What should I do ?

[BSkerj]

I have been sitting on the sidelines reading these threads until I finally was able to cast my first bullet. I did about 20 tonight just testing things out. I am using a Lee 2 bullet mold. I have a good supply of lead from my local tire guys ( I manage a fleet of tractor trailers so I can get my hands on alot of lead through the company I buy my fleet tires from), anyway, I am using a iron pot and a Coleman backpacking stove to melt down the lead. This method seems to work well although one of my concerns is keeping a constant temp. Would I be better off in investing in a Lee melting pot ( I know where a used one like new is located that cost 40.00.) Would it be to my benefit to spend the money and pick this up or should I just keep doing what I am doing?
I plan on casting all my bullets. I go through about 200 rds of 357 and 45 per week so I do plan on casting quite a few bullets. Please, any and all suggestions are very welcome. Thanks in advance !!

[docone31]

That is simple.
Use the Coleman stove to ingot the weights, get a Lee Bottom Pour for the mold.
I have the 20lb Bottom Pour. Great!
I ingot seperately to keep the crud from making it a dripper.
I use it for all my molds.
Good for you for haveing a good supply of wheel weights. A good alloy for general casting.

[Le Loup Solitaire]

Hi and welcome to the forum. Casting with a ladle/dipper is fine and will produce good bullets, but it is the slower way to go. Based on your stated/intended needs for weekly minimums you probably should go to the Lee bottom pour pot; it'll speed things up a lot. Continue however to smelt, clean and make ingots in the cast iron pot on the Coleman stove. If you try and do it in the Lee pot you will foul it up with crud and get the valve plugged. Ask me how I know. Lee valves and their antics are well known around this forum anyway so keep whatever you use for an ingot mold or an old aluminum ice tray under the valve to catch any drips... and don't ever go away and leave the pot unattended for more time than getting a drink of water or tapping a kidney. Yes you can continue to dipper/ladle cast...I did it for years and although it is, as I said, slower; if you don't mind that, you can turn out very good castings. It will be a bit difficult to maintain temperature constant with the iron pot unless you have a decent casting thermometer which costs half the price anyway, of the Lee pot you mentioned and even then you have to regulate the Coleman to accomodate the adding of ingots or the level of melt in the iron pot. The Lee ( and any other bottom pour pot on the market) has a thermostat that does all of that for you. What this all boils down to is about convenience and I guess that we have to make the call about paying for it or not. Back in the day when there were no bottom pours and/or thermostats everybody dipped and ladled and did some really good shooting so I guess that you have to decide on what your time constraints are. Two cavity molds are ok and they get the job done, but much better/higher production of bullets is achieved with 4 cavity molds and 6 cavity molds can get you a thousand casts between breakfast and lunchtime. Its still all about convenience. Good luck & enjoy the hobby. LLS

[dromia]

Welcome to Cast Boolits BSkerj. :drinks:

[SierraWhiskeyMC]

Welcome to the forums, BSkerj!

Yep, started out with an iron pot on a Coleman stove myself. Still use it for making ingots.

Just have a small Lee 10# bottom pour for casting, but it's a good bit faster than using a ladle. I keep a 4-ingot Saeco mold under the spout in case the spout doesn't seal up, which has proved handy on a number of occasions.

What mold do you have?

If you're shooting .45 ACP, I suggest that you avoid Lee's 452-228-1R. The ogive isn't really shaped right for .45 ACP; people have to seat them deeper in the case to get them to chamber, which means you have to reduce the load used.

I've been getting decent results with a Lyman 452460 200gr flat base SWC mold. Lee has a rough equivalent with their TL452-200-SWC; it's specifically designed for tumble lubing with Alox (referred to on here as LLA) . You could do plenty worse.

For .38/.357, I've been using a Lyman 358477, which drops a flat-base 154gr SWC. It's a good general-purpose boolit. But if most of what you're doing is punching holes in paper, you might look at Lee's TL358-148-WC. Looks like a soup can. The Lee TL358-158-SWC looks like a decent general-purpose boolit.

[BSkerj]

Thanks everyone for the quick replies and advice. After reading the above statements I am going down to pickup the Lee pot.

I am currently using the TL358-158-SWC for my mold.. but I do plan on making Boolits for my 645 SW .45. Again Thanks! I

[Pepe Ray]

BSkerj:

IF I UNDERSTAND YOU CORRECTLY, Your using a small round Coleman. A back packer's stove, Right??
If your doing this correctly, the stove is surrounded by concrete building blocks holding an iron grate for holding your melting pot.
If this not the picture--STOP--NOW !! You have a very tenuous and unstable condition which will cause you a disaster.
This has NOTHING to do with the heating or heat control system. Only Safety.

Otherwise the Lone Wolf gave you great advice.
Have fun!
Pepe Ray

[Shiloh]

The convenience of a bottom pour pot is a lot. Although a zillion boolits have been poured with no more than a campfire and iron ladle. When cranking out a lot of boolits, the bottom pour takes the cake.

Shiloh

[runfiverun]

pepe is right about the stove needing to be reinforced.

[BSkerj]

Pepe...I have the stand surrounded by old railroad bricks mounted on a piece of 3/4 inch plywood... I will go with your suggestion with the grate..thanks for your concern..it is greatly appreciated. I did go out and find a like new Lyman bottom pour. It was at a local pawn/gun store. It was missing the cord so the owner told me he would let it go without the cord for 30.00. I went to the local Goodwill store and bought a cord for .80 that came off of a electric fry pan. Cast 200 38/357 boolits yesterday. Now it is on to lubing them. I am going to try one of the pan lube recipes on this forum.