My first ever boolits. To keep or not to keep, that is my question

[Stopsign32v]

These came from the LEE 515-500F mold. I cleaned it with 91% alcohol and smoked the cavities rather well in an attempt to get the bullet diameter slightly smaller. Once the mold was up to temp I oiled the sprue plate screw and the alignment points on both sides with a Q-tip and 2 cycle synthetic oil.

I had some lead I bought from someone off the forums which is a well known member here and said this lead would be good for anything around 1200fps, which these will not see that fast.

The LEE pot was set to '4', whatever temp that might be. I poured in with the dipper and let sit for 10-15 seconds and then dumped them. Not a single bullet stuck, all dropped free.

This is one example of about 10 I did. Would you change anything? Keep these or melt them again and try something else?

[Hossfly]

I think i would lube em or paint em then size for your guns bore and fire them have fun.

[Der Gebirgsjager]

Keepers!

[tazman]

Those look good and should be very shootable.
My suggestion is to weigh them and see how consistent they are.

[Stopsign32v]

I'll probably melt them down and turn the heat up like tazman suggested. I don't really have a way to weigh them past "really damn heavy!". I did measure them and they are at .5145-.515

These will be 50-70 black powder loads. I was thinking of the next batch, NOT water quenching them. I also have no way to size them sadly and the bore of my Sharps is .512

[Chill Wills]

You can re-cast them if you just want the exercise.
They will shoot fine for starters. No need to water drop them.

No need to size them IF they will load into the rifle and will likely shoot really well unsized if everything else is good.
Pan lube them with soft lube and push them out of the lube cake into your hand below with a dowel. Load them with a mild load and have fun. You will get better and better with experience.

There are lots of tricks to doing this but just begin by getting out there and doing.

[mdi]

Looks good to me. One question; is the slightly rounded corners cut into the mold or does the mold have sharp corners? (I'm not familiar with that bullet). If the corners need to be sharp/square, add some heat to your mold and melt and see what happens.

I can allow my OCD to work when I'm casting as if the bullets aren't "perfect" to my eye, I'll just remelt them. I like casting and enjoy the practice and don't cast just for fodder...

[Stopsign32v]

More update:

Melted down the bullets and turned the heat from 4 to 7 and got these:






Turned the heat up to 8 and the lead on the top surface started browning and I got these:






My conclusion is to go back to 4 heat setting

[ShooterAZ]

One recommendation is to get a thermometer. It will make a difference to know what temperature you're getting good bullets. Then you can keep records and be able to repeat your results. Consistency is good thing in this hobby.

[Stopsign32v]

One recommendation is to get a thermometer. It will make a difference to know what temperature you're getting good bullets. Then you can keep records and be able to repeat your results. Consistency is good thing in this hobby.

Yes I plan to get one. Does it have to be a casting thermometer or can I pick one up at Walmart?

[ShooterAZ]

It should be a casting thermometer, they're not too terribly expensive. Obviously you don't have to have one, but I would be not without one. It helps you get dialed in the the "sweet spot", temperature wise. All molds seem to have a certain temperature range in which they drop the best boolits. I love it when they just drop out of the mold upon opening it!

[Der Gebirgsjager]

The first try was better. Now they're frosty (too much heat) and have imperfections. If you didn't like the first results, then try a heat setting in the middle between no. 1 and no. 2.

[Stopsign32v]

The first try was better. Now they're frosty (too much heat) and have imperfections. If you didn't like the first results, then try a heat setting in the middle between no. 1 and no. 2.

Yes, even at setting 5 I'm still getting frosting. I'm going to let the MOLD cool down and see if it was that.

[Stopsign32v]

Ok my luck has run out. At this point I'm getting nothing but frosted (maybe not frosted, not as bad as the last pic above but also not as good as the first) castings even at setting 4 and also I'm having trouble with the dipper staying clogged after the first cavity.

Also I was having a few with wrinkles in the nose.

[robg]

First were fine ,slow down your casting speed lower the temp slightly. I'd still shoot the frosty ones.

[Der Gebirgsjager]

Yup! It's a learning curve, and you're climbing it! A mold that's too hot will frost boolits. A furnace that's too hot will frost boolits. Frosty boolits will still shoot o.k., but if they have imperfections other than the frostiness you can't expect the best results. When I cast I like to use 3 molds at a time. When one starts getting too hot I set it aside and use the next one, and so on, rotating them and ending up with piles of 3 different boolits that are usually for 3 different guns. I water quench mine, and you'll get different opinions about that. Easy to do, just have a bucket full of water between your legs and drop them in straight from the mold. You don't want to get any water into the lead pot, so cast above the table and drop the bullets below the table. At the end of the session pour the boolits out onto a soft cloth, sort through them, and put any bad ones aside to dry and use in the next session. You can lube them with a sizing/lubing machine, which if you get into gas checks will also apply the gas check, or you can use the Lee set-up of a push through sizer and tumble lube them. That's the easy, less expensive way, but the boolits are sort of ugly with the lube dried on them. Works well, though. One last thought -- don't get in a hurry. It's supposed to be fun.

[super6]

First were fine ,slow down your casting speed lower the temp slightly. I'd still shoot the frosty ones.

Stay at 5 and do not over heat the mold Take a slower cadence. Allow the mold to cool a bit. Take it to 6 if your dipper is not letting go, You gotta keep the dipper hot like the lead!
shake the mold a bit as you pour.

[Stopsign32v]

I leave the dipper resting in the lead while I cast. That is ok?

[Der Gebirgsjager]

Yes. I use the dipper method, and the dipper can get no hotter than the lead. The cause of problems will, therefore, be lead that's too hot, not a dipper that's too hot. On the other hand, if you leave the dipper out of the lead between pours, the dipper could theoretically cool the lead- although that's unlikely if your maintaining a steady cadence.

[ShooterAZ]

Slow the cadence a little, and leave the ladle in the melt. Big huge boolits like that retain heat much longer than smaller ones, so slowing it down a tad should help.