Which Walmart convection oven to buy?

[Gray Fox]

I'm coming late to the PC process after 30 years of casting. Which of the convection ovens Walmart sells would you recommend? I'm choosing that store because of ready access and the ability to exchange a defective unit if necessary. I have accurate thermometers. I will be coating 9mm through .45-70 in size. I have both Lee and Lyman sizing equipment. Thank you in advance for advice. GF

[Winger Ed.]

I'd pick which ever one has the best inside space capacity for what you're doing.
And don't look for the cheapest.
You'll be putting a fair amount of weight on the tray, and will probably want something fairly sturdy.

If you can compare the shipping weights-- the heavier ones should be more sturdy.

[mattw]

I second what Ed said and want to add not to forget to get a good thermometer to go with it since most of them are way off. Get a convection one, you know with an internal fan, will help you get even cures.

[Conditor22]

I'd hit the thrift stores first, I've gotten 2 very nice convection ovens from the thrift stores.

Oster is a good brand, I've used a Hamilton Beach convection oven for 1,000's of pounds of PC'd and HiTecked boolits (7.5 pounds at a time)
.
Make sure it is a CONVECTION Oven. If there are comparable 6 slice toaster ovens choose the one with the best warranty

[36Power]

I'm coming late to the PC process after 30 years of casting. Which of the convection ovens Walmart sells would you recommend? I'm choosing that store because of ready access and the ability to exchange a defective unit if necessary. I have accurate thermometers. I will be coating 9mm through .45-70 in size. I have both Lee and Lyman sizing equipment. Thank you in advance for advice. GF

+1 on what the other guy said about searching thrift stores. Goodwill is a decent consideration...Let me be the first to dissent on spending $. Yer gonna be cooking lead in yer garage Best not to drop a lot of cash on it. That makes thrift stores an even better call...Find a decent brand at a steal of a price.

[igolfat8]

Take a thermometer to the thrift shop and ask to test the oven before you buy it. Use an actual thermometer and not a heat gun and make sure it will get to 400*F.

[bangerjim]

I replaced my garbage thrift store convection teeny little $10 oven with a new Oster HUGE cavity digital controlled oven from WalMart. Cost around $80 then and worth every penny! Maintains the temp in the VERY large cavity within 2°F. Digital controls throughout with full digital time/temp display.

Great oven for home or baking PC boolits outside!

With the extra trays I made I can cook 600-700 boolits at a time, depending on cal.

Remember a TRUE convection type oven runs 25°F lower than the actual setting so keep that in mind when setting your temp.

I just cannot understand why everybody wants to go cheap on everything! This is our HOBBY. Spend a little extra money on it and get the most out of it with the least problems. So many on here use garbage thrift store ovens and then cannot understand why their PC'd slugs never turn out right. I went thru FOUR "thrift" store ovens (half the price of a new GOOD oven!) before I bought the best............NEW!

banger

[charlie b]

Some of us don't want to spend extra money on a portion of the hobby that we may not like. So, a really cheap oven does the job for a few small batches. Mine still holds temp and since I only bake 30-40 bullets at a time it works for me. I think I got lucky on it cause it is the first toaster oven I have had over the years that holds the temp the dial is set to, every time.

Someday if I decide to PC batches of pistol bullets, then I will spring for a larger oven.

[Eddie17]

Bought this last month in NH, out of town working as an essential person. Purchased at Walmart. Not the cheapest on the shelf. But it does preform! Temp is spot on with my oven thermometer. Convection, an two shelves of space.
Works really well for me,
Ed

[36Power]

I just cannot understand why everybody wants to go cheap on everything! This is our HOBBY. Spend a little extra money on it and get the most out of it with the least problems. So many on here use garbage thrift store ovens and then cannot understand why their PC'd slugs never turn out right. I went thru FOUR "thrift" store ovens (half the price of a new GOOD oven!) before I bought the best............NEW!

banger

...because we're cooking lead and powder coat in our garages. Got mine at a Goodwill in 2014 when I first started PCing. Had the same one ever since. Still works great. Cost 15 bucks (if that)...Also bought some old pots and stainless utensils for smelting WW at the same time. Still got those too.

