RIKA

Things are kind of dead businesswise today so I decided to do something I haven't done in a while: cast some bullets. My mold is a 45-201-SWC made by RCBS. It casts a close copy of the H&G #68 bullet. Since this was the first time to use the mold I cleaned it out with acetone and then sprayed it with Midway's Drop Out. After getting everything up to temperature and fluxing with Marvelux those SWC's dropped out perfectly formed and shiny. Haven't counted yet but there should be several hundred nice bullets. Though I use mostly Lyman molds, RCBS makes a really nice product.

Bullet casting, for me, is a relaxing and rewarding hobby. Now I can't wait to lube them up and see how they perform out of the 1911s.

I added some photos below if you're interested in seeing my little back yard bullet casting set-up.

I know that some of you guys cast your own bullets. Do you want to talk about your experiences or show photos of your casting operation? I'm interested!

RIKA

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Chili Willi

Tis the season! Just lookin at the stuff a couple days ago. Are ya usin # 2 alloy or close, or straight wheelweights? I usually use two molds when casting so one can cool a little-one pistol and one rifle works best for me. How do you lube them? My .45/70s come out of the mold about perfect for my marlin, so I hand lube them(cookie cuter) the rest I lube/size. I admit that I buy most of my HB wadcutters, but I cast all the rest. .45 250s work for both my 1911s and my RBH, and the .45 300s work for my RBH and my 45/70. Casting is good therapy, and you can get creative with what you make, like split nose SWC. I have an old mold that lets me drop a .357 gas check in the nose of a pure lead 200 gr .45. And I still have my old pot and dipper I can use in the backyard on the campfire. I don't ever plan to be without bullets as long as I can melt something.

RIKA

I use #2 alloy. Wheelweights are difficult to come by. Went to one mexican shop and asked the manager. He said "We renew them". When I asked what he was talking about he pointed to the rear of the shop where a guy was wirebrushing the weights to make them look new again! I normally use 2 molds when casting with the Lyman molds but the RCBS mold had me casting as fast as I could with just one (and its an iron mold, not aluminum). Lubrisizing is done with the lyman sizer using the Lyman or RCBS soft lube. I have hard lube and the heater attachment but haven't tried it yet. Only gas checks I use are on the 358156 bullets and the 32-20's but I don't shoot a lot of 32-20. I'd really like to try casting some .30 or 45-70 bullets sometime. Can you or anybody suggest a good rifle mold? What method do you use to make the split nose SWC's?

Buying lead bullets is quite costly around here now. They went from $18.00 per 500 45's in 2004 to $33.00 per 500 in 2005. Now thats a big jump and a pretty good reason for casting your own.

RIKA

Flinter

I've never cast for a modern firearm.

I do, however, have several "bag molds" for my muzzleloaders. My set up is no where near as nice as yours......usually I cast on a campfire in "The Patriot" style if you've seen that movie.

Lead has became a problem for me as well. One plumbing supply house around here sells it for $4/pound. I've resorted to melting down birdshot for my musket balls.

krept

I have zero idea about this kind of thing, but is there any concern regarding lead toxicity (both environmental as well as personal exposure)?

Have any of you tried to add alloying elements to make the bullets harder as well?

Any thoughts on modifying the molds to make them hollowbased?

cheers

RIKA

I don't think there is much danger to the environment as far as hobby casting goes. The buses and large trucks make more pollution. On a personal basis a person should cast outdoors or at least have a fan to blow the fumes away from your face. Also never smoke, eat or drink during or after casting without washing hands first.

I add antimony to pure lead to make it harder. Hard lead shot also contains antimony.

A machinist would have to modify the mold or even make a new one. What I want is a hollowpoint mold.

RIKA

RIKA

Flinter, I got a lead pot, pourer and wooden mallet along with a couple of Lymen molds from Dad. The electric furnace, a 45 and 32-30 mold, and thermometer came from yard sales.

If you can make friends with a machinist, he can collect the lead hammer heads that they use to adjust their equipment. After a while the heads get bunged up and the machinists just trash them. Like you, I have used lead shot and it makes good bullets.

I'll probably make some bullets over the fire for my muzzle loaders and cap n' ball pistols just for the fun of doing it the old timey way too.

