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Dave Bulla
03-03-2010, 10:17 PM
Hi all.

Just signed up a couple days ago. I found the site by doing a search for some 9.3x57 info because I just bought one recently. have not shot it yet but in searching for info on this cool old caliber I found a link to a group buy for a 9.3 mold and got curious.

I've never cast anything from lead or any other metal but I'm into old time type stuff and this seemed like something to look into. Mostly I'm into traditional archery when it comes to hunting and while I still like my guns, my tastes have drifted away from the standard to high speed 30.06 or 7 mag philosophy and have gone towards vintage stuff that shoots a heavy bullet at moderate speeds. I started down that road with a Marlin 45-70 when my '06 was stolen years ago. Now I'm itching to try my 9.3x57 but only Norma makes ammo for it. Prices are not bad at the low $30's range but after I use up 2 or 3 boxes of store bought I want to start reloading. Finding the cast boolit 9.3 buy has me wanting to get a little "primitive" and give that a try. I went ahead and signed up for a 3 cavity GC mold but haven't told my wife yet:shock:

So anyway.... on the traditional archery forum I go to I tend to get a little "windy" at times so I'll keep this under 10 pages:kidding:

I guess I'm looking for newby tips, recommended reading, old threads about getting started, general advice, expected start up costs etc etc.

This has probably been asked a thousand times before and all you regulars get tired of the same old questions just like me on the archery forum I've been on for years so sorry in advance if there is already a place for all this stuff. I'm still looking around.

Dave

runfiverun
03-03-2010, 10:30 PM
you'll find what you are looking for easily enough.
30.00 for a box of 20, you'll soon be complaining about primers costing 35 a thousand.

Dave Bulla
03-03-2010, 10:48 PM
"you'll find what you are looking for easily enough.
30.00 for a box of 20, you'll soon be complaining about primers costing 35 a thousand."

Uh.... come again???

I can't tell if that's good natured fun, an insult or sarcasm.

I hope I didn't sound like I was complaining about spending $30+ dollars per box for 9.3 ammo. I believe I DID say that "prices are not bad at the low $30's range". As for the price of primers, what does that have to do with anything? Been so long since I bought any I wouldn't know if that was a good price or a bad one anyway.

I'm just a new guy here and honestly do very little reloading but years ago I started to get into it for a while and have the basic equipment available. I just want to learn about this casting stuff to expand my options and have some fun.

By the way.... I've been quoted the price of low 30's for a box of ammo but have not yet found a source to actually buy some. THAT is the part worth complaining about if anything. One box came with the gun to get me started though...

MT Gianni
03-03-2010, 11:15 PM
Welcome and enjoy all you can. We are here to help in any way we can.

Bill*
03-04-2010, 12:00 AM
[QUOTE=Dave Bulla;829638] "you'll find what you are looking for easily enough.
30.00 for a box of 20, you'll soon be complaining about primers costing 35 a thousand."
[Uh.... come again???
I can't tell if that's good natured fun, an insult or sarcasm.]

I'm sure it's just fun. I think he's just saying once you get into reloading, $30 for 20 will seem ridiculous, Yet we reloaders are complaining because primers basically went from $20 to $40 per THOUSAND in a year.

Echo
03-04-2010, 12:09 AM
Welcome, DB. You will get no flames on this site, only help, and good natured ribbing. We are moaning about primers being so blasted expensive, and gas checks being so blasted expensive, and the surplus powder sources drying up, &cetera, &cetera.

I suggest you read ALL the stickies, every one, and then read them again. There is more wisdom here than one can imagine, and much of it is in the stickies.

Again - Welcome.

Dave Bulla
03-04-2010, 12:09 AM
AAAHHHHHHHHH.........

