What does it take to get started ?

[hylander]

Thinking of getting into casting my own.
Seems I can never find bullets the size I need or lubed proper.
So what would I be looking at for equipment to get started and what would be the cost (I'm on a tight budget :oops: ).
Would like to start with casting for my 03A3 (4 groove barrel like new)
and my 8mm Mauser with a nice barrel.

I think main issue would be finding lead, I have checked around local for about a year now and can not find a source :sad:

Thanks

[williamwaco]

First read the stickies here.

second read all you can at:

http://www.lasc.us/articlesfryxell.htm

Third look at the Swapping and Selling Forum here.
We have lots of members that can supply you with an unending supply of lead at very reasonable prices delivered directly to your front door.


.

[runfiverun]

you could get it the same place the commercial guy's get it.
i'd just buy a box at 1.00 per lb and get started,

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

adding to william's great recomendations...
--------------------------------------------

a must read and probably the best published reference book.
Lyman cast bullet handbook 4th edition
http://www.midwayusa.com/product/867465/lyman-cast-bullet-handbook-4th-edition-book
and it on sale this month !

my list of NEW stuff for a beginer to cast for one Rifle...on the cheap !
the book mentioned above,
a 4lb lee pot,
a Lee Ladle,
a Lee 2 cavity mold,
a box of gas checks,
a Lee sizer/lube kit,
a Lee universal case mouth flare die-or better yet a lyman "M" expander die.
(while some have successfully used a needle nose pliers to expand a case mouth, I don't recommend it, unless you absolutely can't afford it...another option and maybe the cheapest if you have one laying around, a Lee FL sizer die from a larger caliber rifle, it must be a new enough production to have lee's Ez-expander feature, the expander/decapping post must be set very high to just expand the case mouth.)
Lastly, I assume you have a reloading press, but if not.
Lee's Reloader press

everything (excluding the press) totals just under $120.

also, in your situation, it's not just money wasted if you don't succeed and decide casting is not for you, as most of this equipment holds it value quite well, and is easy to sell. Same goes for the opposite, If you really like this hobby, and want to upgrade your equipment...which is more than likely !!!
Good Luck

[hylander]

This doesn't sound to bad:D
I have the press, M-dies and Lyman book
Looks like most of the money is in the pot and sizer, correct ?
Looking at the Lee mould it throws .309 and I need .310-.311
Where would I order lead and what else to mix it with ?

So these would be the main things I need to start for my 03A3 30-06 ?

http://www.midwayusa.com/product/637732/lee-production-pot-four-furnace-110-volt

http://www.midwayusa.com/product/562844/lee-2-cavity-bullet-mold-c312-185-1r-303-british-312-diameter-185-grain-1-ogive-radius-gas-check

http://www.midwayusa.com/product/523184/lee-bullet-lube-and-size-kit-311-diameter

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

...I have the press, M-dies and Lyman book...
...So these would be the <additional> main things I need to start for my 03A3 30-06 ?
http://www.midwayusa.com/product/637732/lee-production-pot-four-furnace-110-volt
http://www.midwayusa.com/product/562844/lee-2-cavity-bullet-mold-c312-185-1r-303-british-312-diameter-185-grain-1-ogive-radius-gas-check
http://www.midwayusa.com/product/523184/lee-bullet-lube-and-size-kit-311-diameter
YES



Where would I order lead and what else to mix it with ? Well, you should read some and decide that for yourself from your own situation.

Instead of me going on and guessing at your scenario (plinking, hunting, benchrest marksmanship competition, self-defense, or just coffee can dancing)
I will give you mine:
For 30 cal rifle, medium velocity plinking (1600 fps). I use WW alloy with about 20% Lino added and some tin added also, Hoping to achieve an alloy of about 94%Pb, 3%Sb, 3%Sn with a BHN of about 14.
I use bumpo628's alloy calculator for actual weights. http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?t=105952

Water dropping the straight WW alloy boolits while casting will achieve a similar hardness, but that isn't conducive to my setup and technique.

I'd buy metal from the vendors on this site, see this link.
some offer WW alloy, others offer lino type or other "type" metals,
http://castboolits.gunloads.com/forumdisplay.php?f=52
also watch the sellin' and swappin' section.
Good Luck,
Jon

[gwpercle]

People may badmouth Lee but if you are on a tight budget ...it's the way to get started. A lot of tools on my bench are Lee . So don't let let people tell you everything they make is junk and you must use XYZ brand to load accurate ammo. When Lee came out with thier affordable 2 cavity moulds I was in hog heaven....you can try a design and if you don't like it ...no big loss in funds.

I do like the Lyman lube/sizer but if only loading for 2 cals the Lee sizer will get you going . The size, lube and gas check seating all in a stroke of the handle is so fast. And I never cared for the looks of tumble-lubed bullets ...but they do work.

I keep my 30-06 , 30-30 and 303 british to 1600 fps and have no problems with straight air cooled wheelweights. For all of my semi-auto pistols ...air cooled wheel weights and for revolvers you can soften the wheelweights with 3 parts range scrap / lead and 7 parts wheel weights and have no problems with leading. Use a good lube.

