First cast: water cool or air cool?

[brewer12345]

As soon as the rain stops, I will be doing my first cast next week. I bought some COWW ingots and acquired a new Lyman 358 RNFP and a discontinued, used Lyman 140 grain DEWC mold (along with all the other necessary stuff). The overwhelming majority of my shooting is 38 special at standard pressure or just barely into +P (158 RNFP over 3.8 grains of HP38 is my most common). I have been mostly shooting Missouri bullet fodder at an advertised 12 BHN, although I have a slightly hotter load for a plated wadcutter and a milder load for a HBWC. I am happy with how all of these shoot (better than I can, heh), so I don't think I need real hard bullets or different sizing than the .358 I have been getting. From what I have been reading I should not need to water drop bullets for my 38 loads, correct? If I end up loading .357 I am guessing that a batch of water-dropped bullets would be a good idea (or get a gas checked mold design), right? Once I have cast a bunch of usable boolits I will be trying out the RCBS 35 Rem mold I bought. I see lots of posters here using a 50/50 WW/pure alloy for rifle hunting bullets. Necessary to water drop this gas checked design?

[white eagle]

keep it simple is my vote
air cooled is easier sounds like for 38 special loads you will be shooting
air cooled will be just fine

[Char-Gar]

air!!

[Dusty Bannister]

The nice thing about air cooled bullets is when you get done, you will not have to worry about water in the casting furnace causing a steam explosion (visit from the tinsel fairy) when you melt the mistakes for casting again.... Keep it simple, air cool, pay attention to what you are doing. Keep it safe and enjoy the experience.

[mdi]

Air cool. I've only been casting for 18 years or so and if I want harder alloy, I'll mix it. Besides, harder isn't always better...

[JMax]

Air cool, as stated if I need harder bullets I change alloy and all of my casting is for rifles using a relative soft alloy with velocities up to 1800 ft/sec.

[Reddirt62]

Air!

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[RED333]

The nice thing about air cooled bullets is when you get done, you will not have to worry about water in the casting furnace causing a steam explosion (visit from the tinsel fairy) when you melt the mistakes for casting again.... Keep it simple, air cool, pay attention to what you are doing. Keep it safe and enjoy the experience.

This, about 100 times. No need to get into trouble starting out.

[runfiverun]

definitely work with the 38 first.
just dump them on a towel and don't admire your work until you have at least 30 cycles through the mold.
focus on the basics of casting...
mainly maintaining a constant mold temperature, filling the mold, and when to break the sprue.
your gonna have a learning curve don't compound it with another barrier.

[brewer12345]

definitely work with the 38 first.
just dump them on a towel and don't admire your work until you have at least 30 cycles through the mold.
focus on the basics of casting...
mainly maintaining a constant mold temperature, filling the mold, and when to break the sprue.
your gonna have a learning curve don't compound it with another barrier.

Yeah, I figured the first bunch of cycles would go into the sprue box to be recycled as I figure out how to do this and break in the mold. Any reason not to try the wadcutter mold as well as the RNFP on the first outing?

Oh yeah: can I clean the oil off the new mold with citrus cleaner? Alcohol? Something else?

[runfiverun]

citrus cleaner would probably work.
I generally get mine hot.
then hit them with a citrus de-greaser, fill the cavity's with it, wipe it all down with a rag, then blast it with some brake cleaner real quick.
then give it some run time [40-50 casts] to make sure it gets a good heat cycle.

you could do the one mold that way, then go to the next while letting the first mold cool down.
you'll get a little casting experience and do the molds some good at the same time.

[plainsman456]

I have never had to water cool.

[Rcmaveric]

Air cooling has my vote as well. Water dropping from the mold causes inconsistencies in BHN. if you need harder then heat treat them. Heat treating will give you a more uniform BHN across the batch.

[Love Life]

I air cool. I'll heat treat if I want harder. Some of my guns like bullets soft and some like them hard as woodpeckers lips. Each is rule unto itself.


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[lightman]

Another vote for air cool. I've never seen the need to water drop. Start simple and learn the basics.