Casting is a funny thing: I love casting boolits

[44Blam]

I was casting some 188 grain 40 cal boolits with a cup point and I was thinking about the cadence of various molds. This particular mold really requires hot lead (near 700 degress) for fill out of the nose and a kind of slow cadence. The cadence was maybe a 20-30 second drop. And then some breaks to let things cool down. One thing I noticed today was the sounds of the lead in the mold. The pour you can hear, then I could hear a little sucking sound and then the sprue glazes over.

Last casting session was a 125 grain 9mm boolit which requires a faster cadence and medium hot lead (near 650-675 degrees). That mold is a 5 banger so the whole session was really quick!

The session before that I cast a ton of 30 cal 90 grain boolits. That was a FAST cadence with hot lead (700 degrees) and then I switched to 44 mag which is a slow cadence and cooler lead (600-650 degrees)...

It's really funny - this hobby is all about tweaking each and every aspect of what we do at every step...

This is my haul today:
238134

The cup points:
238137

[Bazoo]

I keep a sheet on each mould so I can record what it likes and reproduce it. Although I've found a fast pour and little longer free fall works for most moulds regardless of cadence needed.

[44Blam]

I keep a sheet on each mould so I can record what it likes and reproduce it. Although I've found a fast pour and little longer free fall works for most moulds regardless of cadence needed.

This is a smart thing... I find that I kind of remember and then adjust as I cast...

[Walks]

I like to cast from multiple molds I find that molds of the same Height make casting much easier & smoother

I use 3+ molds at a time. Or even 4 if they are all 2cav. I cast from about 725degrees.

Even with arthritis I can turn out a good 500 at a time. And I find casting at a smooth rythem gives you far fewer rejects.

[Bazoo]

I find a good rythm helps with the keepers also.

[RED BEAR]

I used to keep notes on each mold but i just lost the notes so i just kinda figure it out as i go.

[bobthenailer]

I have also noticed Lee six cavity moulds like to be closer to the casting pots pour spout & the alloy a little hotter than my Saeco 4 & 8 cavity moulds

[Burnt Fingers]

Now that I have a Pro-Melt 2 I just set it at 800° and start casting. I use a small fan on my bench to help cool the molds and boolits. That way I don't burn my fingers as much.

[dverna]

If you are slowing down to cool off the mold, try using a damp cloth to cool the sprue plate. Lay cloth on bench, touch the sprue plate on it for a few seconds. It works very well and increases production significantly.

[Burnt Fingers]

If you are slowing down to cool off the mold, try using a damp cloth to cool the sprue plate. Lay cloth on bench, touch the sprue plate on it for a few seconds. It works very well and increases production significantly.

If you've got hard water use distilled water from the store to wet the cloth. Otherwise you might end up with mineral deposits on the sprue plate. Don't ask me how I know this.

[JBinMN]

I enjoy casting and loading & shooting up the resulting boolits..

I do not enjoy smelting into ingots. The difference being that I get to see more boolits to load with casting, I only get to see ingots with smelting & even though I know that means more casting, I do not enjoy it. Maybe is because I then have to stack them in their respective piles, making more work than fun.

[Bazoo]

If you are slowing down to cool off the mold, try using a damp cloth to cool the sprue plate. Lay cloth on bench, touch the sprue plate on it for a few seconds. It works very well and increases production significantly.

Why the sprue plate and not the moulds bottum?

[Bazoo]

I enjoy casting and loading & shooting up the resulting boolits..

I do not enjoy smelting into ingots. The difference being that I get to see more boolits to load with casting, I only get to see ingots with smelting & even though I know that means more casting, I do not enjoy it. Maybe is because I then have to stack them in their respective piles, making more work than fun.
Ya ever thought about having a buddy come by and helping with the smelting? Ya know cokes and fellowship to makes less like work.

[JBinMN]

Ya ever thought about having a buddy come by and helping with the smelting? Ya know cokes and fellowship to makes less like work.

Yes I have thought about that, but although I know a few reloaders, they are not interested in going any further than that.
I only know of one feller who casts boolits & he doesn't do casting or smelting much anymore since his dad died a while back. That is what he told me & I let it go at that, so as to not to possibly make him bummed out.
I even asked him if he would like to go in on some buys, but he said he had all that he would need.

My oldest son has helped on occasion, but he is a busy feller & lives 60 miles away, so the opportunity to have him help is not that often.

Thanks for mentioning the idea though, & I will keep it in mind for the future!
:)

[dverna]

Why the sprue plate and not the moulds bottum?

That is a great question. In my case, it is to get the lead cold so there is no smearing when the sprues are cut. I think a hot mold casts better, but get it too hot, and the sprues will smear and make a mess.

[Thin Man]

Wish I had a casting buddy. The majority of my friends from years gone by have passed away. Their children and grandchildren occasionally speak about taking up reloading since all of the tools and materials are right then available to them, but extremely few move into casting. Very disappointing. Even with my encouragement and the offer of a free tutor they don't have the enthusiasm for the art. Ah, well, maybe some day.

[mjwcaster]

I love smelting, just something inspiring about watching junk turn into something useful.
Now gathering range scrap is nothing but work that I do not enjoy at all, but I like the end result.

I also would like a casting/reloading partner.
Was just shooting with a guy from my club that lives in town, he asked me about reloading since he would like to get into it.
I’ve known him for years, but never realized he lived by me.
I hope he follows through, he has a lot of old guns I would like to shoot, but it will be a while since he has some things going on right now.

I did get to shoot his enfield mk4, my first enfield.
What a blast.
And his cz50 and a hipower.
A hipower was the first semi auto handgun I ever shot and also reloaded for on a friends press (now my press) many years ago.


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[robg]

I usually use 2x2 cavity molds at a time with small 22-35 cal boolits but with my Lee 45-70 405 mold I use it on its own as it needs to be keep hot to cast good boolits .

[lightman]

Casting is enjoyable to me and is kind of like therapy. I've gotten where I cast in the shop with a buddy or two. We'll talk and visit, heckle each other about our rejects, ect.

I have my PID set for one temperature and don't change it. I'll vary my casting speed by what the mold seems to want. For example, my 120 grain 9mm mold has to be run fast. So fast that I don't have time to put the rejects or sprues back in the pot. Then there is my new 45-70 mold that I have to go slow with and I have plenty of time to cull bullets, put the sprues in the pot, ect. I don't keep notes on this though. Maybe I should but I've been casting long enough that I adjust to different molds fairly quickly.

[fredj338]

I enjoy making things & making useful bullets from a pile of scrap has certain satisfaction. It isn't forged & fire but pretty close. As above, it is my therapy time. Unlike reloading, I do not have to pay really close attention, just go thu the steps & make a pile of bullets.

[firefly1957]

44 blam Keep that good hearing mine has been toast for years ! It was work that did my hearing in almost all of my high frequency is gone well except the high pitch whine that is not really there!

I cast 38 wad cutters today and 45 hollow points the 45 mold is a Lee 230 i modified bullets stick badly on the pins cast soft they ran 208-210 grains . These bullets do really open up if they do not tumble in target Slightly tapered 3/16" hole 3/4 of the way to bullet base.
The 38 wad cutters are being swaged into half jacket hollow points for use in a new MGM barrel for my Contender. I will be getting a smaller mold to cast cores when i finalize best weight the round is 357-44 B&D.