Kit for new caster in 2021.

[Jim22]

It is a pretty bad time to find anything gun related. But, I started not long ago. Everyone has their favorite gear. I started with a single two cavity Lee mould in .358 158 grain, an RCBS lead pot, a Lee lead dipper, and a Lee .358 sizer. I used Lee Liquid Alox. Bought metal from Rotometals. I already had loading dies, powder, brass, and some primers. Check the online suppliers. Midway will tell you if something is out of stock but you can still backorder. That is how I got some stuff - by backorder. You have to be patient.

[SSGOldfart]

About 650 or so from 15lbs. If you go with a158grn bullet
Where are you located? Might be somebody on here that can help you get started

[Soundguy]

True, you will need to reflux at each refill and there will be twice as many refills.

I rarely have to re flux during casting if using clean ingot..and only clean ingot hit my pot. No smelting or cleaning in the pot. I keep bits of canning wax on my table..it fluxes ok..and usefully for candling a mold.

Three44s

Eh..not really.. And refill as you go means the ingot resting on the top go in every now and then. Just takes a hand motion. Keeping the pot topped keeps a good heat density..ie, don't let your 10# pot hit 1.5 pounds then glut it with 8.5# lead and wait 10m to re heat. At 8# drop in a pound.. Virtually no heat loss due to thermal mass..especially if that 1# ingot was already 250 degrees resting on top.

Work smart..not hard.

[mdi]

Regardless of the "method hints" I would suggest a 20 lb. pot. Adding alloy to a pot in use normally requires some time for the melt to come back up to casting temperature (adding 4 lbs. of 250 degree lead into a pot with 2 lbs. of 700 degree alloy will lower the temp enough to show up on cast bullets). Stirring and "light fluxing" during a casting session is what I normally do. Not the handful of sawdust, but maybe a 1/4 sheet of paper towel or such will keep the oxides and alloys well mixed and any additional alloy added will probably have a bit of oxide or dirt on it. No big deal though.

I'm a K.I.S.S. kinda guy and when training apprentices found out the longest lasting lessons started out basic; K.I.S.S. So, I might suggest to a brand new caster a two cavity mold (easier temperature control) of "tried and true" design (158 gr SWC for 38 Special). and tumble (dip) lube. A pot large enough for easy dipping (one does not need to cast the whole pot full at one session so if it is a 20 lb. pot with only 17 lbs. of alloy pot in it is used and only 9 lbs of alloy is cast, so what?). Learn to cast good shootable bullets now and jump into PCing later. K.I.S.S...

[Campower]

About 650 or so from 15lbs. If you go with a158grn bullet
Where are you located? Might be somebody on here that can help you get started

I'm in Northern Maine, and even as a FFL holder/dealer I haven't found anyone in my circle or locally who casts.. Frustrating because I have so many questions!

I have all my kit coming, and 55 lbs of "fluxed range lead" from ebay ordered, as well as a Lee 2 bullet 158gr RNFP Mold and a 10mm 200gr SWC 2 bullet mold from RCBS. I read and watched alot of positive reviews on Eastwood Ford Blue powder so I have a couple lbs of that coming.

Well see how it goes!

[maxreloader]

No "Kit for new caster in 2021" would be complete without LOTS of Kleenex.

[Soundguy]

Good luck!

38spl is one of the easiest most forgiving cartridges to load.

Straightwall pistol with a roll crimp. Low pressure..rarely needs case trimming if ever. Long brass life..especially at cast pressures.
No finicky headspace and edgy coal issues in a rimmed revolver cartridge vs a timeless autoloader that spaces on the case mouth..etc.

[Wheelgun]

You should do well with that mold. In my opinion it’s one of the best for 38 and mild 357. I started with a small cast iron pot and a Lyman ladle. Next I graduated to a lee 10lb pot and now have a 20lb bottom pour. Lots of Lee, NOE, Arsenal and a Accurate mold here.

One of the many things I’ve learn here is to use dawn and a toothbrush with really hot water to scrub that Lee mold. I’ve found on aluminum molds that after scrubbing 2 times and then bringing up to heat on a hotplate the boolits jump out without having to smoke the cavities.

