Question about a kit quality for a newbie

[el34]

Just thought of another advantage of a bottom pour pot- you don't care how clean the melted lead surface is. In fact I leave a layer of wood chips on it to help retain tin. But if you ladle, you'll be skimming the surface all the time to dip clean lead.

[DaveInFloweryBranchGA]

I'm with those advising you to learn to reload before you learn to cast. That said, I don't buy a "kit" anything of any brand. Why? Because kits are always a compromise and every single kit I bought early on in my reloading career turned out to be things I wasn't satisfied with later. Of all the objects in the kits, none held up to the tests of time and some of these kits were higher dollar, nicer brands of stuff.

If I had it to do over, I would have posted for a good quality "list" of good tools for the task I want to do and followed that advice. Had I done that, I would have been money and marbles ahead. I still have some kit items gathering dust on my reloading shelves I have not been able to sell. It seems nobody else wants them either.

I also agree with the assessment of others: Buy a Lee and buy a bottom pour for your casting. But before you do that, figure out how you're going to acquire your lead and if you're going to need to smelt (clean) your free lead (wheelweights) and get them ready to cast boolits with.

So there's four things with casting/reloading you need to think about:

1. Smelting your acquired lead into useable ingots.
2. Casting your ingots into boolits.
3. Sizing and lubricating your boolits to get them ready to reload.
4. Loading your boolits into cartridges (reloading).

Note: Generally speaking, it's better to start with reloading first, learn that skill, then move on to casting. But one could first learn to smelt, cast and size/lube first so they would have a supply of boolits to reload with. Not unreasonable approach. Make sure and save/acquire reloadable brass as well.

Hope this helps you.

[starmac]

It makes sense to learn to reload first, but I'm thinking if a guy wants to use cast, it actually makes sense to learn to cast first, for a couple of reasons. One is the price of j words that 375 is going to eat, the other and maybe more important, is it is a learning curve going from j words to cast, why not learn the proper way you want to load first, it would be easy if a guy decided later on to go to j words.
I second the two books mentioned, I also think a guy should spend a lot of time reading through this site, before he started laying out money. A guy could always buy a pot, mold and ingots ready to cast with and start casting boolits, melt them and cast again. Do lots of reading on sizing and lubeing, gas checks etc. A lee sizing die is cheap and they work, pan or tumble lubeing is cheap and it works. Read and then read some more and decide just how far you want to jump in to start with.
A whole bunch of guys here started without an electric pot, or any other specialized tool for the job.

[el34]

Some folks want to learn to drive before learning how to drink, other folks prefer the opposite sequence. I say- learn both at the same time .

[Silverboolit]

I have the Big Dipper melter that is in the kit. IMHO, the kit is overpriced for what you will use. I use the melter for smelting my raw lead( wheelweights, bad boolits, pulls, etc.) It is only 10 pounds, but you do not want to smelt in your bottom pour LEE, or any other melter that you want to use for casting. IIRC, the Big Dipper was only around $30.00 or so.

Use your points on other stuff that you will need. Make a list and check it twice.

[Silverboolit]

If you have never reloaded before, use your bucks and get a single stage press, set of dies, scale, and a good book. Just starting out, you may not like the hobby that we all enjoy. You should be able to buy some cast bullets either from Cabella's or online. Your rifle may not like cast, and you can see what weight of bullet that shoots the best for your gun. If you decide that reloading is not for you, you are not out much.

[Garyshome]

Lee 4-20 bottom-spout pot!!!!! No Ladle!

[40-82 hiker]

What I would recomend is buying some bullets from one of the makers (50 each) in diffrent wieghts and styles, test them and see what the rifle likes then look for that mould, or send a bullet to accurate and have them make it.

There's just nothing like good advice, and I think country gent nailed it. Many here are suggesting you start reloading before casting, and use purchased cast boolits from a few of the many boolit makers around. You don't need to learn it all at one time. Purchasing a few hundred cast (total ?) is not that bad on the wallet, but light years ahead for maintaining sanity. Good luck!

[gwpercle]

A 20 lb. pot is better. Just about the time everything gets up to temperature, the boolits are dropping flawlessly and you have a good rhythm going...you run out of metal with a 10 pounder and have to start all over again.
As far as bottom pour or dipper. I got a 20 lb. bottom pour and do not like it. All of my moulds are 2-cavity and I can cast better boolits with a ladle. I'm going to get that bottom pour hole plugged and use it as a 20 pound ladle pot. This is something you will have to try and see if you like one method over another.
I started with a small cast iron pot ( on my mom's gas stove) and that Lyman ladle, over 40 years ago, Still using the Ladle but with an electric pot (Lee).
It's a fun hobby and I actually enjoy the casting of those shiney projectiles.
Become the master of your boolit supply.
Gary

[LifeAndLiberty]

Thanks everyone for all the replies. I do shoot .308 in my Savage 110, 5.56mm in an AR15. Unfortunately I am having a real hard time finding bullets (or boolits for that matter) for the .375 win between 220 grain and 250 grain. Out of stock everywhere. At this point, I am resigning myself to casting being a necessity, not just a nice to do. I am considering getting the Lee mold just to get started and that bottom pour pot recommended. Of course, I will also place an order for that casting manual tonight (and reloading manual) before I even think of doing anything else.

[LifeAndLiberty]

Some folks want to learn to drive before learning how to drink, other folks prefer the opposite sequence. I say- learn both at the same time .

EL34... Is your user name a reference to vacuum tubes? My other hobby is playing guitar, and as an engineer I have always enjoyed messing with amps and pedals. Have built a few tube amps and preamps.

[el34]

EL34... Is your user name a reference to vacuum tubes? My other hobby is playing guitar, and as an engineer I have always enjoyed messing with amps and pedals. Have built a few tube amps and preamps.

Marshalls!
I'm an EE too.

Old pic, before re-arranging and making both double stacks and getting a JCM800-



Sorry for the hijack, back to the OP!

[LifeAndLiberty]

We're gunna get along juuuust fine.

[el34]

We're gunna get along juuuust fine.

Cool! Everybody here does. Even those that don't know what a screen grid is.

[MT Chambers]

I'd start out with a quality reloading kit like the RCBS Rockchucker Kit, if you cheap out you'll end up buying one anyway. Get comfortable with reloading and then venture into casting.

[LifeAndLiberty]

Ok - I slugged the barrel of the 375 win. Here is what I got.



Depending on how I hold the slug, I'm measuring .3760 to .3770, with most measurements converting around .3765

Will the stock lyman 249 grain flat nose mold work for me?

Appreciate the comments about reloading before casting. Unfortunately, non existent bullets are kind of leaving me no option but to cast.