RIKA

Flinter

I've always wondered if "chilled lead shot" was harder than pure lead. When I cast a ball, I can scratch it......but it does feel harder than pure lead.

I probably shouldn't use it. Oh well, too many balls cast now.

Chili Willi

Rika, to make split nose bullets is easy--after you have cast up some bullets to get the mold hot, open the empty mold and place a piece of paper between the mold blocks at the junction where the nose ends and clamp the mold shut on the paper. Cast as usual. Experiment with different thicknesses of paper. This is assuming you have a bottom pour mold. You can also heat treat the bullets after casting to harden them in your oven. Place a couple bullets base down on a old cast iron skillet, put it in the oven, and heat the oven to max(500 deg). Put your temp guage in with it. At a certain temp, the bullets will start to melt slightly (lube grooves will look slightly less sharp). Look at the temp, and back off slightly with the heat. Bake a batch of bullets at that temp for an hour, and drop them quick in a five gallon bucket of water. That will slightly harden lead and make pure lino-type brittle(not good for hunting). With # 2 it works fine for 45/70. Not sure the brand(will check tomorrow) but the 45/70 throws a 420 gr. flatpoint of #2. I would like to add a 350 gr. fp in the near future.

RIKA

Chili, thanks for the tip on the split noses. I will give it a try. Have you tried it on a game animal?

Flinter, the shot with the antimony is called "Magnum Shot", I think. Have also seen 25lb bags of "plain" shot that sell for a bit less; can't say for certain but that shot may be a bit softer.

RIKA

Chili Willi

Rika, yes I have used them on game. Mostly in 30/30 for whitetails. 45/70 doesn't seem to need any help. Took awhile to tweak the alloy so the nose pieces didn't break off(softer lead works better) The half dozen deer I have shot with them were one shot. Seemed to do much more damage than just flat points. Just really a poor mans nosler partition. None were recovered, but the damage inside was comparable to JFP. I hunt for meat(3-4 deer a year) so I have the opportunity to try different bullets. Have settled on S pro hunters for 30/30, cast for everything else(.45 colt, 45/70, etc.) Did ya shoot something this year and if so, what with?

RIKA

Didn't kill a thing. Our place requires a buck kill of 8 points or better. All I saw was 6 and 4 pointers so I couldn't shoot. Jack used the doe tag to kill a doe so we do have meat. More than anything, we got to hunt and have fun and thats what I love the most; even more than the kill if you know what I mean.

RIKA

Kpdpipes

Those are some pretty Bullets Rika, I was going to ask if you sized/lubed or just spray-lubed, but you answered it already I'm lucky i have access to a good source of both pure lead and wheel weights.

glynn

What matters is a source of tin, antimony, like printer's linotype or old beer cooler coils. Having to pay $9 a lb or more for the stuff, at plumbing supply stores, makes for pretty expensive bullets. No more ammo than is needed for hunting or realistic hunting practice, no need to bother with cast bullets. Casting is either for the poverty stricken who need to practice a helluva lot, or for making bullets that offer performance that can't be had in any other way, as in the Split Nose, 3 segment prefrags, for handgun defensive shooting. I've cast close to 150,000 bullets, the first 10,000 or so in single or double cavity molds, the rest in 4 or 6 cavity molds, and it's an evil chore that I gladly no longer bother with, for mere practice ammo.

RIKA

Commercially cast bullets are generally designed for ease of production and not necessarily for greatest efficiency. Many of the cast bullets are designed either for extreme accuracy or for good hunting use. You just can't buy 44 - 45cal cartridges loaded with those big flatnosed Keith bullets off the shelf at the sporting goods store. There are many obsolete cartridges that require homemade bullets too. I cast bullets because I enjoy it, not because I have to. For ordinary pistol practice the Blazers that I buy by the case do just fine. For special use such as hunting etc. I'll continue to pour them.

RIKA

eli95

don't have a pic, but I use a range hood over my casting bench, picked it up at a yard sale for 15.00$, works great. I cast for 44 and 45LC and 45-70

license

I always just set a fan off to the side, so it would blow the fumes and smoke away from me. Since the sort of loads that cast bullets work in ok on game are so inferior to other loads/guns, you are just wasting your time.