That makes sense. Wasn't sure if I should be peeved or not.

mroliver77
03-04-2010, 12:41 AM
Welcome Dave. I bet you will fit right in around here.Lots of us are into Retro technology and enjoy the more simpler things in life. We are a very diverse group here but most have a lead boolit addiction. Some are merely heavy users of Plumbus Projectilius.
Myself, I started casting with a one cavity Lee mold that cast like $10. a steel 1 quart sauce pan with a broken handle my wife gave me, a Lyman dipper that was given to me(I see they are $22 from Lyman now) and a cheapo hotplate from somewhere. I bought a Lee sizer as later as boolits did not need sized for my 1937 Brazil .45ACP but my new Black Hawk needed them sized. I lubed with Lee liquid alox for a couple years then moved up to a sizer. I still use this setup for some molds and make very nice boolits with it. Some casters will only use a dipper. I recommend newbies to scrounge a hotplate or by cheapo at Wally World, scrounge a 1-2 quart steel sauce pan or something similer, a Lyman dipper(some use the cheapo Lee dipper or bend a spout on a spoon but I could not master this type) A mold (Lees are cheap but have little resale value, a Lyman or RCBS mold is more expensive but you can recover most of your investment if you find casting is not for you. Some lube is needed for lead boolits. Lee Liquid Alox is cheap and works OK. Some use it in conjunction with Johnsons floor wax coating overtop of Alox and some mix the two. I am sure you will get other opinions but I say Keep it simple.
Jay

Le Loup Solitaire
03-04-2010, 02:35 AM
Hi and welcome to the forum. Just keep asking questions and someone will always answer you with some good info that has come from many years of experience. Casting and loading your own will save you a lot of $ and enable you to shoot a lot more than you would if you continue to buy storebought ammo. Do a lot of reading and info gathering. Members will give you many good sound recommendations. One idea to keep track of is making/reforming your own cases from other existing cases like for example 30-06. Many folks do it and it can save you a lot of expense. Ask for opinions on all equipment and ways to do stuff. Also do searches on the forum for articles by members, threads on topics and keep up with the daily exchange of info. It'll all come together and you'll do well. LLS

DLCTEX
03-04-2010, 10:12 AM
Welcome Dave, Normally I'd recommend getting a copy of Lyman's cast bullethandbook, but it doesn't contain any info for loading your 9.3. However it does have good information and a tutorial on casting. It also has load data for many of the more common calibers using cast.

badgeredd
03-04-2010, 10:42 AM
Welcome Dave.

A suggestion in addition to the excellent advice already given: Download "Wiljen"'s excellent reloading program available through a link in the Special Projects" forum. It has information on many older an excellent cartridges. Another possibility would be to use 358 Winchester data, By starting with the "start loads" you'll be in the ballpark safely, and then work up to your best load in YOUR gun. There is quite a bit of info on cast loads for the 358 Winchester. I am shooting a wildcat that is very similar to the 9.3x57 and almost exactly the same as 9x57. Because you're using a larger diameter boolit than the 358 Winny, your pressures will be automatically reduced a bit, therefore being a safe starting point.

Edd

smoked turkey
03-04-2010, 11:16 AM
Hello Dave:
You have found the best board on the web for lots of subjects with emphasis on reloading, casting. Sounds like you also have a good board when it comes to bow shooting. They haven't found you yet, but there are guys here (gals too I expect) that do that. You can find the threads if you do a search. Watch out! You are about to become hopelessly addicted on this stuff. Muzzleloading for you is next I fear. Welcome and enjoy.

Hip's Ax
03-04-2010, 11:33 AM
Welcome Dave, I found this place the same way almost 5 years ago. I think you're going to like it here, I sure do. :)

Bloodman14
03-05-2010, 01:14 AM
I gave this advice to another new guy (I HATE the word 'newbie', if you were in the service, you'll understand),

1. Read the Stickies.
2. Read the stickies, AGAIN.
3. read "Modern Reloading", by Richard Lee, twice.

Follow the rest of the advice previously posted.
Have fun, and BE SAFE!

cbrick
03-05-2010, 02:47 AM
Welcome to the forum Dave, here's some good reading for you:

The Articles of Glen E. Fryxell (http://www.lasc.us/ArticlesFryxell.htm)

Cast Bullet Notes (http://www.lasc.us/CastBulletNotes.htm)

Shouldn't take you very long to get used to the sometimes kinda dry humor here, it's all in fun and sometimes it's just a castboolits way of talking. Nothing personal in any of it.

