Hello Everyone new to reloading and casting

[Smoke Eater]

Good afternoon, as the post suggests this is all new to me. Casting has peaked my interests and I've slowly began to acquire the equipment to start. My goal is to begin with .223, 9mm, and 300 BO. I have about of 100 pounds of w/w ingots waiting to be shaped into flying goodness. A couple of questions I have are related to these rounds being powder coated. I understand working loads up but where do you guys start? The cast handbook the 223 55g. is around the 16ish grain yet I see video after video of guys loading in the 20's. That would be a tremendous amount of time to progress from such a low starting point. Secondly, when it comes to the velocities of powder coated they seem to be higher than tumble lubed cast. Is this the factor allowing the hotter rounds? Thanks for any help or direction.

[Camper64]

My initial recommendation would be to start with 9mm and 300 BO for casting.

[RED BEAR]

welcome aboard glad to have you. as far as what other people do i caution you to work up your own loads yes it may take time but that is the fun of it. and every gun is different maybe not much but different what works in one may or maynot work in another.

[Wayne Smith]

Of the rounds listed the 300BO is the best to start with, relatively low pressure and relatively low velocity. Learn and make your mistakes with this rather than a high velocity, high pressure cartridge. They are more advanced bullet casting challenges. Welcome to a new addiction!

[chutesnreloads]

Agree with starting with the 300BO but even before that.........Do yourself a great service and read a reloading manual.Not just the load data but the whole process.Read it twice.Before casting spend as much time as possible just reading the "stickies" on these forums.Read read read.....you'll save yourself a lot of headaches the more prepared you get.Believe me...it's worth it

[Grmps]

WELCOME TO CB Smoke Eater
I concur 9MM is a little tricky seeing the case is tapered and people tend to over-crimp and compress the boolit (lead bulet) causing problems.
Never except any loads, you see without checking to see if they fall within acceptable amt posted in a commercial manual/website. some firearms can withstand a lot higher pressures than others, and -- some people are just plain crazy (they want to push loads to the limit)

I compiled a "Hello List" with useful information

welcome to CB. If you decided to start casting to save money, forget it. You won't, you'll just shoot more.
Casting boolits (lead bullets) properly is a science, once you know the basics, not a hard science.
There is a lot of good information on CB. The Google search (top right of every forum page) is a gateway to all the knowledge on this forum. IF you can’t find your answer there ask the question (Please be as detailed as possible, pictures help http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?344661-Capturing-amp-Posting-screen-shots I would be very surprised if there wasn’t someone on this forum that could answer ANY question you might have)
http://www.lasc.us/Fryxell_Book_Contents.htm
1. Boolits need to be cast .0005 to .003 over the slugged diameter of your barrel for accuracy and to avoid leading. If the fit is wrong nothing else will work right.
a. slugging a barrel (it is safer to use a brass rod or a steel rod with a couple of coats of tape to avoid damaging your barrel http://7.62x54r.net/MosinID/MosinSlug.htm
b. chamber casting https://www.brownells.com/guntech/cerrosafe/detail.htm?lid=10614
or pound casting http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?356251-Pound-Cast-instructions-(for-rifle-chamber)
2. the right alloy needs to be used for the velocity and purpose of the boolit (don’t fall into the trap of going with to hard an alloy
Economical way to easily test lead hardness
http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?355056-Easier-pencil-lead-hardness-testing
https://i.imgur.com/TGUQsIe.jpg
Some alloys harden over time
http://www.lasc.us/Fryxell_Book_Chapter_3_alloySelectionMetallurgy.ht m
different alloy’s different end sizes
https://i.imgur.com/emuBC2T.png?1
Lead alloy calculator
http://castboolits.gunloads.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=45784&d=1341560870
3. velocity the bullet needs to be pushed hard/fast enough to get the proper spin, have the proper velocity to accurately reach the target but not so hard as to be dangerous or strip the lead off in the grooves instead of spinning the boolit..
Powders range from fast to slow, you need to choose the right powder for your application.
Loading manuals list the best powders for certain calibers and boolit weights.
NEVER use any posted noncommercial load data without first checking to see if falls in the safe parameter for your firearm!! There are several firearms out there that can handle much higher pressures than others!!
Link to free online load data
http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?337910-CB-load-data-online-sources

[Outer Rondacker]

Welcome to the forum.

[GhostHawk]

Agree with camper64. Start big and work down.

.223 can be done but they take more skill IMO.
More of a mid to advanced project.

.300BO is not bad, easy if you are not trying to feed a semi auto.
Or if you just turn the gas off and let it be a .30 caliber straight pull bolt.

