2 days; ~1,500 boolets; I've become a Boolet Making Machine and I'm tired!

[Land Owner]

I scored an overflowing 6-gal bucket of mixed WW's for $20 from the local Tire Store and after sorting, got ~130#'s of suitable WW's (with some left over) to add to ~20#'s I already had and 150#'s of high octane lead. After smelting 99 x 3-pound 50/50 ingots, I loaded the RCBS furnace for the very first time (a 2010 Christmas gift).

I cast my "First Batch" of:
170 gr x 357 Mag SWC's
158 gr x 357 Mag WC's
and
170 gr. x 30-30 Win FN's

When all was done and put away, I had almost 1,500 boolets and another 90-plus 3-pound ingots (to add to the other 100-plus I already made).

In making 50/50 ingots I have gone through my first FULL 29-gal propane tank and I am STILL having a BALL. Tonight, when my back catches up with me, I will sit down and load some 357 Mag. Handi-rifle ammunition.

I have GOT to get a 45 LC mould to feed my other Handi.

[AZ-Stew]

Welcome aboard and it sounds like you're off to a good start.

You've certainly got the quantity part nailed, but do you have the quality part in hand? Even if you don't, you have a good lot of plinkers and practice boolits, and possibly some short range hunting boolits, as well.

Anyway, enjoy the hobby.

Regards,

Stew

[Jack Stanley]

Now you're getting the idea why I like six cavity and larger molds [smilie=s:

Jack

[Land Owner]

The 4-cavity 357 x 158 gr WC mould was a God send. I think, if I had cast 500 of these with the single cavity WC mould (I have one), I would still be over the pot.

However, the single cav. WC mould is a different profile and I may, stress may enjoy the way they shoot over the 4-cav. mould. Time will tell. It is raining today, so no shooting, just reloading.

[NHlever]

The 4-cavity 357 x 158 gr WC mould was a God send. I think, if I had cast 500 of these with the single cavity WC mould (I have one), I would still be over the pot.

However, the single cav. WC mould is a different profile and I may, stress may enjoy the way they shoot over the 4-cav. mould. Time will tell. It is raining today, so no shooting, just reloading.

Some of that depends on the mold. I have a couple of Lyman single cavity molds in smaller calibers that will cast good bullets as fast as I can cast, and the pile builds quickly with them too. I was surprised to see how many I could cast in a day.

[Land Owner]

I may not have the mould temp just right yet, but after the first 25 or so (returned to the pot), they seemed to fill out OK, not wrinkle, not frost, exhibit clean/straight bases as well as lube grooves, and for the 25-feet or less distance of target shooting WC's even the rough ones should be OK.

Pot temp was about 725*, WC sprue was periodically returned to the pot, and culling was quick and easy - there were only a few misshapen pours after the mould got hot and I got on rhythm.

[Sprue]

whoa there pard..... word gets out the ATF and Tax man along with the Pelosi Klan will be make a visit with claims of operating an illegal business. :kidding:

[BruceB]

Not to rain on your parade, but yesterday I cast about 1100 .45-caliber 230 round-noses (452374) in 1.5 hours. The 4-cavity mould sure does help, doesn't it? So does 40+ years' experience, I reckon.

I note that you spent a lot of time making ingots, as well as casting bullets.

Welcome to a wonderful hobby/addiction!

[arjacobson]

I HAD to cast some 45's yesterday in the garage. Temp was in the 20's.. I already have a thousand or so cast bullets stored....NEEDED to cast more though!! Yes it is an addiction...welcome aboard!!

[Land Owner]

I have a serious "Jones" about pails of WW's just sitting there WANTING to be turned into ingots. So I LOOSE THE HOUNDS and convert "junk" into useful, trim, great looking ingots of silver alloy. I put them up in 30-cal. ammo cans, which I can barely slide along the garage floor to storage.

I just got the furnace up and running. I have not been making boolets for more than 2-days, so you experienced guys keep posting to keep us noobies out of the weeds. With nothing else to do on a rainy day, I stacked all of the boolets neatly in Christmas box lids. What a look! Nice to see. Playing with boolets on a rainy day.

