new guy with new guy questions

[19ellis93]

Well.......ive been all over y'alls Web site reading up on the art of casting bullets,all I can say is WOW! my eyes hurt. Lots of great info to read and take in. so much that its hard to know were to start. I'm new to the world of reloading to begin with and im using bought bullets now. Now that I'm fairly comfortable with that id like to expand into casting the bullets.
I guess if you all are willing to answer,what would be the first treads I should read that would have the information needed for a Newby to get started. Basically help me from not knowing a thing about it to knowing a little with the least confusions.
Thanks in advance:popcorn:

[500MAG]

My suggestion would be to pick up a Lyman Reloading manual. It's a great reference and walks you thru casting basics. This site is absolutely unbelievable but you do need those basics to start you up. It;s nore than just picking up a melting furnace and casting some wheel weights. The Lyman manual was how I started 25 years ago before the internet and I still go back to it on occasion.

[462]

Welcome, 19ellis93.
I will suggest:
1. Lyman's Cast Bullet Handbook. Either the third of fourth edition, but preferably both.
2. Our site's archive: http://castboolits.gunloads.com/archive/index.php
3. This site: http://www.lasc.us/CastBulletNotes.htm From Ingot to Target is especially informative.
4. This site: http://www.castpics.net/

There is much information in all the above, and, often, I will refer back to all of them.

[H.Callahan]

+1 on all the above. Make sure you check out the stickies in the forum. Most of the common problems are hashed out there, plus all the unique and fun things as well.

Also consult with your financial analyst beforehand hitting the Swapping & Selling or Group Buy forums. They are both hazardous to your wallet!

[btroj]

See if anyone near you is a caster. First hand experience is an awesome teaching tool.

Do not be afraid to try things.. There is no single right or best way to do things. Always keep safety in mind. The ultimate judge of what does or doesn't work is your gun and target.

Best single piece of advice I can gives this- you will learn far more at the casting, loading, and shooting bench than you will ever learn on the computer or in a book. In short, get out there and shoot!

[runfiverun]

read post #5 again.

get the 20 lb lee not the 10 lb. [if you can afford the rcbs or magma pot get those]
buy the best equipment you can, even if you have to wait a bit longer to get it.
like the 6 cavity lee molds instead of the 2 cavity.
as you practice casting you'll start to have actual questions that might be covered in a sticky.
if you don't find it there ask away, be specific with the questions and provide pictures if you can.
welcome aboard.

[Wayne Smith]

From Ingot to Target is a free download. It is a great start on casting and loading cast in pistols. If you read the Lyman manual and Frixell et al's book you will be well beyond the basics and into advanced casting and shooting cast boolits.

The only problem with starting with buying boolits is that they tend to be too hard and to be lubed with hard lube for shipping. These are not necessarily good qualities. On the other hand there are some commercial casters who will allow you to specify diameter and alloy. You might even get them unlubed and pan lube a few.

Read, Read, and Read. You will understand a lot more after you have learned those basics. About both casting and shooting cast boolits.

[19ellis93]

Thanks to all who answered. Ivedown loaded the pdf form of ingot to target,is there a good source for the other literature?

[bobthenailer]

See if there is a fourm member in your area that can mentor you !

[Lizard333]

See if there is a fourm member in your area that can mentor you !

This is major. I could have saved my self some major headaches having someone to watch. Most of the videos on YouTube SUCK, and only provide you what NOT to do.

[Wayne Smith]

Com'on, guys, he's in Lucedale, MS. Who is within reach??

[Hardcast416taylor]

Perhaps you should answer a question for us first. What calibers are you loading for now that you want to start casting for? If we have a better idea of the caliber and perhaps the bullet weight you want to use we can provide a lot better start up info. I also second the reading list others have already given you. Most importantly is for you to ask about a particular part of casting before making a hot metal mistake. Welcome to the site.Robert

[19ellis93]

I intend to cast 45 colt bullets some where in the 230 grain range,to be shot out of a judge and a lever action rifle. I'm also thinking about casting for a 30-30 westernfeild lever rifle,if I can get the hang of casting the 45's

On a side note, that 45 rifle,it's a Henry.

[Lizard333]

Based on my personal experience, casting the bullets for your Judge should go smoothly enough. Getting them to shoot through your Judge, that's going to give you some issues. It will shoot them. How accurate, well that's we're the problem lays. If you just want something to plink, then your in good shape.

For me, shooting my Judge is more if a novelty and fun then for accuracy so I'm ok with it. All depends on what you are expecting from your loads.

[Texantothecore]

Several pieces of advice from a relative n00b:
1. Clean your new molds thoroughly before you cast the first time. The first time I cleaned my new molds I used Acetone and Dawn and a toothbrush. I spent about 45 minutes on it to make sure it was absolutely free of machine oil and it paid dividends on the next casts. Unfortunately I had spent three casting sessions turning out ugly boolits before I cleaned it (rolls eyes).
2. Smoke your mold. Later on you won't have to.
3. Some molds require a few casting sessions before they start turning out really good boolits.
4. Get a safety shield (not a welding rated shield) for your face. Lowes has them for about 15.00.


