Newbie to casting, reporting!

[Skrenos]

I'm new to all this bullet casting thing. I've been lurking for a few weeks and casting has really grabbed my interest.

I've tried using lead bullets with bad results. I used Hornady 200gr semi-wadcutters in a Taurus 455 45acp revolver and in a .45acp EAA Witness with lots of leading. I was running them mild with some tiregroup which should have given me velocities around 800fps. Lots of leading within 50 rounds. Of course, they only has some kind of powdering wax on them, no real lube grooves to speak of, but hopefully, casting my own bullets wont turn out so badly.

Why the sudden interest in casting? Uncertainty in the world, and I just like making things I can show off. The bad part is that I cant find lead around here. you'd figuer it'd be easy since I live in Missouri. Hell, our state mineral is lead sulfide! I did find a recycling center some 30 miles away. they want $0.30/lb for wheel weights or pure lead (pipe, flashing, etc). Lots of you are going to say that's expensive, but some is better than nothing. The good news is that they buy aluminum for $0.65/lb and I have plenty of that to trade in. Lots of soda cans, lawnmower blocks/heads, alloy wheels, pistons, and car cylinder heads. Probably have some water pumps in there too. I'll never get the stash some of you guys have, but it's a start.

I'm planning on smelting the WW with stuff I found at a local antique store. Found a cast iron breadstick mold and a small 8" frying pan. Combined with one of those electric hot plates from walmart (1000watts), I think it'll get me get a small stash started.

[JeffinNZ]

OOOHHHHH you're on the slippery slope now. Once you start casting it's all down hill. :-D :drinks:

I think you will really enjoy the results and funny you will have. Good luck and read EVERYTHING you can find.

[Buckshot]

..............Skrenos, a most hearty welcome to the board, and glad to have you. That price for WW isn't too terribly bad as 230gr slugs will run you about a penny a piece. I to have a Witness pistol. A full size one I bought in 38 Super and it is nicely accurate. In fact it was so nice that a couple years ago I bought the 45 ACP conversion kit. It was disappointing compared to the Super barrel, but the 45 barrel had interior issues. I never did get around to sending it back in a timely manner so accepted my lumps and bought another barrel.

This one seems to really want to shoot, and that with very minimal testing, too! However with the other 45 barrel I had no leading and accuracy was okay for a service type personal defense handgun as it would have been no problem to dump and entire magazine into a human sized target at 25 to 50 yards. However, we all like small groups, eh :-) and the Super barrel spoiled me!

It's difficult to pinpoint an exact reason as to why you're getting the leading other then usually with commercial it is that the slug is too hard for the load. Secondly the lube may contribute a bit to the problem. Possibly sharing 1st or second place would be the wrong diameter to suit your barrel but this doesn't seem to be common so much with the 45. Until you slug the barrel you won't know to rule that out or not.

Finally there may be some mechanical issue with the barrel itself, as my first 45 ACP bbl had. Mine wouldn't do any better with jacketed bullets. Cast boolits are not as forgiving as jacketed ones, and while they may overcome some issues they can't handle all of'em.

Finally you should review how you were loading the cast boolits and maybe it was something that you were doing. This would tend to have an effect more on accuracy then leading, but it's something to look at too especially since you're new to cast lead.

BTW, beware the Tinsel Fairy when you start casting. When she shows up, you'll know!

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

[Bass Ackward]

I'm new to all this bullet casting thing. I've been lurking for a few weeks and casting has really grabbed my interest.

I've tried using lead bullets with bad results. I used Hornady 200gr semi-wadcutters in a Taurus 455 45acp revolver and in a .45acp EAA Witness with lots of leading. I was running them mild with some tiregroup which should have given me velocities around 800fps.


Skrenos,

Usually, when we get a new guy, we spout about slugging to get your bore diameter and throat measurements. And while so very, very true, this one secret which is the very foundation for success both now and in the future, sometimes hurts you. Clearly, failure is a better option. :grin:

Of the guys I have helped locally, the guys who failed miserably at first became the biggest addicts and were most appreciative of future success. Of the guys that were handed the secret of success right off and taught the correct way, they are either are out of it or figure that they know it all.

So if it makes you feel better, there are positives in going through the failure process. It teaches you how to clean, how hard it is to clean, and that you never EVER want to have to do this again. That along with your shooting success when you leaded, leaves you open to the true path for cast and all the rest of the stuff we espouse to get you there. :grin:.

