Considering Casting

[9mmskng]

Hey All. I've been reloading for 15+yrs now, strictly for handgun, as that's all I really shoot these days. I only load for 45acp/9mm, occasionally 38spl. I recently ordered some cast bullets for 9mm, and if they yield good results in my M9A3, I think I want to try Casting my own. All I buy for 45acp & 38spl are cast bullets. What equipment do you guys recommend/suggest? 90% of my loads are for 45acp, as I shoot my 1911's the most. I've had success with purchased 200gr SWC & 230gr RN through the years, but willing to try other weights also. Any suggestions will be appreciated. Thanks!
PS: Is it true if you have a good bullet mold, sizing isn't necessary?

[Rich/WIS]

Have been casting for about 45 years and if getting started you can do so in any price range you want. Decide if you are going to powder coat, tumble lube, or go conventional sizer/lubricator. As for casting dipper or bottom pour. I am old fashioned and use a sizer lubricator (Lyman/RCBS) and bottom pour (LEE 20#). What molds you need will depend on what specific boolits you want to cast, but for what you are wanting to shoot LEE 6 cavity molds have a good selection of bullets.

[Land Owner]

Is it true if you have a good bullet mold, sizing isn't necessary?

Answer (A.) and Equipment (#.) to consider:

A. Depends on whether you know the dimensions of your gun's throat (slug the barrel) and whether
1.) the boolit mold, each sold separately, casts a mite (say 0.002") over bore diameter.
2.) mold handles, some sold separately

Your gun is going to tell you a lot and you should start there, slugging the barrel and chambers (revolver). You can purchase "stock" molds and custom molds.

Additional Equipment (#.) to consider:
3.) A Lube Sizers relies on
4.) sizing dies, sold separately, not the same as reloading dies, and
5.) top punches (correctly shaped boolit nose "pusher" thingies), sold separately, together with the Lube Sizer "squeezes" the boolits round and to the desired diameter.

The Lube Sizer also compresses
6.) lubrication, sold separately and in many variations, into the boolit's lube grooves, unless you are going to
7.) Powder Coat, which is another subset of purchases - but not necessarily to get started - unless that is already your "Jones" or
8.) pan lube, a different lube.

Casting Equipment you will need:
9.) melting pot, Lee, RCBS, other
10.) lead, some of which can be scrounged, but ~$1 per pound is the going rate
11.) tin, look to purchase pewter in Flea Markets and Thrift Stores (along with everyone else), at ~$10 per pound (hopefully less).

[40-82 hiker]

I'm with Rich. I use a Lee 20 pound bottom-pour pot, with Lyman 4500/450 sizer/luber. A great benefit for you would be if you could cast a few times with a friend/mentor to get you started. I've been casting on and off since the mid-60s, and if I could give one piece of advise it would be to cast with someone to get started. This will help you figure out what equipment you want to use, etc., and greatly speed up the learning curve.

Good luck! You're in for a heck of a lot of fun. Oh, BTW, I'd like to warn you that you will NOT save money casting your own, but you will shoot more for the $$ you spend.

As to shooting "as cast boolits": Yes, that is a good way to go, but the question of the mold is more specific to dropping the exact diameter boolit you need. I shoot mouse-fart loads in my 30-06, and one boolit type I size and lube, the other boolit is designed to be liquid-lubed without sizing, but I had the mold cavities for that boolit designed to drop a given diameter boolit with a specific alloy. Even if you don't have the mold custom-made, boolits can be used as cast, but they must be lubed or coated as long as they are the correct diameter.

[Conditor22]

The 2 biggest problems loading 9MM

The 2 biggest problems/causes of failure with loading cast in 9MM are OVER-CRIMPING & downsizing the boolit when seating.
The 9MM has a tapered case.

Crimping, I use the Lee FCD and only crimp to where the boolit won't move when the cartridge is pushed against a hard object.

For seating I like the NOE neck sizing dies so much I talked with a member ob CB who made a Lee powder through die with the NOE profile of several different diameters. I've had good luck expanding the brass using the same diameter expanding plug as the boolit diameter (brass springs back .001 after expanding and that.
.001 does the job holding the boolit in place!

A 38spcl/357mag expander plug should work also

I used to expand the neck with the NOE neck sizing die


the use the Lee powder through setup to charge the case.

Use a kinetic boolit puller and make sure you're not downsizing the boolit in either of these operations.

this will go a long way toward tightening up your groups and preventing leading/tumbling

[dverna]

Start casting for .38 or .45 first. They are the easiest.

I shoot the 200 gr SWC in the .45 ACP as I only use it for target work. Let us know what your .38 duties are and if your gun also takes .357 Mag.

Equipment varies. My mentor told me to buy high end stuff over 45 years ago and still have it. You can start will less expensive equipment that was not available back then. IMHO the Lee 20lb pot is a bargain with a few possible quirks that can be addressed.

Get personal protection equipment regardless of how you start. Welding gloves, leather apron and/or wool/cotton clothes, boots, safey glasses as a minimum or face shield. Good idea to have a fire extinguisher near by and a bucket of water (for lead burns...you will get burned)

Others will disagree, but I would start with a good known alloy like 92-2-6. It casts well and there will be no junk in it. You want to know that if you get poor bullets it is you and not the alloy.

If I was starting again, I would use Ben's Liquid Lube...so a search here. It is easy and cheap and works. You can get by with a push through sizer on your press and for .38/.45, depending on your gun and mold, you may be able to run bullets without sizing at all. 9mm can be a bit trickier.

[dragon813gt]

Start here: http://www.lasc.us/Fryxell_Book_Contents.htm

Ask questions after reading. It covers a lot and is invaluable.

