New guy from CT

[noodles mcgee]

Hello from CT. New to casting. Tend to read a lot more than I post.
Really looking forward to this newness in my life

[lup]

Welcome. There's a lot of knowledge here to be learned but you'll never get it unless you try. Good luck. What are you going to cast first?

[Circuit Rider]

Welcome to the addiction! I hope you've lurked on this site long enough to realize the vast amount of knowledge these members have, and are willing to share just for the asking. Best boolit site on the web IMO. CR

[Wayne Smith]

Welcome. Please recognize that reading without doing is theoritical and very limited. Melting lead for the first time is eye opening. Pouring your first boolit is equally so. Once you have some experience under your belt the theory comes alive.

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

noodles,
Welcome. There is lots of good reading here. While Wayne is surely right, I too read the posts here [everyday]
as well as a couple books during about a 6 month period of gathering needed equipment, before I melted or poured any alloy.

[Blacksmith]

Welcome to the forum. Please add your wisdom on whatever the subject is a new point of view is welcome.

[DCP]

Welcome. Lots of knowledge here. Enjoy

[GaryN]

Welcome to the club. The first thing to do while you are reading is look for some lead sources.

[noodles mcgee]

Thanks for the warm welcome.

My venture in casting may be an odd one. Or it may not be. Not really sure

I want to be nearly self sufficent in as many aspects of my life as possible. Or atleast have the knowledge and skill to do so.

The plan is to start with shotgun. 12ga and 20ga. First a blackpowder substitute. Then BP then I want to attempt to make my own BP. Going to do slugs buck and shot. Want to cut my own wads as well. Maaybe attempt reloading primers too

After I figure all that out move to 38special/357mag.

What got this slug moving was my desperate search for 20ga buckshot for HD. Which lead me to wax slugs. Which lead me to buying a buckshot mold. And having a slug mold on backorder.

I was given a NRA casting bullets book from 79 by a friend and he told me to check this place out

[Ed Barrett]

You will find a lot of help here. I pity you for having to live in CT.

[Dean D.]

Welcome Noodles! There is a wealth of information here that can not be found anywhere else. A willingness to learn is the only tuition we charge ;)

[Blacksmith]

You will have problems finding data on BP loads for shotgun. There is a book on reloading brass shot shells but I was not pleased with it. There were a couple of articles in a magazine a while back that is what became the basis of the book. The best information I have found is old reloading manuals. New manuals all have little more than plastic hulls and plastic wads. Lee has three sizes of buckshot molds. Wad punches are not cheap. Sources of wad material are hard to find. Circle Fly Wads has a good selection of wads. I went with Brass hulls for maximum number of reloads, some BP substitutes leave residue that eats plastic.

Reference

Circle Fly Wad sizing chart.
http://www.circlefly.com/html/wad_sizing_chart.html

Old reference books.

Lyman Ammunition Reloading Hand Book 41st Edition; Copyright July 1957 by The Lyman Gun Sight Corporation, Middlefield, Conn.

Pacific Shotshell Handloading Manual Second Edition; prepared by Pacific Gunsight Company, Lincoln, Nebraska, Copyright 1967, 2ND Printing May, 1968.

Lyman Shotshell Handbook First Complete Edition; Copyright 1969 by The Lyman Gun Sight Corporation, Middlefield, Conn.

NRA Illustrated Shotgun Handbook, published by The National Rifle Association of America, Washington, DC, circa 1962.


Reloading Component Suppliers

Good selection of components including Air Wedge, PGS, other shallow cup, card and fiber wads. Sells the book on brass shot shells.
http://www.ballisticproducts.com/default.asp
Ballistic Products
PO Box 293
Hamel, MN 55340
1-888-273-5623

Various card and fiber wads with widest range of sizes and a helpful wad sizing chart.
http://www.circlefly.com/index.html
CIRCLE FLY WADS, LLC
P.O. BOX 36
AIRVILLE, PA. 17302
717.862.3600

Wad punches.
C. S. Osborne
http://www.csosborne.com/NO149.HTM
Home page
http://www.csosborne.com/

Search Cast Boolits for information on remanufacturing primers there are several threads.

For making your own high quality BP you will need a ball mill. The fireworks manufacturing sites have the best information and resource lists for BP making.