I often shoot my SKS that way at the range with light loads of Red Dot.

A good manual is an invaluable tool. I have both the Lyman #3 and #4 cast boolit manuals and recommend them highly.

With cast boolit's it is not about going as fast as jacketed. It is about being as, or more accurate.
And doing it with a boolit you made yourself.

Big and slow with a large meplat works, period.

[Smoke Eater]

Thanks everyone for the great info. I totally agree with the reading and have read the lyman and lee books so far. I guess my confusion is with the powder coated boolits. Is their any recommendations for books or articles or is this again a trial process starting low? Also would the lowest starting charge be considered the one that cycled and locked the bolt back on an AR platform?

[Three44s]

A big welcome to the forum! And a equally big welcome to handloading and to casting!

I would even go a step farther and suggest adding a revolver to your collection of guns for a bridge to casting. A 38 special or 357 Mag (shoot 38’s in them) or my favorite, the 44 Mag and load it down to begin with. After you get your feet wet it will be easier to branch out to the more difficult to cast for cartridges.

You have twin tiggers by the tail. Not insurmountable by any stretch but it is what it is.

My strongest suggestion is read, read, read and READ! You need good manuals .... do searches here until the cows come and tell you it’s winter and then there is interaction with members here.

May your stay here be productive, enjoyable and your shooting be safe!

Best regards

Three44s

[Smoke Eater]

Exactly my intentions. I personally do not have any ambitions to supercede high velocities. I wanna be able to cast effective accurate ammo and hopefully learn and have fun in the process. No telling what the future brings for prices or merely being able to find certain calibers. I dont prep but I do prepare if that makes any sense.

[chutesnreloads]

in this hobby it doesn't make sense not to

[Minerat]

Welcome Smoke Eater. There is a whole forum on powder coating found here:

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/forumdisplay.php?184-Coatings-and-Alternatives

In general you can push PC'd boolits a little faster then lubed boolits, but they are still lead. You try to run them at J word (jacketed) bullet velocities and you'll have problems. Also PC'ing little boolits is a real pain. Start with the big ones first to learn. There are a bunch of guys here that know more about PC performance then me so maybe they will chime in and set me straight if I'm wrong.

[Smoke Eater]

Great Thanks for the link. You guys are awesome wish I had started earlier.

[RogerDat]

Great Thanks for the link. You guys are awesome wish I had started earlier.
You know what they say; best time to plant a tree is 10 years ago, second best time to do it is today.

Powder coat is pretty easy. Shake in spoonful of powder coat with black air soft BB's inside a #5 plastic container. Bake in a toaster oven on some non-stick aluminum foil. Shake and bake. PC done properly is a hard coating and since it coats the whole bullet and doesn't come off the lubrication is very consistent. Just as a jacketed bullet can be softer lead so to can a powder coated bullets handle being softer lead (as in less expensive lead alloy)

Tumble lube is effective and fast/easy. thin drizzle of tumble lube in a cool whip container or large zip lock baggie shake or tumble to coat the bullets. Dump out and let dry. Sometimes people dip the bullet in tumble lube to fill the lube grooves to provide enough lube to handle longer barrels with more velocity / spin.

The ability to tweak and adjust things to get your best performance is an enjoyable past time. Making a round that is ideal for your use such as mild rifle plinking or long range target exploring options is fun. I load .223 for Ruger mini-14 auto loads well but it took a lot of reading to find a starting point. Then testing to get good and reliable performance. Those are gas checked and powder coated bullets. My own starting point was revolvers then bolt action before moving on to auto loaders.

You can in theory save money but probably won't but you will get to shoot more for the same money. Which being fun will cause you to load more so you can shoot more :-) If you can manage to pace yourself when it comes to equipment and molds.... well it's a plan anyway. We all live in fear our wife will sell our stuff for what we said it cost rather than what it does cost.

[Smoke Eater]

Great info, I'll check out that post as well. There is so much information on here it's overwhelming but that's a good problem to have.

[Traffer]

Welcome, I am a relative noob myself. Started 3 years ago but immediately got into the obscure 22lr reloading scene. Had to learn a lot of stuff. I have since developed my own tools and techniques.
If you would like some advise... TAKE LOTS OF NOTES. Document everything you do. It will pay in the long run.
Also, do what is fun...don't get too bogged down in tedium. This is about having fun and the more fun you have doing it the more inspiration you will get. Share your discoveries. Even if they are not new, we all like to hear what you are up to. And last but not least...POST LOTS OF PICTURES. We are like children...yay pictures!

[Wayne Smith]

I'm not sure where the sticky for "From Ingot to Target" got to but somebody please post the link for Smoke Eater. It is the best manual for casting boolits available and it's free!

