The Down Range Forum
Member Section => Reloading => Topic started by: Magoo541 on March 22, 2014, 08:04:10 PM
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So I bit the bullet, pun intended, and bought a bottom pour 20lb pot, a 6-shot 45 230g Tumble Lube Lee die, a pair of handles and some tumble lube. I know a few of you on here have some experience, ...ehem... Les, and I'm just looking for some pointers.
I've been to the site that specializes in casting Boolits but this is my home on the web so I'll be posting here. Should be here in a week or so, bought it on Midway's St Patty's day coupon for $15 off the total=free shipping (well almost free). I'll post pics and what I think I need to do to break it all in-basically cleaning and casting a bunch to "break-in" the mold.
Thanks in advance,
Bryan
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Check out the Lyman Cast Bullet Handbook and others out there. Don't know much About tumble lube but you may need to size for best accuracy. In that case you can size and lube at the same time.
FWIW
Richard
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Always thought about doing that. Very cool.
It's always a great EOTWAWKI skill and tools to have.
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Cool.
Interested in where this thread goes as well because I'm looking into this too.
*My older son is working with a new local tire business and has an inside line on lead wheel weights by the five gallon bucket.
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Always thought about doing that. Very cool.
It's always a great EOTWAWKI skill and tools to have.
If you want to have a Deluxe EOTWAWKI, check out bullet swagging.
Here is a link to Corbin's intro page on bullet swagging....from round nose lead to rebated boattails...
http://www.corbins.com/starting.htm
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Peg, ww's may not be lead! Heard tell they had started using something else or an alloy with a lot less lead because of the cost of lead. Forget where I read it. Can't even think of what would be a suitable substitute. I guess melting and fluxing will tell the tale.
FWIW
Richard
PS: Cast tons of bullets in my day and time is way too valuable unless I'm casting something I can't get somewhere else.
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If you want to have a Deluxe EOTWAWKI, check out bullet swagging.
Here is a link to Corbin's intro page on bullet swagging....from round nose lead to rebated boattails...
http://www.corbins.com/starting.htm
I've looked at that already. Too much $$$$ for me at the moment... unless I build my own dies ;D
Peg, ww's may not be lead! Heard tell they had started using something else or an alloy with a lot less lead because of the cost of lead. Forget where I read it. Can't even think of what would be a suitable substitute. I guess melting and fluxing will tell the tale.
From what I have heard zinc is the new lead. But when melting down your WW the zinc will float to the top and can be skimmed of with the rest of the dross.
Even if Wheel Weights dry up I can always reclaim some from the berms out at my club. My time is valuable too but this gets me out of the house, 4 teen-aged girls and a wife, and it makes it less expensive to shoot (VERY important to the wife at the moment-see how many teen-aged girls above).
I think it will be something I will enjoy as well and the way I look at it my investment is the same as buying 1500 230g 45 bullets. Once I reach that point I've broke even and its all bonus after that ;D
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Peg, ww's may not be lead! Heard tell they had started using something else or an alloy with a lot less lead because of the cost of lead. Forget where I read it. Can't even think of what would be a suitable substitute. I guess melting and fluxing will tell the tale.
FWIW
Richard
PS: Cast tons of bullets in my day and time is way too valuable unless I'm casting something I can't get somewhere else.
You are correct.....you have to look at the style. From what my son says, the newer ones are made differently, but you can tell the difference. He said they try to put them in different buckets.
Current price is $75 for a five gallon bucket (nearly takes two people to pick up into a truck bed).
Bidah also has posted in another thread about casting with pure wheel weights.
http://www.downrange.tv/forum/index.php?topic=22855.10
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They are basicly a zinc pot metal. If you have even on in the pot you are screwed. As mentioned above, my time is wroth so much more, not to mention the limiting of lead intake.
