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lordgroom
12-31-2007, 12:58 AM
This is my first post. Sorry if this question has been asked before, which I would bet it has.

I have been reloading for about 1 year now and I love this as a hobby. I enjoy saving money, but I also really enjoy the hands on nature of things and the research. I have thought about casting for about 3 months now but am worried about startup costs. I am pretty sure I have a supply of lead. Here are my questions:

What equipment do I need?
What is a cost estimate of the equipment?
How to I protect small children and a pregnant wife? Cast outside or a vent hood? If a vent hood, where can I find one to buy/ build?

Currently I reload .45 ACP, .38 Special, .357 Magnum, and I have dies for 45-70. In the next year I also plan to reload 5.56/.223, 10mm, and perhaps 9mm.

454PB
12-31-2007, 01:21 AM
Welcome to the forum!

This can be one of the most rewarding and satisfying hobbies there is, but don't think you're gonna save any money. You'll just shoot more and buy more equipment.

I suggest you look at the Lee casting equipment to get started. For around $100, you can get a melting/casting pot, double cavity mould, and suitable sizing die and lube kit. Once you've gained some experience and done a lot of reading here, you can decide when and if you want more expensive gear.

With kids in the house, you need to either cast outdoors, or in an out building they cannot access. It's not fumes you have to worry about, but hand to mouth contact with lead. I have to confess I used to cast in my house and I had kids. They were never harmed in any way, but it is still not responsible to do so.

buck1
12-31-2007, 01:58 AM
Welcome!
454 tells you true!
This is one of those things that costs what you let it. But you could be casting for a cal for under $50. That is basic set up but a realistic # with bottom pour pot COULD be done as cheep as $100.00 with Lees set up.
And after that a little here a lot there etc.
Casting hoods can be found at the home improvement store as range hoods. But start off out side for now.

lordgroom
12-31-2007, 02:25 AM
A Lee 20 lb bottom pour furnace, Lee 6 cavity mold, handles, Lee Dipper, 2 Lyman ingot molds, thermometer, and Lee Lube and Size kit costs a total of $188. Am I missing something? Is there something here I don't need?

Can I use the Lee Lube and Size kit in a progressive press?
What is a tumble lube mold and how does it work?
Where do you get Wheel Weights?

EDG
12-31-2007, 02:46 AM
A Lee 20 lb bottom pour furnace, Lee 6 cavity mold, handles, Lee Dipper, 2 Lyman ingot molds, thermometer, and Lee Lube and Size kit costs a total of $188. Am I missing something? Is there something here I don't need?

Can I use the Lee Lube and Size kit in a progressive press?
What is a tumble lube mold and how does it work?
Where do you get Wheel Weights?

You can start with a $5 used Coleman stove, a used cast iron pot, a mould of your choice, a dipper,
a used muffin pan for ingots. The bullets can be pan lubed or tumble lubed and can often be shot as cast with no sizing to get started. You do oall of that for less than $50 if you try.

Razor
12-31-2007, 02:59 AM
Hey lordgroom... Welcome..
I just got started casting myself a couple/three months ago..
I'll try to answer some of your questions...

What is a tumble lube mold and how does it work?
As I understand it, a tumble lube doesn't require sizing/lubing..For tumble lube you dump your boolits in a container, squirt some Liquid Alox lube on them and swish (tumble) them around..
With tumble lube desigh you don't really need a sizing die.

Where do you get Wheel Weights?
at a tire shop..basically anyplace that balances tires, eg.. gas station

thermometer
nice but not absolutely necessary

Lee 6 cavity mold
2 cavity mould will save about $20 and it comes with handles.
Hope this helps

Razor

Wayne Smith
12-31-2007, 10:29 AM
Thermometer is becoming more necessary as zinc wheel weights are becoming common. You need to keep your initial melt below about 650 degrees to skim off the unmelted wheel weights that are zinc.

I'll Ditto EDG, I'm still using the Coleman and an old stainless kitchen 1qt. pot to melt my lead. This is after years of casting, I simply do not see the need to spend the money for a bottom feed pot with all the problems reported here. Besides, LOML is a Scott!

You will need a heat source, a stainless steel or cast iron container - no aluminum! - a dipper, a table or something to put it all on, a damp towel to cool your mold at times, and something to hold your bullets. A stick or two to flux, an old slotted spoon to remove the crud, and a place outside to do it all. I use the screened in porch.

All but the dipper can be bought at the Salvation Army. I use a Lyman dipper, but think I would get the RCBS if I were getting another.

You are apparently only going to cast for pistols and the 45/70. You can tumble lube all of these, and usually shoot as cast. You can size with the Lee sizer which fits on your press. You can lube these with Johnson's Paste Wax - find the sticky on this.

Yes, you can do this on the cheap - and do it well. You can go fancy and expensive and do it well. It all depends on your style and your available finances.

Trez Hensley
12-31-2007, 12:05 PM
As for the using "as cast", I would also say that you should make a slug of your barrel (cast or swaged). From all I read here and elsewhere, you do not want to use a bullet much more than .002" over the groove size of your rifling., with .001" being optimal in most cases.

I state this as different alloys cast different size bullets from any one mold. I would not assume that you can use an "as cast" bullet without knowing the details. Others can chime in here but it's something to check out first before using an unsized bullet so as to not create high pressures or gas cutting/leading in the barrel.

You may already know this but as you are new here (as I am also), just giving you "a note to self detail".

What do you all think.........