Number of posts or something else?

[Cornbread]

I see at the top of this forum it says that humor and such go in "off topic", but for the life of me I can't find an "off topic" sub-category or main category on here. Do I need more posts to be able to see that area or something else?

[oneokie]

You need 25 meaningful posts AND to have been here 30 days.

[Cornbread]

Thank you! That was exactly what I wanted to know.

[slim1836]

You need 25 meaningful posts AND to have been here 30 days.

Which happens very fast around here. Welcome to the site.

Slim

[Beerd]

Yup, welcome Cornbread.
Not a bad place to spend some spare time.
..

[waksupi]

Looks like NW Montana is gaining a stronger footprint on the forum!

[Cornbread]

Looks like NW Montana is gaining a stronger footprint on the forum!

Yep I saw Jim F up in Kalispell is on here too.

[Garyshome]

Welcome to the best forum! Got any snow up there?

[Cornbread]

Welcome to the best forum! Got any snow up there?

Pretty much anywhere around here above 4K feet still has snow. We had snow in my yard at 3,300 feet until last week and it has snowed a couple of times in the past few weeks but it is no longer sticking at the house when it does. Still getting below freezing at the house nearly every night though.

[shooter93]

If you're going to only count meaningful posts Nolan....I'm in serious trouble.....smiles.

[Artful]

You need 25 meaningful posts AND to have been here 30 days.

Yeah, I don't think you really believe "meaningful" do you :kidding:

Welcome to the site Cornbread - What caliber's you using?

And have you cast before or just starting out?

[Cornbread]

Yeah, I don't think you really believe "meaningful" do you :kidding:

Welcome to the site Cornbread - What caliber's you using?

Thank you! I primarily shoot and reload for: 223, 308, 454 Casull and 45-70. All my stuff is bolt, revolver or lever action. My wife owns the only auto in the house(she has a 40 short & weak).

[pdawg_shooter]

Thank you! I primarily shoot and reload for: 223, 308, 454 Casull and 45-70. All my stuff is bolt, revolver or lever action. My wife owns the only auto in the house(she has a 40 short & weak).

Please tell her I am so sorry!

[Artful]

Thank you! I primarily shoot and reload for: 223, 308, 454 Casull and 45-70. All my stuff is bolt, revolver or lever action. My wife owns the only auto in the house(she has a 40 short & weak).

I cast for 308, 45 colt and 45-70 myself - I have yet to try 223 as a cast cartridge but the number of guys powder coating and shooting 223 at over 2,000 fps have started gathering materials to try powder coating and smaller diameter calibers.

Have you tried casting yet - own any molds or equipment?

[Cornbread]

I shoot cast sometimes but I haven't started casting them myself yet. I have been buying cast bullets. Really thinking about doing my own though. I just need to learn more about it, that's why I joined this forum. I'd like to make bullets cheaper because buying them is getting mighty spendy with my kids getting older and so many of us shooting now.

[oneokie]

If you're going to only count meaningful posts Nolan....I'm in serious trouble.....smiles.



Yeah, I don't think you really believe "meaningful" do you :kidding:

Meaningful is a judgement call........................................... :mrgreen:

[Artful]

I know with 22LR being scare I'm thinking of buying this mold
https://www.midsouthshooterssupply.com/item.asp?sku=0000622BATOR6
although casting small boolits has not been most successful in my past I am encouraged by
people here who are having success


Sorry to hear of your troubles with the little guys! Granted they are tiny but so are the FMJ's.

I have not had any loading or accuracy problems that I can see with the Bators I have cast and shot. I only shoot a bolt action. Do not own or ever want an AR15.

have not had one problems with casting. I found the only way to do it successfully is pressure casting.....you then get perfect fills and boolits almost every time! Works for me.

Coating is a bit trickier. ONLY way ESPC will work is if you make some kind of holder for the boolits. I used to use fender washers covered with NS foil. They do not fall over!

Now I use the "swirly method" and bake as described in my link above. Not perfect every time, but when you are trying to coat 500 of those little rascals, a few rejects are not bad.

