Beginner

[rak1]

I am new to forum and am getting ready to start casting bullets. I shoot a 30-30 Rossi. I have a few questions.
How do you test for hardness? Do you need an M die to expand the neck to load cast bullets? What do you recommend for a lub sizer? Where do you get the Cast Bullet Manual? These are a few of the questions that I have now. I have about 300 lbs of WW and about 200 lbs of lead used as counter weights in x-ray machines.
thank you, Dick

[462]

Welcome Rak1.

1. I use a Lee hardness tester, though not often.
2. When loading cast boolits, the case mouth always needs to be expanded, and I use M-dies for all calibers.
3. I use a Lyman 4500 and a Lyman 45.
4. I buy from Midway and Midsouth.

Others will have differing opinions and input. When it comes to casting and reloading boolits, there are almost no "one size fits all" answers. Weigh them all and make your decisions.

Helpful hint: Read the various sub-forum stickies and spend as much time as possible in the Archieve (link at the bottom of the page).

[WHITETAIL]

rak1, Welcome to the forum!
You can pan lube or can buy a sizer/luber.
I have a Lyman 450 sizer.
If I were you I would read alot of the
post here and they will answer alot of your questions.
DO searches on here, and they will help you.:Fire:

[MtGun44]

Don't too wrapped up about hardness, straight wwts will be fine to start.

You can use needle nosed pliers twisted in the mouth as a cheap starting point. I use
a Lee Universal Expanding Die - works for everything. It only flares the neck - usually
this is fine. The M die also expands the neck a bit, which can be useful but is not
absolutely necessary.

You don't HAVE TO have a lubrisizer, but they are a great device. I have an RCBS Lubamatic,
Lyman 450 and 45, plus couple of Stars for high volume lubing and sizing. One of the first
three is a great place to start, but you can do excellent shooting very cheap with a Lee
push through die and pan lubing.

The Lyman Cast Bullet manual is an excellent resource. It is not perfect, and I disagree with
it in some details, but it is a heck of a good place to start.

Straight WWts for a starter in the .30-30, and MAYBE water drop some to see if that improves
your accuracy for target shooting, but is not good for hunting.

For pistol shooting or moderate loads with the .30-30, you can mix 50-50 wwts and lead,
MAYBE needing a bit of tin to help mold fill out.

By the way - good questions!

Bill

[MikeS]

Dick:

As you're just starting into the addiction known as boolit casting I would recommend keeping your costs to a minimum, so I would say you should get a Lee mould, and the Lee sizing & lubing kit. The kit has a push thru boolit sizer that mounts in your reloading press, and comes with a bottle of Lee Liquid Alox (aka LLA). They will get you started, and if you become addicted, then you can get into getting a lubrisizer, and better moulds. If OTOH you find that you don't like casting, you're not out a large investment.

Even with many people not liking Lee moulds, and other equipment they make, you CAN make fine ammo with it.

[Bret4207]

You have WW, so don't worry about hardness. 95% of the hardness issue is pure, unadulterated advertising hype. Bhn is a tool, nothing more. Straight WW will do fine for the 30-30 up into the jacketed speeds IF you can give your rifle whats it wants as far as fit go.

Welcome aboard!

[Lizard333]

Go to this website and read this.....
http://www.lasc.us/Fryxell_Book_Contents.htm
This material is free, and is a wealth of information. This is also a sticky at the top of this sectio, From Ingot to Target: A Cast Boolit Guide for Handgunners.

What MikeS meant by keeping your post to a minimim, is that your are going to have a LOT of questions, and I am willing to bet that 99.9% have already been answered if you use the search function and read. By reading, I spent three months reading nearly every day before I jumped in. My initial investment was about 400$, but everything I bought was new. If you can find used stuff you are going to save money.

Get familiar with this forum, as there is no better a place for the information you are going to need. Keep looking on the swappin and selling section, as this is a great place to get molds and "stuff" that you are going to need. If you feel the need to purchase a manual, Amazon is a great place to buy the Lyman casting manual.

As far answering the rest of your questions here is what I use but may not work for you or your budget...

I use a Lyman 4500, read to many threads about the mess of tumble lubing, and I like to have some order in my life. Not to say tumble lubing doesn't work, it works well, for some. Just not me.

I don't test for hardness. Never have. Might in the future but just not now. Again WW's will work great for your 30-30, as this is what I have been using for my 94. If you start casting for pistol, you may find that you can use some of that pure lead to cut the hardness of your WW's, and make them last longer.

