Just wanted to say thanks to the forum.

[WD2A7X3]

Well after months of reading and research I finally ordered everything I need for casting last week. The final components came today so of course I ran outside and started casting.

I didn't get many pics since it was my first time ever casting so I was more worried about what I was doing and not melting my fingers off. My setup is pretty basic, Lee 4-20 and Lee molds. I did some .45 230gr for my 1911 and .30 caliber 180 gr for .308/30-06 (no pics of the .30, still waiting on powder and primers to arrive).

First are the boolits fresh outa the molds.

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b215/motownmenace/DSCN0108.jpg

I mixed up some lube using *I think* the NRA recipe. Equal parts Parafin, Vasoline and Beeswax.

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b215/motownmenace/DSCN0109.jpg

And lastly the finished product.

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b215/motownmenace/DSCN0113.jpg

I'm going for a minimal load that my gun will function so I only loaded up two sets of 5 bullets near the min starting load to see if I need to go up or go down. I won't get a chance to shoot them untill monday so no range report 'till then. I hand cycled them all thru the gun and they fed perfect and the OAL didn't change so they're feeding correctly.

I bought the lead and beeswax off the EE here and I coudln't ask for better, even a noob like me was able to pull this off :CastBoolitsisbest:

[mpbarry1]

Congrats! great job. Hopefully, I'm not far behind you.

[Le Loup Solitaire]

Hi and welcome to the forum. The pics that you have posted show a professional level of work. If they shoot as good as they look then you are off to one great start. If they do not meet your grouping/accuracy expectations then you just have to join the rest of us in our never ending quest to find the right powder and charge. Most of us are still working with variables. Never mind working with basics; that is how it was done back in the day, including yours truly with a mold, a ladle and a Lyman pot. I also couldn't afford a sizer so shot them as cast and the lube was put in the grooves by rubbing the bullets with a stick of Lyman Ideal lube. I used a dipper that threw 13 grains of 4227 for the 06 with a 190 grain bullet, for a long time and t took me a while to work things out. Keep on reading; there is a lot of great info right here on the forum; go to "Cast Pics" and "articles by members". And keep up the good work. LLS

[leadman]

Looks like your doing some great work there. Let us know how you make out at the range.

[cf_coder]

That looks really good. I'm not too far behind you either. I'm hoping to have all my "stuff" by the end of the month. I've already started gathering range scrap from one of our local ranges for "fodder". I plan to use the Recluse 45/45/10 lube and maybe order some caranuba red from White label to try in the pan. Gonna be a while till I can afford a Star... One can dream can't they?

_coder

[303Guy]

That all looks pretty cool. Good one! :drinks:

[MikeS]

Those boolits look good! Just wanted to say that while you're lube formula should work fine, it's NOT the NRA formula.

The NRA formula is 50% beeswax, and 50% Alox 2138f. All 'Alox' is not the same. Lee's liquid Alox is a different formulation, and can't be used instead of the 2138f. Unfortunately 2138f isn't made anymore, but many folks use Alox 350 in it's place, and there's even a post somewhere on the forum about making Alox 2138f from Alox 350 and adding microcrystaline wax. Both 2138f & 350 are solid, not liquid, and if you want to continue mixing your own lube, you can get Alox 350 from White Label Lubes as well as other places. If you don't want to bother mixing your own, White Label Lubes has a bunch of lubes available, including the NRA formula 50/50.

[geargnasher]

Those look really good, you did your homework!

The lube should be fine for your purposes.

If the boolits fit your guns they should work fine, your approach to working up loads is a good one, too. I look forward to your results at the range!

Gear

[Shiloh]

I cast better, more consistent boolits from info learned right here on the forum.

Shiloh

[WD2A7X3]

Those boolits look good! Just wanted to say that while you're lube formula should work fine, it's NOT the NRA formula.

The NRA formula is 50% beeswax, and 50% Alox 2138f. All 'Alox' is not the same. Lee's liquid Alox is a different formulation, and can't be used instead of the 2138f. Unfortunately 2138f isn't made anymore, but many folks use Alox 350 in it's place, and there's even a post somewhere on the forum about making Alox 2138f from Alox 350 and adding microcrystaline wax. Both 2138f & 350 are solid, not liquid, and if you want to continue mixing your own lube, you can get Alox 350 from White Label Lubes as well as other places. If you don't want to bother mixing your own, White Label Lubes has a bunch of lubes available, including the NRA formula 50/50.

