Master caster

[Silvernb03]

Hi,

I am new to casting. To prepare for new hobby, I am reading Lyman cast bullets handbook and watching YouTube videos. It is surprising that what I want to do now is completely different with what I initially wanted to do after only 1 week of reading. At first I wanted to get lee pro pot and lee 6 cavity mold to cast 9mm. Now I am pretty sure that I want master caster with .45 mold since I saw many people have problem with getting lead 9mm to shoot accurate. I am new to casting,so i donÂ’t want to be frustrated and give up on my new hobby because I pick the bullet that is hard to start with. I have few questions that I am hoping you can help me out
1.Have anybody had experience with master caster and how do you like it comparing to just the melting pot?I am saving pennies for it, so I want to make sure that I am getting good quality equipment.
2. Master pot and master caster seems very similar. It looks like that the only thing different is the base. As a newbie, Should I get the master pot to learn how to cast with hand mold, and upgrade the base later?
3.I read good thing about accurate and noe molds, should I get that modified to work with magma machine,,or just buy the mold from magma?
4. i want to start with handgun. I have 9mm,38 special, 357 and 45. Out of these 4, is 45 easiest to start with? What mold grain of bullet or mold should I get for .45?
I will be using wheel weights to cast. TIA

[44magLeo]

Of all the cartridges you mention I reload for the 38 Spec/357 Mag.
I load for 44 Mag/Spec as well as a handful of rifle cartridges. I think starting with a 2 cavity mold is a better place to start. Getting two to come out right is easier than getting 6 to come out right. Although I have not used a six cavity mold, I have a 4 cavity mold that work well but it is a bit harder to work with.
I'm not sure what a Master Caster is. Is that a brand name or model?
I started out using a cast iron fry pan and a bent spoon to cast fishing sinkers and jigs. I then bought a Lee production pot. It holds ten pounds of metal and having the angled rod for flow control it left a lot to be desired. I started cast boolits with this pot and a Lyman 429421 for the 44 Mag I had. I now have the Lee Pro 4-20, it has it's own issues but is a nice pot.
for molds I have found the Lee are ok but other brands are better.
I have bought my last few new molds from NOE. Used molds I get at auctions or gun shows.
Aluminum is much lighter than iron, reaches temp faster and you don't get near so tired.
Is there anyone near you that can help you get started?
A coach can help a lot to start. I didn't have one and made a lot of mistakes.
As far as specific boolit styles, I like traditional styles. For revolvers any of the Keith style boolits will be a good one. Auto's do better with styles shaped like the factory loads you have been using. Those with blunt edges don't feed as well.
For most handgun loads a plain base boolit will work fine. On the 357 some of the heaviest loads may require a gas check. I haven't found one necessary.
W/W's make good boolits for most handgun and light rifle loads. Most of us have used them for ever.
You will get lots of recommendations from others on pots and molds.
One thing I might add is if you buy a less expensive pot you can add a PID for better temp control. Not hard to build. If set up right you can plug any pot or heat source into it. It can control a small electric oven for cooking coated boolits.
Some of the more expensive pots have them built in.
Leo

[dverna]

If you can afford it, start with the Master Caster. It will not be any faster than a 4 cavity mold but it is easier to run for extended periods. One advantage is you are only buying double cavity molds but there are disadvantages too. Mold selection is more limited and mold changes take time. So not a good choice if you only cast a couple of hundred of one style/caliber at a time.

Either the .38/.357 molds or the .45 will be good to start with and are forgiving. If starting with the .38 cal., stay with low pressure 38 Spl loads and move up to the .357.

Wear protective equipment at all times when casting.

[razorfish]

I’ll second just going straight to the Master Caster if you can afford it. As long as you feed it clean lead, you’ll cast perfect bullets the first time you use it.

1. The Master Caster is high quality machine that should last a lifetime.

2. If you want to learn to cast using hand molds then any bottom pour pot would be good to learn with BUT if you just want to make good bullets from the start, the Master Caster basically has no learning curve.

3. The main benefit to Magma molds is they’re made from iron. In my opinion, nothing comes close to the simplicity of a one or two bullet cast iron mold. Perfect bullets after a quick warmup.