Good luck, hope you find them weights soon .

gary

[I'll Make Mine]

I hear and feel the budget squeeze; at present, I'm smelting wheel weights that cost me $35 for a heaping five gallon bucket (close to 150 lbs, of which about 90%+ by weight is either clip-on or stick-on lead).

I'm smelting over a tiny one-burner Coleman stove that was free from Freecycle, using camp fuel I've had for twenty-five years or more (it's old enough the price tag on the can is $4.19) in a demoted kitchen pot (stainless or cast iron work well, stay away from aluminum), melting for casting in a smaller pot of the same sort, using a bent and deepened stainless serving spoon as a ladle ($2 at Big Lots, plus a little propane for my torch) and casting the actual boolits, two weigths for my Mosin Nagant, in Lee molds; the molds cost me $16 each including handles, plus shipping: total order including a Lee push-through sizer kit was $60.

The setup I have will probably cover my casting needs for the next year or two, save that I'll most likely have to buy molds for my .357 Magnum and, if I can come up with a way to keep my brass, my .380 (get those at the same time, to dilute shipping, and the order should be about $40). I'll probably make my own push-through sizing dies from here out on my small lathe (bought with my tax refund ten or eleven years ago); any size I like, a dollar's worth of 7/8-14 threaded rod, another dollar of half inch drill rod, and and a couple hours to make a reamer, bore and ream the die, and turn the base punch.

[Petrol & Powder]

I started casting pure lead round balls for a cap & ball revolver. That turned out to be both fun and interesting. I actually started with a small iron pot, lee mold, an old spoon and a campfire. Yes it can be done and no, it's not worth it. A few items later and the budget was still intact but the process was vastly improved. A single burner Coleman stove that is dedicated to casting, a better ladle and I was off and running. Now the problem is I've decided to move on to casting real bullets. The order from Midwayusa is en-route. Lee electric casting furance, Lyman 4500 sizer, RCBS molds, etc.
I fear there's no going back!

[Bullet Caster]

Yes, you do need the outlay of funds which should be kept under $100.00 to start up. I am still using my Coleman camp stove (inherited from the in-laws), my modified Lee ladle with a longer handle which the first one burned off, and a little cast iron pot (from flea bay) which I've upgraded to a larger flat bottomed pot ($8), and of course my mould. Since I first started last year at about this time, I've accumulated 7 moulds for my various firearms and still use the aforementioned set up. I figured if I did not take to casting I could always sell everything (except for the Coleman camp stove) to recoup my initial outlay of funds. But, as was told to me by others, I got the addiction to casting and reloading. The press was the highest item on my list as I had to sell an old shotgun to purchase a press. I got the Lee anniversary kit which included a powder measure and scales with other tools for case prep.

Since I started to cast other members from this forum sent me lead, moulds and other things I needed to start up. Just to name a few (and I hope I don't leave anyone out), Love Life, OBIII, Recluse and 45Nut. Thanks to all who have helped me out to begin the addiction which there's no turning back. Now I enjoy casting and reloading as much as shooting. Since then I've learned a lot about casting and reloading. I've always known how to shoot thanks to my dad for letting me take his .22 rf rifle out to the woods and to the USMC for teaching me the techniques of shooting. Stay safe and have fun. BC

[Slow Elk 45/70]

Welcome to the Site, you have the right idea, read the Sticky's and ask questions about info you can't find., lots of people here to help get you going...Semper Fi

[Inkman]

Everybody who asks me about casting their own gets the same answer. Come onto this forum and read, read and read some more. Read for a month or several months and you'll know when it "clicks".

Then if you still want to do it, start out small with just a Lee 20# pot, a Lee 6 cav mold and a Lee sizer. Maybe a different make mold for rifle boolits. Not sure since i don't cast for rifle. Tumble lube your boolits to minimize the cost outlay. Forget about smelting for the time being and just buy a couple 60# boxes of lead from the Swapping and Sellin section.

Take your time, be safe and see if you like doing it. If it is not worth your time or you feel it is just too difficult, well at least you gave it a shot and the cost outlay was minimal.

Just my 2 cents....

Al

[Photog]

ebay has great deals on lead. I just bought 20lbs of soft pure lead for 1.40 a pound. Look around and its there. (BTW 20x7000gr=770ish 180gr boolits for 28 bucks, or.036 per bullets) Thats cheap for buying it.
Buy 1-2k hornady gas checks for 25 per1000 at midway.
buy the cheapest BOTTOM POUR Lee furnace, but you'll want the bigger one later. (Just way better than a pot and ladle, way safer, way faster, way easier)
buy 1 or two Lee 2cavity molds for $20 each. They do make a .312 for the 03A3 if it needs it.
Buy a sizing kit for .311 and .309.
you have a press, thats all you NEED to buy. You can go cheaper by not buying a bottom pour furnace, but it pays for itself quickly in how much time it saves.