Rick

Blammer
03-05-2010, 08:56 AM
Welcome!

The reference to the primers was a good natured jest.

Here's the breakdown.

primers cost .02 each
powder say .15 per shot
brass, (reused so "free")
boolit (aka the lead cast one) say .05 each
gas check for the boolit .03 each

so you now have twenty five cents cost per shot, for a box of 20 that's 5 bucks? Yea once you get to that point you'll start becoming a "thrifty reloader" a "miser of sorts" a "tight wad" and then scoff at the outrageous price of $30 for a box of 20.

we overlook the cost of a lubrisizer, a mould, stuff to make our own lube, sizing dies, reloading press, scales, the 4 diff powders we have for one cartridge, and a few other hundred items... :) Can't add all that up and have it count.

Just like when you buy a car, you don't count that cost when calculating how much gas cost you per mile. You just use the gas and the number of miles you get with it. :)

Dave Bulla
03-10-2010, 02:09 PM
Thanks for the links guys.

I just got out and shot the rifle for the first time yesterday. Only got to the public range about 40 minutes before the closed and had all three kids with me and i'd promised them they could shoot too so I was limited in my own time. I shot two shots at 25 yards just to check impact and they were about 2 inches high which I expected from what I've read. I let the kids shoot with the .22 until time ran out for that session. They run 15 minutes then a cease fire to check targets.

Second session we moved new targets out to 100 yards and I shot 3 shots with the 9.3 and 3 with my Marlin 45-70 then told my daughter to take a couple shots with the 9.3. She's 15 and killed her first deer using my 45-70 when she was 12. The 9,3 doesn't have a recoil pad but having just shot both guns myself, I felt the recoil was less in the 9.3 than the 45-70 with Hornady leverevolution ammo. She took the first shot a bit timmidly but immediately chuckled and said "cool!"

Her young eyes are better than mine so she was holding the front sight in the bottom of the rear notch with the top of the sight in the center of the bull. When I tried that I'd loose the target to blurr so i shot with the front sight at 6 o'clock under it. Mine were 1 1/8 inch apart and about 2 1/2 to 3 inches above center of the bull and hers were 1 5/8 inch apart about 4 or 5 inches above center. The targets were NRA 25 yard pistol targets so i think the bull is 6 inches? Basically, the Norma factory ammo is hitting about 4 or 5 inches high at 100 yards and is pleasant to shoot. Definitely "minute of moose" which is what these guns were made for. I can't wait to get some dies and reload some of my own.

Question, the Norma factory ammo is supposed to be moving at about 2100 fps. Isn't that about the upper limit for a lead gas checked bullet? If so, it will be nice to duplicate factory velocity for jacketed ammo with home brewed cast boolits. However, if I have to give up some speed due to accuracy or fouling, I can live with that. It might put me closer to "on" at 100 yards. This gun will probably end up seeing more use on whitetails than anything else. I think it will give results pretty similar to my 45-70 in that it will nock the socks off a critter but you can "eat right up to the hole". I could live with that....

HORNET
03-10-2010, 02:33 PM
2100 fps is fairly achievable with cast. It depends on the boolit design and the twist rate. People on here do that with the .30-30 and .35 Remington without much trouble. Be warned: if your daughter likes that 9.3 too much, you might have to buy one for yourself...you won't get it away from her. Welcome to the fun.

19112TAP
03-10-2010, 03:57 PM
Dave, welcome to the site. I read alot of your post on the traditional archery site.

Tom