I don't use an expander die. I use a Dillon 550 for my reloading and I use a 30 Carbine powder die to bell the mouth of my 30-30's. Most people that do use them use the M die.

My advise, is to take your time and not rush this. You'll find enough mistakes that you can learn from to help you save money. My first mistake I did was not spend the 15 more dollar and buy the bigger pot. I am using the Lee 20 lb pot and the 10 pound. The 10 worked out fine in the beginning, but you find that a lee six banger mold can drain a ten pound pot in a matter of not time flat. Worked out well, now if have two pots one set of for my harder lead, WW with about 2% tin, and the other is for most of pistols, with 50/50 WW/Soft lead. Water dropping I have been doing good.

Most of all welcome to Cast Boolits!!!:drinks:

[1Shirt]

Agree with those who advise to not worry about hardness. In my experiance, if you water drop wheel weights from a very hot mold, you will have between BH 16-18 which will do you well in most all cases. If you really have to know the hardness, if you ask on this forum, I am sure that there are some who would be willing to hardness test some of your cast.
1Shirt!:coffeecom

[Reload3006]

I think you are getting pretty good advice here. Before you worry about hardness Slug your bore and get the right size down. as far as lubing to start out and not break the piggy tumble in Lee Liquid Alox and size in a lee size die. by far the least expensive and fastest way to get into the game. If later on you find that this is really your bag then start looking for a good lubrisizer and looking at different molds and then a good hardness tester. there are lots of ways to test hardness of lead and alloys the cheapest is a couple beer bottle caps. Fill one with pure lead and the other with your alloy put a steel ball in between squeeze them to gather and measure the Diameter the difference can be calculated and a hardness derived. I have a chart somewhere that tells you the formula and the corresponding hardness. or there are the commercial hardness testers available.

[Texantothecore]

I wouldn't worry about hardness, you have some learning to do and the hardness isn't going to make much of a difference to you or your rifle.

The lead you have on hand will make fine bullets and most rifles are very forgiving in regards to hardness: A whole range of Bhns will work.

Mostly 1. Be safe 2. Have fun 3. Be safe

[williamwaco]

I have been loading cast bullets for six decades.

I just bought my first hardness tester less than one year ago.

YOU DO NOT NEED A HARDNESS TESTER. This is a gadget. It is a lot of fun and you can learn from it BUT you do not need it.



.

[BruceB]

[QUOTE=williamwaco;1494975

"YOU DO NOT NEED A HARDNESS TESTER."

Amen and Amen. I still don't have one, after forty-five years of casting.

[felix]

Me neither! But what would be useful is a streaker (stree-ker) die. That would be a cut off of the barrel used as a hand die, push through (actually, tap through), with the same exact throat as the intended gun. The purpose is to measure metal displacement, either into the boolit itself, or out via scraping. Measuring the amount pushed in versus the amount rebounding back would be a measure of toughness. A correctly made die would double as a seating length requirement device. ... felix

[rak1]

I wish to thank you for the advice that was given. I have been reading a lot and hopefully I have learned a little, supprise for an old man. I ordered a lee mold ( C309-170-F 30) and the Lee Bullet Lub and Size Kit 309 Diameter, Hornady GCs, and the Lee universal case expanding die. Less than $90. Now I need to get some saw dust for fluxing.
Thanks again.
Dick

[Lizard333]

I wish to thank you for the advice that was given. I have been reading a lot and hopefully I have learned a little, supprise for an old man. I ordered a lee mold ( C309-170-F 30) and the Lee Bullet Lub and Size Kit 309 Diameter, Hornady GCs, and the Lee universal case expanding die. Less than $90. Now I need to get some saw dust for fluxing.
Thanks again.
Dick

Go to Home Depot. Got to where they cut the wood for you and ask for some of the sawdust there. Free and you can get enough to last you a year at a time EASY!

[Frank]

Orignal Post:

I am new to forum and am getting ready to start casting bullets. I shoot a 30-30 Rossi. I have a few questions.
How do you test for hardness?
Replies:

Don't too wrapped up about hardness, straight wwts will be fine to start.

You have WW, so don't worry about hardness. 95% of the hardness issue is pure, unadulterated advertising hype.

Agree with those who advise to not worry about hardness.

I wouldn't worry about hardness

"YOU DO NOT NEED A HARDNESS TESTER."

It's like 'Viewer discretion is advised.' He was already asking about hardness.

Now he wants to know more about hardness. You removed all doubts.