Well I did it - bought a bullet mold

[warpspeed]

I've been casting slugs and decided to try casting bullets.

Ordered a brass NOE mold for 200gr SWC for my 45 ACP.

Haven't fully decided if I want to go the PC method or traditional wax lube.

Oh what have I done...............

[duckey]

You have just gotten started! It gets worse from here on out.

[waco]

Welcome to the madness!.....

[RogerDat]

.......

Oh what have I done...............

Well I would sum it up as making a swan dive into a money pit full of quicksand. Struggle only makes it worse so might as well just relax and enjoy.

At least you can look forward to saving lots of money. :bigsmyl2:

[Butchman205]

Go with powder coating and never look back!!!

[robg]

just think of the money youll save.:bigsmyl2:

[historicfirearms]

You might try tumble lube too. It's fast, cheap, and works well for 45. Welcome to the gang.

[Hickok]

We gather here on a regular basis to discuss our addiction.

[chrisstophere]

Welcome to the endless choices and even less free time. At least it's fun.

[bangerjim]

I constantly tell the wife: "Remember, that "little hobby" that was going to save us hundreds........is now costing thousands!"

And: "It keeps me out of the bars and wherehouses". Well......mabe at lease ONE of them!

Ha......ha.

[MrWolf]

We gather here on a regular basis to discuss our addiction.

It is a cost saving hobby, not an addiction. An additicion would ... wait is that a wheel weight in the road...

[chrisstophere]

It is a cost saving hobby, not an addiction. An additicion would ... wait is that a wheel weight in the road...
It's an addiction to cost savings!

[mold maker]

I've saved so much, I'm broke, but it sure was fun getting there.

[dubber123]

I've been casting slugs and decided to try casting bullets.

Ordered a brass NOE mold for 200gr SWC for my 45 ACP.

Haven't fully decided if I want to go the PC method or traditional wax lube.

Oh what have I done...............

You do know you need handles for your new toy, and probably a way to size them?.. :) Good call on starting with a quality mold by a reputable manufacturer. It will likely cut down on the learning curve, have fun!

[warpspeed]

bubber123-

i ordered the handles and a lee sizing kit to start.

I joined here a few years back as I was very interested in casting slugs for shotgun but always looked at the casting of boolits as more effort than it was worth. you see, when I shoot pistol, it is almost always 300-500 at a time. I did not really want to cast that many let alone size and lube them. Then, one day last week I looked at all the lead I have accumulated and said I will never use it all up casting slugs and thought, why not give it a go.

I tried looking up specifics on the brass molds - did not find much except people ******** about the weight. Any advice ?

[dubber123]

bubber123-

i ordered the handles and a lee sizing kit to start.

I joined here a few years back as I was very interested in casting slugs for shotgun but always looked at the casting of boolits as more effort than it was worth. you see, when I shoot pistol, it is almost always 300-500 at a time. I did not really want to cast that many let alone size and lube them. Then, one day last week I looked at all the lead I have accumulated and said I will never use it all up casting slugs and thought, why not give it a go.

I tried looking up specifics on the brass molds - did not find much except people ******** about the weight. Any advice ?

Brass makes excellent molds, I am sure you will love yours. Best advice I can give you is to keep the mold properly lubed, pre heat it to the correct temp, and close it gently. It's really easy to mess up a mold if you are ham handed. I had an old timer tell me, "If you can hear the mold close, you did it too hard". Pretty good advice.

[chrisstophere]

Brass makes excellent molds, I am sure you will love yours. Best advice I can give you is to keep the mold properly lubed, pre heat it to the correct temp, and close it gently. It's really easy to mess up a mold if you are ham handed. I had an old timer tell me, "If you can hear the mold close, you did it too hard". Pretty good advice.
I like that. I never noticed, but I'll be more aware next time.