My back is still out...argh!

[1Shirt]

Newbees are good!!!! Need to get more female casters as well! Got to preserve the 2nd ammendment, and jacketed blts, and factory ammo is just to expensive for much shooting.
1Shirt!:coffeecom

[Land Owner]

Let's be perfectly clear, I have arrived, from the Dark Side after 20-plus years of reloading my own and shooting those copper clad and jacketed bullets, as a noobie to the Alchemist's Trade of casting my own. What a hobby! I am hooked. A junkie born in two days of boolet casting. Casting ingots was the lure. Scrounging WW's is an obsession. I have a new "toy" and so darn many new VARIABLES that I am afraid that shooting has taken a temporary BACK SEAT. Also, my back is protesting. It took most of Sunday for it to regain a semblance of its former curvature. I must not repeat that mistreatment.

[stubshaft]

Don't forget to scan the Group Buy section.:kidding:

You know your really hooked when you melt the already cast boolits down to try out your new mould!

[Buckshot]

...............My back would be killing me:-)

.............Buckshot

[lawboy]

Congrats and welcome. Thought this thread deserved some eye candy so I figured I'd post up a photo of one of my ammo cans full of ingots. These are pop can ingots of varying size from about 4 oz. to 16 ounce. The 12oz ingots weigh 8.5lbs. The 16oz ingots weigh 11.8lbs. Those marked with "W" are wheelweight metal. The others are range scrap. Thought folks might get a kick out of these.
http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/dd221/behightower/sodaingots001.jpg

[leadman]

That brown trunk might make my back screammmm if I was to try to run away with it.!

Land Owner, beg or borrow some different 45 cal boolits to try in your Handi before buying a mold. Guys here are usually pretty accomodating (sp). then you can try them and buy the mold for the style you like.

I think the quality of the Lee 6 cavity molds has improved and are worth buying, even if a little work might be needed. The sure cast a pile of boolits in a hurry and the weight is not a budren. Price is right also.

[Shiloh]

Time to lube, load, and start shooting. Weather permitting, it is getting close to outside shooting time. Not this week though, single digits and brutal wind chills.

Shiloh

[lawboy]

That brown trunk might make my back screammmm if I was to try to run away with it.!

That little crate in this picture wouldn't cramp your track style too much, lol. Note the well-used steel swingers in the background behind he long crate.
http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/dd221/behightower/wheelweights2003.jpg

[1Shirt]

Popcan ingots! Learn something every day. Will have to try them. Have always thought (obviously I was wrong), that molton lead would possibly melt thru the thin aluminum. Any day that I don't learn something on Cast Boolits is a day that I didn't pull it up for review.:bigsmyl2:
1Shirt!:coffeecom

[lawboy]

Popcan ingots! Learn something every day. Will have to try them. Have always thought (obviously I was wrong), that molton lead would possibly melt thru the thin aluminum. Any day that I don't learn something on Cast Boolits is a day that I didn't pull it up for review.:bigsmyl2:
1Shirt!:coffeecom

They are very easy to make. Just cut the top out of the can. I use an army can opener to do that. Fill with molten lead. Let cool. Then use pliers to rip the top edge and peel the can off like aluminum foil. Wear gloves, the edges are sharp. Use the pliers to pop the bottom of the can off and you are done.

[1Shirt]

10-4 Lawboy! will give it a go the next time I smelt! Thanks!
1Shirt!:coffee:

[Dale53]

I really enjoy casting bullets but I do NOT enjoy smelting. The combination of the weight of the buckets of wheel weights and the sheer labor of the endeavor leaves me flat worn out. I only do it when I absolutely need to. On the other hand, when I can get someone to help, it becomes rather enjoyable. The weight becomes less of a bother and having someone to spell you when pouring all of the ingots can lead to REAL production. My best days work was smelting 1000 lbs of scrap lead (with a partner) and another afternoon with my brother allowed us to reduce 650 lbs of LARGE ingots (up to 92 lbs each) to usable ingots in less than four hours.

You DO feel like you have done something when you are finished, tho'. It kind of gives you a bit of a "glow" for good stuff accomplished...

Dale53