Lee PrecisionTitan ReloadingWidenersRepackbox
RotoMetals2MidSouth Shooters SupplyInline FabricationLoad Data
Reloading Everything
Results 1 to 15 of 15

Thread: Just Cast First Bullets

  1. #1
    Boolit Mold
    Join Date
    Dec 2009
    Posts
    15

    Just Cast First Bullets

    Hello folks. I just cast my first batch of bullets. I got 25 good ones out of 50 tries. I'll work on that! I used a Lee 10lb pot.

    I'm casting for an 1895 Nagant revolver. The barrel slugs at .313. I used a Lee .311 mold. The bullets came out at .312-.313. I think these will be good as I've been buying .312 bullets and they shoot well.

    My question is what is the best size bullet for a barrel, when they're exactly the same size? Thanks.

  2. #2
    Boolit Master in Heaven's Range
    madcaster's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2005
    Location
    Virginia
    Posts
    1,083
    Sir,
    No opinion on the size,but preheat your mould,you will have a much better percentage of good bullets!
    The .30/06 Springfield,the ULTIMATE cartridge combat,hunting and target cartridge,a .45 single action and a good FLINTLOCK is all I need to be happy!

  3. #3
    Boolit Master
    lwknight's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2009
    Location
    Fort Worth, Texas where the west begins
    Posts
    3,416
    The consensus is that a soft-medium boolit should be about 0.001 larger than the groove dia.
    I have not had luck with undersized boolits at all.
    I know that different alloys come out different in the slug size and the sizer die as well.
    I believe that you should slug with soft lead to be most accurate. Alloy with antimony will for a fact spring back slightly.
    Sent from my PC with a keyboard and camera on it with internet too.
    Melting Stuff is FUN!
    Shooting stuff is even funner

    L W Knight

  4. #4
    Boolit Master
    ghh3rd's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2009
    Location
    Tampa FL
    Posts
    2,090
    Welcome to the forum.

  5. #5
    Boolit Master


    SciFiJim's Avatar
    Join Date
    Mar 2009
    Location
    Pensacola Florida
    Posts
    3,549
    Copperhead, do a search for "beagling a lee mold". With that process you might be able to get another .001 to .002 out of your mold. If the boolit is exactly bore size you will get leading, if exactly groove size, maybe maybe not. Try to shoot for at least .001 over groove diameter.


    Custom Cast Boolits Google Search


    The Learning Never Stops!

  6. #6
    Boolit Master



    Crash_Corrigan's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2006
    Location
    Las Vegas Craig&US95
    Posts
    1,396
    Welcome to insanity central. If you add more tin/antimony etc to the alloy you will get a fatter boolit. Keeping your alloy at an even temperature will keep your boolits the same weight and size. Do you lube with LLA?
    Pax Nobiscum Dan (Crash) Corrigan

    Currently casting, reloading and shooting: 223 Rem, 6.5x55 Sweede, 30 Carbine, 30-06 Springfield, 30-30 WCF, 303 Brit., 7.62x39, 7.92x57 Mauser, .32 Long, 32 H&R Mag, 327 Fed Mag, 380 ACP. 9x19, 38 Spcl, 357 Mag, 38-55 Win, 41 Mag, 44 Spcl., 44 Mag, 45 Colt, 45 ACP, 454 Casull, 457 RB for ROA and 50-90 Sharps. Shooting .22 LR & 12 Gauge seldom and buying ammo for same.

  7. #7
    Boolit Grand Master WILCO's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2008
    Location
    20 minutes from a Tiki Bar!
    Posts
    6,228
    Quote Originally Posted by ghh3rd View Post
    Welcome to the forum.
    Ditto for me.

  8. #8
    Boolit Buddy Greg in Malad's Avatar
    Join Date
    Dec 2009
    Location
    Malad, Id
    Posts
    199
    In a revolver, size the bullets to fit the cylinder throats. If the barrel is bigger than the cylinder throats you can ream the throats to match the barrel. Or do like me,
    load some ammo and shoot it, if it shoots good, go with it and don't change anything.

