Boolit casting here I come!

[Canman]

Ok been playing around with the idea for a while now. My father in law and son love to go to the range and we enjoy the time spent on the reloading room. My cheap supply of cast boolits is about to dry up. If we get into casting it will give us more time together and that's always a good thing. Well almost always anyways! This is what I have come up with. We shoot a lot and I would like to make enough to sell to my buddies for a small profit. Not in it to make money just cover my expenses. Only loading two calibers for now.

Lyman 4500 Master Casting Kit 115v or 230v don't know which one.
Going to start with two moulds both Lyman 200gn for 45acp and 120gn for 9mm
How do you know which Sizing die to use for both they list three different sizing dies for each? .450 .451 .452 for 45acp .354 .355 .356 for 9mm
Iam going to buy the four cavity molds to speed things up.
Looks like I am gona be around $600.00 before I buy lead and lube. If I go with this set up what lube should I make? Looking for ease of making and I would like to make large batches too. I know I have probably left plenty off and that's why I am here. I have lurked here for some time now and have learned a lot. Are there some other casting equipment I should check out before I buy? If I need to spend more to get one that will last I will. Plan on doing this for the long haul.
Thanks in advance

[mdi]

Welcome to the Brotherhood of the Silver Stream. I started with a pot, Coleman stove, a ladle, and one mold. I'm not a fan of "kits", so I chose my equipment as needed (18 years later and I still don't have a lubersizer) and like to keep things K.I.S.S. My best investment was a copy of Lyman's Cast Bullet Handbook, 3rd Edition (I think the 3rd is better, if you can find one, but a 4th will do). Also some excellent info here; http://www.lasc.us/Fryxell_Book_Contents.htm.

"The only way to learn to cast bullets, is to cast bullets". So much of bullet casting is plain old facts, but a lot is personal finesse with pouring and handling the tools/equipment. The only way to develope that "perfect pour" is practice, practice, practice...:mrgreen: :mrgreen:

I can't help you with Lyman sizing dies (I use Lee push through .452" for my .45 ACP and .357" for my 9mm and pan lube). I'm not into high production but my 6 banger molds and Lee 20 lb. bottom pour will produce a bunch real quick!

Try some, report your results, and enjoy the single most satisfying aspect of home made ammo.

[Mohavedog]

Hello Canman,
First, Unless you have easy convenient access to 230v just go with 115v. Some people think there is a electricity saving by using 230 as I was told many yrs ago. However, I've since learned that just isn't true. I'm not educated as to why this is so, however many on this site can cite the basic math to prove this.
Personally, I haven't found a .45 acp that didn't like .452" sizing. That doesn't mean any other size will not work, just that .452 is the choice if buying your only sizer imo. 357 or .358will most likely work with most 9mm, either will work in the bores but some pistols "may" not chamber the .358 size due to chamber sizing in a particular pistol.
As for lubing go the cheapest, easiest way and that is tumble lubing. Which brings up a point. I don't like tumble lube type boolit moulds especially for higher pressure 9mm. You can successfully tl any pistol boolit. Recluse 45/45/10 works great for me in pistols (Johnson paste wax, alox, mineral spirits). Do a search and you will find plenty of info on 45/45/10 and methods of lubing. Suffice it to say you don't need much, if you can see it on the boolit you've used too much. BTW, save yourself the expense of the Lyman or other sizer and get the Lee push thru that goes into your press if you're going to tl.
Above is my opinion only I'm sure others will check in to give you some more advice. Good Luck, Mohavedog

[Wells]

Canman
If you put on your bio where you live maybe one of the fellow board member
Can get with you and you can see his setup and help you out.
Wells

[VictimNoMore]

Canman-
I'm semi new to all this, and can tell you the advice given on this site is spot on.
One thing I can offer is this: Do not underestimate just how much lube you will make with a pound of beeswax as the base ingredient. It makes a lot.
Spend time reading the many threads here on sizing, lube, and casting...then jump right in!
You will learn SO much by doing. It's almost as much fun as shooting...

-Greg

[fcvan]

I started out casting in the 70s with my dad. He bought Saeco equipment when they were in Carpenteria, CA and we lived about 20 miles up the road. His stuff is still in great condition but I still bought my own when I moved out on my own.

I bought, and continue to buy, Lee casting equipment. It was what I could afford then and it is what I prefer now. The only molds I own that aren't Lee are molds they didn't make. I've been a MidwayUSA customer since before they were geared up for the hobby reloader.

The Lee Production Pot IV 110v I bought in 1985 is still running fine, albeit with a new heating element. I had to replace it because I broke it last year. Woo, it was 8 bucks to replace. A new pot is 55 bucks, the 20 lb pot is 63. Lots of folks call the Pro Pot IV the 'drip-o-matic' because it will drip if the pour spout gets some crud in it. Clean alloy, clean pot, clean your spout if needed, no 'drip-o-matic.'

