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Hondo 60
10-04-2010, 06:44 PM
Hello All,
I've been reloading for a little while - long enough to have a good handle on it. Now I want to start casting.

I've done some reading here & have a few questions. What is meant by " Tumble Lube bullet mold"

Is there some other type of mold? I wish I knew someone who casts so I could learn from them.

Hondo 60
10-04-2010, 06:47 PM
Also wondering what is a good mold for .38/.357 for a newbie

fourdollarbill
10-04-2010, 06:59 PM
The Lee Tumble Lube design is small little grooves on the side of the bullet that you can use liquid lube on verses applying lube one at a time with a sizer/luber. You can take 100 or so TL bullets, put them in a cool whip bowl, drizzle lube and tumble them around to spread the lube to each one. It has a lot of pros and cons to it but I sure do like them.

JonB_in_Glencoe
10-04-2010, 07:09 PM
Welcome Hondo,
where are you located,
Maybe there is a member close by that could give you a house call.
I sure would, if you were near by.
My folks use to spend the winters near Hondo, Tx
Is that your location ?
Jon

PS. check out this "sticky" thread"
http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?t=67654

Hondo 60
10-04-2010, 07:41 PM
JonB,
No I'm just a bit further north (Wisconsin - you know, God's country). Got my handle from my all-time favorite
John Wayne movie / Ralph Taeger movie & TV show as a little kid.

XWrench3
10-04-2010, 07:53 PM
hondo 60, welcome aboard. there are basicly 2 styles of lubrication grooves. the traditional that either requires the use of a lube/sizer, which is an expensive proposition for a beginner, or the tumble lube style. traditional lubes use a heavy thick grease type of lubricant that is squeezed in thru a hi pressure lube sizing machine, or you can hand apply it, and then use the lee sizers. that is a slow messy proposition, but it can be done. the l.l.a. (lee liquid alox) is a relativly thin lube that hardens after sitting for a day or two. anyway, for a beginner, i would reccomend the tumble lube type of mold. as for style or weight, that is a personal thing, or dictated by what your gun likes. for general target practice work, a semi wadcutter is a fairly good accurate bullet, especially in a revolver. good luck to you, and when you have questions, and you will, come back and ask. by the way, if you are going to shoot much, get a six cavity mold. you will spend a lot less time casting, and a lot more time shooting.

Charlie Two Tracks
10-04-2010, 08:44 PM
Well Hondo, I'm in northern Illinois about 2 hrs from the Wi. line on the West side. I had never cast before either. I am no expert but I can cast boolits now that can be loaded and shot. I asked all sorts of questions here and complained some too. The people here have answered all my questions and have helped greatly. You can do it.
I would recommend a Lee mould like a 158 RNFP for a starter. Not a tumble lube mould. I had all sorts of problems with my TL mould and it took forever to get a good boolit. On the lube groove 158 RNFP mould they came out great right away. That's just my experience (which is quite limited) by the way. This site is so huge, I am still finding areas I haven't seem before.

jmsj
10-04-2010, 09:20 PM
Hondo 60,
Welcome to the site,
XWrench3 gave a good run down on the various methods of lubing. You did not state what kind of shooting you wanted to load your 38/357 for.

I started with the Lee 6 cavity TL358-158-SWC, it has been a great shooter in 38 special. But it took a while get it figured out. I think a two cavity is easier to start with but a person can get good results with the six cavity with a little patience. If you go with a Tumble lube design I would reccomend Recluse's "Tumble Lubing Made Easy and Mess Free" sticky in the bullet lube section. To me it eliminated all the bad things I've heard about tumble lubing, in regards to it being messy and gumming up seating dies.

If you are on a tight budget, a Lee two cavity mold and Lee push through sizer will only set you back about $30.00. Be sure to slug your cylinder throats and bore to make sure you get the correct diameter sizing die.

This is a great place to learn things and work problems out. The guys here are great about answering questions. They have/ are helping me figure this boolit casting out.
Good Luck, jmsj

Hondo 60
10-05-2010, 12:36 AM
Thanks all who posted! jmsj - thanks for the heads up on what to read. That sound like exactly where I want to start.

I was thinking of going with this Lyman Mini-Mag furnace kit. What do you think?
http://www.midwayusa.com/viewProduct/?productnumber=573247

I already bought Lyman's Cast Bullet handbook & have been reading.
(but I really don't care what happened in the 1300s - so parts of it are tough getting through)

HeavyMetal
10-05-2010, 12:54 AM
As already mentioned you'll find both pro and con as to tumble lube boolits.

For light duty 38 loads for a beginner I see no reason not to start with a tumble lube design as long as you realize it might not be as easy as it looks.

In the end about half the guys starting out with a tumble lube set up move on to more conventional lube in short order.

Much will depend on what your trying to shoot and at what!

Again 38 target loads no issue full house 357's and you may find things a bit more advanced than you'd anticipated!

Read the sticky on tumble lubing for sure but also research pan lubing and using machine like the Star!

Some where in all this info is a technique you'll feel comfortable with for the amount of shooting you do.

Finding it will be half the fun!

Suo Gan
10-05-2010, 01:24 AM
Check out Ranch Dog Outdoors (A vendor with a link in the toolbar alongside Roto Metals, and Lee). I think all of his designs have tumble lube grooves. When you tumble lube, you lube after you size.
But on to the important stuff MY OPINION, LOL!
Concentrate on correct boolit fit, and preping your cases. No need to go nuclear physicist right away. Don't be overly concerned with hardness (as long as you are using straight ww or 50/50), casting temperature, and the chemistry behind what you're doing (ain't not gonna be pertinent and will seek to make your eager mind misty with all the facs and figgurs). Don't get too caught up in all the ado about nothing in other words. Try casting a few water dropped and a few air cooled of each boolit and shoot them (don't be afraid to experiment). Sometimes a gun prefers one or the other. Keep it simple, do one thing well, and then move on. Have fun with it. Let your gun speak, and listen to it. Find a good quality lube (take your pick kinda like Chevy and Ford thing) and don't pry your brains out in the beginning over the small things. Use the archives and search engine. Older info is better info at Cast Boolits in most cases IMO. A lot of the old timers have tuned out in the past year or so. Still a goldmine though.

If you are going for a dipping pot, I think a Lee 20 pound pot would be more bang for your buck. I started ladling and moved on to a bottom pour quickly enough, I just did not like dipping...some do though. I have not ever run a Lee BP, but hear both pros and cons about them. Mainly people seem at odds with the drippy bottom nozzle. I believe it can be corrected with minor fitting. That is probably the way I would go if I were you.

Welcome to the insanity.