[Leeroy151]

Welcome,
I second the idea of casting and reloading for a revolver. Seems a lot easier to me, more forgiving. I have cast and loaded 9mm but I am getting away from it. I prefer the 38 and 44 special. Load em up or load em down. Tumble lube is easy. Powder coat looks cool. Trail Boss powder is interesting. Cast bullets in old military rifles reloaded to shoot like a 22 plus makes that fun for me. Be safe!

[dverna]

Welcome!!!

If you are new to reloading, I would start with buying some jacketed bullets for your .223 from Monmouth. A vendor on this site. He offers Hornady bullets at a good price. I bought from them in bulk and paid $7/100 when they had them on sale a while back.

You will need gas checks with either the .223 or .300 BO cast bullets so factor that into your costs. Powder coating will not eliminate the need for GC's.

Given your choices, I would start casting for the .300BO but it is not the best to start with. Cast 2 MOA (10 shot groups) may be possible but I doubt many can do it consistently. So establish realistic expectations - 4 MOA would be acceptable when starting off. Load development can be fun or a giant pain in the butt depending on your motivation. Do NOT get discouraged when you see a someone post an itsy bitsy group that you dream of. Sometimes it is a one-off and a lot of luck, and other times, it will be someone who has cast for decades and learned a lot. You will know who to trust as you spend more time here.

I chased ever decreasing group sizes when I was younger but now accept good enough is good enough. But I like sending lead range downrange more than reloading. What turns your crank at this moment is important.

My last advice is to buy the best equipment you can. I have tools and molds that are 45+ years old. You will never regret buying quality and you will always get your money back. If money is tight, buy used reloading equipment. I would not recommend buying used molds as they can be abused.

[Smoke4320]

With casing and PC I would highly recommend starting with 300 blackout .. Its much easier to get a good load quickly over 223 and especially 9MM
Welcome to the forum .. ask away and we will help you

[jeepyj]

Welcome!!!

If you are new to reloading, I would start with buying some jacketed bullets for your .223 from Monmouth. A vendor on this site. He offers Hornady bullets at a good price. I bought from them in bulk and paid $7/100 when they had them on sale a while back.

You will need gas checks with either the .223 or .300 BO cast bullets so factor that into your costs. Powder coating will not eliminate the need for GC's.

Given your choices, I would start casting for the .300BO but it is not the best to start with. Cast 2 MOA (10 shot groups) may be possible but I doubt many can do it consistently. So establish realistic expectations - 4 MOA would be acceptable when starting off. Load development can be fun or a giant pain in the butt depending on your motivation. Do NOT get discouraged when you see a someone post an itsy bitsy group that you dream of. Sometimes it is a one-off and a lot of luck, and other times, it will be someone who has cast for decades and learned a lot. You will know who to trust as you spend more time here.

I chased ever decreasing group sizes when I was younger but now accept good enough is good enough. But I like sending lead range downrange more than reloading. What turns your crank at this moment is important.

My last advice is to buy the best equipment you can. I have tools and molds that are 45+ years old. You will never regret buying quality and you will always get your money back. If money is tight, buy used reloading equipment. I would not recommend buying used molds as they can be abused.
Along with some others this is some very sound advice ^^^ In my opinion although not on your list I have to agree Leeroy151 on the revolver. 38 caliber is as forgiving for someone new to the hobby as you can get.
No matter what you do, welcome and be safe.

[jim 44-40]

Read and read some more,hands on is the best way to learn,with the YouTube and site's like this one can learn a lot.But doing it safe is all on you.

[Soundguy]

A big welcome to the forum! And a equally big welcome to handloading and to casting!

I would even go a step farther and suggest adding a revolver to your collection of guns for a bridge to casting. A 38 special or 357 Mag (shoot 38’s in them) or my favorite, the 44 Mag and load it down to begin with. After you get your feet wet it will be easier to branch out to the more difficult to cast for cartridges.

You have twin tiggers by the tail. Not insurmountable by any stretch but it is what it is.

My strongest suggestion is read, read, read and READ! You need good manuals .... do searches here until the cows come and tell you it’s winter and then there is interaction with members here.

May your stay here be productive, enjoyable and your shooting be safe!

Best regards

Three44s

Agreed.. casting for a 38/357 will teach you plenty.

then you can look at gas checking.. alloy's, etc.

[Walla2]

Welcome. I hope you will enjoy this hobby as much as I have. One more thing to know. You can make a small fortune by reloading and casting your own ammunition. First thing is you start with a large fortune.

