Anyone have the Magma Master Caster

[Aeolus]

I barely have the coordination to hand cast for my self and now my daughters are getting into shooting. I know when I'm beat. Any thoughts on the unit? Is the digital controller really necessary?

[cbrick]

Aeolus, welcome to cast boolits :drinks:

I have the pot, not the casting machine if thats how you meant it. I love it, I have no idea how I ever got along for all those years without it.

As for the digital temp controller it wasn't offered when I bought my pot but I will add it in the very near future. Most all pots will get hotter as the level of alloy goes down and the Magma pot is no different. The digital controller will maintain a steady temp. setting.

Rick

[Hardcast]

A friend of mine has a Master Caster in his basement. I believe it uses 2 sets of double cavity molds. He has not cast with it for years. When I asked him why not, he told me he does not use the Master Caster because he can beat the production of the machine by hand casting with Lee 6 cavity molds.

[dardascastbullets]

I barely have the coordination to hand cast for my self and now my daughters are getting into shooting. I know when I'm beat. Any thoughts on the unit? Is the digital controller really necessary?

The digital controller is really necessary - it will maintain a +/- 20 degrees F when not adding metal. That is very close when compared to other 'manual' pots. The small swing in temperature is so important to casting high quality bullets. You will not be disappointed in the machine - it is capable of casting high quality bullets that you will marvel at. You will be tempted to 'throw the handle' faster as you see that the bullets are dropping flawlessly, but resist the temptation because the increased speed will overheat the moulds resulting in poor quality.

I trust that this information will help you.

Matt

[davet]

Aeolus
I am a new member,just been reading the excellent advice so far.
I have had a master caster for 15+years.They are a well built easy to operate machine.
Adjustment for different molds is simple. It does not take as much finesse to attain good bullets as hand casting so your coordination is not a big factor.Converting molds to run with the machine is not hard but not inexpensive. You can buy molds already converted from Magma. Get the small blower if it is an option and get the digital controller as dardascastbullets suggested. The blower will help cool the sprue and speed up the casting process. The digital temp controller will help maintain a constant pot temp better than the rheostat type controller and this will help maintain a more consistent mold temp during casting. I cannot begin to guess how many bullets I and my two sons have cast on this machine with out any major problems. (replaced one heating element about 8yrs ago.)
Davet