First cast boolits and first of many questions

[Roosters]

These are Lee TL430-240-SWC cast with wheel weights. Will be shooting these from a Super Blackhawk (10 ½ inch barrel) and a Ruger Alaskan (2 ½ inch barrel) Got some frosted ones and noticed they were about 1 to 1 ½ grs lighter than the ones in the picture. They sorta like my wife ant much to look at but hope they’ll be ok. The good looking ones run from 239.5 to 240.
How much if any will that effect accuracy.
If anyone loads these I would like to hear any load info your willing to share. Thanks

http://i1173.photobucket.com/albums/r600/threescrew3/S6300060.jpg

[Stick_man]

Welcome to the forum, Roosters! You have found the right place for all the best answers.

Let's look at your situation... You have a boolit that casts a nominal 240 grains. Weight variance hitting about 1-1.5grains is less than a .5% (1/2 of one percent). This is a SWC design, so you obviously are not using it for match shooting. Alloy temperature variation can cause more than a 1/2 percent weight variance.

You can find more of a weight spread in factory bullets and boolits. Load them up and shoot them. I would bet you won't be able to tell the difference on the target and any 4-legged critter definitely won't be any less dead with a 239 gr boolit than they would be with a 240 or 241 gr boolit.

[Stick_man]

Nice pic too, BTW. And you might consider seating that one a little deeper too. :kidding:

[Roosters]

It was getting late in the evening when I started casting . Didn’t have the lights on in the garage and got rapped up in pouring didn’t notice they were frosted. I would say 1/3 of them. What is the best temp for the wheel weights?

[rockrat]

Frosted ones are OK to shoot. All mine usually end up frosted a bit. They shoot fine

[Roosters]

Speaking of seating deeper any idea on coal for that boolit

[runfiverun]

crimp in one of the grooves.
seat them out to the cylinder throat.
not knowing what powders you have on hand i'm gonna go with.........
start at about 8 grs of unique [everybody has some of that]
ww's do very well at 700-725.
you can go lower depending on your mold temp and cadence.
your alloy temp got hotter as the pot went down [the lee's do that] and is most likely the source of your frosted ones.

[Roosters]

Right now I’m using a 45 year old Coleman gas stove, ladle, and a stainless pot. Need to get a thermometer. A far as powder I have been using 2400 with the jacketed ones.

I have a request in now asking the boss if she could budget a little more money to the boolit casting.

[runfiverun]

the 2400 should work fine too.
start at about 17 grs, and go up some.
i have shot these boolits but don't cast with that mold, and i don't push them too hard.
i picked up a k of them cheaper than i could buy lead.
but they do shoot pretty well for me.

[Roosters]

i picked up a k of them cheaper than i could buy lead.
but they do shoot pretty well for me. Thats good to hear. Right now I have about 40# of ingots from wheel weights that I got for free. Not counting the cost of brass or casting should be able to load these for around 8 or 9 cents each.

[dlviolin]

Welcome Roosters! Your boolits look great. Looks like you got hooked in a hurry!!!
Wouldn't go any below 700 especially with that large a round as they won't fill out well. I'd probably stay at 725 or above. Good dial thermometers are all over ebay pretty cheap and I think it's an excellent investment. That and a decent micrometer.
What press/dies do you use?
Keep those questions coming.
Dan in Kansas City

[WHITETAIL]

Roosters, Welcome to the forum![smilie=s:
Yery nice boolits for your first run.
You can coat them with JPW.
And shoot them at about 700,
they should be just fine.:2gunsfiring_v1:

[44man]

Great job!
Frosted is a mold too hot, just slow your casting rate a little.
They will be a little smaller in diameter and lighter.
Nothing at all wrong with the pot on the stove but you might want a thermometer.

[Roosters]

Thanks for all the welcomes glad to be here !
What press/dies do you use?
Using a RCBS reloader special all the dies are RCBS except one it’s a Pacific Durachrome. Been reloading since the early 80s.
Have mixed 45/45/10 lube. Correct me if I’m wrong lube, size, lube, load and should be good for full mag. loads. On the sizing was already shooting Hornady .430 dia. 240 gr. XTPs and .430 was the largest dia. that Lee had. As cast couldn’t push them through the throats of the cylinder of either pistol. Sized they go through good but you can tell they are touching. Sized after casting now let them set for about a week before loading and they will get a little harder ?? I appreciate the responses

Checked this out before making the lube ( http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?t=146754 Post # 12 by huntrick64 ) It’s worth looking at I still chuckle about it.

[Roosters]

44man you right about the thermometer! I'm poorly retired!! Didn't want to put much in it to start with. Well now I have trouble I Like it !!

[44man]

You are doing just great. Now keep us posted on how they shoot.
Once you work the best loads, play with lubes. That alone can improve groups. I use Felix on TL boolits.
Stay away from magnum primers in the .44 and see how much better they shoot. Any problems, keep asking.

[Wayne Smith]

I have a request in now asking the boss if she could budget a little more money to the boolit casting.

If you have ben reloading since the '80's you need to do some research. Find out how much it would cost to shoot without reloading as much as you did before you started casting, and then how much additional you are saving by casting. If she has any sense of numbers you won't have any problem except the availability of money, which is independent of shooting.

[Elkins45]

Nice pic too, BTW. And you might consider seating that one a little deeper too. :kidding:

He also might consider adding a little lube too. :)

FWIW that is one of my all-time favorite boolets. I can shoot one-hole groups at 25 years with my old Model 29 using that boolet and the Lee tumble lube.

