Setting up to cast

[AlaskaMike]

I've decided to start casting, and I was hoping you all could give me some feedback on the components I'm planning on buying. For the short term I'll start with heavy Keith bullets in .44 Mag and .45 Colt since those are particularly hard to buy, but I may also get RCBS 44-250-K, 45-270-SAA, and Lyman #358477 (or possibly the closest RCBS mould). The heavy Keith bullet moulds I'm looking at are from Ballisti-cast, #938 (300 grain .454) and #928 (300 grain .429).

I'm planning on getting a Lee Pro 4 20 lb. furnace, and possibly a cast iron pot for making alloy. I've already got an older RCBS lube/sizer, and I need to set it up and verify it will work.

If you all have any suggestions for equipment (or just hints or tips) that would make life much easier on a new caster, or if you recommend against something I've listed above, I'd greatly appreciate the feedback.

Thanks,
Mike

[Char-Gar]

I can highly recommend the RCBS 45-270-SAA bullet. It cast out at 280 grains and is of the Keith type. I can't think of a reason to need another bullet for the 45 Colt round.

[454PB]

Sounds like you're headed down the right road. Keep reading here and go back in the archives, you'll find a lot of good information. The possibilities are only limited by your budget.

[Buckshot]

...........AlaskaMike, welcome to the board. Another member from the Great Frozen North. I can't say anything about your mould selection, other then "They will multiply, grasshopper", :-)

The other stuff sounds just like what I'd do or get to start out. You MUST become cognizent of the fact you need plumbous material to founder your projectiles. And I'm sure you DO know that. However, sitting there gloating over one measly little 5 gallon pail of WW's just ain't gonna get it :!:

Go forth and hoard with a passion. You will NEVER have enough on hand to feel secure in your new hobby. When your wife starts complaining that the house is beginning to lean in the direction of your 'stash' you can probably ease up a bit, but NEVER stop.

..............Buckshot

[GLL]

Mike:

I will second Chargar's recommendation of the RCBS 45-270 as a good choice. I most often use a somewhat lighter #1101 Balisti-Cast.

My choices for the .44 would be the Ballisti-Cast #926 or NEI #256 but more often the lighter Ballisti-Cast #1103.

I use a modified RCBS ladle simply because it is more fun and I am a cheapskate !

I do look forward to getting Catshooter's GB moulds as well !

As Buckshot commented my garage is now 7"deeper into the ground than when these guys got me hooked on casting my own a couple years ago ! :) I scrounge WW, Pb, and lino anywhere I can.

Here are a couple of photos for comparisons.

Jerry

L to R: RCBS 45-270 , RCBS 45-255KT, Ballisti-Cast #1101
http://www.fototime.com/3F16E8D614385A1/standard.jpg

L to R: Ballisti-Cast #928 (borrowed for photo), Ballisti-Cast #926, NEI #256, RCBS 44-250K, the Ballisti-Cast #1103 is second from Right
http://www.fototime.com/0689110DDC8E7B4/standard.jpg

[AlaskaMike]

Thanks for all the comments! I've got quite an inventory of Lasercast and Meister bullets at the moment, which is why I'm mainly interested in the heavy Keith styles at this point. I've been lurking here for several months, going over lots of the threads dealing with new casters like myself, but I've still barely scratched the surface. :mrgreen:

Jerry, thanks very much for posting those pics--those are great! That Ballisti-cast #928 is a monster! :mrgreen: I guess the real question is how many moulds can I get before I get that look with the raised eyebrows from my wife.

I don't have any good sources of lead lined up yet. I have a suspicion I'm not going to have too much luck with the tire shops around here, but I'll give them a try anyhow, I may get lucky.

Thanks again!
Mike

[454PB]

Jerry:
Great looking boolits and Excellent photography!

[LAH]

Welcome to the board Mike. I cast each bullet you list except the Lyman #358477. In 44 it is hard to beat the good ole Lyman 429421. For me at least it makes more sense than the RCBS because it comes in a four cavity. The Ballist-Cast 1103 will also work and are some fine moulds. For the heavy 44 bullet the BC 928 is the way to go for a plain base bullet.