[Bzcraig]

It would have been safer and cheaper to try crack, but the high isn't near as good! :bigsmyl2:

[Hickok]

It is a cost saving hobby, not an addiction. An additicion would ... wait is that a wheel weight in the road...I have done that before in parking lots, and I bet a lot of others have too!!!:bigsmyl2:

[warpspeed]

It is a cost saving hobby, not an addiction. An additicion would ... wait is that a wheel weight in the road...

Guilty as charged -

[gunoil]

i would use hitec 5000 mold lube to that new mold. l love that stuff. No smoked,greasy, burn molds. Nice and clean. Dont set it on something to hot to warm it up. I like those noe handles.

[Mytmousemalibu]

bubber123-
I tried looking up specifics on the brass molds - did not find much except people ******** about the weight. Any advice ?

You will get instructions to properly seasoning your new mold, make sure to follow that procedure so that your mold gets an oxide layer on the brass and everything is happy. Otherwise you could get tinning of the brass. They are some heavy suckers but they are metallic artwork and that applies to the boolits that fall out of them too! Can't go wrong with an NOE mold! If you don't have one, get yourself a cheap hotplate for mold seasoning and also for preheating molds before casting sessions. As for lube, I don't see going back to traditional or tumble lubes, PC is too good! You can do that easily and cheap too. Dry tumbled by hand in a tub is super easy, cheap, and quick and makes some nicely coated boolits. A pound of powder from Smoke, Prismatic or HF will go a long ways for low cost. I have been using Prismatic's powders as of late and the quality of the coating, even dry tumbled is outstanding!

[Wayne Smith]

bubber123-

i ordered the handles and a lee sizing kit to start.

I joined here a few years back as I was very interested in casting slugs for shotgun but always looked at the casting of boolits as more effort than it was worth. you see, when I shoot pistol, it is almost always 300-500 at a time. I did not really want to cast that many let alone size and lube them. Then, one day last week I looked at all the lead I have accumulated and said I will never use it all up casting slugs and thought, why not give it a go.

I tried looking up specifics on the brass molds - did not find much except people ******** about the weight. Any advice ?

Wow! You bought all that ammo, and think you aren't saving money! Before long you will be saving megabucks compared to what you were spending - then the lube sizer, and then a gun that is a great deal but you need to make your ammo because you can't buy it, and a mold that was just a great deal, but you don't yet have the gun ...

[warpspeed]

Wow! You bought all that ammo, and think you aren't saving money! Before long you will be saving megabucks compared to what you were spending - then the lube sizer, and then a gun that is a great deal but you need to make your ammo because you can't buy it, and a mold that was just a great deal, but you don't yet have the gun ...

I've been reloading but shooting j-words as the gun I have been shooting has a compensator and lead build up in them is a PITA. I have decided to shoot an old fashioned 1911 in 45 ACP for a bit and thought that I could cast lead for that as the cost of new is quite high and I have a pretty good stash of lead.

We shall see but so far I think I'm in pretty good shape.

[Green Frog]

I've saved so much, I'm broke, but it sure was fun getting there.

I'm a retired school teacher who went to school on the old NDEA, so I started out with nothing. Thanks to reloading, I have most of it left! :bigsmyl2:

Froggie

[warpspeed]

Here are the first 4 - I followed the NOE instructions to a T.

http://i239.photobucket.com/albums/ff295/wlance_photos/Mobile%20Uploads/IMG_20151126_144341877_zpsdrokbfym.jpg (http://s239.photobucket.com/user/wlance_photos/media/Mobile%20Uploads/IMG_20151126_144341877_zpsdrokbfym.jpg.html)

And the next 50-

http://i239.photobucket.com/albums/ff295/wlance_photos/Mobile%20Uploads/IMG_20151126_144634318_zps71aam7jf.jpg (http://s239.photobucket.com/user/wlance_photos/media/Mobile%20Uploads/IMG_20151126_144634318_zps71aam7jf.jpg.html)

[warpspeed]

I could not believe how nice they cast and dropped out with just a light tap.