FISH4BUGS
12-20-2010, 09:48 AM
I guess I have entered the realm of an old fart. My girlfriend and I went out to dinner early Saturday night and when we got back to her house, I was wide awake and thought it was a good idea to fire up the heater and the melting pot, turn on the radio, and cast some bullets. (She has allowed me to set up my smelting and casting operation in the shed. I think I will keep her.)
I had purchased an H&G #51 bb 4 cavity mould that I wanted to try and finally had the chance. Starting at about 8 pm, I went flat out until 11:30 pm. Who needs to go to the movies or to some play or concert when I can stay home and cast?
Man did I cast a pile of bullets. A full LARGE coffee can of bullets. I didn't bother to count them but it is about 28 lbs of bullets, or maybe some 1200 bullets if my math is near correct.
That #51 casts a bullet with a lube groove that is about the size of the Panama Canal. I think properly sized it will not lead up the barrel. I'll be shooting them in my 38's, light 357's (and I'll see just how hard I can drive them) and Interarms era Rossi 92.
Properly tuned the H&G mould was putting the bullets out as fast as I could pour them. Using the speed casting method upped the production significantly.
I found it interesting to note that the mould was sensitive to the tension on the handle hinge bolt. The tighter it was adjusted, the better the bullets fell out of the mould. It was so tight at one point that I needed two hands to open the mould. Properly tensioned, the bullets fell out many times simply by opening the mould after whacking the sprue plate. If they stuck a bit, just a light tap with the neoprene hammer popped them out. Too loose and the bullets (particularly the one closest to the handle hinge bolt thingie) would stick....and I mean stick.
The part I am interested in is how well the bevel based bullet will shoot. There are those that say BB bullets don't do as well. We will see.
All in all a very pleasant Saturday night. Better than sitting watching TV.
I had purchased an H&G #51 bb 4 cavity mould that I wanted to try and finally had the chance. Starting at about 8 pm, I went flat out until 11:30 pm. Who needs to go to the movies or to some play or concert when I can stay home and cast?
Man did I cast a pile of bullets. A full LARGE coffee can of bullets. I didn't bother to count them but it is about 28 lbs of bullets, or maybe some 1200 bullets if my math is near correct.
That #51 casts a bullet with a lube groove that is about the size of the Panama Canal. I think properly sized it will not lead up the barrel. I'll be shooting them in my 38's, light 357's (and I'll see just how hard I can drive them) and Interarms era Rossi 92.
Properly tuned the H&G mould was putting the bullets out as fast as I could pour them. Using the speed casting method upped the production significantly.
I found it interesting to note that the mould was sensitive to the tension on the handle hinge bolt. The tighter it was adjusted, the better the bullets fell out of the mould. It was so tight at one point that I needed two hands to open the mould. Properly tensioned, the bullets fell out many times simply by opening the mould after whacking the sprue plate. If they stuck a bit, just a light tap with the neoprene hammer popped them out. Too loose and the bullets (particularly the one closest to the handle hinge bolt thingie) would stick....and I mean stick.
The part I am interested in is how well the bevel based bullet will shoot. There are those that say BB bullets don't do as well. We will see.
All in all a very pleasant Saturday night. Better than sitting watching TV.