My First Steps.. At Casting Boolits

[K7addict]

Good evening to everyone, I finally had the time to sit out and cast some boolits for my new rifle. I've been reading books and researching the forums for knowledge & I picked up my first mold from a member here (thanks). Guess I just wanted to share my work as I'm proud that they didn't come out looking like a fallen souffle. :D Took me a few months to get all the little bits together but I'm taking it safe and slow and hope my shooting results will be the better for it.

My budget work station:
http://img.tapatalk.com/d/13/04/13/aqe7u2a3.jpg

My initial ingots:
http://img.tapatalk.com/d/13/04/13/7u6esuba.jpg

The boolits:
http://img.tapatalk.com/d/13/04/13/9ajysu7e.jpg
http://img.tapatalk.com/d/13/04/13/abaturu6.jpg

[Le Loup Solitaire]

A nice setup. Neat and orderly and good results as seen in the pics. Good organization always helps and you will indeed realize good shooting as you progress. Keep up the good work. LLS

[NSP64]

K7addict,
Your screwed now. This is an addiction worse than any drug. LOL
Nice setup, good looking Boolits.
The next step is to load them and post results. Pictures included.
Are those Lee .309 160gr round nose boolits?

[K7addict]

Thanks for the encouragement. I re-read after I finished casting and saw that I was probably casting a bit too hot as I was getting vent *hairs* on some of the boolits and I need to loosen the sprue plate a little too. And I didn't realize until I started just how many boolits a small pot of lead would actually make (for me at least). I ran out of steam before I ran out of lead.

The mold is a Lyman 311-291 that I purchased from Viper225 a while back after I first joined.

Sizing and shooting soon.

[VictimNoMore]

K7addict,
Your screwed now. This is an addiction worse than any drug.

Yep, you're done.
Nice results are always the result of good preparation.
Good job!

[badbob454]

nice even fillout good casting , you are on your way ... keep up the good work ..., i too started with a pump up gas stove , now i have an ol drippy ,lee 20 pound bottom pour pot ...

[rmatchell]

Looks great, I also have the 311291 shoots great.

[cbrick]

Wish my first boolits looked that good but then back then I didn't know enough to know how bad they really looked. :mrgreen:

Rick

[montana_charlie]

That 'melting pot' of yours ... is that a stainless steel dog food dish?
It looks like a dandy for the size of your setup, and it has that 'outer wind screen' already included in the design.
It should be very efficient.

CM

[wrench]

Those boolits look great for your first time, and I really like your countertops!

[Cherokee]

Good go for first effort, now go shoot 'um and report back with pic's. Then, get some more experience: cast, load, shoot, repeating the process....

[K7addict]

Thanks guys. Yup, the stainless dog dish is another idea I saw on here. It seems to work pretty well. I drilled vent holes like the other member did also.

The wife told me last night that I could get a Lee electric pot when my 2nd can of fuel runs out. Definitely wanted to start inexpensive to make sure that I would stick with it though.

I will post pictures when I shoot. (Crossing my fingers for sooner than later). Until then, this will be the happy recipient of my hand loads.

Weatherby Vanguard Series 2 in 308 Win:

http://img.tapatalk.com/d/13/04/14/ja7urudy.jpg

http://img.tapatalk.com/d/13/04/14/9uquteze.jpg

[leadman]

Good looking set-up and great looking boolits. How are you going to lube and size (if needed)?
Really like that scope and rifle. Should be a great shooter.

[K7addict]

Good looking set-up and great looking boolits. How are you going to lube and size (if needed)?
Really like that scope and rifle. Should be a great shooter.

I'm very novice when it comes to slugging a barrel and will likely employ a friends father who has been casting/reloading for years to assist me locally. She told me he taught her paper patching when she was about 7 years old. But based on the information I've learned & what I've measured so far, I could probably shoot the boolits as cast (they're dropping at about .311 on my calipers).

Two questions arise though. First, the boolits fit loosely to just right in a few pieces of fired LC 308 Win brass that I shot a few J words out of this rifle. Will a factory crimp die work to secure them enough so they don't back into the case?

Secondly, I tried pressing a few Hornady Gas checks onto the base today by hand and they just fell off. Reading showed that Hornady gc could require annealing or a crimp to seat & stay? The alloy was water dropped range scrap (combo of J bullet from a dirt berm & cast boolit fragments from a lead only range). Should I try using some of my WWs or Linotype & Pure Mix first or invest in a gc seating die?

Always some sort of trouble shooting with a new hobby but I have to learn some how.

[Bullet Caster]

The Lee .309 push through die works well for me and my M1 Garand. Just snap on the gas check and push it up through the die and you're good to go. Nice lookin' boolits for a first casting session. I use the Coleman stove set up as well. Wish my first attempt looked like yours. BC

[K7addict]

Okay, with my baby and wife working an opposite schedule, it took a while to finally get out and shoot my cast loads but it was very fun. My buddy and I were shooting from the prone at a slight incline.

Rifle: Weatherby Vanguard S2 in .308
Optic: Leupold vx-r patrol 3-9x with TMR reticle
Mold: Lyman 311291
Lube: LLA tumbled 2x
Sized with Lee .311 push thru die to seat the gas check
Powder: 13 grains of Red Dot ( I started lower and worked my up shooting through a Shooting Chrony Chronograph)

The prepped Boolits:
http://img.tapatalk.com/d/13/06/14/uga9a4ym.jpg

25 yard zero (aiming for top left of paper) :
http://img.tapatalk.com/d/13/06/14/a4e4e6at.jpg

100 yard shooting:
http://img.tapatalk.com/d/13/06/14/8a3a4y4a.jpg

Conclusions : AWESOME

Shooting with the reduced Red Dot loads were comfortable and I learned rather quickly that my breathing & follow through definitely needs work. Seems like a great reason to cast and shoot more. The best group on the second target was shot by my buddy at the 1 oclock (3 shot group) to the diamond.

Here I am taking a beating from his POF AR Platform in 308 with a US Optics 3.5 - 17x. I actually shot a 1/2" 3 shot group will his rifle and match ammo, go figure.
http://img.tapatalk.com/d/13/06/14/a7e9y5u4.jpg