magma master caster

[458lott]

anyone here, used a magma master caster? like to hear your comments.

[LAH]

Simple basic machine. Easy to use. Easy to understand. Easy to repair. As your body goes, it's low impact casting. Slower than a few multi cavity moulds under Magma's Master Pot.

[deltaenterprizes]

I started a profitable bullet business with one in the early 80s. you can do aprox 500/hr 9mm 125 gr bullets ,aprox 300/hr 45 230gr with ease.
Mine went through Katrina and I haven't tried to repair it yet I lost all my molds and need to replace them. Most 2 cavity molds can be machined to fit,I did a bunch,SAECO are the best.The RCBS are real soft and wear where the sprue plate pivots.

[L Ross]

I picked up a used one a couple of years ago along with a few moulds and it works exactly as it should. I have no complaints and I'm pretty picky about stuff. I'd recommend it unconditionally.

[686]

they cast a very nice bullet but are slower than hand casting with a 4 cav. ther are not as tireing as that 4 cav. easer to get good bullets. try to fing a used one.

[Sundogg1911]

i love mine. i have over 20 moulds for it now. I very rarly cast with hand moulds. It's not as fast as 4 cavity hand moulds, but I usually fire up the pot when I get home from work and crank out about 500 Boolits while I watch the news. Cant beat that. Hand moulds for me require much more setup time, and if I cast 5 days in a row they start to beat me up a bit from standing so long. With the master caster i dont think i can cast a bad boolit. Heat up the pot, drop the boolits 5 or 6 times to heat the mould and go.

[LAH]

With the master caster i dont think i can cast a bad boolit.

Once things are to the proper temp. it's just a matter of timing. If the pour spout is kept clean so the metal pours directly into the mould, it's hard to make more consistent bullets.

[willwork4ww]

I think most of these guys that claim they can outcast a master caster with a 4 cavity mould must have awfully low standards. I have never been able to duplicate master caster results with my master pot. The only difference I see is I use ww in my Master pot and the only alloy I have ever used in a Master caster is 91-6-3. The master pot has nowhere near the production rate of the master caster.

[LAH]

I think most of these guys that claim they can outcast a master caster with a 4 cavity mould must have awfully low standards. I have never been able to duplicate master caster results with my master pot. The only difference I see is I use ww in my Master pot and the only alloy I have ever used in a Master caster is 91-6-3. The master pot has nowhere near the production rate of the master caster.

I can and have taken 3 each 4 cavity moulds, the BC #1101 and the Lyman 429421, two of one and one of the other, and cast 1000 bullets per hour for 5 hours straight, day after day. We sold these bullets in each and every state for 5 years. Complaints from customers? I could count them on one hand.

Casting is a matter of heat, timing, and pouring lead into the moulds the same way and at the same pressure, cast to cast. This, and acceptable alloy, is what makes good castings. While I agree that this is very easy to do with the Master Caster, it can also be done with the Master Pot.

I see the main advantage of the Master Caster as 1. Making the casting of a good bullet easy for anyone. And 2. Being easy on beat up bodies. But differences in quality is slim to none when either is used by seasoned casters.

I also note the difference in your alloy. While wheel weights will cast good bullets that alloy isn't in the ball park with 91-6-3 for ease of casting. Most wheel weights contain only 0.5% lead while you are using 3% tin in your Master Caster. BTW, that's a nice mix.

I will not challenge your results comparing the MC and MP, but my mileage is different. Could I cast more bullets using only one 4 cavity mould? I have an NEI 45-270-SWC mould (forget the number) with Magma keys. Using this mould in the MC, fan cooling as soon as the sprue is hardened enough that the sprue cutter can rest on the stud, I can dump it every 35 seconds. Any quicker and I get frosted spots.

Using the same temp & alloy in the MP with the 4 cavity BC #1101 mould I can dump the mould every 65 seconds. Any quicker I get frosted spots. If I were to use a cooling fan I would think that time cut by 10 to 15 seconds.

