Tips on a smart efficient setup for bullet casting for a former lurker?

[Maine Ronin]

I'm thinking of getting started with bullet casting and I'm not sure where the smart money is. For instance, are Lee melters a bargain like their powder measure or not so much like their scale? Is a bottom pour worth the extra cash in terms of increasing efficiency and speed or is it a little complicated for the beginner?

I guess some tips on equipment is all I need. The kind you can't get out of a book because no one will trash/praise a particular brand. I'm not afraid to spend some money and I'll hold off if I can't afford decent equipment .

Thanks for any advice,
Adam

[HABCAN]

Welcome Adam!

IMHO LEE equipment is THE bargain equipment in all their designs. The main point in its use is to READ THE INSTRUCTIONS that come with it. Some of us who started out with more 'traditionally-designed' stuff had quite a time adjusting to the differences. You won't have that problem, starting from scratch.

My LEE Production Pot has stood me in good stead for over thirty years. (I totally drained it and cleaned it for the first time only a few months ago, on advice from this excellent Forum.) I would certainly recommend you start with one: you can always get more 'sophisticated' in the future if the boolit demon really bites, LOL.

You CAN spend a ton of money on tools, but LEE stuff gets my nod every time. You just have to be a little gentle with it, and never lend it to ham-fisted types, K?

[Pepe Ray]

Habcan is right on the mark, BUT I'm even more frugal than most. Have been loading/casting for 45 +/- yrs. NEVER used a bottom feeder. Rarely buy new stuff. If your a rural Mainer(or not) just prowl the Good Will or the flea markets. Pots, dippers, ingot molds go for a song. Gun shows (Augusta 8/23,24) you'll find molds and lotsa other stuff. Bangor Gun Show 2 weeks later.
I'm not trying to discourage you from a "shopping spree". Just showing that there's another way.
Pepe Ray

[jhalcott]

IF you want speed, the Lee bottom pour and 6 pack molds are the way to go. A good thing to remember is NEVER smelt wheel weights in the pot you cast from! The cleaner the alloy going into the pot the less "dripping" you should get. Don't bang the molds around, they ARE aluminum and get damaged rather easily. (so do iron ones)!

[jameslovesjammie]

I recently got into casting as well, and I started with the Production Pot IV and some Lee 6 cavities. The biggest things like everyone else said is don't smelt in the pot you cast from and smoke your moulds after you clean them.

[Maine Ronin]

That's exactly what I'm looking for. I'll have to start keeping my eye out at local gunshows.
I'm interested in a bottom pour model because I once saw Larry Potterfield, I think that's his name, on Midway TV bang out some bullets. He had the RCBS model and two 6 cavity molds going. He'd pour one while the other mold cooled and he had quite a rhythm going! It looked like he could pout out 1000 bullets pretty fast.
With the Lee bottom pour model being so much less I might go that route.

Thanks again, and by all means tell me more!
Adam

[1Shirt]

:coffee:Can't argue with Habcam, but do have a suggestion or two. The first being to find a caster or two in your area and see what their set ups are. If possible sit in on a casting session or two with them. The second is, if you go with Lee stuff, pay attention to directions and don't exceed. On the production pot, treat it gently and it will serve you well. I prefer my RCBS that I have had now for over 20 years, but know a number that can say the same for lee. Have never owned a 6 cav mold, and probably never will as I don't shoot that much handgun. I can turn out 250-300 rifle blts an hour and that keeps me happy and satisfied with the consistancy. I also cast a number of hollow points, and find a bottom pour regardless of type to be the cats whatever when running them. Have a number of molds, many of them Lee, and am now a great fan of all of the Ranch Dog molds. If you are going to shoot 30, 44, or 45's, recommend you consider them for starting, along with his recommendation for lee size and lube stuff. I also recommend the lee expander for belling case mouths. Got rid of all of my Lyman M-Dies after I got mine. Works from hornet thru 375 and 45-70. Am also a ferm believer in Lyman factory crimp dies. Extra step in loading, but find that they give me a slight edge over uncrimped at the range. Anyhow good luck, and let us know what you end up doing and how it turns out.
1Shirt!:coffee:




1Shirt!

[runfiverun]

i use all iron molds..
but i have a lee 20 lber two lyman 10 lber's and two master-casters.
i use them all at different times.
but i always smelt ww's in 2 cast iron pots, and store the ingots under cover.
i even ladle poured boolits once over a camp fire.
pan lubed in camp, and made lube with wild bees wax,in a hive i found.
and some bacon grease.
just so i could load some more boolits to shoot on a camping trip.
was using some ingots to hold the tarp corners down, and ffor some reason had a mold
in the truck.
and well you know how it goes..

[quietmike]

I agree with 1shirt, try out other peoples stuff or at least watch if you can. So much of this hobby comes down to personal preference, there are almost no "only one right way to do it' situations.

Start really cheap, get a feel for it, then decide which upgrades are worth spending $$$ on.