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Thread: Man I dread having to cast 1K boolits.

  1. #21
    Boolit Grand Master



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    Using a Lee six cvity mould (for the 230 gr TC normal lube groove) I can cast 20+ lb. of match quality bullets in an hour to an hour and a half after the bullet metal is melted, ready to cast. That will produce a bit more than 600 bullets.

    I typically cast one pot at a time and do another pot the next day.

    The O.P. is best directed to simply buy a Lee Six Cavity mould (as others have suggested) and free himself from "Tyranny"... the tyranny of slow casting.

    FWIW
    Dale53

  2. #22
    Boolit Master

    TCLouis's Avatar
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    Lee Six Banger . . . I usually run about 20 pounds of lead per setting with it.

    2 cavity mold will be a long time in the making.
    Amendments
    The Second there to protect the First!

  3. #23
    Boolit Master
    canyon-ghost's Avatar
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    Nah, it's 3 casting sessions. I can do it in a week's time just off and on. You haven't sat down and just poured for 3-4 pots of lead yet. One afternoon will get you at least 300 good bullets.

    It's not as hard as you think, you just have to do it!

  4. #24
    Boolit Master

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    Hmmm,,,,

    I think Frank just wanted to start a conversation by

    (It worked)

    @(:^]#>:::
    More "This is what happened when I,,,,," and less "What would happen if I,,,,"

    Last of the original Group Buy Honcho's.

    "Dueling should have never been made illegal in this country. It settled lots of issues between folks."- Char-Gar

  5. #25
    Boolit Buddy TNFrank's Avatar
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    I've got a Lee Production Pot, bottom pour, 10# capacity. Most of my wheel weights are the little 1" long ones now, which I could smelt them down to ingots but never got the stuff to do that so I just feed em' into the pot until it's full and flux and cast.
    The mold seems to take a bit to heat up so it'll make good boolits then I can get about 40 or so before they start getting pretty frosted. Guess if I had two of em' I could swap off or a 6 cavity but I'd have to do the screw mod to stop the spur cutter from messing up against the aluminum mold.
    I'll just take it one batch at a time, cast 100-150 then take a break and work on getting those 1K of boolits done.
    I hope that pound of Unique gets in by the time I'm done castings, I'd like to get this ammo loaded up and stored. Then I can kick back and take it easy for a while. Just cast what I shoot, when I get to shoot which is not much lately.
    Funny thing is looking at it as 1000 boolits makes it look like a pretty big chore but cutting it down to 150 or so at a sit down makes it seem more doable.
    "Gentlemen, you can't fight in here! This is the War Room!"

  6. #26
    Boolit Grand Master

    MBTcustom's Avatar
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    Yeah I know what you mean, 1000 cases is a real chore.
    Cry me a river there pardner! Here's a quick picture of some of my .45 brass I have on hand. I've got about this many again in storage.
    Precision in the wrong place is only a placebo.

  7. #27
    Banned

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    Mount a brass pole to the bench and have the wife pole dance while you cast----unless she is like my wife of course.
    I told her it was dangerous to let shampoo run over her body in the shower. When she asked why, I said "it says on the bottle, FULLER, MORE BODY."

  8. #28
    Boolit Master

    Calamity Jake's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by mdi View Post
    There's only one way to eat an elephant; one bite at a time. And nobody says you have to cast 1,000 bullets at one setting. So, do 200-300 a setting, three or four times (much easier to handle thinking about 200 rather than 1,000! )...

    I like casting and 1,000 bullets sounds like fun streached over a couple days).
    Yap that's the way to do it, I just finish casting a 1000 Saeco 307's a 190gr 30 cal. with 2 two cav molds and 4 casting sessions of about 1.5 hours each.
    Calamity Jake

    NRA Life Member
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    Shoot straight, keepem in the ten ring.

  9. #29
    Boolit Master
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    Well, looking at my 55 gallon drum half full of tumbled 45acp brass, I would say you don't have a problem.

    If your life is always empty cases begging bullets and reloading, your life is good to go.

    I would suggest for your sanity, get the 6 cavity Lee mold as it will cut your time down by 2/3.

    Its a labor of love: repeat that often and obligate 6 hours to the mission, accumulate a good larder of bullets on hand ... once you get ahead of the curve and have boxes of ready lubed bullets about, you will have achieved harmony and Karma.

  10. #30
    Boolit Master ku4hx's Avatar
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    Zen and the art of boolit casting. If my back wouldn't give out I'd do it all day long. Almost as good as cleaning guns and drinking beer.

  11. #31
    Boolit Buddy
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    I finally found most of my gear from back in the days when I was casting a lot of fishing stuff and also making special lead counterweights.
    I was about to order a 2 cavity mold to get a start casting some bullets to see how that stage was going to turn out.
    After reading this, I think I'll just get a 6 cavity.

  12. #32
    Boolit Buddy Certaindeaf's Avatar
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    I got a single cavity LEE 102gr .356 RN many years ago. I hadn't used it for a very long time and was kind of disappointed to see that it was a single because I "remembered" (ha)! it being a double..
    Anyway, that thing is so light/small and heat resistant, I truly put out an admirable pile, given given times, with little effort using the gloved hand method. I won't be throwing it away.
    Sent from my computer using my fingers.

  13. #33
    Boolit Master Sasquatch-1's Avatar
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    Hey, isn't that what rainy and windy days are for?

    Now if you want a time consuming job try cutting down case for bullet jackets, trimming them even and then having to anneal them. That can get boring

  14. #34
    Boolit Master
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    I don't set goals regarding counts when casting. First, I will just lose count. Second, I feel pressured with the 'git er done' syndrome, and quality suffers.
    What I do is cast a hundred, weigh them and set them aside. Then I just eyeball the pile as they build up, listen to the radio, get my rythmn, and work til I feel like quitting. Knowing what 100 will weigh tells me roughly how many more sessions to cast, then cast an hour more for spares to cover the eventual rejects I always find later.
    I've never been able to cast more than about 400 in one session (with a 2 cav.) before my joints get achy. Arthritis!
    Last edited by wallenba; 03-26-2012 at 11:51 AM.
    Dutch

    "The future ain't what it used to be".
    -Yogi Berra.

  15. #35
    Boolit Buddy
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    Hmm, here I am about ready to order a mold, plus a bottom pour pot since my old dipper would be a pain with anything over a couple cavities and every place I've been checking is showing most Lee equip as out of stock.
    Dang!

  16. #36
    Boolit Master


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    Try Natchez

  17. #37
    Boolit Buddy
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    Quote Originally Posted by Michael J. Spangler View Post
    Try Natchez
    Checked there too, availability seems pretty limited.
    I'm going to wait till later in the week and go to town, need to pick up 200 #s of already smelted high tin ingots.
    I'll go a little out of the way to the 2 best gunshops that carry a lot of Lee stuff, I might luck out and find what I want locally, local for us is at least a 150 mile round trip.
    If not I'll just get a double cavity and cast with my old dipper till other online venders get their stocks back up. Probably a good plan anyway. I may find out I don't care for the Lee sizing system and tumble lube and decide I want to spring for a lubrisizer and go whole hog.

  18. #38
    Boolit Grand Master



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    Not only is the Lee Six Cavity faster than the two cavity moulds, but the six is made of better materials and is a better design.

    I will NEVER willlingly buy a two cavity when I can get a six cavity (aluminum) or four cavity (iron or brass) for just a few dollars more. They will pay for themselves in the first time or two that they are used.

    FWIW
    Dale53

  19. #39
    Boolit Buddy TNFrank's Avatar
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    IIRC by the time I figured in a set of handles for the Lee 6 it was going to cost around $65 bucks and I'd still have to do the screw mod so the spur plate wouldn't bugger up the mold block.
    Lee 2 cavity is only $20 bucks and while it takes longer my wife is happier with me for not spending so much.LOL.
    "Gentlemen, you can't fight in here! This is the War Room!"

  20. #40
    Boolit Master Sasquatch-1's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by JohnFM View Post
    Hmm, here I am about ready to order a mold, plus a bottom pour pot since my old dipper would be a pain with anything over a couple cavities and every place I've been checking is showing most Lee equip as out of stock.
    Dang!
    Did you check craigslist for your area?

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Abbreviations used in Reloading

BP Bronze Point IMR Improved Military Rifle PTD Pointed
BR Bench Rest M Magnum RN Round Nose
BT Boat Tail PL Power-Lokt SP Soft Point
C Compressed Charge PR Primer SPCL Soft Point "Core-Lokt"
HP Hollow Point PSPCL Pointed Soft Point "Core Lokt" C.O.L. Cartridge Overall Length
PSP Pointed Soft Point Spz Spitzer Point SBT Spitzer Boat Tail
LRN Lead Round Nose LWC Lead Wad Cutter LSWC Lead Semi Wad Cutter
GC Gas Check