Trying to get started ...need mold advice

[Conservadude]

Hi,

I'm busy making clean ingots from my 1100# of wheel weights and want to start casting soon. I have a .500 S&W magnum, .38 spl/.357 magnum, and a .30-06 that I want to cast for. I need mold recommendations for all, you know, which work well, shoot well, don't break the bank, that sort of thing. Like Lee makes a 440gr mold for the 500 that I heard works well, but I'm not sure and what about the other grain weights? Saving lead during practice is a good thing for example.

For equipment, here's what I think I need and want ...feedback, subtractions/changes/adds, are welcome:

- RCBS lubrisizer
- Molds for the handguns and rifle listed above
- LEE bottom-pour electric pot
- Lube
- Top punches for the boolits coming from the various molds above

Anything else?

Thanks,
Brian

[Willbird]

I think for the low cost of the LEE molds I would grab one for the 500, I'm not generally a fan of the Lee 1 and 2 cavity molds(to be fair lets say I like the LEE 6 cavity a LOT more) BUT there are exceptions to every rule, and a less common diameter is one exception. For the 357 the Lee 158 grain round/flat in a 6 cavity would be my first choice. And on the 30 cal you can't go wrong with a Lee bullet to start with, all THREE of those molds will not be as expensive as a single ferrous alloy mold. Bullet molds are addictive but collecting $20 ones is easier on the wallet than $60 ones. You might have a tough time finding molds right now though.

Bill

[Conservadude]

Do you know if any particular Lee mold for the .30-06 produces a better, more accurate, bullet than others? I'm thinking 180 gr minimum, 220 gr maximum, preferring the 180...

Thx,
Brian

PS: I could use feedback on the equipment list too ...are there ancillary items that I should be getting too? Is my list ok for a newb?

[oldhickory]

Here's a link to available LEE molds, (according to LEE);

http://www.leeprecision.com/cgi/catalog/browse.cgi?1237592575.2349=/html/catalog/bullmol2.html


I own and use many LEE products and have found them to be an excellent value! I bought a LEE #10 pot over 20 years ago and it still serves me well, (I plugged the bottom pour spout with a roofing nail and removed the linkage as I prefer to ladle pour). Do yourself a favor and get the #20 pot from the start, you'll be glad you did. Probably 1/3 of my molds are LEE by choice.

[Conservadude]

Thanks for that link. Looks like Lee has excellent resources there...

I heard that their (new?) Pro bottom-pour melt furnace dribbles though ...is that true? For 1/6th the price of RCBS or others, it seems worth a try...

Brian

[Old Ironsights]

I will disagree with wildbird on one point and say that the singularly most USEFUL .38/.357 mould on the planet is the Lyman 358156HP-GC with an accessory SP pin.

Yes, it is only a Single Cavity mould, BUT it is Iron, casts fast and clean, and is, when using pure lead and modest velocities good enough to be sold as an OEM round... the 158gr LSWCHP+P by Winchester, Buffalo Bore, and others.

Not the best HUNTING round, but hard to beat as the best GP mould you can get.

[mooman76]

Lee are good moulds to start out with. They don't break the bank and can give you a better idea what you want without spending a fortune. You can alway move up to something else later on after you are broken in. I have several Lee 38 moulds and they all shoot well for me. I have a 158g RN, a WC and WC around 150g. I also have a Lee 105g swc that is a great little plinker. Don't hve anything in 50 except BP. I have quite a few 30s but can't really recommend any because I haven't taken the time to really get into loading them much yet. The heavy 30s, 180g+ (like you want) seem to work best in the heavy 30s like .06 or at least that's what I am hearing. You might want to see about picking up some good used moulds here or else where not really to save money but allot of reloading/casting stuff is hard to find now adays with all going on. Good luck and get moulding!

[Le Loup Solitaire]

An item that is important to have is either a good ladle or a good dipper. Either is used to effectively stir.skim and clean the melt. Both can be used to also make or pour good bullets. A ladle can be an old fashioned cast iron type that looks like what they often use to dispense soup. I used one for a long time to fill multi-cavity (gang) molds. It was a bit messy but worked fine. Dippers can range in size from the ones manufactured by Rowell (in various sizes) to the classic ones made by RCBS and/or Lyman. These clean, skim and pour usually by contact with the sprue cutter hole. The Lyman is lower priced than the RCBS but both work well. A version made by Lee also works; it is small and doesn't cost much...some folks like it...especially for work with the smaller Lee pots. while others find it to be too small for their needs. But the bottom line is that the item is handy and useful. LLS

[HeavyMetal]

Since you live in Alaska I think you might consider some type of lube heater.

You don't have to buy one made specifically for lube sizers, you can certainly make do with a small piece of flat aluminum and a 6 dollar Iron from wal mart.

But even Javalina lube gets stiff when it's cold!

[Conservadude]

Since you live in Alaska I think you might consider some type of lube heater.

You don't have to buy one made specifically for lube sizers, you can certainly make do with a small piece of flat aluminum and a 6 dollar Iron from wal mart.

But even Javalina lube gets stiff when it's cold!

My garage runs about 50-60 F in the winter (it's heated) and varies from 50 to 70+ in the summer. That's where my reloading bench lives ...is that cool enough to justify a lube heater?

Brian

[Slow Elk 45/70]

Hullo HeavyMetal, contrary to popular belief, we have moved indoors from the Igloo , not to long ago I admit. I have never needed a heater on my lube-sizer with the lube I use. I cast in my shop with an exhaust fan to suck out the fumes and i keep it about 60* in the winter.[smilie=1:

Concervadude/Brian, I live @ Clear, so we are in the same freezer, IMHO I would set up and lube some boolits before I started spending money on things you may not need, again it may depend on what lube you use, some of them are so hard you need a little heat on them, but that is not the norm.

There are threads on this site about the Lee pot and what causes some of them to leak and how to fix it. For the money , buy the 20# , it is a good pot and will serve you well, mine do.

If you haven't bought a luber yet , Lee makes push through system that works for a lot of applications, unless you are really taking off metal when you size.

The Lee molds are good as long as you CLEAN them correctly and break them in , and you can own a lot of them for what you pay for one RCBS or similar. Like 3 to 1 cost. They have the 6 cavity molds for your 38/357 if you are shooting a lot. Lots of the folks here use Lee molds and reloading products, cheap does not always mean you get less for your $$$.[smilie=1:

Good Luck and if you have questions for me,e-mail, maddenja@aol.com

[cajun shooter]

Conservadude, It's not all about where you live when it comes to lube heaters but the type of lube you chose. I make my own BP lube here in Louisiana and have to have a heater to start the flow. I also use white label carnuba red for smokeless loads and it would require a heater if you lived in hell. Go to the sticky section and do a lot of reading for set up ideas. Later David

[Conservadude]

Awesome, All... I think I have the info to get started with. A friend down in Eagle River told me which lube to use for the calibers we share, so I think I'm all set to get going...

Thanks a mil,

Brian