My Lee 4-20 pro came in

[wendyj]

I spent a few hours in hot sun ladling out bullets with my 45 mold. Lots of wrinkles and cavities didn't fill out good. Melted a few half pots with the bottom pour and a Rcbs thermometer. Guy I got lead from said they cast best between 700-750 degrees. He was spot on. Cavities filled out nice. Way faster than the ladle. Made a good batch in about an hour. No leaks yet. I cleaned it out with alcohol good before starting. Had a bit of smoke but not much. Still a few wrinkled bullets but not 2 out of 3. Let it get up to around 800 degrees after adding lead and had some frosty bullets but after temp dropped back down between 700-750 they started looking good again. The aluminum base or whatever it's made of just lets drips pull off with a paint stick. I let it stop a little over a 1/4 in bottom and hope it works that good next time. Now to order a sizing die and some Alox to lube and I can load these up one of these days. Need a 44 mold now with gas check and start back again when time allows. Way better than a hot stove. Got a lot to learn but I'm sure it will get better. The hot plate helped a lot keeping my mold hot. M221485221485

[nagantguy]

Nice work I’ve been following your quest with interest . I also started casting in the Stone Age and after years had almost made it to the Bronze Age until I found this board and the great folks here!! Now I cast for 15 calibers and some of they fairly high velocity rifle. The .45 and 44 are great to learn on . Few tips with the lee pot; good to see you already have a casting thermometer. A set of channel locks clamped to the handle also helps not only to use the handle but to add a little weight to close the hole after a pour. Next Keep a large flat head screw driver near your pot ; when not if but when you get a leak or bad dripping from crud or crust or maybe the brass eyelet of some old fishing sinkers you can use the screw driver to turn the spout stopper post one way or the other and it’ll often break what ever was plunging the spout stop from closing completely. Hopefully I described that well enough. As others have said a hot plate and blow torch are invaluable tools. And also for plinking blasting ammo a few wrinkles or lines don’t hurt a thing as long as the bases are good.

[wendyj]

I had perfect bases with the bottom pour. I can always remelt culls or as you said plink with them. I kept a screwdriver, pliers, paper clips and my torch handy. Tractor supply always has a cheapo set of vice grips as you go out the door. My husband won't let me have his good ones. I stopped and picked up a big bottle of brake cleaner and going to clean mold again in the morning. I would like to find some lead a little softer for the handgun. Maybe a BH of around 15 or so. Lee said pot was close to 600 on 4 1/2. Set it on about 6 to melt this hard alloy to let it pour good. So far I like it as much as my loading press. Can I use a brass brush with brake cleaner to clean the mold again. I used dawn and a toothbrush first go around.

[toallmy]

You may want to avoid the brass brush on a aluminum mold . If you have a speck or smear of lead on the mold there are other ways to remove them . I am glad to hear you had a good casting session .

[dikman]

No, if it's an aluminium mold I wouldn't use anything harder than a toothbrush on it.

[wendyj]

I fe leaned it brake cleaner and a toothbrush. Used 3m semi coarse pad on the sprue plate and applied very little synthetic 2 cycle to mold pins and holes with q tip and wiped it off. Ran first two bullets and while they were in applied to top of mold and both sides of sprue plate. First 2-3 were wrinkled and had no culls after. I have what appears to be a small bur at base of rear cavity. Can't see it on the bullet but not sure how to get the burr off. Touched it back and forth lightly with the 3 m pad but it s still there. Guess it's okay if I can't see the mark on base of bullet.

[toallmy]

O your hooked , go over to the mold maintenance and design section there is a lot of helpful information on problems you haven't discovered yet .

[Alan in Vermont]

I would like to find some lead a little softer for the handgun. Maybe a BH of around 15 or so..

Wendy, that alloy you got from me shows as BHN 11.6 according to the alloy calculator.

[wendyj]

Do you have anymore??

[toallmy]

I see that you are having trouble with your new lee 4/20 bottom pore pot , hahaha it keeps running out of lead .

[daloper]

You may find that some molds like to run on the hot side. I have a lee mold for my .380 that likes to run hot to not get wrinkles. They dope a little frosty but that does not hurt how they shoot. I powder coat so it is covered up anyhow. Make sure that if it does start to dip to much that you take your screwdriver and work the pour pin back and forth a few times and that normally stops mine from dripping to much.

[wendyj]

So far it hasn't dripped at all. Only drippings I have is me over filling the mold. I used a dipper in it just to try and it gets hot enough for no issues. I do like the bottom pour though. Quick and simple.

[daloper]

And another one falls deeply down the rabbit hole.:grin:

[wendyj]

Yes I know, I said I would probably only shoot 150 45 colt bullets a month and have made around a 4 month supply or better this weekend. I'm going to have to buy another gun to cast for. Thought about my 9mm Glock but I bought a 100 round stash of Remington bullets back in the fall.

[toallmy]

It's a death spiral , you see now you need a lube sizer of course you will want to try powder coating then tumble lube as well now , because you have all these boolits you definitely need to go progressive with your reloading so now - I'm going to stop there but it goes on and on , or you can shoot your 150 rounds a month and enjoy it .[smilie=w::guntootsmiley:

[wendyj]

I shot my 6.5 Creedmoor a lot and a 260 at the bench. I've got to keep these loaded up for weekends. Also take my &mm Mag and 7-08 out and still doing ladder tests with bigger bullets in the mag and smaller in the 7-08. Always take the levers just to let the other guns cool down. I thought reloading would save money but it only lets me shoot more. Now I will probably shoot a lot more cast also. I need to look into a lubrisizer which Isn't going to be cheap I am sure. Probably jus use tumble lube until I get some more money stashed up.

[dikman]

" I thought reloading would save money" :D A common misconception.