolver bullets. Every thing in Fl is Haz Mat material so there are no places to even buy wheel weights.

Guess I could hang out in Wal Mart parking lot and pull them off cars.

 

[Beans]

I just turned out 1450, 180 gr, .40 S&W cast bullets. I am using a Mastercaster and running straight wheel weights. Adding tin ( solder) to the mix will allow the bullets to fill out the mold a mite better.

When I use tin, in my rifle bullets. I try to keep the mix at 2% or less.

All of my cast bullets are dropped straight from the mold into a water trough to harden them. Is it necessary? maybe not, but that is the way I have been doing it for 40 + years. The water quenching (harding) and sizing them correctly has elimated 99% of all MY leading problems that I experienced when I first started casting.

Wheel weights is almost getting impossible to find in this area. All the tire dealers stated they are required to HAZ MAT them by their regional offices.

I have just over 1000 lbs of processed wheel weights into ingots and am concerned about what I am going to do when they are gone.

When you are shooting 400-600 rds a month the casting material goes away too fast.

 

[Missionary]

Greetings
If a mold has not been used in a while I clean it well. Then if it is cantankerous I keep cranking up the heat till it cooperates.
I ran an experiment once with frosted bullets against unfrosted... they both shot the same. As long as they are completely filled out and weight the same they shoot well.

 

[elfego baca]

I have been casting bullets since 1976. At that time i was buying wheelweights for 15 cent/lb. The last batch of wheelweights, just over 100lbs cost me $.49/lb.

My lead level was on the high side about a year ago - the first time i had it checked. My doc said not to worry because of my age. But i did have the blood test done shortly after a casting session.

I do now have an exhuast fan directly over my melting pot.

An outfit named Rotometal sells bullet alloys at a decent price and shipping is free for a $100 order.

 

[Skip Sackett]

Got them lubed now too!

But we all see what it's done to your mind.

If I had a cheap source of lead, I would give it a try. At least for revolver bullets. Every thing in Fl is Haz Mat material so there are no places to even buy wheel weights.

Guess I could hang out in Wal Mart parking lot and pull them off cars.

Thanks Roy!

Missionary, I clean all of my moulds with brake cleaner before I start a casting session. The reason for this is that when I am done with them I spray them with WD40 as a preservative, rust inhibitor. An old tool and die guy taught me that about steels that can rust. When he put a machine together that was going to go somewhere for awhile, he would put that stuff everywhere it could rust and he said there was never a complaint about rust when the machine arrived where it was supposed to be. As far as frosted and unfrosted go, I like mine "UN" but, I too haven't noticed any difference in how they work.

elfego,
I have been fortunate in the metals department. Usually free or $20 for a 5 gallon bucket. One time I went to a Sam's Club tire store and asked about their wheel weights. It seems that they were between contracts with their suppliers and they had a bunch in the previous supplier's buckets. The new supplier wouldn't take them. I happened in at the right time and offered the boys there $30 for the lot. Turned out to be over 500#! Got a deal there! Still working off of that lot, to be honest.

As for the bullets that I cast the other night, they are now all lubed and ready to load. Took about another hour and a half to finish them up. I need to invest in a Star luber/sizer though. Watched a video about them and that would make this as easy as pie and cut down on the time a bit.

What do you folks use? I have two old Lyman's. A #45 and a #450.

 

[BSkerj]

Skip is mostly at fault for getting me into this very addictive hobby. He answered alot of my newbe questions in a fashion that I could understand..now I have over 3700 lbs of WW, 8 molds for my 3 different calibers price ranging form 8.95 on a used 2 cav mould to over 110.00 for a brass mould from a gentlemen from Slovania, (Right now I am waiting on another new mold from said gentlemen), 2 lubrisizers, various lubes for each mould and a variety of other casting equipment.
All in all a very constructive hobby and one I would not be able to turn my back on.
To show you how addictive it can be..I am now contemplating in buying a Lyman 457125 mould because I want to see how it shoots out of a Shiloh 45/70 that I will order for it that will cost close to 2,000.00 ! Casting seems to turn the tables on ya!

 

[K.R._Rabbit]

smith crazy, I will try your cleaning program. I find cleaning the cylinder such a chore and it seems to damage the brush so by the time I do the barrel, the brush fit is sloppy. I have considered the foul-out but have not spent the money yet.
I was concerned about my lead level because I store the bullets in my garage, I cast in the garage, and I reload in the house. Level was 8.2, not a concern. I don't shoot near as much as you guys, but I have started to use the indoor range because of the weather here in AZ in the summer.
I have also tried the local tire shops for wheel weights, they don't give them away like they used to. I am going to try Costco, that might be a good lead.
Thanks for the information, very helpful.
Rabbit