Newbie equipment recommendations

[AlanF]

Hey guys I'm new to casting and I've collected a few molds for my 22 Hornet, 256Win Mag, and now my 32-20. Other than that I have no casting equipment. I'm not likely to become a high volume caster but I would like to make good quality bullets for my three rifles.

Are there any particular pieces of equipment I should look at or should I just get a Lyman starter kit? The sky is not the limit with regards to budget but I also don't expect something for nothing. Please advise a rookie.

P.S. I've been reloading for many years but am new to cast boolits...

Thank you.

[David2011]

Welcome, Alan,

We're not blowing you off to refer you to the stickies. They have been set aside because of the high value of their information. Browse though the sub-forums and look at the stickies at the top of them.

"Citric Acid Brass Cleaner" and "From Ingot to Target: A Cast Bullet Guide for Handgunners"
under Cast Boolits are a good place to start.

I have a dip pot but prefer bottom pour but most of my casting is for handguns. A 20 pound Lee bottom pour is an inexpensive starter furnace. Uness you buy foundry metal or ingots frm one of the vendors here, you'll need a good heat source like a Cajun cooker and a cast iron or stainless steel (NO ALUMINUM!) pot to mely scrap lead. You don't want to smelt the scrap lead in your casting pot. If smelting scrap, you'll need a slotted spoon to remove the trash, a ladle of over 1 pound capacity to pour the smelted metal into the ingot mold. You'll need sawdust or candle wax for fluxing. There are other options for fluxing but those are available and free or inexpensive.

The .22 Hornet is a tought one to cast for because the boolits are so small and don't heat the mold much. Your rifle boolits will be easier. The 32-20 is a great place to start since it was a cast boolit cartridge originally.

Do a little reading and ask some more specific questions. There's a ton of help available.

David

[WILCO]

All you need is a coil hotplate, cheap cast iron skillet, some type of cheap lid and a ladle.

Here's my set up:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v693/jato321/IMG00157.jpg

I use the hotplate and skillet for smelting. I now use the LEE 110 volt melter furnace for casting with the RCBS lead dipper. It doesn't take much to play this game.

[r1kk1]

I use a turkey burner and cast iron 2 qt pots. I have several pots marked for several different alloys. I don't use electric. From smelting to casting I bought a bunch of these pots years ago at a discount tool store.

Take care

r1kk1

[drklynoon]

If you shoot low volume rifle and want to cast accurate boolits for them I would not hesitate to recommend the Lyman master caster kit. However, if you are wanting to get the best set-up you can afford there are better routes. First buy the Lyman handbook. read through it and you will be able to buy the correct equipment for you application. This takes time but it saves money on equipment that doesn't satisfy your needs. The Lyman sizer lubricator is a nice unit but I would recommend the RCBS one if you are going to piece mail your set-up. The Lyman handle link is a weak spot and the RCBS is better made. RCBS also has a more comprehensive warranty IMO.The heater is a waste of money. Bolt the sizer to an aluminum plate and place an iron on the plate this works better than the expensive new Lyman heater. As far as pots go my opinion is different than others. A pot is a pot is a pot. If it leaks a little so what. If you want to pour than it really doesn't matter until you can get a better temp control which is wicked high money. Long and short this equipment is "skill equipment" as such every caster has specific styles and needs. A starter kit is great but putting together the stuff YOU want will always be better.

[engineer401]

I started with the Lyman master caster kit. The casting book is very helpful. I found the "complimentary" lube to be messy. I use BAC from a vendor sponsor here named Lar45. His brand is White Label Lube. I couldn't be happier with it. I also purchased a Lee 10# drip-o-matic. The Lee pot has it's issues but I live with them. Eventually, I upgraded to a Magma/Star sizer but is not necessary. I use the heater for my sizer or the lube wouldn't flow. If you use BAC in the Lyman sizer it can be heated with a hair dryer or you can increase the pressure some. It takes a lot of pressure with no heat. If you opt for the heater, run it through a dimmer switch or the lube will flow too much. Plugging and unplugging the cord as recommended is a pain.