Using my Master Caster I have lowered the mould carrier, inserted a furring strip for a mould rest, and cast with a 4 cavity mould. I can't remember the timing but it did speed things up a bit because of the fan. On the strength of this I purchased a fan for my Master Pot. When using 3 moulds it isn't used to cool the moulds as much as cool my hands. HEE HEE

We all have our system. Bruce B. does the "Bruce B." You do best with the Master Caster. But as stated above, my mileage differs.

God Bless............Creeker

[txpete]

I have one that I bought in the early 90's.I was shooting every weekend and working the flight line full time +.it kept me in bullets no problems.the only down side is your friends will be putting the pinch on your bullet supply:-D:-D.I sure like having a 40 lb pot.I still handcast all my rifle bullets and a few handgun bullets with some old ideal molds I have picked up.I think the master caster is money well spent.oh while we are at it pick up a star lube sizer:).its a good combo to have.
pete

[Sundogg1911]

I can at least double the output if I use 3 four cavity moulds. Once I get my rythem going i can really pile them up, but i'd much rather use the master caster. It's much more relaxing. I can't really slow down with the hand moulds for some reason. It's just go go go.

[LAH]

It's just go go go.

HEE HEE, I feel your pain............Creeker

[lilguy1]

Are there any other machines to compare to?

[LAH]

You have this from Ballisti Cast which holds two moulds..........Creeker
http://www.ballisti-cast.com/images/Mark_IV_new_model.jpg

[willwork4ww]

Creeker, I said I've used a Master Caster and 91-6-3. My usual method is a Master Pot and WW. I neglected to mention the addition of 1% Sn.
All I can say is you must have some endurance. Two hundred hand cast bullets is about the extent of my patience, comfort factor. 1000 in one hour would end my casting for weeks and I can unequivocally state I have never once cast for anywher near 5 hours. Wow! You must have some hand strength, and more comfortable shoes and or shop stool than I.
I also don't like to beat my moulds. Running three at a time and letting them sit that long, makes a mallet, whackin' stick, etc, mandatory in my experience. I prefer to open them gently. Too each his own. Thanks for your thoughts. I'd like to see you in full speed operation someday!

Garrett

[Sundogg1911]

Creeker. I do the same thing with hand moulds. I lock down the mould carriage assembly, insert a piece of extruded aluminum as a mould guide and use the Magma pot with hand moulds. (If i'm casting in volume) I still use the little Lee Dripmaster for small runs. I think the next time i'd like to see the production relative to time compared to using the MC. I'm guessing that when I get in the zone with 3 moulds im probably producing triple of what I can do on the MC. However i still like using the Master caster best. A little easier on me, and I dont end up with 4 boxes surrounding me (A box for each boolit, and one for Sprue) Setup, and cleanup time all go away too. The MC is mounted to my bench right under a range hood. flick on the power, have a beer while it's heating up and im rolling

[LAH]

Garrett endurance was something I learned but more important was ease of motion. Our pots were mounted high enough that the pour spouts were just under eye level. I used a step to add alloy and flux. My cooling platform was just under shoulder level and the bullet incline on which the bullets fell from the mould was mid-torso. Using multiple moulds we averaged dumping a mould every 12 seconds. That works out to 300 dumps per hour or 1200 bullets. I could not maintain this because of adding alloy, fluxing, drinking water, and removing water from my body. HEE HEE But the normal cast was 5 hours and 5000 bullets. And yes I was ready to quit come one or two in the afternoon. The rest of the day was spent lubing and packing bullets for shipment. I tried to cast 3 days a week but when we were mentioned in Handloader, Guns, or American Handgunner there were 3 or 4 weeks after the mention we had to cast 5 days. At that point it became work but customer demand required it.

I used old hammer handles to open my moulds. The Ballisti Cast moulds with the thick sprue plates did fine with this. The Lyman moulds did ok but the set screw for the hold down bolt would not stay tight allowing the sprue plate to loosen past "useable". Mould handle nuts also had to be struck as to be out of round before they would stay were set. Another problem was the wood coming loose on the handles.

