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View Full Version : Another newbie cast his first boolits


Snyd
10-05-2009, 11:41 PM
First off thanks to this site and ALL of you who post here. You have educated (and addicted me):smile:

So last spring I started gathering up wheel weights, this summer I smelted them down into lead muffins and ordered casting equipment. It all finally showed up a few days before I went sheep hunting, then back to work for a week, sick for a week, off moose hunting for a week then back to life, etc, etc...... Well I finally got a chance to try out my new stuff and cast some boolits. After getting setup, melting down 8 2lb muffins, messing with the heat, a mold not hot enough, etc. I finally started dropping some booits. I ended up with over 300 255gr .452 boolits and about 40 or so what figured are rejects. A guy I work with who casts looked at those and said he would shoot all but a couple of them. Anyway, what fun it is to end up with nice shiny projectiles from of all things... wheel weights!

Things I learned.

At first I was dropping the lead into each cavity one at a time (up down with the handle) like in the pic. Then I realized I could just do a steady stream and fill em all up. Once I got the melt and mould up to temp I had a pretty good rhythm going.

I need to redo my water drop system, I think some of my rejects are from hitting other bullets in the water. I'll do it different next go around.

I need some good sprue plate lube. I used a little parafin wax that I use for fluxing.

I think I need to get a thermometer to take the guesswork out of the melt temp and the mold needs to be up to a good temp as well.

I'm also wondering about cooling the sprue plate a little on a wet rag just before cutting the sprue.

Here's some pics of my first go round...

http://homepage.mac.com/perryschneider/.Pictures/boolits/b_02.jpg http://homepage.mac.com/perryschneider/.Pictures/boolits/b_03.jpg http://homepage.mac.com/perryschneider/.Pictures/boolits/b_04.jpg http://homepage.mac.com/perryschneider/.Pictures/boolits/b_05.jpg
Snyd
10-05-2009, 11:42 PM
The closeup pics make them look sort of rough but they are smooth. The lighting reflected quite a bit. I weighed a few of them and they come in at 255-256gr. Now for the next step. Size and a lube job. I'll just try the Lee Alox on these. Maybe try some pan lube on a future batch. I measured a couple and it looks like they are dropping at .452. I'll size them anyway.

http://homepage.mac.com/perryschneider/.Pictures/boolits/b_06.jpg http://homepage.mac.com/perryschneider/.Pictures/boolits/b_07.jpg http://homepage.mac.com/perryschneider/.Pictures/boolits/b_08.jpg http://homepage.mac.com/perryschneider/.Pictures/boolits/b_09.jpg
bedwards
10-06-2009, 08:21 AM
Man, those look good for any experienced caster!

be
philthephlier
10-06-2009, 08:25 AM
I just started casting the same bullet in a two cavity. Post again about how it shoots. I will be trying it tomorrow in my 5-1/2" NM Blackhawk 45 Colt and I'll give a short range report. Your bullets look great, consider yourself very adept at this new venture.
armyrat1970
10-06-2009, 08:35 AM
Welcome. Those are some nice looking boolits and I would not hesitate to load any of them. Good job on your first casting. They should shoot fine.
Nate1778
10-06-2009, 08:36 AM
Look good to me as well, let us know how Alox works with the bullet. I have yet to have success with Alox on a lube ring bullet.
Three-Fifty-Seven
10-06-2009, 08:53 AM
Looks better than my 1st! Your doing good!
Calamity Jake
10-06-2009, 08:58 AM
They ain't no backen up now!!! YOUR HOOKED


GOOD GOING
docone31
10-06-2009, 09:05 AM
Been castin a while, huh.
squid1230
10-06-2009, 10:48 AM
Nice clean edges on the lube grooves. I use Alox as well on lube ringed boolits with nary a problem.
runfiverun
10-06-2009, 11:25 AM
you should only need to fill one of those lube grooves when you start using regular lube.
that looks like a copy of the lyman 452664 mold but with two lube grooves.
they should work just fine in a revolver and a levergun.
jdgabbard
10-06-2009, 09:01 PM
Heck, those look better then some of my keepers!!! Good job, and welcome to the club!
Dennis Eugene
10-06-2009, 09:28 PM
Very nice job. Might I suggest styraphome peanuts floating on top of your water bucket for water dropping, they slow the boolit and stop the splash. Dennis
armyrat1970
10-07-2009, 06:46 AM
Very nice job. Might I suggest styraphome peanuts floating on top of your water bucket for water dropping, they slow the boolit and stop the splash. Dennis

Now that's something I've never read before. I always figured if you had a five gallon bucket about 3/4 full you could drop the boolits with no problem?