Armory Sponsor
Posted: 3/15/2011 9:44:25 AM EDT
| I read all the threads and tutorials on here i could find about casting bullets. Still not completely sure exactly what needs to go on. I want to cast them for .40 S&W. Basically, what all is needed and what exactly needs to happen, step by step? I already reload just never casted bullets before. Probably be doing mostly wheel weights. |
|
Quoted:
Geeze another forum haha, I'm on like 50 already. Where do I even start on it? Start with the stickies. Read them all and then read them again. Lots of good articles on castpics as well. Castpics.net Even more good info here but there is a lot to digest. Use the eating an elephant approach. LASC You do realize that you are picking one of the more difficult rounds to cast for on your first go round right? If it were me I'd start with something a little more forgiving like .45 or 38 special. Casting for .40 can be done but it is going to be a bit of work and take a lot of patience on your part to get it right. |
| 40 is the only thing i have to cast for. Why is it difficult? I'm not really looking to enter international competitions in bullet molding or something, all this info is making this seem ridiculous. Cant this just be broken down into simple steps? Like i know you melt it all and skim it and stuff, but then what? Pour it into ingots? Do you have to have a different special heater to melt ingots for bullets? Do i need tin and flux and stuff, and what is flux? Cant I just melt WW and pour them into molds or what? What molds do I use and do i have to like press them or something, you cant just pour them in molds and be done? Just looking for basic ideas here to get started saving money. |
|
Quoted:
40 is the only thing i have to cast for. Why is it difficult? I'm not really looking to enter international competitions in bullet molding or something, all this info is making this seem ridiculous. Cant this just be broken down into simple steps? Like i know you melt it all and skim it and stuff, but then what? Pour it into ingots? Do you have to have a different special heater to melt ingots for bullets? Do i need tin and flux and stuff, and what is flux? Cant I just melt WW and pour them into molds or what? What molds do I use and do i have to like press them or something, you cant just pour them in molds and be done? Just looking for basic ideas here to get started saving money. All these questions and more can be answered at the castboolits forum. Quoted:
Just looking for basic ideas here to get started saving money That's some funny stuff right there. 
|
|
+1 on reading a lot.
I started smelting ingots to make ballast for racing. Then decided it would be cool to cast and save some money. Then figured out what you need to do it 'right'. Gave up the idea, and bought bullets. I'm now casting for .45, and figured out that it'll take around 15k boolits to pay off my equipment investment, without counting my time. It won't save me crap for money, but I smile when I see 'em... And I NEED more molds and tools. Cast because it's cool, not to save money. Andy |
|
here's what it takes to get started....
buy or steal a cast iron pot and a propane camping stove cook the wheel weights . . . . and the crud and steel clips float to the top. spoon out the junk. use a spoon with holes in it drop in a half crayon to flux out more crud. spoon the now clean lead into ingot molds....I use cast iron cornbread molds save them up. buy a LEE 6 cavity 40 cal mold and 20 lb production pot from Grafs, or Midway, etc. I quench mine in a 5 gal bucket of cold water Let them dry, and run them thru an RCBS Lube-a-sizer-2 your choice of bullet lube.( .401 sizer) PS - avoid ZINC wheel wieghts NEVER use the spoons and pots for food again. |
|
Link to an old casting thread I started.
Brings up how to separate out the zinc wheel weights. With a pic also. |
|
Quoted:
See now that was exactly what I was looking for. Seems as though there's about 2 big investments in that method. Thank you. LEE molds are cheap the LEE production pot is pretty cheap too. You can try the cheap LEE liquid ALOX and there cheap sizer die, some folks are happy with that, but it's a stinky mess, IMHO LYMAN or RCBS lube a sizers go on sale, or you can find them used |
|
Quoted:
Why is that funny? Free lead is much cheaper than the cheapest bullets I can find to buy. No worries I wasn't taking a stab at ya, not my style. Just a light hearted comment since that's what I thought when I started casting too. Everyone else has addressed your questions and concerns. What they haven't mentioned is once you get started, it's an obsession. Before you know it you'll have "that mold" that you "have to have" and you'll be tipping over your grandmothers rocking chair looking for some stray lead that she may have stashed. I'm just trying to say have fun and get prepared to open your wallet and have a good time because there is just no satisfaction better than shooting a nice tight group from boolits you made and loaded yourself. It just takes a bit to get there is all. Good luck to you. |
| Its all good. I understand the obsession as I reload precision cartridges (300 WSM) and obsess over making sure every round is perfect. It takes me hours to reload like 25 rounds haha. I am also rather stingy though so I can get by with what i know works, I dont need the latest and greatest. As to sizers and molds, I believe i was reading about a mold that just drops and doesnt need resizing? Am I imagining things? That would be a time saver and you wouldnt have to invest in a sizer machine? |
