Total Nubie: want to cast 200 gr Keith style bullets.

[sarge912]

Hello:
I am brand new to casting bullets but not to general reloading.
I ran across a Lee Electric Pot with several molds at a garage sale, but not the one I want to cast.

I would like to cast a 200 grain, Keith style bullet. (feel free to suggest any other style that you recommend for target shooting.)
This will be primarily for my Rossi Brawler but I also have a Ruger Redhawk in .45 Colt.

Here are my initial questions.
Which mold would you recommend? I would be happy doing 2 at a time but 6 would work as well.

Which sizer. 452?
Powder or no powder coat?
Do I need a gas check?
I have a lot of Titegroup powder but what else for this style/size bullet.
I am not looking for maximum performance, just punching holes in paper.

Thanks in advance.

[BLAHUT]

You have all you need to learn; So melt some lead and start casting ? Then worry about what you want to shoot ?

[sarge912]

You have all you need to learn; So melt some lead and start casting ? Then worry about what you want to shoot ?

I plan on starting simple. I am ordering a ingot mold as I have about 25-30 pounds of lead that came with the pot. The pot is full to the top with lead at this time.

[mehavey]

Which mold would you recommend? RCBS MOULD 45-270-SAA 2-CAVITY
Which sizer. 452? Lee push-through 452
Powder or no powder coat? Start with simple ALOX See: https://thefiringline.com/forums/sho...94&postcount=6
Do I need a gas check? No
I have a lot of Titegroup powder but what else for this style/size bullet. TiteGroup's Fine See: https://thefiringline.com/forums/sho...6&postcount=36

[sarge912]

Which mold would you recommend? RCBS MOULD 45-270-SAA 2-CAVITY
Which sizer. 452? Lee push-through 452
Powder or no powder coat? Start with simple ALOX See: https://thefiringline.com/forums/sho...94&postcount=6
Do I need a gas check? No
I have a lot of Titegroup powder but what else for this style/size bullet. TiteGroup's Fine See: https://thefiringline.com/forums/sho...6&postcount=36

Very helpful, thank you.

[wv109323]

Unless you have a 20 pound pot ,I would recommend you stay with a 2 cavity mold. With a small pot and a six cavity mold you use the heated lead quickly and have to wait for the added lead to come up to casting temperature. The mold cools off while the lead is being brought to temp.

[sarge912]

Unless you have a 20 pound pot ,I would recommend you stay with a 2 cavity mold. With a small pot and a six cavity mold you use the heated lead quickly and have to wait for the added lead to come up to casting temperature. The mold cools off while the lead is being brought to temp.

It is a 20 pound pot but I went with the 2 cavity anyway. thanks

[Thumbcocker]

Keep us posted on your progress.

[sarge912]

will do

[mdi]

I've heard (read) it said "the only way to learn how to cast bullets, is to cast bullets.". So practice, practice, practice. (when I started casting it was a good session when I got 50%-60% keepers and that steadily grew as I went on.

There is a ton and a half of good info right here and questions are happily answered. There are the classic texts like "From Ingot to Target" by Fryxell/Applegate http://www.lasc.us/Fryxell_Book_Contents.htm. Of course the Lyman Cast Bullet Handbooks https://www.amazon.com/Lyman-Bullet-...KQY?th=1&psc=1. And if you type in "bullet casting texts" on a search engine you will get many hits.

Common sense is at the top of the list for casting and safety. Pain hurts and melted lead is hot. You will get many, many suggestions on casting safety so try to eliminate the "Chicken Little" types and use common sense. Don't be afraid to ask questions here. Just about any possible question has been seen here and happily/accurately answered.

I have maybe 16 molds, (which ain't many compared to the long time caster here!) and the majority are two cavity. I have never needed to cast 400 bullets in a setting as I enjoy casting and stop when it gets tiresome. One cool thing about casting is you can easily remelt your mistakes/culls and only you know your faux pas.

I would suggest you hold off on powder coating and get good consistent bullets first. No need to add to the learning curve. Casting adds a whole new world to our shooting/reloading hobbies and I have learned a lot. One even gets to know a lot about their guns by casting and processing bullets for a specific gun.

My "suggestions" are; Go slow. Double check everything. Use common sense and be safe. Most of all, have fun!

[Land Owner]

Cast boolit "fit" is King. Slug your chamber throats, barrels, and revolver cylinders. Hone cylinders diameters that are too small. Cast/size to ~0.002" maximum over barrel diameter. This alone will reduce a great deal of leading.

Your wish, "...200 grain, Keith style bullet..." could be achieved with a Lyman 180 gr. Devastator mold (there may be cheaper alternatives and used molds of this type). Not the easiest to pour, but patience and persistence achieves the goal.