[popper]

I my hot plate with a 1$ ceramic tile on top to spread heat, steel scrap plate with parchment paper (tile isn't flat and I pick up the plate with pliers to WD). No spill, base down. Turn on for 1/2 hr or 1 hr if W.D., done. No domino effect. 1 kw unit won't go over 425F. Mostly do 30 cal rifle stuff but 9 & 40 work fine too. about 100 a cycle. I cut the bottom off a 45cal plastic ammo holder and just drop the rifle rnds in base first, remove to the next 50. Cheap plates are from China, so far so good. Cusinart had a little more expensive one that is really good. My modded PID controlled convecton oven sits unused on the shelf. In colder weather I have a plastic cooking dish I use as a cover - cook in the unheated garage. I push 308W pretty hard PCd so the plate works good and I use it for mould heating as well.

[Ed_Shot]

Bought this last month in NH, out of town working as an essential person. Purchased at Walmart. Not the cheapest on the shelf. But it does preform! Temp is spot on with my oven thermometer. Convection, an two shelves of space.
Works really well for me,
Ed

Exactly what I got at W-mart. Works great for me. I "shortened" some $1 cookie pans to fit the shelves and use both shelves.

[Mr Peabody]

I'm with Ed_Shot, got mine on Black Friday for $28

[fredj338]

I think it was a Hamilton, but it is a two rack pizza oven. So plenty of room & $50 on sale. Why bother guessing on something from the thrift store?

[BamaNapper]

I just cannot understand why everybody wants to go cheap on everything! This is our HOBBY. Spend a little extra .....

I completely understand the sentiment, but I sit here smiling regardless. We gladly spend a grand or two on a rifle, put a scope on it that costs easily as much, and store it in a $2000 safe with all its brothers and sisters. But I see all the posts on the forum where we all get reloading supplies from thrift stores or build them up out of an old washing machine that the neighbor tossed to the curb. I smile because I'm the same way. I spent a kilobuck on Springfield Saint last month just to see what all the black rifle hoopla was all about. Now I want to shoot really shiny bullets from it, so I set out to build a wet tumbler out of odd parts sitting around the garage. I refuse to spend even a dollar on the project. My wife says I make no sense and I can't argue the point.

Progress report: Version #3 took a 24VDC motor from a 1980's mag tape drive, a foot of conduit, foam window insulation, casters from a busted piece of furniture, scraps of Trex decking, and assorted screws. Hooked it up to an old HAM radio power supply and I'm tumbling brass. The brass ain't looking too bad and the Saint shoots it really well. I see a treadmill on CraigsList for free so tumbler version #4 might just clean up 30 pounds at a time.

[missionary5155]

I skimp every place I can so I can have a rifle or pistol I like. My $10 Good Will stove may bring $5 in a yard sale just like your $50 stove. So what if my $12 high temp thermo does double duty calibrating the dial. I am happy and have saved $40 for another 1000 primers.

[RP]

Someone that reloads being cheap that is a new one on me lol

[jsizemore]

I use the large Oster countertop convection oven. It was secondhand. The digital control was trashed. I added a pid and wired the fan on a separate cord to run full time. Drilled a hole through the side wall so the thermocouple probe is just below the top rack. Coating is now most wonderful with consistent results.

[bangerjim]

Someone that reloads being cheap that is a new one on me lol

DITTO on that comment!!!!!

[Conditor22]

It doesn't have to be expensive to be good!!!!!!

I bought a - Hamilton Beach Countertop Convection Toaster Oven, 6-Slice 5 years ago and have run several tons of PC'd boolits through it. I can bake 10# of PC'd boolits at a time (I don;t think the shelf would handle any more weight. I just got done coating 5,000+ 358-158's