Don't push yourself too hard to make perfect boolits. Many ugly boolits shoot very well.

Above all, have fun with it and post some pictures that detail your progress and ask as many questions as possible here.

[19ellis93]

Based on my personal experience, casting the bullets for your Judge should go smoothly enough. Getting them to shoot through your Judge, that's going to give you some issues. It will shoot them. How accurate, well that's we're the problem lays. If you just want something to plink, then your in good shape.

For me, shooting my Judge is more if a novelty and fun then for accuracy so I'm ok with it. All depends on what you are expecting from your loads.

Really,believe it or not mine shots those Winchester cowboy load fairly straight,it does even better with hornady fjm-rn 230 grain bullets with 5.2grains of trailboss behind. At 20yrds I can put 3 out of 5 in a 4x4 post,not bad for someone who can't shoot

[Wayne Smith]

You have chosen two low pressure, very forgiving cartridges to start with. Good choices. The 30-30 can be loaded to full velocity with 50/50 lead/ww water dropped boolits. The .45 is quite forgiving if you size correctly.

[H.Callahan]

3. Some molds require a few casting sessions before they start turning out really good boolits
I have found you can kinda break them in by putting the new molds in an oven, cooking them at 450° for 30-45 minutes and letting them cool down. Repeat 3-4 times and they should be close to good-to-go. If they are properly cleaned first, there is zero smell so SWMBO should not be agitated.

[Crawdaddy]

A hearty WELCOME from Albuquerque NM.

I have been handloading for 35 years but didnt get into casting until a couple years back. This forum is a great source of information. Thanks to the people here I went from wrinckly boolits that you wouldnt dare send down a barrel to some really accurate ones.

Theres no dumb questions. Keep asking and have fun.

[paul h]

Welcome, and yes starting out the information is overwelming. A couple of suggestions, which mostly just parrots what others have suggested.

Get a few reloading manuals, and the lyman cast bullet book and read them through several times. You need to familiarize yourself with the process, then you'll have specific questions and processes you aren't clear on.

They key is keeping things simple so you get success right off the bat, or with minimal effort. While I generally highly recomend against ever using load data from what someone has posted on the net, I highly recomend putting some effort into seeing what published loads have consensus as to being accurate. There are 1000 different combinations of case, primer, powder and bullet in each chambering, all of them go bang, but not all of them deliver bullets accurately. As you gain experience you'll want to experiment, within reason, but starting out the tried and true combinations are highly recomended.

As to casting bullets, again keep to the basics. Do some research on popular molds for your guns, get 50-60#'s of lead from the swap/sell forum, some means of melting the alloy, and a means of lubing and sizing. A 240-250gr swc for the 45, and a 150-170gr mold for the 30-30 is a good starting point, size the 45 bullets .452", and the 30-30's .309". Once you learn to get into a casting cadence and your mold is up to temp, then the bullets will flow forth.

[Cherokee]

Welcome !! Been doing this for 50 years and still learn things here. You have already received good starting suggestions, just get on with it.

[19ellis93]

Planing on it!:bigsmyl2:

Buying up molds off of Ebay now,so far I've found and bought 255 grain swc and RN molds. I figure thats all I should need for my piddling that I'll do. I haven't found one for the 165gn 30 Cal yet,more than likely it'll be bought new. The two I have are double capacity molds, aluminum.

[MikeS]

While there's nothing wrong with buying used moulds off of eBay, make sure you do some research on a mould to make sure you're not paying too much. You mentioned that the ones you've gotten so far are 2 cavity aluminum moulds, are they Lee moulds? If so, if you paid more than $10 - $15 you overpaid for them, as new they sell for less than $20.00! Many eBay sellers that are ethically challenged will sell used Lee 2 cavity moulds for more than they sell for new! It could also be due to a lack of knowledge on their part, if you didn't know anything about boolit moulds, and see that Lyman RCBS, etc. sell for a lot of money, and so figure that $30.00 for a Lee mould is a good deal.

[jlchucker]

Welcome !! Been doing this for 50 years and still learn things here. You have already received good starting suggestions, just get on with it.

I couldn't agree more. I started casting around 1974. At least I thought I was casting until I got on this website. I knew nothing before I joined Cast Boolits. I've learned a lot---especially I learned that I had a lot to learn. And I log on every day to learn more. These people are great, and collectively their knowledge is extensive and they are willing to share it. Somewhere here there's someone who's experienced any problem that you may run into, or knows first hand the answer your seeking. The best part is, they'll share that with you in a positive way. I don't bother with any other gun-related website these days. :castmine: