Russell
03-08-2007, 04:29 PM
I've been lurking around here a while and finally got around to registering as a member. Before moving to NC my Dad and I would frequently cast bullets out of his bottom pour Lee lead pot. Having established myself here in NC I decided to start casting myself and I decided to go with the ladle method. I'm using Lee's 20 lb Magnum Melter pot and an RCBS dipper. My alloy is ignotized wheel weights.
I have a lead thermometer and kept the pot at about 800 degrees.
My dipper is encrusted with lead--is this normal? The lead flows freely out the hole but my dipper is coated with lead.
I was casting a .45 cal bullet out of a Mountain Molds brass mould and this performed perfectly dropping bullets that measured .453" in diameter. My other mould was RCBS' 44-250-Keith. This gave me some trouble with some "finning" at various times throughout my casting. I measured these bullets and found that a good portion of them had a base band that measured .428" while the middle band and driving band measured .430". Some of the bullets had all three bands measuring .430".
What am I doing wrong here? Should I remelt these bullets with the undersized base bands? Any help or suggestions would be appreciated.
Russell in Salisbury
I have a lead thermometer and kept the pot at about 800 degrees.
My dipper is encrusted with lead--is this normal? The lead flows freely out the hole but my dipper is coated with lead.
I was casting a .45 cal bullet out of a Mountain Molds brass mould and this performed perfectly dropping bullets that measured .453" in diameter. My other mould was RCBS' 44-250-Keith. This gave me some trouble with some "finning" at various times throughout my casting. I measured these bullets and found that a good portion of them had a base band that measured .428" while the middle band and driving band measured .430". Some of the bullets had all three bands measuring .430".
What am I doing wrong here? Should I remelt these bullets with the undersized base bands? Any help or suggestions would be appreciated.
Russell in Salisbury