How about starting a thread of "What I'm doing" in the world of cast boolits ?

[jmsj]

Trying to finish up a Springfield Range Officer "Wadgun" build for a Bullseye shooter whose favorite bullet is the H&G 68's. Working on a rough S&W 45 cal Model 1950 that I picked up a couple of weeks ago. Falling way behind on reloading chores.

[obssd1958]

A couple weeks back, I cast a bunch of RCBS 37-250 FN and a hundred or so H&G #131's (.377 @270gr) for a .375 H&H.
Then cast 150 or so boolits from each of 2 NEI moulds for the 38-55. One dropped them at 245gr. and the other at 270gr.
Loaded up a representative sample of each of the boolits in each of the cartridges and headed for the cast boolit shoot in Winnemucca.
The .375 H&H loved everything I fed it, but alas, the 38-55 was not satisfied with it's fare... (12 inch patterns at 50 yards )
I'll figure it out though! That's the fun part of manufacturing your own ammo for each individual firearm!!

[Catshooter]

I picked up a nice Marlin 336 in the mighty 30-30. Long barrel, older gun. I want to use it in Lever Action Silhouette so I'm working up loads for it. Got the load for the chickens & pigs: Lyman 311008 over seven grains of Universal Clays works well. Now onto the turkeys & rams.

Nice thread.

Picked up a PID for my ten pound Lee and love it. Pot heats up faster and of course stays much more consistent.


Cat

[firefly1957]

Sized some Keith 44 caliber bullets ,252 grains with gas check, and set them aside for loading later.

[Pb2au]

Oh, I'm also wading into the world of casting buckshot. I decided that would be a hoot.

[WILCO]

Bump to the top!

[Harter66]

I'm ashamed to admit it but I've not done a cast thing except determining that a new RB mould is badly out of round... haven't even made contact to fix that.... since the 19th of May.
I did get called back to work after a 169day vaca.....lay off,get a repaired stock back on a Marlin M19 12ga found the origins of a partiular JCHiggins 12 ga so I can put an evil looking Tactical stock on it for my GFs fused wrist and very short length of pull. I aquired 200 Schofeild cases from a divorce sale for the 92' in Colts for plinker brass. Aquired a piece of steel suitable for making 1 of the RCs a swagging press for the ''new'' 40 yo Pacific 30 cal 105-125 gr hp dies, now to find someone to turn the threaded end and cut the slot for the ejector pin. A freind of X2 has a 5 gallon bucket of truck WW she's going to drop off so I'll have to ingot that when it cools down into the 90s again. That about covers May, June and July.

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

I am venturing into my first attempt into Heat treating. I have some 243 boolits that need to be sized (and GC installed?) then heated, then quenched, then Lubed.

I am thinking 425º for an hour, then quenching in refrigerated water. Something I can easily repeat. I plan on standing them up vertically in a tuna can. I wonder if there is a coating on the can I need to cook off first ?

[Pb2au]

My buckshot experiment has gone off as a rousing success.
I have a working 12ga load now, which does a fine job destroying 2 liters of cheap soda. I plan on monkeying with buffer now with the shot to improve the pattern.
I also was able to size the shot down to .311", and load some up over some Unique in my wifes Marlin 30-30 and created a darn good gallery load!
Still plunking away with 4064 powder in my 8x57 mauser. Results are pending, I will post that in my thread elsewhere.
Should be testing some Bullshop cast 311274 200 grain boolits for my Krag soon.

[Harter66]

I don't think there's any thing on those cans that will ''turn'' except the label glue at 400 degrees ,maybe oil in the seams..... I don't know about the water pack cans they may have some sort of poly coating......

Well that was no help. I guess you could drop it on your hot plate next session to see.

[BruceB]

[QUOTE=Harter66;2860211]I'm ashamed to admit it but I've not done a cast thing.... since the 19th of May. (QUOTE)

Well now, I can't say I'm exactly "ashamed" of it, since there were very severe medical problems involved, but *I* haven't cast a bullet since approximately the end of January.... January, 2012, that is.

Yep, two-and-a-half years of no-casting, but that long dry spell should be ending within the next week, if plans pan out.