[Roosters]

I have 100 cast gona try to load them next week and give them a try. Let you guys know how the did.

[Roosters]

He also might consider adding a little lube too.

Cleaned those up for the picture. Wanted a good picture to save of my first ones. :grin:

[Lizard333]

Your doing fine! I prefer a a little frosting on my boolits, as I get better fill and I know the temp is good. I would be fine to shoot those boolits. My first didn't look that good.

Welcome to the addiction!:bigsmyl2:

[mdi]

Good lookin' boolits. I got this same mold 12 years ago for my first casting try. Works well in .44 Special and .44 Magnum, unsized in my Ruger SBH, S&W 629, and Dan Wesson 44H. Shooting it in my Contender it's best sized to .430" or so. 90% of the time I use wheel weight alloy with a bit of tin added and air cool, with alox, 45-45-10, or some home made Speed Green. I usually roll crimp in the 3rd groove from the top and this combo works well with up to about 20.0 gr. of 2400 (I don't push any of my loads to max., usually around mid way...)

[Roosters]

I usually roll crimp in the 3rd groove from the top
Good info. If the 20gr of 2400 works I will be very pleased. Only load the Hornady XTPs at 21grs

[292]

Welcome. I started casting and reloading around the first of the year. Turkey burner, cast iron pot, TL430 mold, wheel weights and no thermometer. My boolits shoot great and yours will too. I wanted light, easy shooting loads and had some Green Dot that I use for shotgun shells. 6.2 gr and that boolit work for me. I like to water drop because I can cast until the bucket runs over without ever moving any bolits or refolding the towel. The guys and gals on here are greatest.

[Roosters]

Find out how much it would cost to shoot without reloading as much as you did before you started casting, and then how much additional you are saving by casting. Looks like 24 or 25 cents each on the 44. This might need to expand into some 357, 38spl, 30cal carbine, 30-30 may even need to look into buying a new rifle like a 44 - 40. Every time I try to save money it cost me a fortune !! :shock:

[MtGun44]

TL designs might be problematic at full .44 mag velocites, but give it a try, you
may have good results. If not, you may eventually need to go to a known good
conventional design.

But test the one you have a lot and see what the results are.

Bill

[kidmma]

I like 8grs of Unique, comfortable and not an "Oh my jeeze!" load.
Should be good with that bullet.

[Roosters]

What is a good replacement for Johnson Paste Wax for the 45/45/10 lube ? Seems Swiffer has killed it here.

[Roosters]

After I get wheel weights melted and cleaned up can I add some stick-on back to that and if so what is a good ratio in pounds? Like X number of pounds of clean wheel weight and X oz. of stick-on? This will be used for 44mag boolits

[Roosters]

I have ask these questions in three posts to see if I can keep this going hate to start another just to ask one question. You guys have been great in responding and I truly thank you. If you don’t mind baring with a little longer maybe I wont be as much of a pain in the future. Thanks again Roosters.

[Roosters]

Was asking about the stick-on because starting to get quite a few of them. . .

[Lizard333]

I found that most of the stickons out here run about 8-9bhn. My clip on WW's are running about 15. Look at what your Lyman calls for. You can water drop a mix of stickons with your clip ons and get them around 15 or 16. Plenty hard for your 44 mag.

This is what I do. If you look in the stickies there is an excel file you can put in what you got and what you will get out.

[Roosters]

This is what has happened so far. Cast 160 Lee TL .430 240gr boolits (CWW) lubed with 45/45/10 and ran through .430 Lee seizer. They air cooled 2 or 3 weeks. Lightly lubed again and loaded 50 of them over 20gr of 2400 powder & CCI large pistol primers. Took the Ruger Alaskan out after the first six you could see leading in the barrel (2 ½ inches) not bad but it was there. After the 50 it was streaked pretty good the full length . The accuracy was still fair to good. Went home cleaned everything up and was a little disappointed about the lead. :cry:

Today (2 months later) took 50 more with same load but I put twice as much 45/45/10 as I did on the first 50. No more lead! No more lead! Happy as hell !!! Accuracy was great. Next is to try them in a Blackhawk (10 ½ inch barrel) and see how they do. I guess BOOLITS gotta have LUBE !! :-D

[turmech]

If you did not remove any copper fouling left from jacketed before shooting cast it could of caused your initial leading of the barrel.

I shoot cast in 44 mag and like 21 gr of 2400 and 10 gr of unique I don't shoot TL I use conventional lube grooves.

[gray wolf]

Now how could I let this thread go without saying;
Nice going and nice bullets. did I miss the post that you talked about slugging your barrel ? Anyway good going and have fun.

[Roosters]

If you did not remove any copper fouling left from jacketed before shooting cast it could of caused your initial leading of the barrel.
turmech had always noticed a little in the barrel but after the leading gave the bore a good cleaning and don’t see any now so you could be right.


did I miss the post that you talked about slugging your barrel ?
gray wolf you didn’t miss anything I didn’t do it. Had been loading .430 Hornady 240gr XTP and wanting to keep it cheap (Lee TL) .430 was the biggest thing they had. Figured try them through the sizer die first then would have the option as cast to be a little bigger. I think not enough lube and maybe what turmec said about the copper was the problem. Now to give the 10 ½ inch Blackhawk a try.
:Fire: