Mold your own bullets

[wiljen]

I guess Mike outed me. I'm an admin at Castboolits.gunloads.com (Thanks spellcheck for messing it up) and the webmaster for Castpics.net so I cast way way way too much. I have molds for every one of my guns and most of my frends guns. Like I said, its a sickness.

[ttocswob]

I doubt Mike meant to cast aspersions on your character or anything, but let he who is without sin cast the first stone. You will be forever typecast after mere participation in this thread. Such behavior will lead one to substance abuse, a substance known to the state of California to be toxic...

I'm sorry, did you say sickness?

[roverboy]

I'm about to start casting some myself. I just bought a old Lyman 358156 mold and about to buy 2 more .30 cal. molds. What flux is everybody using?

[Caster]

. What flux is everybody using?

I stir a candle around a bit and then...pooof! While the flames are burning I stir with a spoon being sure to scrape the sides and bottom. When the flames sputter out, skim the sludge and get casting.

[Westwindmike]

I use candle wax too. I have heard good things about using sawdust for flux.

[Caster]

Yeah I have too, but I'm funny. When I find a path that works and is easy to follow......I fear change.

[Guest canebreaker]

I looked through my list of old Lymans. What is a 358156?

I was given a few microwave bowls, with the rain this morning I filled 2 bowls with Lyman 358477 bullits. I coated them with Alox in a jar before counting. Guess I'll set them to the side and count when I load again.

[wiljen]

I looked through my list of old Lymans. What is a 358156?

358156 is a nominal 155gr SWC that requires a GC. You should be able to find a picture of it here:

http://www.castpics.net/subsite/HistMolds/IdealandLymanMolds.pdf

[roverboy]

The 358156 mold that I have is a single cavity model. Yeah it will be slow but but for $10 I'm not mad. I still need to get a melting pot. I've looked at the Lee and will probably try and get one of them. The guy I bought the mold off of has one somewhere but can't find it. It figures huh.

[Guest canebreaker]

All of mine are doubles, plus 1 6 cav.

[roverboy]

The Lee Melter 110 volt is the one I'm looking at. Does anybody have a Lee? Its not got a lot of capacity but its low priced and thats looks good for me. I also need to get a good ladle unless I can find the one my friend has.

[roverboy]

All of mine are doubles, plus 1 6 cav.

Canebreaker, that 6 cavity must be awesome.

[wiljen]

I have two of the lee bottom pour furnaces and for the $15 difference in price, I highly recommend the 20lbs version. The valve design on the 10lbs model has quite accurately been named the drip-o-matic.

The Lee Melter 110 volt is the one I'm looking at. Does anybody have a Lee? Its not got a lot of capacity but its low priced and thats looks good for me. I also need to get a good ladle unless I can find the one my friend has.

[Guest canebreaker]

It's a Lee 90327, 358-158 swc, I bought it first from fmreloading.com in '91. I made handles and used it in a vice for about 10 years before buying the right handles. At work in my spare time, I would pour up bullits instead of sitting on my dead azz. I had 7 old 3 lb. coffee cans filled with these bullits. But I've used them all up. I need to get a new sprue plate for it. I've never used one with a gas check.

I have the Lee 2-10 production pot. I added 3 pieces of 1 by lumber between the base and stand to give more clearence. I got it from fmreloading too in '92. Yes, it is a drip-o-matic. If you have one, place your ingot mold under the spout to catch the drips.

If I was going to buy any new molding equipement or dies, I'd look at their prices first.

[wiljen]

Any of you that enjoy casting or think you might want to try, I'd invite to join us on the castb00lit forum as there is a lot of good info there. My site (castpics.net) is mostly articles on casting and reference materials and some of you might find it useful as well

[Caster]

I got a new mold coming in tomorrow or the next day (tomorrow I hope) A lyman 525 slug mold. Can't wait to get started on that. They are bad boys! Make a really big hole.

[roverboy]

Yeah Caster, that should be a sledgehammer.

[Guest mbushell]

Any of you that enjoy casting or think you might want to try, I'd invite to join us on the castb00lit forum as there is a lot of good info there. My site (castpics.net) is mostly articles on casting and reference materials and some of you might find it useful as well

This thread is its own forum jeeeeze

[dlm37015]

i have some 10 and 8 gauge that are over 1000 grains.my regular whitetail load is a 550 cast 50 cal for a 50 alaskan with 50 grains of aa2495

[Caster]

Yeah Caster, that should be a sledgehammer.

Heck yeah! I have already been casting single "0" buck; 9 pellet load. It's tedious from a double cavity Lee mold, but I got the time so what the hey? I cast it from straight WW and they are quite hard. They'll penetrate very well. Almost too much. Almost. It's like a poor mans AP buck shot.

Never been a shotgun man till I got a auto loader from Magiccarpetrides. I had an extra barrel for it and cut it to 19 inches. Quick shots of "0" buck is pretty devastating.

[wiljen]

damn, did the whitetails in your area start wearing vests or something? Thats a lot of gun for a 120lbs deer. (Got a 458 lott myself for that).

i have some 10 and 8 gauge that are over 1000 grains.my regular whitetail load is a 550 cast 50 cal for a 50 alaskan with 50 grains of aa2495

[Guest TnValleyBulletman]

damn, did the whitetails in your area start wearing vests or something? Thats a lot of gun for a 120lbs deer. (Got a 458 lott myself for that).

It will do much less damage to the meat than a lot of other calibers people are using on deer but will give penetration from any angle unlike some hyper-velocity numbers loaded with trick bullets.

[Guest TnValleyBulletman]

Back on topic. I think every shooter should have the capability to cast his own bullets. A lot of people who buy cast bullets also cast bullets that are not commercially available. And as some of you may have noticed, many cast bullet manufacturers are not around anymore.

But a person who needs to cast a few bullets can always scrounge up some lead. A few buckets of wheelweights will go a long way toward keeping you shooting, where 10,000 lbs. of lead might not last a cast bullet manufacturer a week.

[gregintenn]

Back on topic. I think every shooter should have the capability to cast his own bullets. A lot of people who buy cast bullets also cast bullets that are not commercially available. And as some of you may have noticed, many cast bullet manufacturers are not around anymore.

But a person who needs to cast a few bullets can always scrounge up some lead. A few buckets of wheelweights will go a long way toward keeping you shooting, where 10,000 lbs. of lead might not last a cast bullet manufacturer a week.

I've often wondered where the commercial manufacturers get their materials. Shipping must ba a big consideration.

By the way, everybody who doesn't know it, this guy puts out some pretty good bullets.

[dlm37015]

but for buying cast bullets tn cast bullets does a pretty good job i cast my own just because of all the strange one that i shoot. i couldnt shoot alot of them if i didnt

the old paradox guns i have are lots of fun but kick hard a 1000 grain slug at 1100 fps is an eye opening event