Finally Casted My First Boolits!

[jwber]

So yesterday I finally casted my first bullets using the Lee 124gr Tumble Lube mold. Everything started working well after I got my Lee Pro 20lb pot figured out so it would stop dripping.

So couple of questions, I mixed up some of the 45/45/10 lube, however I used way too much and it also started too cool too fast on me and started to get a lil thick/chunky. How do I remedy this? Wipe off the excess with a rag on everything but the lube grooves and remember next time to go easier on the lube?

Also I lubed my mold with Permatex anti-seize according to the mold instructions. However I don't recall seeing if I have to do this every time before using the mold or not.

Overall I'm pretty excited to load these up and shoot them relatively soon :bigsmyl2:

[Curlymaple42]

Nice job! That is my first boolit too. I shot some and they leaded up the barrel but I think I had too thin a lube layer which I thickened up, and also it was a weak load as I was tweaking the load data to suit the boolit weight. We shall see what happens next time I shoot! Need to get over to my dadinlaw's to load some ammo as I do jot have the 9mm die set. I have every other die set I shoot, just not that one...

[Cadillo]

Welcome to the addiction!

Nothing that we can discuss here gives more satisfaction than shooting ammo that you've handloaded with bullets that you've cast yourself.

One more thing. Yesterday you Cast (past tense) those bullets.

[RobS]

Not bad at all and you'll just become better as you go and learn. As to the lube just load them up and if the extra TL bothers you wipe the nose after you load them. Next time simply use less lube.

[jcameron996]

I have gotten heavy handed with the 45-45-10 a few times. It is pretty easy to do. If a little is good more must be better right? All was good until it started gumming up the bullet seater die and I had to pull the stem out every twenty rounds and clean it off. I dumped all the unloaded and too heavily lubed bullets on a old towel and heated them up with the wifes hair drier and then rolled them around on the towel. Took some of the lube off and cured my problem. I also started heating the bullets with the hair drier in the bowl before I applied the 45-45-10. This allowed the lube to flow around the bullets better and get a more even coat. Hope this helps.

[PS Paul]

Look, don't sweat the lube thing too much. Just load and shoot! If you find the lube did not meet your satisfaction, just try something else next time, that's all. With tumble-lube, it is most important the lube is on the bearing surfaces, so don't wipe off too much.....

You know, permatex is something I've never used for lubing molds, but sounds as if it might work well. I lube every time I cast with an aluminum mold. Sometimes during the process. Perhaps every 60 to 70 cast cycles or so.

Nice work and congratulations!

[TXGunNut]

Good Job! Feels great, doesn't it? :drinks:

[TXGunNut]

Too much lube isn't a bad thing, there's even a guy around here that sells extra lube grooves. :wink:

[jwber]

Thanks Everyone.

I will just wipe the tips of them a bit so they don't gum up the die too bad and use a lighter hand next time pouring the lube. Hoping to get them loaded up to try out Saturday at range, however I need to load up some JWords for a USPSA Match on Sunday.

Hopefully come the spring I'll have all the kinks worked out and will be shooting cast exclusively for practice and matches.

[jwber]

Can't believe it's been over a month...but I finally got out on Saturday to try out the first boolits I casted plus the 2nd batch.

I had 6 different load combinations:

Straight COWW lubed with 45/45/10
4.3gr Unique
4.7gr Unique

5 to 1 Ratio Range Lead to COWW lubed with 45/45/10 and also straight JPW
4.3gr Unique
4.7gr Unique

They all dropped .3575 to .358 straight from the mold.

I found all them to be reasonably accurate (shot groups with my current plated loads aswell) and they were very comparable. It was pretty warm out (70-75*) and I noticed the 45/45/10 lube started to get a little soft on me while the JPW held up. None of the loads showed much signs of leading, I shot a few plated bullets at the end and when I cleaned my barrel that night it came out pretty much spotless.

The 4.3 loads with straight COWW tumbled a bit, thinking they were too hard and going too slow.


I think I'm going to work on the 5 to 1 ratio with JPW some more and find out which load I like more.

Overall I was pretty excited :bigsmyl2:

[Mike W1]

Look pretty good. You must have readed a book I'd guess.

[Pb2au]

Looks like you are off to good start!
Have fun!

[w5pv]

I have used a lot of 45/45/10 and it has served me well.I mixed a batch of Ben's red an have bee shooting it in some 3006 rounds also.I like it too.I haven't tried it in my hand guns yet but I feel it will do me proud also.Another loob that gets good reports is Felix loob.The next batch of loob I make is going to be Felix loob

[jwber]

Yah I'm not sure if I had the proportions right or not, I didn't get any leading however it seemed like it got really soft really quick. The straight JPW didn't even seem to get tacky.

I won't write it off, but the straight JPW is easier to use and doesn't make the bullets all weird looking :razz:

I'll give it another go or try some from White Label Lubes...this Eagle Scout loves to support fellow Scouters.

[shoot-n-lead]

Good job on the bullet that you "cast" the other day. There is a real sense of satisfaction with shooting bullets that you made from a pile of nasty wheel weights.

[mckenziedrums]

I'm a little jealous... smelted down 200lbs of ingots the other week as my intro to casting as it were... got a 6 cavity lee mold... found myself a lyman 45 sizer... got my white label lube (Didn't realize they were into scouting... as an Eagle scout myself, bonus!), and I managed to get 360ish keeper boolits on my first sit down casting.

We had our first kid the day after I cast those and I won't have time to shoot them for a while! The good news is that I'm even more excited about him than shooting those boolits that are out there feeling neglected!