[Smoke Eater]

Well I like the idea you all think I need a revolver to start with, the wife will have to understand since it's in writing and we're talking about safety here so thanks for that. The other suggestion about loading some jacketed .223 makes sense to. I should really simplify this and start slower. I just assumed by starting with casting I'd be more rounded but you all make total sense.

[dverna]

SE,

It is a process...do not try to run before you can walk.

Thus my suggestion to start with jacketed bullets in the .223 as they are relatively inexpensive. You first goal should be to match factory ammunition accuracy....btw, do not worry about maximum velocity as most accurate loads are somewhat below full throttle.

Getting a revolver to start with is not so much a safety issue as a way to ease into casting. Pistol ammunition does not have the same accuracy standards so a less than perfect bullet will give you adequate accuracy and the practice you need to become a good caster. Dale Earnhardt did not start as a champion NASCAR driver. BTW, my first bullets were for the .38 SPL and I cast over 4000 before trying to cast a rifle bullet. But I am not the brightest bulb on the string when it comes to casting. YMMV

If you do not want a .38 revolver, look at a lever action in a pistol caliber. There are a number of .38/.357 lever actions that are fun to shoot. The .41 Mag is less popular but a great choice as well and it is a decent short range deer round. And of course the venerable .44 Mag. My favorite plinking guns are .38 lever actions and we use a 130 bullet so lead costs are low. We shoot them for about the cost of .22's!. My fiancé loves the little carbine I set up for her and they make an effective home defense gun with the right load (not plinking loads). BTW, do not worry too much about the cost of brass. With light loads, you can use the same pistol case over 30 times. Get the caliber that suits your needs.

[Smoke Eater]

dverna, I have a marlin 30/30 lever action, is this in line with your suggestion? Or am I back to the previous conversation? Also would the same mold work for the 300 BO in the lower grain?

[Grmps]

Powdercoated boolits use the same load data as lubed lead boolits. The powder coating works as the lube and is not as messy to handle, on your equipment or to shoot.
If you plan on shooting larger volumes, HiTek coating is a good option.

[Soundguy]

dverna, I have a marlin 30/30 lever action, is this in line with your suggestion? Or am I back to the previous conversation? Also would the same mold work for the 300 BO in the lower grain?

To use a mold for both the 30-30 and the 300aac.. You are going to want a flat or very rounded nose profile. Looking at loading weight on some lee molds.. There is a RN 120gn.. That would get you near the 125 loading of a 300, but be 10 under 130 .

I think I'd get a dedicated mold for each of those.

I don't have my Lyman cast bullet handbook with me, so haven't checked / checked for load data for the aac.

My .308 lead I like a wide meplat, same for my .358 rifle applications, GC shank too.

[Grmps]

My 300 BO loves Lee C312-155-2R over H110

[Smoke Eater]

Why the flat or round nose, is this a feed issue for the BO? I cant find any 300 BO in the Lyman 4th edition either.

[Soundguy]

Why the flat or round nose, is this a feed issue for the BO? I cant find any 300 BO in the Lyman 4th edition either.

Because you said you wanted a boolit that you could run in both your 300 AND a 30-30 lever gun. If your gun has a tubular magazine, you have boolit to primer all thru the tube. Recoil and pointed or not sufficiently large/flat/round/soft tips can lead to setting the primer off, and then in turn, a cascade failure.

[Minerat]

I'm not sure where the sticky for "From Ingot to Target" got to but somebody please post the link for Smoke Eater. It is the best manual for casting boolits available and it's free!

WS, here you go. At the bottom of each page in the Cast bullets notes
http://www.lasc.us/Fryxell_Book_Contents.htm

[Smoke Eater]

Wow, so that shows my lack of knowledge. I never realized the tip to primer issue yet always wondered why i couldnt find polymer tipped 30/30. Obviousley the LEVERevolution by hornady has addressed this with a softer tip. Thanks Soundguy

[dverna]

SE

The .30/30 is a fine cast bullet round but still needs a better cast bullet than a pistol caliber. If you do not want to invest in a pistol or pistol caliber carbine, the .30/30 is a better caliber to start casting for than the .300 BO. You can use lower velocity loads as there is no bolt to operate.

But please start reloading the .223 with jacketed. I think you will have better success and satisfaction

[Soundguy]

Wow, so that shows my lack of knowledge. I never realized the tip to primer issue yet always wondered why i couldnt find polymer tipped 30/30. Obviousley the LEVERevolution by hornady has addressed this with a softer tip. Thanks Soundguy


No problem, we look out for each other.

I didn't want you turning a lever gun or your hands or face into a science experiment. :)

If you look at my avatar, that wide meplat gas checked boolit is what I use I my 35rem, got a similar one for 30 caliber applications.