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My stuff was suppose to be here on a Friday, which would have given me the weekend to play around with it but there was an issue with the UPS truck and it didn't show until Monday >:(
So I unpacked the box and everything looked good:
(http://i1275.photobucket.com/albums/y445/Magoo541/Casting/BBFB88E0-6EA3-4EFE-9327-2DEC8A59EE3B_zpskqucsjx3.jpg) (http://s1275.photobucket.com/user/Magoo541/media/Casting/BBFB88E0-6EA3-4EFE-9327-2DEC8A59EE3B_zpskqucsjx3.jpg.html)
Assembly the mold and handles:
(http://i1275.photobucket.com/albums/y445/Magoo541/Casting/159B8F48-4695-4EDA-8085-73F8E365E3B0_zpshudmanbk.jpg) (http://s1275.photobucket.com/user/Magoo541/media/Casting/159B8F48-4695-4EDA-8085-73F8E365E3B0_zpshudmanbk.jpg.html)
Then the problem began as I attempted to lube the mold:
(http://i1275.photobucket.com/albums/y445/Magoo541/Casting/2C8B63A5-F49E-41CE-917D-CC01D93F6D3A_zpsckz58byo.jpg) (http://s1275.photobucket.com/user/Magoo541/media/Casting/2C8B63A5-F49E-41CE-917D-CC01D93F6D3A_zpsckz58byo.jpg.html)
Sent Midway an email but I needed to get some bullets cast for the following week (my brother and his family were down from Montana and we were going to do some shooting) so rather than wait I took matters into my own hands (LOVE being a machinist) and made a replacement out of 303SS:
(http://i1275.photobucket.com/albums/y445/Magoo541/Casting/59CB95F7-73F6-435F-BB0D-C109F67F301C_zpsyp0hthgf.jpg) (http://s1275.photobucket.com/user/Magoo541/media/Casting/59CB95F7-73F6-435F-BB0D-C109F67F301C_zpsyp0hthgf.jpg.html)
Finally able to cast some boolits:
(http://i1275.photobucket.com/albums/y445/Magoo541/Casting/E99EB4D9-A75C-48A9-86CF-9B12870C18CB_zps6lkmbzow.jpg) (http://s1275.photobucket.com/user/Magoo541/media/Casting/E99EB4D9-A75C-48A9-86CF-9B12870C18CB_zps6lkmbzow.jpg.html)
And a few more:
(http://i1275.photobucket.com/albums/y445/Magoo541/Casting/2E9C2E83-8C3D-4B95-BD0C-5B79FB444EA1_zpsred5pqho.jpg) (http://s1275.photobucket.com/user/Magoo541/media/Casting/2E9C2E83-8C3D-4B95-BD0C-5B79FB444EA1_zpsred5pqho.jpg.html)
And a few more (with some already tumble lubed ready for loading in the front):
(http://i1275.photobucket.com/albums/y445/Magoo541/Casting/10AA9711-2DBD-4D65-BBE2-381AF933FB13_zpsmsbiargc.jpg) (http://s1275.photobucket.com/user/Magoo541/media/Casting/10AA9711-2DBD-4D65-BBE2-381AF933FB13_zpsmsbiargc.jpg.html)
All things considered I have broken even, I've made over 1500 bullets ($150 from the gun club). Now I can spend a couple of hours away from the three teenaged girls in my house and make boolits when ever I'd like or more accurately need to ;). It's not as enjoyable as reloading but the ability to make my own is going to allow me to shoot a LOT more (I've shot around 800 rounds over the last 2 weeks which would normally be about 200).
I have my minions scrounging lead (wheel weights) for me and I have feelers out everywhere. ;D
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If you have any builds/ homes that predate ww2 find the plumbers that work on them and make friends. All of the drain lines will be poured lead, atleast a couple onces per joint and one every 4' . The old cast iron joints are at the end of life. About 75 years. I use to fill a 5 gallon bucket every few houses. Made the local sass clyb really happy.
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If you have any builds/ homes that predate ww2 find the plumbers that work on them and make friends. All of the drain lines will be poured lead, atleast a couple onces per joint and one every 4' . The old cast iron joints are at the end of life. About 75 years. I use to fill a 5 gallon bucket every few houses. Made the local sass clyb really happy.
Thanks for the heads up... Now do I know any plumbers? ???
1,000 rounds tumble lubed and drying:
(http://i1275.photobucket.com/albums/y445/Magoo541/Casting/66D2A321-FF54-4056-A059-6EF1981CBB14_zpsicwedml2.jpg) (http://s1275.photobucket.com/user/Magoo541/media/Casting/66D2A321-FF54-4056-A059-6EF1981CBB14_zpsicwedml2.jpg.html)
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Here's what a quick google search turned up.
Hope it helps.
http://www.bing.com/search?q=Bullet+casting+recipes&pc=MOZI&form=MOZSBR
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Gelka... from casting for a .44mag many years ago, a couple of suggestions... get a mold that casts for gas check to be installed, and use gas checks...then find the ball process powder(where the grains are tumbled in a flame retardant like graphite, regardless of the shape... I always like to use Winchester powders) that suits your objective...once you cast and size a projectile, drill a hole through one, along its axis and run a 'stick' through it... test this clearance gage in each cylinder hole and see if there is enough clearance forward of the chamber to not squeeze the bullet before it enters the barrel...I used the Hoch bullet lube formula, but that was 35 years ago... leading for me, was typically the result of the base of the bullet being burned off... and tumbling was the best indicator...follow the safety precaution,, all lead compounds are poisonous...
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EOTWAWKI,
And casting your own bullets. I'm not sure it's worthwhile for EOTW.
Eventually, in EOTW, all the primers and percussion caps will be used up. If you stock more bullets than primers then once primers run out you'll have no need for bullets anyway.
Unless you have a flintlock. Crude black powder can be made without too much difficulty, so in that case casting bullets make sense. But by that time a plain cast iron pot and a simple mini-ball die is all you need.
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I believe Lyman has a cast bullet handbook. You might be better off purchasing bullets in 500 mag. that way you don't need to worry about hardness. Cost of a suitable alloy will be high. Might do a Google search for suppliers or someone might know of some. If you want to cast, I would start with something smaller that way you can use wheel weights purchased from someplace that deals in tires but beware, I believe some ww are not lead or contain metals that mess up your alloy. Recycled range lead is also OK. Linotype metal is very good also. Make sure you cast in a well ventilated room or outdoors in a covered area. Water/rain and molten lead do not mix well. Make sure you wash your hands before eating/after casting. You might have the idea that casting is easy and simple. On the surface it is but there are many things to consider as you gain experience. Good luck
If there is anything you asked that you haven't gotten an answer for post that/those particular item/s instead of reposting your entire original post.