New to casting

[jrayburn0917]

Hey guys and gals bare with me here as i'm brand new.

I decided to get into casting because I love shooting but cannot afford it. I ordered some stuff from midway .308 dies, .309 dia gc mold, a .308 sizer with alox, and some flux. I have read what I can but with limited eye sight it gets tough.

First I'd like to know if i ordered the wrong sizer? Second do i need to buy any other lube? Assuming I need to buy some gas checks. My big question is since funds are limited can i use a cast iron skillet to cast over a fire? and do i need 2 pans one for making ingots and one for molding? All advise is appreciated

Thanks

[454PB]

Welcome to the forum.

Yes, the sizing die you ordered may be a little small, most of us have better results using .310" or even larger. The good part is that it's relatively easy to enlarge the .309" if desired.

Try the Lee Alox, it works "sometimes". I've had good results with it in handgun loads.....rifles, not so much.

Since you are ladle casting, using one pot for everything should be fine.

Read all the stickies and use the search function to accelerate you education.

[Echo]

Welcome to the madness, Jay. Yes, you may have bought the wrong size die - we mostly find that sizing to .309 or .310 works best for us, using cast boolits. Depends on your rifle - the boolits should be sized according to the throat of your chamber, usually found by experimenting with different sizing of the test boolits. You might try loading them unsized (but lubricated, of course). If they chamber, the bbl will size them to exactly the right size.
And if the alox you bought was Lee Liquid Alox (known locally as LLA, or Mule Snot), you can successfully use it according to the instructions. Some experimentation is in order, to find out what works, to reduce bbl leading. I use it, and as modified by Recluse, for all my pistol boolits that aren't GC'd. I haven't used it with GC rifle boolits yet, so can't comment.
And Yes, you can use a cast iron skillet over an open fire to cast with. The fire better be hot, I'm guessing some kind of hardwood, but I'm out of my bailiwick here. I know some folks use a Coleman stove successfully.
You mentioned a .30 GC mold. I have heard that some folks use these boolits sans GC, but others say its not a good idea. I always put GC's on my boolits that are so designed, so more experimenting on your part to see if you need GC's.
And you mention a .308 sizer. Lee system? Or just a Lyman H&I die set? My guess is that you bought the Lee system, and I think that was a good idea, just wrong size.
What reloading manuals do you have? Several are recommended, and Glen Fryxell's book 'From Ingot To Target' (available as a DL on this site) is great for learning about casting in general.
I guess you can use just one skillet for both casting and smelting. Most recommend another device for smelting (other than the one used for casting), but in your case I think that you can make using just one for both work, as long as you make sure that you clean it between smelting and casting - you don't need any smelting residue getting into your casting melt.
Best of luck - and don't be afraid to ask questions - we are always glad to answer.

[mdi]

You seem to be on the right track. Agree with 454PB, .309" may be a bit small, but try it, your gun may shoot good with that size, and it's fairly easy to enlarge a sizing die .001"-.002". Alox works, but again, try it. I use 45-45-10 (available from White Label Lubes, a vendor-sponsor) when I tumble lube which preforms much better than plain alox.

I started with a stainless steel 2 qt. pot on a Coleman stove. I had a Lee dipper and a Lee mold and cast over 1,000 bullets before I got an electric pot. With ladle casting, one pot will work as you will skim the gunk off while/before dipping and there is no bottom pour valve to get clogged.

I don't know if a camp fire will get hot enough, but I cast a lot of fishing sinkers as a kid on Ma's kitchen stove...

[Outer Rondacker]

Welcome

[grouch]

I agree with 454PB. A slightly larger bullet sizer may help. I'd try the one you have first. Also, you may find the frying pan too shallow for convenient casting, maybe look for a cheap stainless steel kettle/saucepan that's deeper. Garage sale/thrift store. And try to use a known and repeatable lead alloy. I use 20:1 lead and tin or clip-on wheel weights(lead ones) + 2% tin.
Grouch

[jrayburn0917]

Yes everything I purchased was lee. my grandpa has alot of manuals. He gave me his press. will have to look and see. They may be outdated? Should I keep the .309 mold and .308 sizing die or see if midway will exchange them for another size. If i need to send back I need to send back I should get a .310 mold and .309 sizer. I will have to check the thrift stores out to see what I can find. Thanks for all the advise

[454PB]

You may have gotten the wrong impression.

The "309" mould you ordered is correct. The Lee .30 caliber moulds generally cast a boolit around .312" or bigger, depending on the alloy used. It's your call whether to try changing your Midway order. My opinion is that it's easier to make a sizing die bigger than smaller. If it was me, I'd try the .309" sizing die first, then if you need larger, hone it out. My experience with Lee sizing dies is that they size about .0005" smaller than advertised.

Keep those older loading manuals and add at least one new one. I often refer back to my old mauals.

[jrayburn0917]

will do thank you sir

[KYCaster]

Casting on a wood fire isn't all that difficult. The hardest part is learning how to regulate the temperature of the lead. It can be frustrating, especially if you're new to casting and still trying to figure out what the best temp. is.

For rendering your scrap into ingots, I like to use fast burning wood (pine, poplar, cherry) and add small pieces to keep a good flame going.

For casting use oak or hickory to get a good bed of hot coals and adjust the temp. by raising or lowering the pot.

Good luck.

Jerry