I worked on a thin pad always casting and sizing while standing. I wore confortable shoes with inserts because of a foot operation that put me out of the truck mechanic work. As for strong hands and arms, it comes with the business and as far as watching someone in full speed operation..............I'd like to see BrueB doing the BruceB. That would be something to watch.

God Bless,
Creeker

[LAH]

Sundogg I used the MC a bit for hand moulds but used wood for the mould to rest upon. Metal would have been much better. The wood insert rested on a coffee can at the rear of the MC and on the wood I place two 8 pound ingots so things stayed in place.

In defense of the MC and speed, I have a Saeco 928 double cavity mould with Magma keys and sprue plate which I can dump every 12 seconds. That's an average 10 bullets per minute. Should work out to 600 bullets per hour if'en you don't have to pick yer nose along the way. HEE HEE
http://ourworld.cs.com/BHALSTE/creekerpics/For+Sale/x.jpg

[willwork4ww]

LAH

So, technique is a larger factor than I would have attributed. I've long thought I could greatly increase production if my pour spout were at eye level, this confirms it. As does the shoulder height mould cooling platform. I have to sit on the stool and crane my neck to watch the pour, then stand and move left to dump the mould. Way too much unnecessary motion, after your description. I'll work on it. The pad to stand on sounds like it would be a vast improvement, too!

[LAH]

I hope to be back up and casting before fall and I'll make some changes to the above set up. Your comfort and ease of movement is everything. While it's true I have to stand on something to flux or add alloy it makes the act of casting simpler for me. Not everyone likes to stand while loading or casting but for me it's the only way.

If I use the Master Caster only it's a different story, I'll sit. But mostly when I ran the MC only; I was standing with a bucket full of bullets to inspect before dumping into the luber. This was productive time while waiting for the cooling fan to do it's job so I could dump and refill the mould. And yes I kept a large clock with a second hand so I could maintain the correct pace. Whew.........starting to sound like work again.........Creeker

[Southron Sanders]

I purchased my first Master Caster in the early 1980's and in my opinion, it is one of the most under-rated products out there in the American shooters market place. I ACTUALY FEEL SORRY FOR THOSE THAT HAVE TO CAST THEIR BULLETS BY HAND; WHEN THEY COULD AFFORD A MASTER CASTER. THEY JUST DON'T KNOW WHAT THEY ARE MISSING.

The Master Caster is compact. Only about 18 INCHES HIGH and maybe (including handle) 12 INCHES ACROSS, so I am sure almost everyone would have someplace where they could set up their Master Caster. The only proviso is that you need someplace where you can BOLT IT TO A BENCH OR TABLE SOLIDLY.

For some strange reasons, Magma Engineering claims that the Master Caster cannot be used to cast hollow based Minie Balls, nor can their machine be modified to do so. Over the past 20 odd years I have cast hundreds of thousands of hollow based Minie Balls with no problem on my Master Caster. I use my RCBS iron Minie Ball mould with a "floating" base pin.

Another great advantage of the Master Caster is that the 40 pound lead pot is big enough to accept and melt "industry standard" 60 pound ingots. The trick is, of course, is to suspend the ingot in the pot from a simple overhead chain hoist. Obviously only 35-40 pounds of the ingot can be melted on the first melt.

The simple fact is that after you learn how to use the machine, you can cast better, more uniform bullets that are more accurate than you can by hand casting-and a heck of a lot easier.

You can modify most Lyman, RCBS, etc bullet moulds to fit your Master Caster-you just have to change the sprue plates. (Note: You can't use those aluminum moulds on a Master Caster, as the machine will literally 'eat an aluminum mould alive.') Magma Engineering sells additional sprue plates you can use to modify iron moulds made by Lyman, RCBS, etc. on the machine.

So I recommend the Master Caster highly. I will never go back to casting by hand!

[Earl Brasse]

Southron Sanders, that'a great about being able to cast HB Minis on a MC. What type of mod did you have to do to the RCBS mold to make it work or did you have to make some sort of limiter on the MC for travel? I've been dreading making any of my hollow based bullets after being spoiled by my MC.

Has anyone done a left-hand/right-hand conversion on their MC?