First casting session....I have a few questions!

[SpaceGlocker]

I cast my first bullets today....what a blast!
Made about 300 before I weighed them.........uh oh.......

I have some questions......I was supposed to be casting 9mm 147 gr bullets....they came out 153.7 gr.........what does that mean?

Do I have to remelt them or can I increase my powder charge to get them to shoot?.....(I usually only use 3.8 gr of WSF ......a powder puff load for gaming)

Please help me....

[ChuckS1]

I had the same problem when I first started. I use wheelweights and all mine were about 5 grains over the "correct" weight. At first I really obsessed over this, but they all shoot just fine.

[oneokie]

It means you are using an alloy that has more lead than what was used to determine boolit weight by the mould maker. Most boolit weights are based on #2 alloy.
As far as changing powder charge, maybe some of the more knowledgeable people will answer that question.

[HeavyMetal]

Your going to find that every mold maker use's it's own alloy formula for cutting molds and it ain't wheel weights!

As such your boolits will always be heavier than advertized unless you start concocting your own alloy in an attempt to get a specific weight.

It's good you weighed some so you don't have an overload, but don't sweat the weight issue unless you have a real need for a specific weight.

[mooman76]

Don't sweat the weight. That is a little more than normal but not unusual and most moulds won't come out exact to what they advertize. 5 grains of lead weight won't make much difference so load as normal and work your way up.

[wills]

More important than the weight is how consistent are they. If all 300 weigh 153.7 that’s amazing, keep doing it.

[SpaceGlocker]

they were pretty close......I culled a lot ...especially at the begining!
Quite a learning curve of how to control the flow of lead........need to build some kind of mold guide!

[JIMinPHX]

In general, you don’t want to increase your powder charge when changing to a heavier boolit. If you read the reloading books, the charge weights usually go down as boolit weights go up. That is because heavier boolits + larger powder charges = higher pressures. Most cast loads are not anywhere near the pressure limits for a given cartridge, but that is not always the case. I don’t have data for your particular powder, so I can’t comment on your specific combination, but don’t just go blindly increasing a powder charge unless you have good reference data (like a reloading manual) that tells you it’s OK to do so.

That aside, a few extra grains of weight in a cast boolit aren’t likely to make much of a difference. If your boolits are on the heavy side, then you probably have more lead & less hardening materials in your mix. This means that your boolit is probably a little softer than the recipe in your book calls for. Unless you’re dealing with top end loads, you should not have many problems from that. Just keep an eye out for heavy barrel leading. That will drive your pressures way up. Sometimes off-hardness alloys can do that to you.

[Down South]

Hogdon list 3.7 Gr of WSF for a starting load and 4.1 for Max load. I'd say your powder charge of 3.8 is fine for plinking. My boolits are always a little heavier than what the mould says because of my alloy.

[Tom Herman]

Hi,

Casting is addictive, isn't it?
Don't worry about the actual weight. You're close, within 4% anyways. You get what you get when you cast, and the consistency between bullets is what's important.
As others have said, as long as they cast a certain weight, that weight is not important.
Happy Shootin'! -Tom

I cast my first bullets today....what a blast!
Made about 300 before I weighed them.........uh oh.......

I have some questions......I was supposed to be casting 9mm 147 gr bullets....they came out 153.7 gr.........what does that mean?

Do I have to remelt them or can I increase my powder charge to get them to shoot?.....(I usually only use 3.8 gr of WSF ......a powder puff load for gaming)

Please help me....

[SpaceGlocker]

thanks guys....this is all new to me......used to cast sinkers at one time....this is WAY more fun and a big cost savings!

[MtGun44]

Count on every mold and alloy combo casting something different, both
weight and diameter. The key is to have a boolit that casts at or slightly
larger than your required size - which is based on measurements and slugging
your bore, depending on firearm design.

Enjoy, it is a lot of fun to shoot good groups or hunt and succeed with your
own boolits.

The warthog in the pic was taken with my own cast 429421, and that made it
extra special for me.

Bill