[Krag 1901]

Sounds like you've got enough to get started. Your range scrap lead should be good enough to get started, just hold your velocity down and use two coats of Lee Liquid Allox (LLA) before and after sizing.
Don't worry about enough, but too much is wasteful. A hand full of .357s in a butter cup and a few( test it 5-10 drops) drops of LLA, put the lid on and shake for 15-30 seconds, then pour out on a sheet of saran wrap out side and let dry for a few hours or over night. I don't worry about standing them on end, just separated so they don't stick together. It helps if you warm it up a bit in hot water, they don't call it mule snot for nothing!

I use candle wax for flux, cause my wife had a bunch that all melted crooked in the heat and I had 2-3 lbs free! light the smoke and cast outside is best.

[charlie b]

If you want some, Hobby Lobby usually has wax for candle making. Paraffin and bees wax both. I use the little pellets of beeswax. A 1lb bag is around $15 IIRC.

[Wayne Smith]

Couple of things to keep in mind. Especially if you are ladle casting but this is true for each style - tin oxidizes first, so you will get a skim of tin on the top of you melt. Wood flux will take out impurities, float them to the top. Tin needs to be put back into the melt, wax does this. You will need to use was multiple times when casting, especially when ladle casting because the ladle causes a lot of the melt to be exposed to oxygen in the air, thus more oxidization.

Look around for local sources of lead and tin. Local roofers will have lead sheathing, plumbers will have old lead pipe and both will need to get rid of the old stuff. Pewter is a source of tin.

You will find that when you start casting for your rifle you will want to ladle cast. Big boolits are easier to cast with a ladle than with a bottom pour. If you are on a farm you probably have a portable heat source - camping stove? and probably have other things that you can use to manage a pot of molten lead alloy. I still use an old kitchen pot I got at a Goodwill store over 20 years ago when I started casting. The handle has burned off but the stainless steel pot is still good. I never got into bottom pour casting because I started with big boolits.

At this point in history for molds you might as well go to NOE, Accurate, M-P, Old West, etc for molds. They are all excellent molds and they haven't raised their prices because of the situation. You will pay basically the same for an excellent mold that you will pay for an inflated Lee mold on eBay. Not saying Lee molds aren't good, just not the quality of the other makers. You have to treat them all gently, but Lee molds need especially gentle treatment.

Download the book listed earlier. It is an excellent manual and will answer most of your questions. The rest will be answered when you first melt some lead and cast some boolits. It all becomes clear then.

[SSGOldfart]

Enjoy your casting start small and let it grow

[Campower]

You guys absolutely rock!

I've gone from relatively no basic knowledge to having all required starter items coming in just a couple days.

I know the "I'm new" threads always get tedious, but I want to thank all of you who replied and took the time to empart some knowledge on my sorry ***.

There has been a YiuTube channel called "fortunecookie45LC" (I believe) that has been a great help as well... except today when I was watching his dies comparisons it gave me pause.. I use Redding Carbide for my 10mm loads, and the RCBS Mold I have coming is a 200gr SWC projectile.. I think I might need a different brand seating die to have enough room to seat without the die body touching the case mouth and crimping.. as most of you probably already practice I seat and crimp separately.

[Krag 1901]

You guys absolutely rock!

I've gone from relatively no basic knowledge to having all required starter items coming in just a couple days.

I know the "I'm new" threads always get tedious, but I want to thank all of you who replied and took the time to empart some knowledge on my sorry ***.

There has been a YiuTube channel called "fortunecookie45LC" (I believe) that has been a great help as well... except today when I was watching his dies comparisons it gave me pause.. I use Redding Carbide for my 10mm loads, and the RCBS Mold I have coming is a 200gr SWC projectile.. I think I might need a different brand seating die to have enough room to seat without the die body touching the case mouth and crimping.. as most of you probably already practice I seat and crimp separately.

Just adjust your seating die up a turn or two from where you crimp and adjust the seating stem for correct OAL. THe when you crimp, adjust the seating stem up out of the way and turn the crimp down. I assume the 10 mm is not roll crimped.

[bruce381]

as far as casting all I can add is get the mold HOT or all you will have are prune bullets lol.