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Casting Bullets

EMSguy11EMSguy11 Member Posts: 16 ✭✭
edited June 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

  • EMSguy11EMSguy11 Member Posts: 16 ✭✭
    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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  • EMSguy11EMSguy11 Member Posts: 16 ✭✭
    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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  • EMSguy11EMSguy11 Member Posts: 16 ✭✭
    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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  • EMSguy11EMSguy11 Member Posts: 16 ✭✭
    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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  • airmungairmung Member Posts: 579 ✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    Hi, EMSguy11,
    Greetings. Bullet casting is a great way to create great bullets and save money. For some calibers, it is about the only practical way to do much shooting.
    Get a copy of the Lyman 47th Reloading Handbook, or the the most current revison. This book has detailed information on casting, sizing, and loading cast bullets. It is a great resource. RCBS also puts out a cast bullet handbook, but the Lyman manual has much more information.
    There are several online resources for information, including castboolits.com, which is one of the best.
    You will need a method of melting the lead (a lead furnace, camp stove and lead pot, etc.), bullet mould(s), a sizing/lubricating system, gaschecks (for higher velocity loads), bullet lube, and proper nose punches for the bullets you are casting.
    Lead for bullets can come from several sources, one of the best of which is clip-on tire wheel weights from the local tire store. Just be sure they are lead alloy, not the "green" zinc alloy weights. The latter will contaminate lead, if mixed, and make it useless.
    Stick-on weights (for mag wheels) are almost pure lead and are not suitable for cast bullets. Salvage bullet lead (backstop lead from shooting ranges) is great as long as spent cast bullets are used. Jacketed bullet lead is nearly pure lead and is not suitable for cast
    bullets (it is too soft).
    Casting your own bullets is a great way to save money (and practice more), and to increase self-sufficiency. You can tailor bullets which will perform best in your firearms.
    I'm sure others will chime in here with much more information, so hang on!
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  • jonkjonk Member Posts: 10,121
    edited November -1
    Pure lead is fine for muzzleloaders or black powder cartridges. Otherwise you want something with a bit of antimony and tin to help mold fill out and hardness.

    I recommend getting a copy of the Lyman Cast Bullet Handbook. Also google "cast boolit forum".

    Easy to do, takes practice to do well, as with a lot of things.
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  • kms1961kms1961 Member Posts: 391 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    i use a coleman stove for the heat source works great and faster then electric,been useing a old cast iron skillet got at a yard sale holds heat well. also been using pure wheel weight alloy using a lee tl mould cast right to diameter. as far as the zinc and steel weights they wiil float to the surface when the lead ones have gone molten and expect alot of them now a days.and seems it isn't going to get any better. wear safety glasses for sure and get some welding gloves. foremost never stir any water are other liquid into the molten alloy are you will be unpleasantly greeted with very hot lead.and as the others noted the lyman book is very good and availible on sites as gb or ebay. gb and ebay has moulds and lube and such if not availble locally. if loading for very old guns as a 1873 and such may want to slug youg barrel to check bore size as some varyed greatly. personly have't used the newer lee resizer but have heard good reports on them. 1 set up and not 3 separate dies to buy. well as you have more ?s post them always some one here to answer most anything. good luck and shoot straight Kevin
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  • shooter93shooter93 Member Posts: 322 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    It's a great addition to the shooting sports. Check out the Cast Boolit forum and chat room...tons of information there.
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  • rcguymercguyme Member Posts: 48 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    There is a place in Missouri that sells just the right lead for bullet makeing check them out and see MissouriBullet.com they do not just sell bullets
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