Advice for a beginner

[RobD]

Hi there - new member and first post.
Was looking for some advice regarding molds
And equipment. I have been shooting for a few years
And reloading for the last 2. In that time I have discovered
I enjoy reloading as much. If not more than shooting.
The next aspect of this I want
to explore is casting.
I shoot cowboy action using a Rossi 92
Chambered in 44-40.
Any some ‘single time’ suggestions
For molds and equipment?
Basically if you have years of experience and
Had to start over and had nothing , what would
You suggest? I also use 357 mag
with the cowboy action shooting. i don’t plan on using smokeless, but may
expand my to silhouette in the future.
Any insights would be appreciated!

[Winger Ed.]

Best thing to do would dig around here reading for a few hours.

There's hundreds of years of experience here, just a click away.

[StuBach]

Can’t give much advice on the 44-40 but I started casting maybe 7 years ago so startup is still pretty fresh for me.

For your furnace, I would recommend getting a Lee bottom pour 20lb pot to start, these have their down sides but are relatively cheap by comparison to nicer rigs. You can start by ladle pouring till you get your basic experience then switch to bottom pour when ready. If you don’t intend to bottom pour ever or need to be more budget conscious then the Big Dipper set on Amazon might be the right way to go since it comes with a pretty decent starting kit.

A good Lyman dipper will serve you well to start.

For the 357 I would recommend a “Keith” style mold. This is the original designElmer Keith designed for the 44 and 357 magnums and they are still considered great shooters. Look for a mold that has the squared off lube groove if you care about authenticity as this was how Keith wanted them.

Biggest thing to remember is good safety equipment including gloves, face shield or goggles, and good ventilation. Keep in mind, any moisture in that pot and it will cause a steam explosion of molded alloy that could ruin your day. The tinsel fairy, she is not kind of your not prepared.

You can also reach out to local casters in your area and see if they will let you come over and give it a try. In your in the Lansing, Michigan area there are several of us who might be willing to share an afternoon with you, just ask.

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

a inexpensive mold that just cries out to be used for 44-40, is the Lee DC-429-200-RF
https://leeprecision.com/mold-dc-429-200-rf.html

As to a lead melter/furnace. I started with a bottom pour Lee Pro 4-20lb. I don't regret it one bit, and for the price you can't get anything similar for less. It does have some quirks, but we'll help you work through them.
https://leeprecision.com/pro-4-20lb.html

[poppy42]

I have 0 Experience with a 44- 40 but casting is casting the procedure is pretty much the same no matter what caliber you cash for. The first question that only you can answer is how much money are you looking to spend . When I started our cast and years ago I had a 4 pound Lee pot and a couple of Lee to cavity molds. Bought the molds new off Amazon for about 18 bucks apiece I got the lead pot use I don’t think I spent 10 bucks on it . And over the years, I literally cast thousands of 9 mm, 9 mm Makarov, in 30 caliber boolets with my initial set up. Hi since upgraded to a Lee for 20 bottom pour pot, Lyman and RCBS molds. And the list goes on. Basically the best advice I can give it to someone just starting , do your research ! A lot of reading here on the cast boolet forum. There is literally a plethora of useful information here on this forum. Don’t be afraid to ask questions. I would also recommend that you get yourself a lineman cast bullet handbook . I believe number four is the latest version that one’s good if you can pick up a number three also that’s another great book to have I’m not sure about the information in one and two I don’t have those myself I’m still looking . As for equipment I would suggest you get just what you need to start out pick one mold decide whether not you have to have a bottom pour pot like I said I don’t necessarily know if you need a 420 lead lead pot they make a 10 pound bottom pour that might be sufficient you the only one that can make those decisions . Start small you can always upgrade to different molds different lead parts lube sizers etc. I can’t tell you how many ads I’ve seen on the Internet from people that had all his high dollar high-volume casting equipment that never got used and then they were trying to get the same money that they paid for it back again because they decided they didn’t want to be bothered they didn’t like it or they didn’t have the time . Once again I don’t know what your financial situation is how much money you willing to spend on stuff but in any endeavor I’ve always looked at start small and upgrade as you need it or as you find out you like it . I hope some of this helped basically it’s just one person‘s opinion anyway good luck be safe and have fun !

[poppy42]

Oh and one last thing this really gets down to your finances but shop for your prices before you buy unless you have an unlimited expendable income . I find I can find a lot of stuff on Amazon and I’m a prime member and I don’t pay for shipping. And as a newbie I would definitely stay away from flea Bay until I had a better handle on what I was doing. It’s real easy to get burned down some of them auction sites if you don’t know what you’re looking at or what you’re looking for. I’ve seen stuff on there used with an asking price way higher than what I can pay for a brand new on Amazon or Midsouth or titan reloading .
Once again good luck stay safe have fun

[Walks]

I Cast, Load and Shoot the .44WCF for a variety of Lever Action Rifles. A Rossi included.
I shot Cowboy from 1987 until 2009.

While I didn't use the Lee #429-200-RF in my Cowboy Shooting Days, I do have one of these molds. I consider it an Excellent choice for your Rossi. And the .44WCF.