Good luck!

banger

and Dry Tumbling (DT) in Harbor Freight RED as shown in
http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?236743-BEst-way-to-PC-223-s-and-30-s-DT

And load them up to 22LR velocity in 223 (not going to function any Semi-Auto) and plink away
or gas check and load them a little faster (2500+ fps)

[captaint]

cornbread - You just need to go on ahead and get started casting your own. Then, you will learn in leaps and bounds - really. It's so much more enjoyable to produce your own boolits. Get started and you'll see. And welcome to the site... Mike

[Cornbread]

Thanks guys. I'd like to start making bullets for my 454s and learn with those and then move on to making them for the 45-70, 308, and 223. I have a friend here locally who has the stuff to cast his own for his 45 LC and 475 Linbaugh so I will be bugging him with questions as well. I have been reloading since I was a teen so I have lots of reloading experience but cast boolits is a whole other world I am finding. Jacketed bullets are by far and away my biggest expense in regular reloading so I am hoping to cut that expense down by doing cast bullets. Especially for my bigger guns that I routinely shoot 320gr or larger projectiles in, that gets really spendy quick in jacketed bullets, so if I can learn to make gas checked hard cast bullets for them it will save me a lot of money especially in the 454s because I love shooting them a lot so I burn through a lot of ammo with them.

[Artful]

Cornbread, if you have a local mentor, your in excellent shape. Now would be an excellent time to start scavenging your own lead stockpile, and you might start thinking about recycling all those heavyweights that you are sending down range.
http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?26627-Bullet-trap-ideas-for-recycling-lead

[Cornbread]

The valley I live in has a pretty large gun culture for how small the population is, for example the Lilja family that makes Lilja barrels goes to my church. We also have a number of custom rifle makers and gunsmiths in the valley as well. The local county sheriff was the one who wrote the letter to the Feds and told them where to stick it if they tried to pass new guns laws. So I live in a good area for what I like to do, but liking the idea of something and actually getting setup and doing it are often two different things. I am more of a doer than anything else, so I am real serious about getting this up and going sooner rather than later. We only have one tire shop in the valley so I will call them about wheel weights on monday and see what they say. My friend is gone a lot because of his job so I will probably be on here bugging you guys quite a bit as I get set up to do this. Salvaging my bullet scrap is a good idea. I will look into making a bullet trap, it is going to have to be a big one for the wife, she isn't a very good shot unfortunately. When you guys are giving me ideas it would probably help to know that the closest town has 800 people in it and I live 30 minutes out of town, and the only stores we have in town are tiny and are like feed, hardware and or tiny tourist grocery stores. So a lot of stuff I will have to get from midsouth or midway etc.

[Artful]

Check other lead sources out like Hospital's (radioactive containment), Roofer's (old flashing), Plumber's (old joints and pipes), Old Ballast (crane, diver shops, ship makers, etc), Saw Mill's (babbit used to hold planner blades) and of course Salvage yards.

[FISH4BUGS]

I shoot cast sometimes but I haven't started casting them myself yet. I have been buying cast bullets. Really thinking about doing my own though. I just need to learn more about it, that's why I joined this forum. I'd like to make bullets cheaper because buying them is getting mighty spendy with my kids getting older and so many of us shooting now.
I was FORCED to learn. I shoot machine guns and use cast bullets all the time. 380, 9mm and 45 in subguns and 223 and 308 in the bigger stuff. Haven't tried to cast for 223 and 308 and shoot full auto with them, mainly because I'm not sure that will work. Those guns need some force behind them to make it all work. Not sure cast will have enough OOMPH to do it.
I have enough to do just to keep up with the subgun's appetites. But casting has allowed me to shoot the subguns full auto far more than before. It is not unusual to go out and shoot 500-1000 rounds in an afternoon. THAT'S why I had to learn to cast.
Welcome to the site. It is a wealth of knowledge and information. I have learned more here than anywhere. Alloys, Hensley & Gibbs moulds, Lyman and other's moulds, Star sizers, etc. Lots to learn and lots to share.
Enjoy the whole new part of the shooting hobby.
While there is really nothing more fun than to rip a full magazine (or ten) on full auto, I have to say that the casting part has slowed my shooting down a bit. The lead scrounging, smelting, casting, case prep, sizing and lubing,and finally reloading has provided many hours of relaxation and enjoyment. It is getting to the point where I go to the range only to burn up the ammo so I can start the process all over again. Kind of satisfying to cast, size and lube, and reload 3000 9mm and not have to worry about it for a while. Cast and load all winter......shoot all summer.
Don't be afraid to ask questions. That is how you learn. We ALL were there at one point, you know.