  9. #9
    In Remembrance - Super Moderator & Official Cast Boolits Sketch Artist

    RP's Avatar
    Join Date
    Mar 2008
    Location
    Nahunta NC
    Posts
    3,410
    dont forget to save your first boolits kind of like the first dollar made in a new business. just kidding good luck to you
    Reloading to save money I am sure the saving is going to start soon

  10. #10
    Boolit Master
    jdgabbard's Avatar
    Join Date
    Sep 2008
    Location
    Tulsa, Oklahoma
    Posts
    2,421
    What kind of brass and dies are you using for the Nagant? Are you tapering the neck down after you seat the boolit to seal the throat? Or are you using h&r brass, etc...
    JDGabbard's Feedback Thread

    "A hand on a gun is better than a cop on the phone," Jerry Ellis, Oklahoma State House of Representatives.

    The neighbors refer to me affectionately as, "The nut up on the ridge with the cannon." - MaxHeadSpace.

    Jdgabbard's very own boolit boxes pattern!

  11. #11
    Boolit Mold
    Join Date
    Dec 2009
    Posts
    15

    Nagant

    Thanks for all the info guys. I value it. I used Alox to lube the bullets.

    I'm using Starline 32-20 brass. In that this brass's head rim is .010 thicker than Nagant brass, I shaved .010 off the revolver's abuttment piece.

    I'm using Lee Nagant dies. I haven't done anything to the case neck after seating the bullet. I'm going to look at crimping once I get everything else down.

    How, and for how long, do you all heat your moulds? Thanks again.

  12. #12
    Boolit Master



    Tazman1602's Avatar
    Join Date
    Oct 2009
    Location
    The woods of Northern Michigan
    Posts
    1,771
    Copperhead get a small $10 hot plate and run it a bit better than low and put your mold on it while the lead gets hot. I usually take mine to around 300 degrees and no waiting, no squiggly bullets.

    OR, you can dip a corner of your Lee mold in the molten lead for 10-15 seconds to heat it up, if the bullets come out frosty you've got it too hot just let it cool a bit.

    Welcome to the forum!
    ”Only accurate rifles are interesting”
    ——Townsend Whelen


    In a time of universal deceit , telling the truth is a revolutionary act
    —- George Orwell

  13. #13
    Boolit Master
    Join Date
    Mar 2009
    Posts
    4,116
    Copperhead,

    Once you know the throat and bore dimensions, load a dummy round, pull the boolit and measure it. I had three sets of Lee dies, in three different calibers, in which the seating dies were downsizing the boolit to jacketed dimensions. You may cast the correct size boolit, but as it's loaded the die may be making it smaller. You want the loaded boolit to be at least .001" larger than the largest throat.

    The Lee dies have been replaced with Lyman. No more downsizing problems.

  14. #14
    Boolit Mold
    Join Date
    Dec 2009
    Posts
    15
    Okay guys, thanks for the help. I haven't had time to work on this until recently. As it turns out, I was simply putting too much powder in the case. My cast bullet was only 5 gr heavier than the bullet I initially used; however, I had to from 3.5 gr of Trail Boss down to 2.7! The loads are now consistent in speed.

  15. #15
    Boolit Master



    Tazman1602's Avatar
    Join Date
    Oct 2009
    Location
    The woods of Northern Michigan
    Posts
    1,771
    Welcome to the forum man! If you had 50% sucess rate you're doing better than I the first time I cast. Preheat your mold and slug your barrel to find exactly what it is. General consensus it about .001 over barrel size is good so if you can get good fill out and get to that they'll shoot better.

    ....regardless cast some, load some, see what happens you might be surprised.........

    WELCOME!

    Art
    ”Only accurate rifles are interesting”
    ——Townsend Whelen


    In a time of universal deceit , telling the truth is a revolutionary act
    —- George Orwell

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •  
Abbreviations used in Reloading

BP Bronze Point IMR Improved Military Rifle PTD Pointed
BR Bench Rest M Magnum RN Round Nose
BT Boat Tail PL Power-Lokt SP Soft Point
C Compressed Charge PR Primer SPCL Soft Point "Core-Lokt"
HP Hollow Point PSPCL Pointed Soft Point "Core Lokt" C.O.L. Cartridge Overall Length
PSP Pointed Soft Point Spz Spitzer Point SBT Spitzer Boat Tail
LRN Lead Round Nose LWC Lead Wad Cutter LSWC Lead Semi Wad Cutter
GC Gas Check