In the standard weight 45 I like the BC 1101. They made two four cavity moulds for us to cast 255 grs. using 92-6-2 alloy. This is the bullet we cast for John Taffin as listed in his book Single Action Sixguns. I personally think it's the cream of the crop for the standard weight Keith.

As Charger said, the RCBS 45-270-SAA is really all that's needed for the 45 Colt unless you're hunting something GREAT BIG. I cast the BC 938 and IMHO it's not as good a bullet as it should be. It seems to shoot fine at 100 yards but when things start to get way out there the groups tend to open. This comes from thousands we sold and coments from the customers.

If you must have a heavy 45 bullet I suggest the NEI 454-350-SWC. Now that's a big bullet..............Creeker

[AlaskaMike]

Thanks Lynn!

I haven't planned on doing much over 25 yards, but based on what you guys are saying I'm starting to think the RCBS 45-270-SAA will do everything I need. I don't plan on doing any handgun hunting, strictly speaking, but I will be taking either the .44 or .45 Colt along with me on moose/bear hunts. My primary weapon will be a rifle, but if I can get an easy opportunity I might use the handgun.

Mike

[GLL]

Many thanks to Creeker! :)

He is to person who turned me on to Ballisti-Cast moulds in the first place when I first started casting two years ago. My 4-cavity versions are works of art and the staff there is extremely helpful and willing to slightly modifiy the moulds to my requests.

Mike: To illustrate LAH's comments the 429421 is the bullet third from the left next to the BC #1103.

Jerry

[LAH]

Many thanks to Creeker!

Jerry you're welcome. It's been a couple years since I purchased a BC mould but I know back then. they were great............Lynn

[AlaskaMike]

Just thought I'd post an update. During the past week I got my moulds and related stuff, and acquired five 5 gallon buckets full of wheel weights (and *NO* zinc ones that I've seen!) from a local tire shop. I also picked up a Lee production pot 4, and planned on making Sunday my first casting day. However, like all good adventures this one included some unintended excitement.

I got up at the crack of dawn Sunday morning. The wife and daughter left at 8 to go do things that mothers and daughters do on Sunday mornings, so I was free to cast all I wanted. I already had a number of muffin tin ingots of WW plus 2% tin, so I threw two into the Lee pot and cranked it up to 9. After prepping my 44-250-K mould I noticed the lead was about halfway melted, with about an inch or so of liquid in the pot, so I thought I'd start warming up the mould by casting a few bullets. I pulled the lever for the spout and filled up the mould cavities. I released the lever but the flow of lead did not stop. I rattled the handle quickly as my heart rate increased and lead continued to flow from the spout, splattering on the base of the pot and continuing onto the garage floor. With a flowery vocabulary and some fast footwork as I danced away from the larger splatters, I looked around trying to find something to catch the lead. My eyes fell on my little RCBS cast iron pot, so I grabbed it and shoved it under the spout of the Lee pot just as the last trickle of melted lead ran out.

At that point I decided it would be smart to read the instructions for the Lee pot, and soon noticed the part where it states something to the effect of "if the spout drips, jiggle the top end of the stopper with a flat-bladed screwdriver." Oddly enough that did the trick, and the spout quit dripping. The next couple of hours were much less dramatic, but much more productive, and I actually got about 150 or so decent looking bullets.

Some observations:

1. Wait until all the lead in the Lee production pot is fully melted before opening the valve, and have the little cast iron pot within reach just in case.

2. I need to get another set of mould handles so I can alternate moulds. I found I had to slow down my pace with the single mould to avoid getting it too hot.

3. When cooled, spilled lead peels up nicely from aluminum and concrete. Less so from asphalt driveways, clothing, and plastic items.

Oh well, thankfully I came away from my first casting session with no serious burns and some good bullets, so I'll call it a success. :mrgreen:

Mike

[454PB]

Ahhhh......you've already met the tinsel fairies! There's not an honest caster on here that won't admit he had a similar experience at some point in his casting. Either that or he's going to!

[D.Mack]

Alaska mike Go to the bottom of the page, to Cast Bullet articles, and read Bruce B's speed casting article. It will up your production till you either get that second set of handles, or you may decide you don't need them. DM

[LAH]

Well Mike, all I can say is "Been there, done that." HEE HEE

Who says casting is a bore? I've found it quite exciting over the years.