[GaryN]

Welcome aboard Cornbread!! You will find that casting saves you money on boolits but you do have to spend some for molds, top punches,lead furnaces,sizers, lube,gas checks, etc........ What you will also find is that you can make a boolit that fits your gun better than one you can buy. You can also customize your alloy depending on what you want to do with it. You may even find casting as fun as shooting.

[kootne]

Cornbread, I am in Libby, got casting stuff for .25, .30, .40, .45, .50 cal. rifle and .357 pistol and probably other stuff not coming to mind just now. If you want to work out a time and wander over this way we can pour some up and maybe load too. Pick a rainy day (first rule of casting at my house). PM if interested.
kootne

[mold maker]

I started casting in the 60s to save money.
What a joke.
If I'd have spent what, I've invested in casting, to just buy the bullets ready made, bullet storage would be my biggest problem.
But I sure do enjoy casting.

[Cornbread]

Cornbread, I am in Libby, got casting stuff for .25, .30, .40, .45, .50 cal. rifle and .357 pistol and probably other stuff not coming to mind just now. If you want to work out a time and wander over this way we can pour some up and maybe load too. Pick a rainy day (first rule of casting at my house). PM if interested.
kootne

I might just take you up on that for sure. I'm not sure if I have enough posts yet to send a PM but I'll try.

[Bad Water Bill]

I might just take you up on that for sure. I'm not sure if I have enough posts yet to send a PM but I'll try.

Only 7 more posts to go.

Now tell us what you shoot.

Then tell us how long you have been reloading and you will be at 20 with only 5 more to go.:bigsmyl2:

[Cornbread]

Only 7 more posts to go.

Now tell us what you shoot.

Then tell us how long you have been reloading and you will be at 20 with only 5 more to go.:bigsmyl2:

Well I started reloading when I was a young teen for 357 because it was getting too expensive for me to buy ammo on my lifeguard paycheck and I am 39 now so roughly 25 years or so now. I reload for 223, 308, 45-70, and 454 casull. I sold the 357 for a bow many years ago so I no longer do 357. I mostly use H4895 for my rifles and H110 for my pistols but I am looking to get some Unique and start using that for cast lighter loads in the pistol. I also have a 32 Winchester special with an octagonal barrel that was my Grandmothers that I would like to start casting and reloading for. I think my Dad would really like shooting my grandma's old gun if I do that.

[Bad Water Bill]

That 32 sp sounds interesting.

I have my grandfathers Win 94 rifle in 38-55 that will never shoot accurately ever again.

IIRC he bought it new around 1903-5.

In a conversation he said if they collected all of the deer that gun shot it would take a 40 acre field 2 stories tall to hold them all.

Currently there are only traces of rifling visible but once in a while I still take the old gal out for some exercise.

The nice thing is that I have a picture of him as a young man with 2 deer hanging behind him and that rifle in his hand.

[Artful]

so the 454 Casull is a pistol or a rifle?

Which 45-70 you got (mines a Marlin Lever and T/C contender barrel)

[Jim Flinchbaugh]

ANDY!
Welcome aboard brother. This place is addicting so watch out :mrgreen:
I can help you get started in this mess to if I have molds for calibers you shoot.
Gimme a shout when you get to town.

[Cornbread]

so the 454 Casull is a pistol or a rifle?

Which 45-70 you got (mines a Marlin Lever and T/C contender barrel)

I have 2 454 Casulls, both are pistols. One is a 6.5" barrel the other is a 2.25" barrel. I use the longer one to hunt deer etc. and the shorter one is my plinking and bear gun. I shoot it a lot. It's a riot, love that little gun.

The 45-70 I have is the Marlin Guide gun.

[Cornbread]

ANDY!
Welcome aboard brother. This place is addicting so watch out :mrgreen:
I can help you get started in this mess to if I have molds for calibers you shoot.
Gimme a shout when you get to town.

Thanks Jim. I'll be up in Kalispell this Thursday for an appointment in the morning. Are you around at all that day or are you working that day?