[RKJ]

I started about 5 years ago and didn't have clue if I'd like it and very little knowledge about it. I read a lot and learned from others here. Anyway, I started out cheap and grew as I got more experience. I'd get the LEE 20lb pot and LEE molds. Their 120 TC is a good 9mm mold and reasonably priced. I 2nd Ben's liquid live (BLL), it works good and is easy to make, also a little goes a long way. There's threads on making it on here. Don't be afraid to ask questions here, these guys know their stuff and are willing to help. A good bunch of folks here. Good luck!

[MT Chambers]

I'd go with a little more quality, RCBS melter, Lyman or RCBS or Star sizer-luber, quality molds from Lyman, RCBS. Saeco, NOE, Accurate, LBT, etc... nothing turns off a new caster as much as when your mold falls apart into your melt and you get burns to your face. This is usually at the same time your lee Drip-o-matic pot starts to leak.

[pastera]

You can start casting on a budget with a few relatively cheap tools but having an experienced person to help/mentor saves a lot of headaches

$12 Walmart hot plate - bend the stop on the thermostat a little so that the temp control will rotate past high. Turn past high to line up with the W in low. This will get you to casting temperature.
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Mainstays...trol/812501747


$25 Cast Iron Pot - better to find at the thrift store but Walmart and Home Depot are pretty cheap
https://www.homedepot.com/p/Bayou-Cl...7402/206719930

$8 - Lee ladle. These just about do the job. Just buy the lyman if you can swing the extra

$20 Lee 2 cavity mold - 1 each caliber
$20 Lee bullet sizing kit - 1 each caliber

$20 toaster oven - Only if you plan to powder or Hitec coat instead of tumble lube
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Mainstays...iece/110482692

If you grab the pot, hot plate and toaster oven at a thrift store, a casting setup will cost you less than the cost of 1k of 115g bullets.

Is this equipment the easiest, most productive way to make bullets? nope, but its a lot better than nothing.

[9mmskng]

A LOT to absorb guys, but MANY Thanks!

[Mal Paso]

This is where I'd start with 45. https://www.mp-molds.com/product/mp-...pb-hg68-6-cav/

[The Dar]

I've said it before, here goes again. If I were starting out today to cast bullets I wouldn't spend a cent on equipment until I found a steady source of lead. Build a stockpile then start buying equipment. A couple hundred pounds of lead sounds like a lot until you start pouring bullets. I have about 1000 lbs of various types of lead but I never stop looking.

[gnappi]

I've said it before, here goes again. If I were starting out today to cast bullets I wouldn't spend a cent on equipment until I found a steady source of lead. Build a stockpile then start buying equipment. A couple hundred pounds of lead sounds like a lot until you start pouring bullets. I have about 1000 lbs of various types of lead but I never stop looking.

Sage advice. I never stop looking for lead sources. Junk yards, boat flea markets and used boat supply houses, and Craig's list to name the best sources I've found.

[redhawk0]

Agreed on stockpiling lead. Do you have any roofer, plumber, mechanic friends? They can all be a great source of Lead products for Wheel Weights, roofers flashing lead, cast iron joint lead fillings...etc.

Or...you can buy it....I prefer the challenge of scrounging....I have about 2000 lbs some of which may have cost me but a few pennies on the pound....85% was free.

redhawk

[robg]

i only size my boolits if im fitting gas checks.you need to make a dummy round to check for fit .

[Dragonheart]

I agree with all those that say secure a lead source first. When you think about I and many others don't think anything at all about loading and shooting 1000 rounds of 45 ACP, but consider 1000 standard round nose 230 grain bullets takes about 33 pounds of lead to make. If I first had to buy processed lead i just don't think I would bother. Of course if I had to buy 1000 commercial bullets I would likely be rethinking that one too.

I use free range dregings, free that is to acquire, but still an investment in time, equipment and money to process. When I make an occasional "Lead Run" I usually fill 4-6 painter's buckets up to about 4 gallons each. That's a lot of lead to meltdown (several hundred pounds of ingots) and a lot of dross to dispose of. Even with a custom made pot that can hold well in excess of 200 pounds at a time, processing a run takes me the better part of a day, but I now have a year or more supply.

I would suggest you consider the lead question first and foremost before even thinking about going on.

[trebleplink]

Beware:

I started shooting .45 acp almost 40 years ago. Then I got into reloading. When I started shooting IPSC, I started using Dillon 550 progressive reloaders. Recently I've started casting and lead mongering.

I've been accused of enjoying reloading and casting more than shooting.

[Dragonheart]

i only size my boolits if im fitting gas checks.you need to make a dummy round to check for fit .

I personally, can see no need in firing a projectile that is not as accurate as I can make it, but to each his own.

If you don't size then pardon the pun, but you are loading a moving target. In my limited Ransom Rest testing there was NO benefit to oversizing a bullet once the barrel is sealed and .001" over groove will do that.

In fact my oversizing tests, group size increased as bullet diameter was increased. I did not find this surprising at all, since your pressure is increasing to swage down a hunk of lead to push it through a tube. Typically, the most accurate loads will be those that maintain a very narrow margin of speed (FPS). With no sizing you are pushing a hunk of lead of varying diameter that is not even round. Needless to say pressure is varying and accuracy is suffering.

[flyingmonkey35]

Welcome to expanding your hobby l. Casting is not fast but it is fun and rewarding knowing you made the bullet as well.

Expectations

You will not make a thousand rounds at one sitting.

More like a hundred or two.

Sizing helps allot.

You don't need a 6 cavity mold. They are nice but also heavy.





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