|
Quoted:
Its all good. I understand the obsession as I reload precision cartridges (300 WSM) and obsess over making sure every round is perfect. It takes me hours to reload like 25 rounds haha. I am also rather stingy though so I can get by with what i know works, I dont need the latest and greatest. As to sizers and molds, I believe i was reading about a mold that just drops and doesnt need resizing? Am I imagining things? That would be a time saver and you wouldnt have to invest in a sizer machine? You are going to need to size the bullets. My Lee 175 gr TC mold drops bullets at .404" The won't chamber in my Sig or Glock unless they are sized. My glock has a KKM barrel with a vey tight chamber. I have to size bullets to .400 to get them to chamber. My Sig works fine when sized to .401 In your post above, I believe you are referring to the Lee tumble lube mold. In my experience, the bullets will drop above .401 |
| OK thank you. So lets say I setup a smelting setup for basically nothing (I have everything) and just need to buy molds, a 10-20 pound heater, and the lube a sizer and a few random things. Does 200-300 in all this sound about right? Assuming I get free lead, this would pay for itself in about 2000 bullets or so. Then after that its almost free to make them. Am I on the right track? |
|
If you want to do it even cheaper get some Lee push through sizing dies and pan lube. Sizing dies are cheap. I use 9x9 silicone baking pans and home made lube for pan lubing. It's easy and I can lube 100 bullets at a time. Lube them, push them through the sizing die and then load.
ETA: Get the 20 lb Lee bottom pour. You'd be surprised how quick you can empty the pot. Start with some Lee 2 cavity molds since they are cheap and find what bullet style works well in your gun. Once you get that taken care of get a 6 cavity and you can knock them out by the hundreds. |
|
OP, it's your lucky day. Glen Fryxell just posted his book From Ingot to Target: A Cast Bullet Guide for Handgunners on the LASC website. Everything you need to know you can read in one place.
From Ingot to Target: A Cast Bullet Guide for Handgunners |
|
I though casting my own would save money too...now I shoot a lot more than I would normally.
Sure I save money on bullets/lead....but I spend just as much on powder/primers/brass/new guns, new calibers, nre dies for the new gun calibers....one big friggin snowball 
|
| OK guys I think I have everything figured out. My biggest issue was with molds and sizing. After doing some research, I believe I will go with the Lee tumble lube mold and Alox lube. I have read lots of reviews saying it drops bullets .401 every time, and if not, your mold is defective and you can get a new one for free. Worst comes to worst, Ill get a Lee push through sizing die and run em through with Alox. Sound like a plan? |
| I've been casting for my .40 XD with Lee's 175 gr. SWC tumble lube mold. With wheel weights it casts about 183 gr. and about .404 dia. Size seams to be a little larger when water quenching. Lee's instructions say it's designed for 5% tin alloy so that's probably why. I am using their push through swage die and Alox and all works well. The XD shoots lead just fine. I get far less leading with this set up then I did with store bought bullets. Powder choice affects this too. Fast powders like Clays must be hot as they leave lots of lead at the chamber throat. I'm using full and reduced loads of Power Pistol now and get very little leading and it's at the muzzle end. It's best to seat and crimp in seperate operations so as not to pile lead up on the case edge. |
| Very useful info. Thinking about just going ahead and getting the sizing die since its cheap but possibly a different mold (non tumble lube). Theres some interesting way of lubing like making your own wax like compounds and such and filling trays with the melted compound then pushing them out after it sets. Seems efficient and neat. Not sure yet though. I dont like how Alox gets on the nose and you have to go back and clean it off. Any other methods for lubing bullets that are non tumble lube that are pretty slick? |
|
Might want to try Recluse lube. It's a 45/45/10 LLA, Johnsons paste wax and mineral spirits combination. I've had pretty good luck with it in 45.
Recluse lube |
|
Quoted:
Excellent write up there. Will probably try that to take away some of the stickyness. Just curious is all the info you need for that mix on the first page? Just noticed there are 17 pages. Yes, the first post covers it all, the rest is discussion Don't make the mistake of cooking it down too long like I did on my first batch. The 45/45/10 percentages are by volume of melted ingredients. Good luck. |
|
.>>>Theres some interesting way of lubing like making your own wax like compounds and such and filling trays with the melted compound then pushing them out after it sets.
Yeah, I've seen that and would like to try it. By getting the tumble lube mold, I've kind of weenied myself for that though. I'm trying to find a Lyman Devastator hollow point mold for .40. They quit making it.  They still make for 9, .44 and .45. There's an outfit that can convert molds to hollow point but at $50/cavity that's kind of expensive.
|
Armory Sponsor