Buy a 2 cavity to start. It's easier to learn with a two cavity mold rather then a 4 or 6 cavity.

You can buy some COWW alloy from folks right here. I've personally bought over 200lbs from jetsfan-24, he really knows how to pack it perfectly.

You'll need a good bottom Pot. The Lee 10lb will get you started. I also suggest a couple of the Lee ingot molds. You'll have to empty your pot for a variety of reasons.

Two other things. Maybe the most important a Lyman Cast Bullet Handbook #4, and the Lyman Lead Ladle.

I cast my first bullet with a Lyman Lead Ladle about 58yrs ago.

Sizing ? And Lubing ?

I suggest slugging your bore too. But that a whole 'nother discussion.

[Conditor22]

RobD welcome to CB. If you decided to start casting to save money, forget it. You won't, you'll just shoot more.
Here’s a list of some resources and things to look for when casting and loading cast boolits
Casting boolits (lead bullets) properly is a science, once you know the basics, not a hard science.
There is a lot of good information on CB. The Google search (top right of every forum page) is a gateway to all the knowledge on this forum. IF you can’t find your answer there ask the question (Please be as detailed as possible, pictures help. I would be very surprised if there wasn’t someone on this forum that could answer ANY (firearm related) question you might have)
http://www.lasc.us/Fryxell_Book_Contents.htm
1. Boolits need to be cast .0005 to .003 (normally .002) over the slugged diameter of your barrel for accuracy and to avoid leading. If the fit is wrong nothing else will work right.
a. slugging a barrel (it is safer to use a brass rod or a steel rod with a couple of coats of tape to avoid damaging your barrel http://7.62x54r.net/MosinID/MosinSlug.htm
b. chamber casting https://www.brownells.com/guntech/ce....htm?lid=10614
or pound casting http://castboolits.gunloads.com/show...rifle-chamber)
2. the right alloy needs to be used for the velocity and purpose of the boolit (don’t fall into the trap of going with too hard an alloy
Testing lead hardness with Graphite drawing/sketching pencils
http://castboolits.gunloads.com/show...-testing-trick

To find the content/alloys in your lead you can contact BNE (a member on this site) type BNE in the search box at the top right of each forum page, go to his profile page, click on “Send Private Message” (PM) Usually You send him 1 pound of lead (he prefers pure) and a very small sample of what you want tested. He’ll test it and send you the list of the alloys and their percentages

Some alloys harden over time
http://www.lasc.us/Fryxell_Book_Chap...Metallurgy.htm

Lead alloy calculator (this is helpful but has some problems )
http://castboolits.gunloads.com/atta...4&d=1341560870
3. velocity the bullet needs to be pushed hard/fast enough to get the proper spin, have the proper velocity to accurately reach the target but not so hard as to be dangerous or strip the lead off in the grooves instead of spinning the boolit..
The boolit needs to be the right weight for the riffling/twist rate of your barrel
Powders range from fast to slow, you need to choose the right powder for your barrel length & application.
Loading manuals list the best powders for certain calibers and boolit weights.
NEVER use any posted noncommercial load data without first checking commercial load data to see if falls in the safe parameter for your firearm!! There are several firearms out there that can handle much higher pressures than others!!
Link to free online load data
http://castboolits.gunloads.com/show...online-sources

Optimum seating depth (still feeds and seats with the best accuracy) will vary with every gun
I read somewhere that you can hold the boolit in the chamber so it's touching the rifling. slide the biggest rod down the barrel and mark where the end of the barrel is. If there is a big gap between the barrel and the rod, you can use a washer the fits snug around the rod to help with marking.
remove the boolit then chamber an empty piece of brass, use the same rod and measure it again. Do the math, this is your max depth. Back it off a couple thou.
now you have to worry about feeding.

Just a few tips for new rifle casters. http://web.archive.org/web/201408150...-rifle-casters

[daloper]

Welcome to the madness. You are falling down a deep rabbit hole. The main thing I recommend to new people is to add your location to your profile. You may find someone close that can give you some help getting started.

[dverna]

If you can afford it, buy really good equipment. The less expensive stuff works well "most of the time", but you can get a dud, and it will cause frustration. I still have an my old Lyman melter and started with a Star lubri-sizer 45 years ago. The Star (currently supplied by Magma) is the best unit ever made, and is fast. My first mold was a 10 cavity H&G...it was flawless but like a fool sold it. Good molds make casting easier. Lee's are mostly good from reports I hear but again "mostly". I would buy a good 4-6 cavity from one of the "custom" suppliers (NOE, Accurate, Mi-Hec) to start with. Unless you have lots of time or do not shoot much, a two cavity mold is too slow IMHO. Molds will last a lifetime if cared for. I still buy high end molds even though I do not have much lifetime left....Saving $50-100 on a mold is not a motivator for me as I only cast for a couple of calibers. If you intend to cast for a dozen or more, the less expensive molds may make more sense...but start with a good one for the caliber you will shoot the most. Add a thermometer to monitor melt temperature for consistency run to run.