Creeker

[AlaskaMike]

Alaska mike Go to the bottom of the page, to Cast Bullet articles, and read Bruce B's speed casting article. It will up your production till you either get that second set of handles, or you may decide you don't need them. DM

Thanks--that's a great article! I fired up the pot again after work yesterday and tried out my 45-270-SAA mould using his method of touching the sprue to the wet pad to cool it, and it really helped. I won't worry about the second set of handles. I'm sure the more I try Bruce's method, the better it'll work for me. I'm not too concerned about pumping out vast quanties of bullets, but it does help to be able to shorten the length of those after-work casting sessions, otherwise my wife complains about me coming home from work and immediately disappearing again until bed time!

Also, I just ordered two Ballisti-cast moulds (928 and 938). I'd wanted 4 cavity moulds for each, but they said they could only do 3 cavities in that size of mould blocks due to the size of the bullets. Oh well. I can't wait until they get here!

Mike

[Goatlips]

Alaska Mike, ya might want to have a look at this site, similar information but lots of pitchers:

http://goatlipstips.cas-town.com/casting.html

Goatlips

[AlaskaMike]

Thanks Goatlips--I can't tell you how helpful that is to someone new to this like myself. I've printed off that one, and your smelting one as well.

Mike

[HEAD0001]

I believe everyone forgot the most important thing you must do first. Ventilation is the most important thing. You should buy two fans. One to blow air across the furnace, and one to pull air away from the furnace, and at a minimum out a window, Tom.:castmine:

[waksupi]

Don't worry about the ventilation, assuming your ingots are clean. If you are driving the temperature up to the 1100 degree plus temperature necessary to precipitate lead fumes, you are going WAY too hot to be casting. Lead fumes are a non-starter, as a hazard.

[AlaskaMike]

The ventilation aspect I kind of figured went without saying. I've been doing my smelting and casting both outdoors. While I don't measure the temp when smelting, my thermometer shows that I'm not going over 800 deg. F. when casting.

Good stuff to point out though!

Mike

[largecaliberman]

Alaska,

Get a thermometer. It will come in handy when you're melting "raw ore" like wheelweights. Keeping the melting temperature below zinc will permit you to skim off the wheelweights that floats that is more than likely the dreaded zinc.

Modify a ladel handle and make it longer. I got one of those ladels where I was able to replace it with a push broom handle. This will come in handy when smelting your ww's etc. that will distance you from the stinky smoke, fumes, heat, exploding lead, etc., etc.

Get also a bunch of muffin mold pans like Goatlips and a couple of mini meatloaf pan measuring about the size of a brick (I must have atleast 30 of them). The mini meatloaf pan will come in handy in the event you acquire a ton of ww's, lead' linotype etc. This is where I use a turkey fryer and a 15 gallon stainless steel pot.

Alaska, I started just like you and I got hooked on hoarding lead. Sooner or later, you'll find that you will end up with so much lead that storage might be a problem. About a year into collecting lead, I have tire shops giving me their ww's that I collect once a month and spend the whole day going from shop to shop with my old beat up GMC which by the way bought just for that purpose. Then came the handtruck, respirator, face shield, asbestos gloves, blow torch, black smith tongs, fire extinguisher and even a welder's apron.

Most important.........BEFORE starting your smelting operation, give your better half if you have one, some money to go shopping and to the movies. This will keep a bit of harmony in the family. As for my neighbors, I wait until they leave to go to work. Good Luck.

[waksupi]

Tom, I use a large smelting pot, that holds a couple hundred pounds. This is done outside, so the fumes of the tire stickers, valve stems, dog pee, and Copenhagen, are well vented. After the ingots are cleaned, there is no fumes to be concerned about, particuarly with a covering of kitty litter on the melt. As I said before, you must run lead up to 1100 plus, before it will precipitate any harmful lead fumes. And that is far beyond casting temperature. The hot metal smell you get, is generally from the pot itself. Some fluxes may cause the need for extra ventilation.

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?t=2690&highlight=lead+fumes

[LAH]

Welcome to the board Head0001.

If we cast at 700-800 degrees lead fumes aren't a problem. Ventilation is nice when casting indoors because of the flux. Depending on your setup a hood can be nice or just something rough like this.