Thanks for the info, I must have got the name mixed up when I read thru the 'Mix your own lube' thread. I wanted to keep my matereals local so it's easier to run out if I need some in a pinch. Between Wal-Mart and Hobby Lobby I can get all 3. The beeswax is more expensive locally but the other two are dirt cheap.

[WD2A7X3]

Well just got back from the range. All 10 rounds fed and functioned perfectly. I shot two groups of 5 each at 10 yards.

The first group was with 4.5 gr of powder and was about a 6" group (one was off the paper about an inch lower)

The second group with 4.8 gr tightened up to about 2.4".

No signs of overpressure on any of the brass, no leading in the barrel so I guess my lube worked.

Now I have a week to mess around with some more loads for shooting next monday :grin:

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b215/motownmenace/DSCN0131.jpg

[rexherring]

Those Lee's are nice, I just got the same mold for .45 and cast a few this week end. Haven't had a chance to range test them yet but everyone I've talked to said they feed great in theirs.

[badgeredd]

You chose the platform and cartridge well Grasshopper. The 45ACP cartridge with the 1911 platform is one of the easier cartridges to get to work well with the fewest headaches. As I am sure you've read here "Fit is king" and since you're trying to go fast, lube isn't terribly critical.

You may have issues due to lube and fit when you get to the rifle cartridges, but judging from your pics and comments, it appears you're doing your homework and THAT is everything IMHO. GOOD JOB and congratulations for a job well done.

Edd

Edd

[canyon-ghost]

Good job, it's amazing that we can make homemade ammunition that easy, isn't it? Surprisingly low tech too.

Good Luck

[1Shirt]

Howdy and welcome! Great start!
1Shirt!

[MtGun44]

Well done! Lube is not NRA formula, but the great news is that .45 ACP will work well with
most any lube if you get good fit. Glad to see someone cake cutter lubing, it seems to
be way too rare these days. Easy, cheap, and works fine. Did I mention that it is cheap?
;-)

Great results too.

Bill

[Ben]

WD2A7X3

Welcome ! !...........based on your photos, it looks like
no more " store bought " ammo for you ! !

Ben

[Ole]

Looks great!

If you think you're going to stick with pan lubing for a while, you might want to invest in a silicone meatloaf pan. They are less than $10 and make pan lubing a lot easier.

[WD2A7X3]

Looks great!

If you think you're going to stick with pan lubing for a while, you might want to invest in a silicone meatloaf pan. They are less than $10 and make pan lubing a lot easier.

Yep I plan to pick up some silicone ones when I find a decent deal on some. I just grabbed a couple old pans from a closet that the woman hopefully won't notice missing since they go outside to the casting area now. Next step is to buy her a new crockpot so I can steal our current one for melting lube instead of doing a double boiler with the smaller pan pictured.

I did another casting session today and loaded up some more test rounds for next week, it's deffinatley addictive to be able to shoot .45 for pennies.

[ricksplace]

I did another casting session today and loaded up some more test rounds for next week, it's deffinatley addictive to be able to shoot .45 for pennies.[/QUOTE]

Wait until you start shooting centerfire rifle for pennies. Addictive doesn't even come close...

[WD2A7X3]

Wait until you start shooting centerfire rifle for pennies. Addictive doesn't even come close...

Funny you should mention that...I just got my powder and primers yesterday in the mail for rifle and loaded 20 rounds up last night. My lee .308 die was leaving a ring in the lead since it's made for pointier bullets (first 3 bullets have the ring on the left side of the pic), so I took the time to machine up a custom nose die to fit the casting perfectly.

It took a few hours to load the 20 rounds due to machining time but now I can crank out .308 and 30-06 once I get some loads worked up for the 3 guns I plan to shoot them in.

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b215/motownmenace/DSCN0133.jpg

And my custom seater die thingie, mine on left, Lee on right:

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b215/motownmenace/DSCN0141.jpg
http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b215/motownmenace/DSCN0142.jpg