4. With the Master Caster 9mm, 38/357 and 45 are equally simple.

The only downfall to the Master Caster is it makes bullet casting boring. But, it produces perfect bullets, pull after pull.


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[44magLeo]

I just did some research and found that Master Caster. $1100. WOW.
I guess if I was to start selling cast boolits I might justify that cost, but for me I don't think so.
I could get several Lee pots and a bunch of NOE molds for that money.
Leo

[Silvernb03]

Thanks for reply. Yeah,$1100 is pretty hard to swallow,but I don’t mind invest on good equipment as long as it works well. I have lee product before, and it is kinda hit and miss to me. I don’t want to spend money twice because I have learned that cheap tools can be expensive. The master caster seems to be ergonomic and easier on the body comparing to holding the mold for extensive period of time,but I can be wrong because I have never used it. Has anybody had experience with it,and how do you like it comparing to the traditional melting pot?

[shootinfox2]

Beware of starting a casting business. Do your homework with the ATFE, re license, ITAR registration and fees(2300 a year). If you go into business, do it right. Saves heartburn later.
Insurance and liability, etc.

[Silvernb03]

This is just for me and my family to use. I don’t plan to sell it to anyone

[RichardB]

ITAR is dead, Thank the Prez!

[toallmy]

Out of curiosity , how many of each boolit do you plan on producing a year ? 9mm , 38/357 , 45

[skeettx]

Yes, quantity is important, also, if you are in the far north, it is good to cast in the winter if you are home bound.

[Silvernb03]

Out of curiosity , how many of each boolit do you plan on producing a year ? 9mm , 38/357 , 45

I probably shoot few thousand rounds per year for 9mm .38/ 357 and 45 is under 1000. I don’t think I will save a lot money by learning casting, but I do think I will shoot a lot more with the same amount of money I pay to buy bullets. I can cast a little by little and save up to use when needed. Plus, It sounds pretty cool to say “ yeah I made that” lol

[Silvernb03]

Yes, quantity is important, also, if you are in the far north, it is good to cast in the winter if you are home bound.

I live in Texas too, so I guess winter will be my casting since it is pretty hot here

[Tazza]

I'd go the master caster too, as a testament for how good they are, i bought mine well used from a fellow in Canada about 15 years ago. I have cast 4-500,000 projectiles with it, no signs of wear of the pivot points. I have also automated it.

It's not faster than a 6 banger from lee, but it's far less taxing on your body.

For me, the master caster was a good choice, yes they are more expensive, but if you have buddies you shoot with, you can possibly sell some to make a little money to pay for it.

[wv109323]

I can address some of your questions. I know nothing about the Master Caster other than it is a brand name well respected.
For the .45, if it is .45 Acp then the most popular boolit is the 200 gn. SWC fashioned after the H&G design no. 68 and 69. One is a flat base ,the other bevel base. Both are known for accuracy and should be sized .452.
The 9mm is tricky to load for because of several things. Bore diameters are no where consistent due to age of cartridge and all the manufacturers over time. Bores in pistols run from.354 to .358 so what bullet may work in one pistol will not work in another 9mm. My bore was .3565 and I had to use a .358 bullet to get it to stabilize. Guess what ,no true 9mm mold would cast that large. I used a mold for a .357 revolver a125 FN. That bullet would shoot accurately but I had other problems with reliability. The rifling in my barrel extended all the way to the chamber. There was no freebore or leade in the barrel. The .358 bullet hid the rifling and small pieces of lead would shear off and accumulate in the chamber. After 50 rounds or so the lead accumuiation would prevent a round from fully chambering. I had the chamber reamed and all is well. It took a larger bullet and a chamber reamed to get cast bullets to shoot accurately in my CZ 75 pistol. Problems like this are common with 9mm pistols.
There are several good mold manufacturers. I think I would want a steel mold with a master caster just because of durability. All mold materials make good bullets. I would use OEM for the first set, just to get my feet wet, then you can expand with aftermarket molds for special bullet weights and configurations.
Good luck with your endevours.

[Silvernb03]

I have cz75 pcr. I went to Walmart to buy egg sinker to slug the barrel, but they did not have the size that will fit my barrel. I used one of the lead bullet for 357 mag that I had because the bullet were bigger than my bore. I came out .349. It seems strange because my bore is way smaller than all the information that I have read online