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Thread: New Member looking to cast!

  1. #1
    Boolit Man
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    New Member looking to cast!

    I have been reloading for a few years now but have just recently started looking into casting. Looking for recommendations on what to avoid or how to ease the process. I want to start with some 7.62x54r I'm looking at .314 gc bullets. Any recommendation on a mold? Also what's a good cheap setup for melting pots And lube/sizing dies? Currently I have nothing casting related, only my rcbs rockchucker and reloading dies.

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  2. #2
    Boolit Master

    Rcmaveric's Avatar
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    Honesty its not hard. Start with a chamber cast. I use the pound cast method and there of videos on how to do that on you tube and articles on here. Then measure your throat, bore and groove diameters. I get best accuracy by filling the throat of the chamber, some go for 2-3 thousands of an inch over groove, bullet fit is the key and go as big as will chamber. Then the chamber cast will show you what sizer die to get. I use my loading manual to help select an bullet weight. The Lymans casting book and Richard lee's Modern Reloader are great books. I have the new Lymans 50 on the way, haven't read it yet. Before you start or buy any thing its best to get educated for free you can Google these articles/ books and read C. E. Harris: Cast Bullet Loads for Millitray Riffles, Cast Bullets for Beginners and Experts, and From Ingot to Target: A Cast Bullet Guide for Handgunners by Glen E. Fryxell and Robert L. Applegate. They helped me a lot and sometimes gave me more questions. I have been able to solve all my of my problems and answer my questions by searching this site. For equipment its pretty straight forward. Lee makes reasonably price good equipment a bottom pour pot, mold and handles and your set. Then pan lubing is what I do and I made cookie cutters from fired cases to pull bullets from lube. Its free and my wife hounds me too much for me to upgrade to a luber sizer. maybe one day when I hit the lottery. Then install a gas check for high pressure loads. There are numerous ways to install gas checks from tools to rubber mallets. After that, you send the bullet through the push through sizer die and crimps on the gas check. I like to clean the noses after that and tumble lube them. Loading them is pretty much the same, only extra step is to expand and bell the case necks. There are dies for that M-Dies, Lee Universal, and NOE makes inserts for the Lee die to make it an M-Die.

    Only last thing is lead source. You can buy it or recycle it. They sell it here, you can search locally. You can even get it for free if you know how. To process just use an old propane turkey burner or cooking stove. A large cast iron or steel pot. A stiring spoon and some flux and ingot molds. You can use all kinds of things for ingot molds. Most of us use muffin tins and I also like a small bread pans. You can get creative and use different molds to signify different alloys.

    Also reading all the sticky in the different categories will help a lot. Some may give you more questions than answers but they will all eventually lead you to success. Half the problem is knowing what to ask.

    Hope that helps. Start up cost can be a couple hundred to several hundred depending on name brand and tools and method.
    "Speak softly and carry a big stick; you will go far."
    ~Theodore Roosevelt~

  3. #3
    Boolit Master Yodogsandman's Avatar
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    Tyguy95, welcome to the site!

    RCmaveric has given some great advice. A lot of us started out with an old coleman stove, a steel pot, a mold, some wheel weights and a casting ladle. Many tools can be found at yard sales or thrift shops. Add fancy stuff as your allowance dictates.
    A deplorable that votes!

  4. #4
    Boolit Master

    rancher1913's Avatar
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    just about any question you could have, the answer can be found using the search box in the upper right hand corner. just type in keywords or a question and you will get numerous threads about a topic. saves waiting on replies and gives you something to do when your board.

  5. #5
    Boolit Master


    kungfustyle's Avatar
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    I have the Lee 314 175g mold that I shoot in my Mosin. If you want a mold that will last (Not that Lee won't with care) invest in an NOE 314299 (316299 if you need it) or the like. If it's being sold it will shoot. Look in the vendor's section for gas checks 30 cal's will work 31's work well if they have them. Blamer is great to deal with on blamer's board. Get a Lyman 4th ed cast handbook for data H4895, 2400 and Unique are great cast powders very forgiving and you can run from 1200 fps up to 2200 fps or more with those powders. Lee 20lb pots work great and get a thermometer. Using a ladle gets great boolits but with the Lee pot you can bottom pour and ladle if you want. The Captain is great source for lead if you don't have a local supply.

  6. #6
    Boolit Master



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    Lots of good advice here, and I second using The Captain for a source of lead. fair price, and good quality.
    Echo
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    One of the most endearing sights in the world is the vision of a naked good-looking woman leaving the bedroom to make breakfast. Bolivar Shagnasty (I believe that Lazarus Long also said it, but I can't find any record of it.)

  7. #7
    Boolit Grand Master

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    I feel I must warn you about the one side effect of this hobby. It's can be addictive.
    Some otherwise rational fellows are now lead hoarders. I myself have developed an old boolit mould addiction. Whenever I see a mould at a flea market , garage or estate sale I try not to but usually take it home with me. Some members have hundreds of moulds.
    We are are bunch enablers and encouragers , if you ask should I buy mould A or mould B the answer will always be...buy both!
    Now that you have been warned...welcome to the addiction!
    I find it a most interesting hobby and have been enjoying it for the past 50 years and still fascinated by all of it.
    You can start cheaply with a 2 cavity mould , iron pot on a stove and ladle. I just bought a brand new Lyman ladle to replace my 50 year old one I've been using .
    Good luck,
    Gary
    Certified Cajun
    Proud Member of The Basket of Deplorables
    " Let's Go Brandon !"

  8. #8
    Boolit Master pjames32's Avatar
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    Good advise above. Read all the "sticky's". Welcome to the addiction!
    NRA Benefactor Member

  9. #9
    Boolit Man
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    Reloading in general has been my addiction the past few years... other than adding to the gun collection that is. I'm looking forward to getting sold of done of the abundance of knowledge to be found on this site.