My last suggestion is to purchase good alloy to start with and not some "mystery melt". I suggest 92-2-6 alloy as it fills well. It works in everything I use (9mm, .38/.357, .40, .45)...but I only shoot smokeless. Consistent alloy will remove one variable. You can always try to save money on alloy once you get up to speed.

[RobD]

Lots of good advice - thank you everyone!

[nicholst55]

One thing that I haven't seen anyone mention is that if you're using Holy Black in your .44-40, a boolit cast from a Lee mold may not carry adequate lube. The lube grooves on many of them are rather superficial. I would snoop around here some and see if I could find some recommendations on that.

[RobD]

I don’t see walking away from smokeless for quite some time.
The main concern I have for any mold is that it feeds my Rossi 92
And possibly another tube fed lever gun and a Colt SAA clone in the future.

For these, I assume something with a crimp groove would be better - correct?

Also I’m thinking of starting small and simple
Looks like the Lyman Big Dipper kit has that appeal
I currently shoot cheycast .428 hi-tek Coated
Bullets out of my rifle.
At sass distances This works fine for me.
In all likelihood, will I need a sizer as well ?

I noticed the Lyman master kit has one...
Sorry if this too many questions...

[country gent]

I have been casting muzzle loader, BPCR, pistol, and a few rifle bullets for both smokeless and black powder. I shoot out to 500 yds with the bpcr bullets and black powder. Bullet range in weight from 150 grns to 550 grns. From soft lead 20-1 to semi hard 92-4-4. depending on use and cartridge.
My set up is basic and simple a propane fired burner and bigger pot on a turkey fryer stand. Lyman rcbs and rowel ladles. a thermometer mounted in pot. Pot does hold around 130lbs of alloy. As I said a very simple set up nd cast very good bullets. I can set it up almost anywhere. During beginners days at several clubs I have set it up and given demonstrations on casting your own bullets even.
A simple pot and burner is fine starting out a good ladle and thermometer. These are the basics used for casting anything and can be simple and or homemade even. They simply get the alloy up to temp and flux clean it. Starting out a coleman gas stove turkey drier burner stand and ladle will cast very good bullets second to none. a salvage steelpot or home made one is fine, avoid aluminum. This type set up can be arranged for very little outlay.
Bullet moulds actually produce the bullets and are specific to one caliber cartridge, here the better the mould the better the bullet and usually the fewer problems. Spend what you can afford on the moulds buy the best you can afford. The mould produces the bullet and is the determining factor, everything else is just heating and transfer of the alloy.
Read the stickies here and work from there. The thing to do is get started cast a few bullets or ingots see what works. Maybe find a "mentor" in your area to help you work with you. Gain some experience and grow with it.
I have been using the gas fired pot and ladles for many more years than I care to admit the only tings that really change are the alloy in the pot and the moulds Im using at a given session.

[samari46]

I'd invite you over but I see you're in Long Island NY and 1500 miles or so away. Used to live in Elmont L.I. near the racetrack. Left a long time back. Welcome aboard. Frank

[gwpercle]

Welcome to the madness .
Don't get overwhelemed by all the advice . This game can be dirt simple or as tecnically complicated as you want to make it .
I'm a keep it simple person . 50 years have taught me a Lee 20 # Magnum Melter Pot , a Lyman Ladle and pressure casting give me near perfect boolits . Bottom pour pot gives me a lot of imperfect boolits...I want near perfect .
Get a Lyman Cast Bullet Handbook , #4 is the newest but #3 has a lot of good info...not just data, read the chapters in the front of the book(s) .
Iron / steel moulds are good to learn on...they can take a lot of abuse . Lee aluminum moulds are cheap , require some hand finishing and require some TLC but will get you casting .
Custom moulds can be pricy but like expensive cars are sweet to operate ( I'm the tightest person with a $ you will ever meet) but one NOE mould opened my eyes ...SWEET !
I still don't even have a thermometer, set the pot dial at 8.0 , lead melts, start casting till the show frosty , dial it back to 7.5 and carry on....I have no idea what the temp is, I just cast right at frosty !
The only way to learn is to cast...mess up some they remelt just fine .
Wear gloves , glasses and long pants ! Ask lots of questions .
Gary

[Slugster]

In addition to all the great suggestions listed in this thread I would recommend a dial caliper. Comes in really handy for reloading. Even a moderately priced one is pretty darned accurate.

[robg]

lee 10lb pot and lee molds will get you started.use pistol primer in 44-40 .now your starting the madness

[RobD]

Thanks a lot guys!
Lots of good info to get me started!

[Dragonheart]

One thing you will find here are a lot of opinions. I am 71 and I cast my first bullet when I was 17, so I have a lot of opinions, but I am not going to try to sell you on any equipment because I don't know how deep you want to get into this or how long you are going to stay. But I have always had one rule in life and that is buy the best I can afford. When you do, you don't have to look back and if you have any regrets you can say I did the best I could at the time. I will say this about equipment, casting is much older than me and I own molds that were made before I was born that are better that what you can buy today. My point is look for quality and longevity. Some base everything on how cheap it is and live with the poor performance for the duration until they are forced to buy again. I prefer to buy the best and keep it.