Lee molds are 20 bucks for a 2 cavity and they come with handles. They make 6 bangers, I don't own any. I might some day, I just haven't bought any. They cost more and the handles are separate, albeit only 12 bucks. Two cavity molds work well with the way I cast so it hasn't been a priority. I generally cast with two molds at a time and so I'm cranking out a lot for boolits for whatever it is I'm needing. I do have some single cavity hollow point molds but Lee doesn't make those any more.

So, a pot for 55, a mold or two for 20 a pop, and maybe an ingot mold and you are in business for less than a 100 bucks. Down the road you might start buying more expensive or more exotic equipment. But, you really can get by for less than that. You can buy a mold, get a cast iron pot and a propane stove and ladle cast for less than 100 bucks.

You will find what works for you, bottom pour or ladle, Lee or custom mold, inexpensive or oh-my-goodness - I can't believe I paid that much, but no matter what I guarantee you will enjoy making your own. Your boolits will shoot better than factory and cost you less in the long run. You won't save any money because whatever you budget for your hobby will be spent, regardless. You will just be able to shoot more, a lot more, for the dollars you spend. Enjoy!

[Canman]

Thanks for the replys. After telling my father in law what I was planning on doing. He went up in his attic and brought down a box full of fishing stuff. I had forgot he used to pour his fishing jigs. Turns out really all I need to buy is some molds lead and lube supplies! Yea for me.
I really like the way the Lee 90310 200gn 45 molds looks. Can I tumble lube this boolit? Oh I also need sizer dies and lead.

[Bigslug]

The Lee 200 grainer is a bevel base. Whether there's anything wrong with that or not depends on who you talk to. The two schools of thought are (1.) a square base gas-seals better, gives better accuracy, and is easier to quality-control check visually; and (2.) that none of that is true and bevel-bases load easier. I lean to square, but really don't have a horse in that race, but it's a topic you should be aware of before spending the cash.

Lee is something of a whipping boy in the reloading world. I give them major kudos for taking reloading to a very affordable level, and some of their stuff is an incredible value (Midway charged me the same $30 for my CARBIDE Lee .455 Webley dies as they charge for more common calibers, whereas the RCBS set is $160). On the other hand, a lot of their stuff does fall under the heading of "you get what you pay for". Best approach is the one you're taking - ask about the specific pieces of equipment. Worst case is this: if you find you hate it, you're not out a lot of money on your "training wheels"; can offload them to someone who's in the boat you're currently sailing; and you've probably learned more about the process from gear that is a little cantankerous than you would from something more high-speed, low drag.

I think you are spot-on with your intention to get molds with a high cavity count. One and two-cavity molds are fine for buffalo rifles, but for pistol plinking quantities they are MADDENINGLY slow. When my fun becomes work, it ceases to be fun. You also have to think of what your time is worth. While an argument can be made for making all of your match-grade competition in the same cavity, be realistic about your application. I use this quote from Joe Stalin a lot - Quantity has a quality all its own.

I've never lubed without a lubrisizer, but I tend to think that they make molds with the small tumble lube grooves for a reason. The reason is that lube is supposed to form a gasket around the boolit. A lubrisizer can achieve this by filling a big groove (or series of them) through hydraulic pressure. With tumble lubing, you're depending on surface tension of the lube - hence the generally larger quantity of smaller grooves.

Sizing dies: you can get really into this, but the safest way to play starting out is .001" to .002" over the nominal size of jacketed for the same caliber. .452" for .45ACP seems to be the safe bet that is most widely accepted, but setting up for larger is not unheard of.

Acquiring lead: It's probably best to start with a clean source of known alloy until you learn the ropes. Adding a digital kitchen scale to help mix your alloys is a plus - ultimately a necessity. Eventually, you'll be scrounging whatever from wherever like the rest of us. Smelting scrap is another game requiring additional stuff. Baby steps.

[runfiverun]

you can't go bigtime in a small way..
good luck.

[bobthenailer]

A good choise to get 4 cavity moulds, size the 45acp to .452 dia and the 9mm to .357 dia and get the 115V pot and a good supply of lead alloy.
In the late 1980s to early 1990s i bought several 8 cavity Saeco moulds , at the time they were about twice the cost of a 4 cavity mould , to my way of thinking all i had to do was sell 2,000 bullets from each mould to some friends to recoupe my added expense for each mould, and after that its all on the + side ! It turned out to be one of the best decions ive ever made when it comes to casting equipment another was getting a Star L/S. with just thoses 5, 8 cavity Saeco moulds ive made over 270,000 bullets so far.
As far as lube i now just use Lars Carnuba Red , at his prices its not worth it for me to make it , I buy his solid 2x6 commercial sticks and melt them & pour it into my L/S , its nice as thers no air pockets to deal with and you also get the lube resivour all the way filled up !