[jlchucker]

Listen to the guys who have posted here. I've really got nothing to add, except that since you're just starting out, you might want to avoid reading the catalogs. There's lots of stuff being marketed that you can spend lots of money on that you'll end up never using. The same can be said for any sort of handloading. There's guys who badmouth Lee, and others who praise their products. If you're on a budget, their lead furnaces are good for starters. My own first one was a Production Pot IV that I bought nearly 30 years ago and have used it ever since. Maybe not as heavily as some guys use better equipment, but it got me started, and may still have a season or two left. There's good and bad Lee molds. The same can be said for other brands that cost several times as much. If you want/need gaschecks the most commonly found in catalogs are Hornady brand. But when it comes to gaschecks I'll disagree with Photog. I used Hornady checks for years. Since joining this website a few years ago I've discovered that the ones sold through our group buy section by Blammer are just as good if not better, and a whole lot cheaper. For lead, there's always guys in the swapping and selling section here that sell lead in all its various alloys, and at decent prices. You don't need fancy fluxing material but you'll need to flux. Trot yourself down to the grocery store and buy a package of the parrafin wax that they use for canning purposes. Cheap, and a little goes a long, long ways. For now, ignore the fancier toys until you get some experience. Good luck.

[mdi]

Bottom line; a steel pan, a mold, and a ladle/dipper. I made sinkers, when I was a kid, on the kitchen stove with this set-up (when Mama wasn't home and all the windows open) . When I started making bullets I used a Lee T/L mold, a Coleman stove, a stainless steel pan, a Lee dipper/ladel and wheel weights. I lubed the bullets with alox and shot them as cast, not sized. This got me started casting and I "grew" as I went along. Got an old slotted spoon from the kitchen that wasn't being used any more to skim the melted wheel weights. Learned sawdust was a good flux and I had plenty around so I used that to clean my melt. Learned about temperature control for the melt and the mold. I made and shot a lot of good bullets and a lot of bad ones too but the bad ones went back into the pot. As I needed them, new tools were purchased or found around the house. By starting simple I learned a lot that I may have missed had I bought a "kit" with everything in it minus the kitchen sink. One necessity I missed was a good text and I suggest Lyman's Cast Bullet Handbook, a 3rd Edition if you can find one but a 4th will do. Research. Use google to find info (castbullet forums, bullet making supplies, casting lead bullets, etc. Anything you can think of to get as much info as you need to cast bullets to suit your shooting needs).

Finding lead is becoming harder thanks to do-gooder politicians and tree huggers so look around; some tire shops may still sell used wheel weights, scrap yards may sell to the public, x-ray foils from your dentist, check the vendors section on this and other casting forums, and of course commercial foundries like Roto Metals (google "lead for sale").

Your best tool is plain old common sense. Go slow, be safe, and enjoy the most satisfying aspect of roll-yer-own ammo.

[jburris2001]

is a stainless pot better to use than a cast? just getting setup to cast and learning alot from everybody here

[I'll Make Mine]

is a stainless pot better to use than a cast? just getting setup to cast and learning alot from everybody here

No, just easier to find and quite possibly cheaper (cast iron sometimes has collector inflation, stainless generally doesn't).

[jburris2001]

thanks for clairifing. So either one will work good. I have both on hand and not sure which I want to use.

[I'll Make Mine]

Pick the one that'll be easier to control if you have to lift it when it has 20+ lbs of molten lead in it. A stainless pot with a sturdy, well attached handle is good; a cast iron pot with a strong bail (as often found on Dutch ovens) is very good. A cast iron pot with the handle cast in place is excellent, providing there are no cracks that could cause the handle to come off at 700º with 20+ pounds of payload...

Another consideration is that a stainless pot is always going to be lighter than a cast iron one the same capacity -- like four or five pounds lighter, in the two quart size, and more so in larger sizes. It makes a difference...

[ErikO]

For the pot, I found a busted (no pressure valve on lid) 6 qt stainless pressure cooker for $8 at a St Vincent dePaul shop. Now to talk my wife into letting me get the $24 propane burner I found on Craig's List... :lol:

[I'll Make Mine]

Do be aware that a six quart pot will host something like 120 lbs of lead when full up. Given a pot temp of 650º plus, that'll be too heavy to handle readily (watch out for plastic handles softening or just plain coming off at lead pouring temps, too).

My two quart iron saucepan is all I care to lift off my camp stove, after I've melted around ten pounds of wheel weights and ladled out a couple three pound ingots -- welding gloves and an old pot holder on the coated, round iron handle and I wouldn't want to handle it even with twenty pounds of lead inside; can't imagine dealing with 120 lbs of molten lead all at once...

[castinplumber]

Stay on here these boys have it down to a science. Don't buy anything before checking here. Search all Questions on here. Read read read did I mention Read. We do this for MANY reasons . All will lead you to be more self aware and efficient. The lube/cleaning/shooting/etc tips are huge.

[odis]

I have nothing against Lee products but if a person wants to get into casting on the cheap rather than buying Lee push through dies I would buy Lyman or Rcbs dies and a push through adapter from the Perfesser. In the future if you want to buy the lube sizer you will already have the dies. I find Keiths products top notch.