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  10. #10
    Boolit Master

    Rcmaveric's Avatar
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    Its a labor of love. I started off with hot plate and skillet to reclaim lead. A lee bottom pour pot and lee .270 mold and the wifes fancy smell good candles to flux with. Only had my reloading tools normaly used for reloading (lee anniversary kit and dies). When I started I only had you tube and my books. I was experimenting with powders and having horrible results and wasting a lot of money till I found this site and read those articles I mentioned to you. I found those articles by accident using the search bar. Since then I have started getting quite successful an confident. I still experiment with different powders though. But now I have good loads all ready made so its not so stressful. Its fun to apply what you learn, experiment, and tinker.
    "Speak softly and carry a big stick; you will go far."
    ~Theodore Roosevelt~

  11. #11
    Boolit Master dbosman's Avatar
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    All good advice.
    I melt scrap lead in a $5.00 stainless steel condiment tray for a steam table. That heats on a gas Coleman stove. My skim ladle, stir spoon, and ingot mold is a $2.00 soup ladle. I could pour directly into molds, but prefer the finer control of a #20 Lee casting pot.

  12. #12
    Boolit Master Tenbender's Avatar
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    Ask questions here on the forum. No matter how stupid they might sound to you . There's thousands of years experience right here.

  13. #13
    Boolit Master

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    Keep in mind you don't have to have the latest and the greatest. I started out with a Lee 4# pot and a ladle. I had a couple of Lyman molds, single & double cavity.
    I cast hundreds if not thousands of bullets with that rig and still have that pot nearly 40 years later. I have since graduated to a bottom pour and 4, 6 & 8 cavity molds.
    Keep an eye on the Swapping and selling page, there are always deals on lead and other alloys. And as already mention The Captain on the Venders section has good clean
    alloy at a decent price. Welcome to the madness.

  14. #14
    Boolit Master

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    I second the swap and sell section.
    "Speak softly and carry a big stick; you will go far."
    ~Theodore Roosevelt~

  15. #15
    Boolit Master trapper9260's Avatar
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    With all that is stated I have not much to add, but welcome to the fun.Alot to learn here.No matter how long one been at it.There is always something new to try out or learn a different way of doing thing.
    Life Member of NRA,NTA,DAV ,ITA. Also member of FTA,CBA

  16. #16
    Boolit Grand Master

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    Welcome to the addictions here, there are many. You can cast very good bullets in many different ways as to equipment. A bottom pour pot and moulds along with clean lead gets you started. Pan lubig and a lee push thru sizer. A simple stand and burner for a steel pot also works well for ladle casting. Size of pot is up to you and your needs my casting pot is on a turkey frier stand and a modified weed burner for heat. It holds 130 lbs of alloy. 3 of us cast around it at a time. This works well for me.

    I like to "over"pour my sprues so the ladle and hanging the mould over the pot works best for me. I don't pour for a sprue but pour a full ladle into the mould letting the excess run of the front of the blocks back into the pot. Another plus to the big pot is temps remain much more consistant as the mass there takes longer to change. It takes longer to cool to solid stage than to melt it to casting temp. With my set up I can have the full pot molten in 15-20 mins ready to cast. It takes 45-50 mins for it to cool to solid when done.

    Several things of importance are. Find a good safe area to cast. Once you have your equipment a bench and set up that's at a comfortable height for you to work at. If sitting you want to be up right and not leaning. same standing. The electric pots can be height adjusted by blocking under them if needed. Its easier to adjust up rather than down. A bench of a size that allows for everything to be placed in a handy position. A towel pad for the bullet, the pot, a container for sprues to be cut into, a scrapper stirrer, and a sprue plate tapper along with thermometer and any other things you decide you need. If you set your bench on wheels it can move any where there is electric and allow casting out doors even.

  17. #17
    Boolit Master


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    One suggestion I would add is to buy a 20 lb. furnace and a hot plate. A PID makes the process much easier. I recommend a 20 lb. pot because once you get the temps. right you can produce a lot of bullets before adding lead to the pot. Cold lead affects the pot temp. so much you mast wait for lead to heat up.

  18. #18
    Boolit Grand Master

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    You poor sucker! Heroin might be cheaper in the long run! Casting is like borrowing from a Chicago loan shark, you will never get free. That said welcome to our world and whatever you need to know is here somewhere. If you are just getting started haunt garage sales. I picked up my last Lee 20 pound pot at a garage for $10 and got a sinker mould and 20 pounds of lead to boot. Check swapping and selling before you buy elsewhere. You need to slug your Mosin as I have seen them run from 311 to 313. I use a Mountain Mould bullet in mine sized 313 and for plinking 12 grains of Red Dot. The Lee 165 griiian spire point is also a good one but I had to beagle my mould to get a full 313. You cn start out pan lubing and size with a Lee push through. I expand the case mouth with and old de milled 50 calibre cartridge. not fanch but it works to start...then you upgrade...for the rest of your life!

  19. #19
    Boolit Man
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    How do I aquire permission to post in swapping and selling? I can comment on posts but cannot post

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  20. #20
    In Remembrance - Super Moderator & Official Cast Boolits Sketch Artist

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    Quote Originally Posted by Tyguy95 View Post
    How do I aquire permission to post in swapping and selling? I can comment on posts but cannot post

    Sent from my SM-G930VL using Tapatalk
    When you look at the swapping and selling section in the header it tells you what is required 30 days 30 post. Post in areas such as the pit and in swapping and selling do not count threads there are deleted when they become inactive to free up the server.
    Reloading to save money I am sure the saving is going to start soon

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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