[Artful]

Only 3 more to go to hit 25 posts...:mrgreen:

So your not going to try .223 or .308 as cast cartridges?

[Cornbread]

Only 3 more to go to hit 25 posts...:mrgreen:

So your not going to try .223 or .308 as cast cartridges?

I will eventually but I'd to get everything down and working with the Casulls and 45-70 first as they cost me the most in bullets right now.

[Artful]

Yep, big ol' 45 caliber use a lot of lead and cost a lot. What weight do you prefer in 45-70?

Here's an interesting one I used for Sillywet shooting w/ my contender pistol in 45-70
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v355/rowdyfisk/FAL/Boolit/Custom458LoverinonWinchesterblock1cavinside_zpse9c e65fd.jpg (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/rowdyfisk/media/FAL/Boolit/Custom458LoverinonWinchesterblock1cavinside_zpse9c e65fd.jpg.html)
I got miff'd when they hard set the Ram's due to wind so looked for a solution.
Unless they clamped them down it really pushed them over.

[Bad Water Bill]

Only 2 more POSTS to go.[smilie=w:[smilie=w:

Unfortunately we can NOT help with the # of days part.

Just keep on talking and that to will take care of itself.

To help make the time fly there are a TON of stickies just waiting to be read.

[Cornbread]

I like 350gr in the 45-70 and anywhere from 260gr to 360gr in the Casulls with the bulk of my shooting of the Casulls being the lighter ones. The 360gr Oregon Trail Trueshot bullets go in for bear loads for when we are archery hunting, berry picking, backpacking etc. Nothing says "bad bear, stay down!" like 360gr of hard lead travelling at over 1,000fps but as with all things firearm shooting under stress related you have to practice LOTS or you might as well not even carry a gun so I shoot it a ton.......well that's my excuse anyway, really it is just that I love shooting 454 so anything to justify more practice with it floats my boat just fine :)

[kootne]

cornbread, you have jogged my memory, I have an old 165 grain Winchester .32 mold left from my .32/40 days. Probably work just fine in a thutty-two special but wouldn't take gas-checks so we'd have to hold the speed down but unless you're hunting speed don't matter.
kootne

[Cornbread]

cornbread, you have jogged my memory, I have an old 165 grain Winchester .32 mold left from my .32/40 days. Probably work just fine in a thutty-two special but wouldn't take gas-checks so we'd have to hold the speed down but unless you're hunting speed don't matter.
kootne

My Dad has the 32 right now but he should be bringing it back to me sometime this spring or summer. Once he gets it back to me I'll hit you up for sure to see if we can't make some target loads for it.

[Cornbread]

Only 2 more POSTS to go.[smilie=w:[smilie=w:

Unfortunately we can NOT help with the # of days part.

Just keep on talking and that to will take care of itself.

To help make the time fly there are a TON of stickies just waiting to be read.


Thanks Bill! Yep I have discovered the stickies and have been reading through them. WOW there is a lot of info to digest in them. One of them linked a pdf of a book called "From Ingot to Target" so I am in the process of reading that right now too.

[Artful]

[smilie=w:

YOUR AT 25+ Posts - now to wait for the 30 days

[Bad Water Bill]

PATIENCE Is a virtue Grasshopper.

Just remember that no matter how far things seem to wander off topic or have 0 relevance to casting every comment can trigger off a memory of something to help another family member here.

For now pull up your favorite rocker get comfortable and keep learning as that never stops here.

WARNING LIQUID REFRESHMENTS ARE NOT PERMITTED IN THE PIT.

Cast Boolits assumes 0 responsibility for YOUR keyboard or screen if beverages are sprayed there.:bigsmyl2:

[Flinchrock]

I started casting in the 60s to save money.
What a joke.
If I'd have spent what, I've invested in casting, to just buy the bullets ready made, bullet storage would be my biggest problem.
But I sure do enjoy casting.

I hear that. but "INDEPENDENCE" is priceless...

[Jim Flinchbaugh]

Andy I'll be around Thursday. You still got my number?

[Cornbread]

Andy I'll be around Thursday. You still got my number?

I'll send you a PM with the number I have for you to make sure it is still correct.

[psychicrhino]

Welcomen