stu925
12-31-2012, 09:49 PM
New guy here figured I'd say hi and try to get some input. Ok so I've decided to start casting my own boolits, I've got about 150lbs of lead shot I'm not going to load anytime soon so I figured I might as well turn it into something useful. I need to do this on the cheap so She Who Must Be Obeyed doesn't have a fit, so I went out today and picked up a few things. My shopping list consisted of a 2qt stainless steel pot, a stainless steel ladle and spoon, a pair of welding gloves, and a full face shield. I was also looking for a single burner electric hot plate but couldn't find anything close to what I was looking for, I'll probably use the side burner on my grill until I find what I'm looking for. Now I need to order a mould or 2. I'm going to start casting for my S&W 25-5 in .45 Colt I know that these guns were known for oversized throats and mine seems to be no exception, a factory .452" bullet will drop right through the chambers. So now I need some advice on moulds, since I need to do this cheaply I'm looking at the Lee Precision moulds and 2 of them in particular the first being the 452-252-SWC and the second being the 452-255-RF. I've always had better luck with SWC bullets in my gun so I'm leaning towards that mould and I'm hoping that I can use these bullets as dropped without sizing them. Anyone tried these bullets in a 25-5 and if so how did they work out for you? Any preferrence for one mould over the other?
I know that the lead shot bullets might be a bit soft. Water dropping them should help there correct? This is all new territory to me, I read "From Ingot To Target" and feel like I've got a pretty good grasp on the basics but any pointers would be great. I also have some .38 caliber lead semi-wadcutters (about 500 or so) I'll never load so I can melt them down too. I guess I'm wondering about the quality of the Lee moulds since they are so much cheaper than everyone else's moulds, I see lots of guys are using the Lee moulds which sets my mind at ease a bit but is there a steeper learning curve with these moulds?
Stu
I know that the lead shot bullets might be a bit soft. Water dropping them should help there correct? This is all new territory to me, I read "From Ingot To Target" and feel like I've got a pretty good grasp on the basics but any pointers would be great. I also have some .38 caliber lead semi-wadcutters (about 500 or so) I'll never load so I can melt them down too. I guess I'm wondering about the quality of the Lee moulds since they are so much cheaper than everyone else's moulds, I see lots of guys are using the Lee moulds which sets my mind at ease a bit but is there a steeper learning curve with these moulds?
Stu