Anyone Cast Bullets?
- Thread starter mgunner
- Start date
Get the Lee 20 pound melting pot. The 10 pounder is good but you have to use small ingots or individual wheel weights to feed it. The 20 pounder gives you more space to work with.
I need to start shopping for casting supplies and knocking out some 12ga shells.
Lee 20lb electric smelter
Lee 690 round ball mold
Frankford Clean cast flux
And of course lead!
Can I melt down old copper jacketed lead bullets that I took apart from unknown reloads or old ammo?
Lee 20lb electric smelter
Lee 690 round ball mold
Frankford Clean cast flux
And of course lead!
Can I melt down old copper jacketed lead bullets that I took apart from unknown reloads or old ammo?
mgunner
.45 acp
That's the one I asked for. Pretty confident that one of the gifts wrapped for me is it. Did some secret package jiggling now just waiting for Christmas morning.
I was going to order a mold and sizing die but am waiting until after I read the Lyman Cast handbook. ( I think it's also one of those other wrapped presents in the corner of our living room). I'm such a kid.
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I would also get 1/2 face respirator with removable cartridges and leather work gloves.
mgunner
.45 acp
I already have one from 3M. I use it when I airbrush. Even though I'll be casting outside, the fumes will inevitably come my way so I thought using the mask would be a good idea. I still have to pick up the gloves.
repete
.338 Win Mag
You won't really get lead fumes as the lead itself won't boil until something like 1200 degrees and you won't get near that. The fumes and stinks are from all the other stuff.
Forgot to mention, do not put wheel weights or any other dirty lead directly into the casting pot! You should have a large steel pot used to melt large dirty batches of lead and making specific alloys. Then after all the skimming and fluxing scoop or pour into ingots that will then be put into the casting pot later. This way you can make decent size batches of a consistent hardness. I have an old propane tank that after shooting a hole in the top half and letting 'air out' I cut in half, that and a reinforced turkey fryer, I can easily smelt 25 pound batches, perhaps as much as 75 going in!
I doubt you'll find many lead WW in tire shops today, I collected them years ago but can still make a deal at a couple of junk yards to walk the older sections and pull weights or cut off battery cable ends. If you know anyone that does roofing ask them to keep an eye out for lead sheeting, same with plumbers and old cast iron pipe. Both are getting few and far between, but you never know. I also picked up a lot of range lead over the years. Where do you shoot? Should be a lot of lead just laying on the ground after a good rain, springtime go and stock up.
When melting lead ALWAY'S START WITH A COLD POT AND COLD LEAD! NEVER ADD LEAD TO AN ALREADY MOLTEN POT!!! When melting range lead, jacketed bullets can have some water in between the lead and case. While most of the would evaporate off while you heat the lead, if it gets trapped in there can cause a mini( steam ) explosion and can send hot lead flying about. Somewhere on line there is a pic of lead 'icicles' hanging from a ceiling! When water turns to steam it can expand to something like 12,000 times it's original volume, that's a lot of BANG!
Where are you located, if your near Rochester I can show you a few things in person instead of trying to read and understand it all.
Acer-m14
.950 JDJ
yes .. just cut the copper jacket so the lead can melt out of it .. wire cutters work .. just snip the tip off LOL .
some jacketed bullets the bottom is open and you can see the lead .. just toss in the pot and wait for the copper to float to the top ..
Acer-m14
.950 JDJ
another day older and deeper in debt ..
NOT ..
but a lot of people are in debt for Christmas
mgunner
.45 acp
Oh lol. I wasn't sure who you were asking.
Well of course Santa mailed me that totally awesome Lyman digital thermometer that I posted here in the thread. In addition, he left the following under the tree:
- Lee 20 lbs furnace
- Lyman Cast Bullet Handbook
- Lyman 51st Edition Reloading Handbook
- KMS UFO light for my press
- Liquid alox.
That UFO light really makes a difference. If you don't have one I recommend it. I've read through the Lyman reloading handbook and most of the cast bullet book as well.
I have a mold and bullet sizer on the way. As soon as I have everything, and we get a nice day, I'll be outside casting. I plan on taking some pictures to post up here.
Whew, I thought all I was going to get was some coal. I guess I wasn't too bad this year?
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Acer-m14
.950 JDJ
does the bullet sizer lube the bullet groves too ??
Some do, some don’t. They call the ones that do Lube-Sizers and they typically use hard lube and have an optional heater.
I don't cast or reload, but I've always wanted to do at least just a little of both; specifcally so that I could have a few silver bullets.. you know, in case of werewolves.
Robin
.475 A&M Magnum
With silver you have to be pretty much point blank, its too light and loses accuracy very fast.
Robin
Robin
mgunner
.45 acp
No it's the Lee bullet sizer so it just sizes them. I'm going to tumble lube them with the Alox. The sizer you're referring to lubes the grooves and sizes them. Those are called lubrlersizers and cost a bit more.
repete
.338 Win Mag
But to me well worth the money! The only thing I regret about my Lyman lubresizer is it's an older one without the heater. If you ever buy one get the heater! It's a PIA using a heat gun without getting it to hot and melting the lube. It's also used to install gas checks, works like a charm!
I have several Lee sizers and they work, I just don't like the Alox.
Powder coating is much nicer than Alox.
mgunner
.45 acp
I'm just starting to go down the casting rabit hole. Maybe a lubersizer will be a future purchase.
mgunner
.45 acp
I've heard that from others as well. I went with the alox because I'm new to casting and tumbling will be a bit easier for me right now.
repete
.338 Win Mag
Yeah, it will be. But I must warn you, it's a DEEP rabbit hole!
Milt Farrow
.177 BB
Started casting for my original Lorenz musket with VERY primitive equipment in 1961. Dixie Gun Works catalog was my bible! Many thousands of bullets later....my equipment is hugely improved as is my finished product. Enjoy the journey until NYS outlaws it. You won't really save money, but it won't 'hurt' as much when you burn up a hundred rounds at the range.
mgunner
.45 acp
In case anyone is interested, I should be starting to cast soon now that the weather is nicer. Just ordered some Lyman#2 and waiting for it to arrive. Will post pictures when I start to cast.
mgunner
.45 acp
I finally was able to cast my first bullets today. The weather was great, and I had enough sunlight after getting home from work to cast. Everything went smooth. Thanks to all of you for your advice. When I lube and load them, I'll post them up here as well. Casting pictures are below.
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Acer-m14
.950 JDJ
perfect pour .. they look awesome .. almost to pretty to shoot LOL ..
kev74
20×102mm Vulcan
Milt Farrow
.177 BB
Very nice results. What sort of lead are you using? I've used wheel weights for 40 years for my pistol bullets (moderate velocity plain base .38s and .45s). My wheel weights are from the 1980s, before the blend got weird. No complaints yet after thousands of bullets.