FISH4BUGS
03-16-2015, 09:35 PM
I just got done with another manic casting session. Sunday afternoon and a couple of evenings in the shed produced a large coffee can full of these monsters - they are 200 grain 38/357 cast swc. This is from a 4 cavity mould. They look just like an H&G #51 stretched out a bit. They are supposed to be for the 357 maximum, but hey......the 38 used to have a 200gr bullet....the Police Special load.
I can't tell you nicely this mould cast. I use a lee 20lb pot and once you set the mould guide and get the mould up to temperature (it took about full 6 casts), the bullets just keep on coming. A gentle tap dropped them out.
I think I must have done 25 + lbs of lead. They key was mould temperature. I used the BruceB Speedcasting method, which is a wet washrag to cool the mould.
I was always concerned with water being around a hot mould and molten lead but I quickly realized the water evaporates instantly when you put the hot mould on the washrag.
Lots of steam. i roll the mould over on both sides, bottom and lastly the sprue when I needed to cool it down. That keeps the mould temperature down. All I had to do was watch the frostiness on the bullets and cool the mould when it got a little too frosty. That would buy me about three or four more casts before heating up again.
I am going to experiment with this bullet in 357. It is a plain base but I hope to be able to drive it to about 1300 fps. That should make a pretty stout load, particularly in the Rossi 92.
If anyone has any load data on a 200 gr bullet in 38 special or 357, let me know.
I can't tell you nicely this mould cast. I use a lee 20lb pot and once you set the mould guide and get the mould up to temperature (it took about full 6 casts), the bullets just keep on coming. A gentle tap dropped them out.
I think I must have done 25 + lbs of lead. They key was mould temperature. I used the BruceB Speedcasting method, which is a wet washrag to cool the mould.
I was always concerned with water being around a hot mould and molten lead but I quickly realized the water evaporates instantly when you put the hot mould on the washrag.
Lots of steam. i roll the mould over on both sides, bottom and lastly the sprue when I needed to cool it down. That keeps the mould temperature down. All I had to do was watch the frostiness on the bullets and cool the mould when it got a little too frosty. That would buy me about three or four more casts before heating up again.
I am going to experiment with this bullet in 357. It is a plain base but I hope to be able to drive it to about 1300 fps. That should make a pretty stout load, particularly in the Rossi 92.
If anyone has any load data on a 200 gr bullet in 38 special or 357, let me know.