My new apartment doesn't lend itself to the activity. but my very good friend, NVCurmudgeon, will allow me to use his casting bench for my purposes. I have a list of needed bullet designs as long as my arm, so I can see several days' worth of intensive production if I ever get it started.

I did find a hundred or so sized-and-lubed 311359 bullets amidst the stuff my Cast Boolit friends moved here from my former home. Those bullets were sacrificed in a test-run in my M1 Carbine a day or so back. They worked fine, and it was a satisfying feeling to FINALLY shoot a few of my own rifle bullets again.

Let me say this: in those 2.5 years, THIS WEBSITE'S MEMBERS have done more to keep me sane and "grounded" than any other single factor in my life. A minimum of several hours of my time per day, I'm sure, have been averaged here on Cast Boolits.

I've been reading almost everything that's been posted during that long hiatus (with the notable exception of "The Pit", which I visit VERY rarely).

It's probably unnecessary to say this, but.... I am very grateful.

[Love Life]

Finshing up notes on polygonal vs standard rifling, worked on my casting technique with rifle boolits to begin my testing in a 308 with a polygonal barrel, and started in on rifle powders in pistol cartridges...well until this dang move came and got in the way. I'll continue my testing when I get moved.

[Pinsnscrews]

Still getting things together to start my first cast. I have everything but Lead/Alloy and Lube right now.
I have the Lee Bator mold for my .222 Contender pistol.
I still need to get molds for my .357 Herrett, .308 Winchester and .40S&W...
In the meantime, I keep reading, and asking questions, and reading, and asking questions...

[JSnover]

Before The Big Move I was tweaking a BPCR load for my 45-70 RB. The boolit is a custom 500 gr. from Mountain Molds and needs to be seated so deep I could only get about 45 grains of Goex FFFg into the case. Unfortunately I never had a chance to shoot them. Based on what I've read about some other 19th century cartridges it is safe, I just wish I'd had a chance to pull the trigger before everything went into storage.
Has anyone experimented with a load like this?

[JSnover]

I wonder if there is a coating on the can I need to cook off first ?

I built a conveyor in a tin can factory a few months ago and there was a coating of some sort on the cans, like a clear coat. Probably nothing to worry about but you could bake the tuna cans first - empty.

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

I built a conveyor in a tin can factory a few months ago and there was a coating of some sort on the cans, like a clear coat. Probably nothing to worry about but you could bake the tuna cans first - empty.

I did that yesterday...removed label:
Before the baking, the outside looked like a painted 'grey' and the inside looked silver/clear.
After baking (in my mold oven...electric hotplate with coffeecan cover), the outside cooked to a brown color and the inside remains silver/clear.
Thanks for the input.
Jon

[troyboy]

Cast, checked and sized for the 44mag and the 7.65 1891 Arg. Reforming brass from 30-06 for the same. Making brass from 32S&W long into 7.65 Mas. Going to make Tok brass from 38spcl next

[quilbilly]

I am finally giving up trying to feed my old Rem 600 -6mm cast boolits after seven powders and dozens of loads. Best group I could get was 3-1/2 inches at 100 yards with most groups being 5" or larger even with a scope. I may come back to it later to try 2400 powder which works so well in the 308 but not until I have an extra pound or two in hand. Until then I will be working with my 250-3000 which seems to like my 4198 loads and my old Lyman mold's spire points. With a peep sight yesterday I got a couple groups under 2".

[DeanWinchester]

Working with a wicked looking wasp waist style boolit mold for .30 caliber.
Trying 4198 powder for the first time.
FINALLY got away from pan lubing and got me a pair of lube sizers. An RCBS for rifle and a Lyman for pistol. Ohh lordy and I tickled about that!!!!!

Now I am lamenting the loss of this mold. Not so much to myself but to the world. I made a deal with a member here who wanted to try it for himself. The ham fisted retards at the post office destroyed the box and lost one half of the mold. I hate those people.

Thank God for a patient and fine upstanding fella here on Castboolits.

[bangerjim]

Just hauled home about 210# of Sn ingots.


bangerjim