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mugsie
02-05-2007, 08:13 PM
Guys, I need some help. I reload now but think it's time to start casting my own. What do you recommend I read to get a good overall appreciation for casting and 2) what is the basic minimum equipment I'll need to get started. I've seen the prices on the Lee equipment and it looks fairly inexpensive - does it work OK? I also want to begin collecting wheel weights so I'll have a cache to begin with. What else do I need? I'll be casting mostly 9mm, 38, 357, and 44 mag for pistols. Thanks for any help you can give....

Char-Gar
02-05-2007, 08:39 PM
The very first thing is buy a copy of the Lyman Cast Bullet Handbook and read it cover to cover. That will answer 99% of your questions.

monadnock#5
02-05-2007, 09:25 PM
The RCBS Cast Bullet Manual also contains good info. It's not definitive by any means, but covers the basics, and will give you a good start.

Lee makes good stuff, but your first mold should be made out of iron or steel (Lyman, RCBS, Saeco). Unless you're very lucky, Lee moulds will give you fits until you learn how to work with them. Start with a Lyman 429244 for .44. If you follow the directions, it won't take you long to make good boolits, and will keep your frustration factor out of the equation.

Also, if you decide to go with a bottom pour pot, get something else to smelt your wheelweights in. If you get the icky, filthy, nasty stuff out of your alloy BEFORE you run it through your bottom pour, you will come out way ahead in the long run.

Ken

wills
02-05-2007, 09:43 PM
Use the search feature at the top of the page to search for "newbie". You will find a lot of introductory stuff. http://castboolits.gunloads.com/search.php?searchid=207369

Also, you might want to look at.
http://www.lymanproducts.com/lymanproducts/images/Bullet%20Guide.pdf

http://www.longrangebpcr.com/8Phases.htm

kodiak1
02-05-2007, 10:46 PM
You have access to the internet so Google or whom evers search engine you want to use casting lead bullets then sit back read delete what you don't like, ask questions on what you don't understand and save the stuff that really hits home for you.
Then you have to take the next step and put all that you have read into the actual casting and see what you get.
Patience and Persistance and ask a ton of questions and you will do real good really fast.
Good Casting Ken.

454PB
02-05-2007, 10:55 PM
Spend a few days reading here and in the archives and you'll pick up a lot of information and alternative thinking that is missed in the casting manuals.

Sundogg1911
02-05-2007, 11:10 PM
I would look into some used equipment. I disagree with Monadnock#5 about starting off with the Lee Molds. I started with a Lee dbl. cavity and was casting some nice boolits from the start. (I've expanded to about 30 moulds of all mfg's. since then) Lee's are cheap. I'd stay with inexpensive stuff untill you've casted 3 or 4 times. I have a lot of really nice stuff I bought, because some people bought top of the line (Expensive) stuff only to realize "this ain't makin' sinkers" I started with a Lee 10# bottom pour furnace, a dbl. cavity lee mould, and a bucket full of wheel weights. Ebay is a good place to start, but I see used casting stuff going for the price of new, so do your homework. Once you've been doing it for a while you will decide that you need more "stuff" and with the things that you will learn, you'll know what the right "stuff" will be. Ask a lot of questions here. I've learned more from these people (and a few other forums) then i've ever learned from a book. You've got a lot of experience on this forum, and a really great bunch of guys who, like me really share an interest with you and really like to share their knowledgehelping You will also learn a lot of ways to make things a little easier.
welcome, and good luck!