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casting bullets

James1981James1981 Member Posts: 41 ✭✭
edited February 2009 in Perry Shooter Competition Shooting and Reloading Forum
looking to start casting bullets for 45, 30 caliber, and 38/357.

What molds and furnaces are best?
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Comments

  • James1981James1981 Member Posts: 41 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    i have never tried this but i am thinking a head in case SHTF and we have a hard time if the DEMOCRAPS get in the big house
    will tire weights work for casting a .45acp i also have a lot of reclamed lead shot and a few molds i have picked up her and there
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  • James1981James1981 Member Posts: 41 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    I am doing research and am going to try to start casting my own bullets. Any advice or suggested reading maybe recommended equitment to start with? Any help would be great!

    NREMT
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  • James1981James1981 Member Posts: 41 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    Hey all. I've been away from here for awhile-life happens! Anyway, I still manage to make it to the range and shoot often enough but still haven't set up my loading bench yet. I've acquired most all of my reloading eqipment and some compnents, actually I think I've scored some really good buys. Anyway, my question is about casting bullets. I'm interested in casting eventually too and was wondering are there any guns or calibers that are better to cast for than others. I figure 30/30 and 357 are what I'd like to start with. Are there rules to casting. Can you not cast bullets for the bullets of higher velocity such as the 22-250 and 300 WinMag? What about 9mm, 10mm? I know I can look in catalogs and research this stuff, but I'm asking from real experience, any bullet sizes/styles/sizes to avoid? I will probably always buy bullets for my bolt guns to hunt with, but I think casting could fill some downtime and teach me a new skill to boot-and hey-coffee cans full of bullets!
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  • James1981James1981 Member Posts: 41 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    So just started casting for my 45-70,And I got some wheel weights and cast my first 50,and wow after 5 or so they started droping nice,so in the melt I used some tin solider with 95% Sn and 5% Sb,at first it was an 11 Bnh and guess the needed to be harder for say running up to 40,000 cup, so I heated to 460 for an hour and quenched them and tested again and the hardness after that was 14 bnh, so tested today and wow!22.7 bnh so my question is how hard should I be going for if I want to hunt elk and bear with this bullet shooting top loads and also plan on using h4198 any other sugestions on powder will be helpfull,I have read a lot and see some guide lines to use and think I am on the right track. thanks.... messed up the subject line [V]
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  • bpostbpost Member Posts: 32,669 ✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    The hardness of the bullet is not as important as the proper sizing of the bullet to fit the bore and the use of the proper lube. You want the bullet about .0005-.001 over bore diameter. The old proven Alox 2138F- bees wax lube is very hard to beat. Congratulations on joining a fun hobby, I've been casting for over 30 years and really like shooting cast projectiles.

    This web site; http://www.castboolits.gunloads.com/ is the Mecca of shooting lead bullets. Do a search on it for some information, it is a great place to learn.

    What bullet are you shooting? is it a gas check design?
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  • James1981James1981 Member Posts: 41 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    the casting is a 459-500-3r and is not a gas checked mold as they came out of the mold they were .458 the rifle is .455 at the muzzle so..no sizing needed? the sizer is .457
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  • m113103m113103 Member Posts: 35 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    Some of the better guns have choked barrels (smaller diameter at the muzzle than the breach). So you need to measure the bore size at the breech end or use the standard diameter for a 45-70 (.458 jacketed or .459 for lead).
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  • mazo kidmazo kid Member Posts: 648 ✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    For hunting you want some expansion to transfer most of the bullet energy to the animal. A .458 entry hole, along with expansion, and possible exit wound will cause a lot of blood loss. I think your straight wheelweight alloy would be fine; if anything I would add pure lead to the mix instead of tin, etc. Just my thoughts....
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  • perry shooterperry shooter Member Posts: 17,105 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    Hello Mazo kid and BPOST have the correct info You want the bullet to seal the bore and also not come apart on game a soft oversize bullet with proper lube will do both very well without LEADING the bore
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  • MMOMEQ-55MMOMEQ-55 Member Posts: 13,134
    edited November -1
    I use straight wheel weights and cast 500 gr in 45-70. I have killed several deer and hogs with this and no second shot required. A 500 gr soft lead bullet at around 1100 fps will plow down a deer or a hog. If you are going after bear you want a harder bullet or better yet a jacket bullet. Bear have big hard bones that you have to crush to get to vitals.
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  • MMOMEQ-55MMOMEQ-55 Member Posts: 13,134
    edited November -1
    quote:Originally posted by bpost1958
    The hardness of the bullet is not as important as the proper sizing of the bullet to fit the bore and the use of the proper lube. You want the bullet about .0005-.001 over bore diameter. The old proven Alox 2138F- bees wax lube is very hard to beat. Congratulations on joining a fun hobby, I've been casting for over 30 years and really like shooting cast projectiles.

    This web site; http://www.castboolits.gunloads.com/ is the Mecca of shooting lead bullets. Do a search on it for some information, it is a great place to learn.

    What bullet are you shooting? is it a gas check design?




    Hey thanks for the link. My hard drive crashed and I lost all my favorites and I could not for the like of me remember the name of this site. I now have it saved to my new hard drive. Thanks.
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