New to casting, Pointers on gettin going

[dustinfamily]

I been doing alot more shooting, and have always reloaded but never cast my own bullets. I know oppinions will very,but whats the best way for a guy on a budget to get started. I allways had good luck with RCBS and use Lyman for case preparation. Both make good products .How are Lee molds and sizers? the price seems right but hows the quality? Any help on this would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks Mark
If its important I'd like to cast for .357 .44 mag 45 acp as well as 454 casull.

[454PB]

Welcome to the forum.

You will get a lot of opinions on this. When I started casting, Lyman, H&G, and Ohaus were the most commonly available moulds. I bought Lyman equipment exclusively. Latter, RCBS bought Ohaus, and Lee started making moulds. I bought Lee because they were cheap and I liked to experiment with a wide variety of boolit designs. I've had good luck with them, have never destroyed one, and performed only minor maintenance on them. Only fairly recently have I used their sizing dies, and found them to be very well made.

On the other side of the coin I also own NEI, RCBS, and H&G moulds. The only mould I've ever owned that was so bad it had to be returned was a Lyman that cast undersized.

High quality (and expensive) is certainly preferable in the long run, but the great thing about Lee equipment is that it gets you in the game. If you decide it's your passion, you can add the more expensive, higher quality stuff as needed. Then pass the cheaper stuff down to an aspiring caster latter if desired.

[Marshal Kane]

You can accumulate high end casting equipment at a reasonable price if you are not in a hurry. The secret is pre-owned equipment often found in slightly used or even new condition. About 80% of my gear came from eBay. Just be sure you know what you're bidding on and set a price limit on what you wish to pay. I have a Lyman Mag 20 bottom pour furnace, SAECO, RCBS, and Lyman moulds, and mould handles along with several Star sizer dies all purchased on eBay. My ladle, casting thermometer and ingot moulds were purchased new from Graf and sons.

The only product that I would caution you on is the use of Marvelux flux. Marvelux tends to attract moisture, which, when left on your furnace promotes rust. I had to wipe off all traces of Marvelux from my furnace and tools once they cooled down. The good thing about Marvelux is that it gives off little to no smoke and is easily used indoors. Would suggest you try the flux from Magama Engineering which gives off a little more smoke but does not encourage rust. Best wishes and cast safely.

[Murphy]

Welcome aboard Dustinfamily,

Always good to see new members joining. I think you'll find this THE place for all your cast boolit questions and help in how to get the best results.

I'll let the others advise you as to how to get started and the best bargains. I've been at it for 20 years and have yet to regret getting started in boolit casting.

Once again...WELCOME!!!

Murphy

[Misfire99]

I would suggest that you check out midway shooters supply at www.midwayusa.com They have a casting section. I started with a lee pot. I was given an RCBS pot but I still use that old lee pot the most. I also use Lee molds. They seem to hold the heat better. But you do need to lube them so make sure you read the directions. If you don't see any in the box check out their website at www.leeprecision.com. Some people like to use a ladle some like a bottom pour pot. I use a bottom pour pot and have never needed anything else. But I might start to use a ladle is I do boolets that have two types of lead. A soft type for the nose and a hard type for the base to use in hunting. So all you really need for what calibers you mentioned is a lee pot and good mold and some lead. If you take a bucket to your local tire place I am willing to bet that they will trade you a full bucket of wheel weights for your empty bucket. Have fun and don't burn yourself.

[dustinfamily]

Hey Guys THANKS for the info. Read a bit on lee sizers and alox any opinions?
Thanks Mark

[454PB]

The Lee sizing/LLA system works well. It's a little messy, and leaves a coating of alox on the boolit nose that I wipe off. The coating on the nose really does no harm in itself, but attracts lint and dirt.

Some very experienced casters have quit using traditional type sizer lubers and have gone to the Lee liquid alox exclusively.

[dustinfamily]

I think the lee sizer gets a vote just based on price, I'm really eyeballing a kit by Lyman that cabelas sells 135.00 for a 450 lube\size press small pot, ingot mold, dipper, lube, and a book on casting-loading cast bullets. Any Thoughts?
Thanks Mark