[sarge912]

I've heard (read) it said "the only way to learn how to cast bullets, is to cast bullets.". So practice, practice, practice. (when I started casting it was a good session when I got 50%-60% keepers and that steadily grew as I went on.

There is a ton and a half of good info right here and questions are happily answered. There are the classic texts like "From Ingot to Target" by Fryxell/Applegate http://www.lasc.us/Fryxell_Book_Contents.htm. Of course the Lyman Cast Bullet Handbooks https://www.amazon.com/Lyman-Bullet-...KQY?th=1&psc=1. And if you type in "bullet casting texts" on a search engine you will get many hits.

Common sense is at the top of the list for casting and safety. Pain hurts and melted lead is hot. You will get many, many suggestions on casting safety so try to eliminate the "Chicken Little" types and use common sense. Don't be afraid to ask questions here. Just about any possible question has been seen here and happily/accurately answered.

I have maybe 16 molds, (which ain't many compared to the long time caster here!) and the majority are two cavity. I have never needed to cast 400 bullets in a setting as I enjoy casting and stop when it gets tiresome. One cool thing about casting is you can easily remelt your mistakes/culls and only you know your faux pas.

I would suggest you hold off on powder coating and get good consistent bullets first. No need to add to the learning curve. Casting adds a whole new world to our shooting/reloading hobbies and I have learned a lot. One even gets to know a lot about their guns by casting and processing bullets for a specific gun.

My "suggestions" are; Go slow. Double check everything. Use common sense and be safe. Most of all, have fun!

Thank you, good advice for everything in life. Practice + feedback= learning. It never hurts, however, to obtain the wisdom of others. IMHO

[sarge912]

Cast boolit "fit" is King. Slug your chamber throats, barrels, and revolver cylinders. Hone cylinders diameters that are too small. Cast/size to ~0.002" maximum over barrel diameter. This alone will reduce a great deal of leading.

Your wish, "...200 grain, Keith style bullet..." could be achieved with a Lyman 180 gr. Devastator mold (there may be cheaper alternatives and used molds of this type). Not the easiest to pour, but patience and persistence achieves the goal.

Thank you

[hc18flyer]

There is a Handloader Mag article that features the 45-270 SAA bullet and .45 Colt loads using it. If you PM me your e-mail, I will send it to you? hc18flyer

[sarge912]

There is a Handloader Mag article that features the 45-270 SAA bullet and .45 Colt loads using it. If you PM me your e-mail, I will send it to you? hc18flyer

sent, thanks

[LAH]

The 45-270-SAA.

[lar45]

Hi Sarge, you'll probably want 2 sizers for your 45 cal bullets. A .452 for the Redhawk and a .454" for the Rossi brawler.
Either that or just shoot the bullets as cast if they are fat enough for the Brawler.
I did a chamber cast of mine and I think the groove measured .4535".
I tried some light loads with 700X and a 235 RF that had been powder coated and shot a pretty decent target at 25 yds.




The rifling is slow at 1:24", so a shorter lighter bullet is probably the way to go. Your 200SWC should be fine. I tried some 275s and they tumbled, also tried a hollow base Minnie with mediocre results.

[gpidaho]

sarge912: The Lee 452-255-RF is a bullet I use a lot in my 45 Colts. It's available very inexpensively in 2 or 6 cavity. And I do powder coat all my handgun bullets. For target loads, I've burned a lot of TiteGroup. I'm using Hp-38 now as I bought an eight pound jug. Good shooting! Gp

[sarge912]

Hi Sarge, you'll probably want 2 sizers for your 45 cal bullets. A .452 for the Redhawk and a .454" for the Rossi brawler.
Either that or just shoot the bullets as cast if they are fat enough for the Brawler.
I did a chamber cast of mine and I think the groove measured .4535".
I tried some light loads with 700X and a 235 RF that had been powder coated and shot a pretty decent target at 25 yds.




The rifling is slow at 1:24", so a shorter lighter bullet is probably the way to go. Your 200SWC should be fine. I tried some 275s and they tumbled, also tried a hollow base Minnie with mediocre results.

Thanks

[sarge912]

Hi Sarge, you'll probably want 2 sizers for your 45 cal bullets. A .452 for the Redhawk and a .454" for the Rossi brawler.
Either that or just shoot the bullets as cast if they are fat enough for the Brawler.
I did a chamber cast of mine and I think the groove measured .4535".
I tried some light loads with 700X and a 235 RF that had been powder coated and shot a pretty decent target at 25 yds.




The rifling is slow at 1:24", so a shorter lighter bullet is probably the way to go. Your 200SWC should be fine. I tried some 275s and they tumbled, also tried a hollow base Minnie with mediocre results.

great info, thanks