[Wayne Smith]

I agree with those who say learn to reload first, learn to cast second. I still load condom boolits first in a new rifle. Not so much to break it in but just to see what it will do, sort of a baseline. Then I clean it good and see if it will shoot cast boolits too. For the casting download the Ingots to Target link above and read, read, and read. Having a good understanding of what you are doing before you do it is handy, to say the least. Same for reading a reloading manual prior to starting to reload. Knowing what to expect gives you a heads up when something isn't working right.

[Smoke Eater]

What is a condom boolit?

[Soundguy]

I've also see reference to full length gas checks to refer to commercial jacketed bullets, as well as 'jwords'

[Smoke Eater]

So on top of everything else to learn, I also will be schooled in the verbiage of the hobby. Well, this escalated quickly... haha... no really thanks for the info guys with the posts and comments from all of you. I am definitely taking a step back as I see there is a wealth of information out there that will take some time. It is nice to know there is help with this so thank you all.

[Soundguy]

Another sugestion.

As someone mentioned, it might be good to just start loading with commercial projectiles first. IE.. grab some jacketed bullets, get safe loading habits and procedures down.

Next, buy some commercially made cast lead bullets, then get familiar loading those.

lastly, start casting your own boolits and then loading them.

[robg]

I agree with starting with a bigger boolit .I started with .357 mag then 308/3030 and 45-70 .still trying to get .223 to work like I want .the others were much less trouble .

[Traffer]

Remember these are suggestions, not rules. It is just common sense that for beginners bigger things tend to be easier to deal with. But you may want to go with the smaller for some reason. I reload 22lr. The only caliber I load is 22lr. If I had listened to all of the people who told me "I couldn't do it" I wouldn't have been able to do it. You won't run into that much nay-sayer stuff here. Most of the advise here is positive and we appreciate each others input. Especially since there are so many real experts who post here. I quit a different forum because I went against the consensus of opinion and had to suffer a gaggle of folks who continuously scolded me for not taking their advise to quit with the 22lr. But here I am, now one of the most knowledgeable people on reloading 22lr. People here will generally give advise that will help make your hobby more successful.
As far as the verbage, that can get a little wild. Sometimes you have to scratch your head for a while. It took me a while to figure out why the word J-word was used for jacketed bullets. I finally came up with the idea that it is like saying an unmentionable word, a word that is unacceptable and shocking so it is referred to as _word, Like the "F" word. Since this forum is dedicated to casting your own bullets, commercial jacketed bullets (in jest) are a dirty word. Hence the "J-word", word is born. Some folks seem to be making up more humorous words for things as they think of them. Some stick and begin to be used, some don't. This is what you find when you look up "boolit" on google...
https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Boolit
Personally, I think it is hilarious. ..."and don't call me Shirley"

[Gunslinger1911]

Welcome to the road of utter frustration, and pure bliss when you get it to work (this is a positive statement guys !).
The "Ingot to Bullet" is a long read, go slow, take notes (I printed it and high-lighted, AND took notes).

Ask us anything ! There are NO stupid questions (uninformed, yes; stupid, no - one of us in the past asked the same thing starting out.

There is literally centuries of experience on this forum (actually many, many centuries ), use us. Most of us have quite the gift of gab.

You will run into conflicting ideas (don't ask how I know this lol). Go with your best judgment, I tend to go with folks with a high post count. After being here a while you'll get a feel for who has been at this a long time.

As has been repeated, read; books, here; just wander around the folders -gems of knowledge are everywhere. You can get a nugget of powder coating in the handgun folder, find out all about the trials and tribulations of setting up a 50 Beowulf AR in the Our Town folder (not to mention a pic of my 2 week old puppy ! lol)

Enjoy the ride grasshopper !

[Smoke Eater]

Thanks Gunslinger1911, Ive been curious as to fact vs. opinion. So far I havent asked any controversial questions yet but i am sure it will come in time. I do sense the passion in most of the guys posting comments which is encouraging coming from a guy in a profession built on passion and tradition. No doubt you all have showed encouragment and I do appreciate that.

[Soundguy]

There are some hard facts that you will learn, need, and use, and the vast majority of it concerns variables and opinion.

Lots of reloaders here, lots of opinions..for instance, many of us make our own boolit lube. And if there are 20 of us here, there are probably 21 different lubes, and they probably all work.

They alloy info is easy to find, and some have special mixes they like, like range scrap sweetened with tin, or sime form of clip or stick on wheel weight and range scrap, or Lyman mixes, etc. After you have done it a while, you too will have your own procedures and alloys you like.