Welcome to the asylum.

[Skrenos]

I didn't think 30 cents a pound for lead was expensive, but I didnt want any of you to say "You should b e getting that for 10 cents a pound" or "They whould be paying you to take it away" considering how all you guys have awesome sources of lead.

I'm actually plannong on reloading 7.62x25, 32 mag, and 9mm mak mostly. Sh, it should cost me way less than 1 cent per bullet.

[IcerUSA]

Welcome to Cast Boolits :) As for lead, check out the tire stores in your area, I have a couple places that I go about 30 miles from the house to pick up :) . Just working on getting a route set up that I'll stop by and check about every 6 weeks or so. So far my highect cost is $10.00 a 5 gal pail and it does pay to give the ones you get for free a bonus :), picked up about 35 gals last week for free so I'll stop by next week and give him some change so they can get pizza or something for the guys there, here in Michigan I have to compete with the sinker makers too hehe Good luck on your quest for the silver stream and again , Welcome Aboard , too bad your already hooked and don't have any lead :drinks:

[R.M.]

Skrenos
First off, welcome to the board. No matter what you might need to know, there's going to be somebody here with the answer.
As far as using a fry pan for smelting, personaly, I've never used one, but I'm thinking something deeper like a dutch oven might be better.
Sure hope you can find some lead. It must be pure hell to be addicted, and not be able to get your fix.:-D

Take care, and good luck
R.M.

[Bob Jones]

Skrenos, I grew up in the Ozarks, south of Farmington, remember finding chunks of raw lead in the ground. Big nuggets of several pounds in the form of crystals, and when you cracked them they'd become rainbow colored when the air hit the virgin raw lead. Wish I had one of those ore outcrops on my property now!

About lead supplies, just put the word out with everyone you know and give it some time, you'll be amazed what turns up. It's a lot easier to find lead if you're in a rural area, at least in my experience, as most of the more urban tire stores have recycling setups these days but out in the boonies it's too far for the recyclers to travel. In the bigger cities around here (Oregon) it was hard for me to get any wheel weights but a local truck stop (30 miles from the nearest town) will give me what they get and are glad to get rid of them. My networking finally paid off, a casual chat with a neighbor revealed that he owns an indoor shooting range (as a hobby, he works at a good paying job). Turns out he has a few thousand pounds of range scrap to dispose of and more all the time, so I'm more than happy to take it off his hands.

New here, but been casting a few years and have pretty much read all the archives of the postings here and have learned a lot (I hope).

[ANeat]

.30 a pound isnt the end of the world by a long shot. Of course cheaper is better and free is the best.

With a little math you can figure the value. .30 a pound, you can get 100lbs of WW for $30.00. Smelted down you will loose 15 to 20 lbs in the clips and end up with say 80lbs of usuable lead. That 80lbs will get you 2800 of your 200gr bullets. If your buying bullets @ $50.00 per thousand that would be $140.00 in bullets that you got for $30.00

Of course you have the cost of the equipment, mold, etc but you get the basic idea. Plus its just so darn cool to make your own bullets:Fire:

Adam

[Bent Ramrod]

Thirty cents a pound for lead is not too bad. One of the metal recyclers/scrap dealers around here was charging that much and, deducing that I was a shooter, remarked that he was in the market for scrap cartridge brass. I brought him down my box of worn-out cases and we did a trade. If you are in the habit of picking up range brass, whether you load for it or not, the exchange can be pretty worthwhile.

[OLPDon]

SKrenos:
Don't feel bad at all when that tinsel fairy grabs ya. I have about 64 moulds on hand and another 3 or 4 waiting for the Mr Lee with the Group Buy. OOPS maybe I shouldn't of mentioned that. Group Buy will grab your $ Quicker than a Barroom Bimbo while on Liberty. Might add that of those 64 moulds about 28% have not gotten above room temp.

Welcome to a great hobby, craft, art, and a Better Bunch of Guy's/Gals you will ever want to meet.
Don

[PPpastordon]

OLPDon
"Group Buy will grab your $ Quicker than a Barroom Bimbo while on Liberty."
Yeah; any sailor knows how quick that can be! Some might even find it is much fun as "cast, load, shoot, repeat." Hahahahaha