First Time Session

[loaded303]

First time casting session. Went pretty good IMO.
Took a few tries but after the mold temp got good everything went fine. Cast over 200.
308 160gr RN Lee Mold
Shot 3-4 inch groups at 100 yds

99367

[Pb2au]

Looks like a winner to me!
Now go fill up some brass and get to the range.

[loaded303]

Thanks Pb. I went to the range and my shoulder is hammered.

[Pb2au]

Sounds like a good day at the range. Now if this infernal weather here in Ohio would calm down, I could get my posterior to the range! Yesterday, 60F, today it is currently snowing.
So what are you shooting those slugs in?

[loaded303]

Beautiful @ 70 yesterday.... cold and windy today.
30-30

[bangerjim]

Instead of wasting time heating up your molds with lousy pores, pre-heat all your molds on an electric hot plate. Saves tons of time and frustration!

Also use it to pre-heat your lead ingots you add during casing!

banger

[JASON4X4]

I also use a hot plate to preheat the molds and ingots saves time

[loaded303]

Thanks for the tips. The sprue plate started getting so hot that lead was running off the top. It was filling. I cooled it with a rag and it helped.

[country gent]

Nice looking bullet there. Weather isnt any better here in northwest ohio Ive got a new rifle and old west mold cant get out to test the rifle or past the snow drift in front of the garage to try out the mold. Im hoping today is winters last Hurah.
Good looking bullet there keep going and write everything down so what works can be repeated ( and what doesnt isnt)

[loaded303]

Thanks CG. Writing everything down for what I hope can be repeatability.

[Randy C]

Good looking bullet glad to here you have it under control I have only casted a few times, I have a hand full of old west moulds, they casted perfect right out of the box I use a hot plate also. The only lee moulds I've used was at old west bullet moulds I stopped buy there and he showed me how to use several brands of moulds. Good people there.

[Randy C]

Shooting at a bench siting down and leaning forward to far can make my shoulder hurt but if I'm in a sitting straight up / stand up position works for me.

[loaded303]

Randy that's what happened. Leaning over the bench to get a good prop killed me. Gotta bench rest coming that cancels the recoil. We will see how that works.

[loaded303]

Checked hardness today with my Lee hardness Tester and it came in 22-23.

[Blammer]

Looks good to me!
instead of a hot plate I just put my mould on top of the edge of the pot while it's heating up. When the lead is melted, the mould is ready. :D

[hickfu]

Wow, for a first time casting session that is one heck of a good looking boolit!! I second or third or what ever number it is for a hot plate to heat up molds and ingots, I used to heat up a mold on the top of the pot but it never really got hot enough so I had to dip it or make a bunch of crappy boolits before it started making good ones. Now I put 2 to 3 molds on my WallyWorld hot plate and turn it on 3/4 of the way and plug in the pot to melt my alloy. I walk away from the pot for 1/2 hour and when I get back everything is ready to go. When I switch molds they are already up to temp and cast great from the first pour.


Doc

[loaded303]

I found that the sprue plate needs cooling more than the blocks. Maybe I'm wrong but I have been lucky so far sticking the sprue plate side to the wet towel for a couple seconds after 2-3 pours.