New to casting

[Redtop72]

Just had 1000 pounds of lead dropped at my shop for free, going to start casting. Need ideas of what equipment I should get ... Have a 45 Henry Bigboy....

[Conditor22]

Welcome to Cast boolits Redtop72.

Lead is not, all the same, what/where did the lead come from?
You need a casting pot, suitable boolit mod for your gun, either a lube-sizer and lube, tumble lube and boolit sizing die or powdercoating setup and boolit sizing die. a reloading press, reloading scale, and a reloading manual (layman#3 cast bullets is a good one), brass for the gun, and some way to clean the brass, powder, and primers for your gun and reloading dies for your gun.

for starters. the deeper you get into it the more stuff you'll want/need

[StuBach]

Depending on the source of the lead you could parse it out and sell here or on Fleabay to fund buying the equipment too. Might also see if anyone is willing to trade straight lead for equipment.

There is a couple members on here with access to xRay guns that will test content for you. Sometimes your local scrap shops will do this for you for free but if not members on here will do for the cost of some extra lead. I know BNE has done this from one of my buddies quite a bit. Once tested and known type it’s easier to price and buyers are more likely to buy cause they have confidence in what they’re getting. Sell 20% of what you have and could fund buying decent setup to cast out the rest and still have enough to make more than 18,000 bullets at 310gr (heavy 44 bullet mold).

[El Greco]

Lead is very dangerous.
Please DO NOT mess with it and especially with 1000 Lbs of it. I can come and pick it up and dispose it properly for you for no charge. I’m just a nice guy. :kidding::lol::lol::lol:

[Bazoo]

Welcome to the forum.

Well you need a pot and heat source. This can be a stainless sauce pot and a propane camp stove or an electric melting pot made for the purpose, such as the lee magnum melter. https://www.midwayusa.com/product/1010213626 Then you need a dipper such as the Lyman or RCBS. https://www.midwayusa.com/product/1010226746

The lee melter and Lyman ladle is what I use.


Or you might like a bottom pour pot like the Lee 20 pound https://www.midwayusa.com/product/1262645810

Then you need a bullet mould for the caliber. Honestly, I'd buy RCBS. While many use Lee moulds, myself included, it's not without issue. RCBS moulds are easy to learn with. And you need a pair of handles for it. A pair of Lee handles ground down a smidge to fit works well and that's what I use.

Then you need a way to size and lube the resultant bullets. A used Lyman 450 works for me. But pan lubing also works with a lee push through die for sizing. I've done both and I'm not looking to give up my Lyman 450 anytime soon. Pan lubing works and is cheap though and I've done a mess of it.

White Lable Lube, 50/50 or BAC, or make your own for pan lubing 2:1 beeswax and unsalted crisco.

If you buy used, like say, a Lyman 450, you can get one for 75 bucks. Then your able to get your money back if you change your mind or upgrade later on.

And you'll need a stainless table spoon with a wooden handle to stir and skim.


If your lead is dirty you want to use a separate pot to clean it and make ingots to start before putting it in your pot if you choose a bottom pour pot. But if you go magnum melter you can get by a while with just that.

For ingot moulds you can buy them, or you can use one piece cupcake pans from yardsales and thrift stores.

[Winger Ed.]

Welcome.

I'd get a Lyman Cast Bullet Handbook, and read through it a couple of times.
Find out what ya got as far as the Lead goes.

Spend a few hours here reading, especially the 'stickies'.

Then go from there.

[Bazoo]

Here a bit of reading for you.

http://www.lasc.us/Fryxell_Book_Contents.htm

http://marvinstuart.com/firearm/Manuals/Bullet%20Casting/Lyman%20Cast%20Bullet%20Handbook%20-%203rd%20Edition%20-%201980%20-%20Reduce.pdf

I also recommend the Lyman cast Bullet Handbook 4th.

[StuBach]

Another good source of info that helped me get started:

From Ingot to Target:

http://www.lasc.us/Fryxell_Book_textonly2.pdf

Edit: Bazoo beat me by seconds. [emoji16] this link is a downloadable PDF though. I keep it on my phone for reference when needed.

[Redtop72]

Already have multiple machines and equipment.... Just new to the lead game... Thanks everyone for the homework...��

[farmbif]

after decades of casting bullets I recommend jumping right in and get the 454640 mold from mp-molds, they are discounted right now and is the one of the finest molds available for about the same cost as Lyman or rcbs. the flat round nose design chambers very easily in lever actions. I don't have a semi wad cutter mold for my 45 colt cuz I have had chambering problems with other pistol caliber lever actions using Keith design bullets. that's my experience anyway. ive got the same 640 mp mold for my Henry 41 mag it works great too.
what form is this lead in? one big chunk? wheel weights?
I guess I'm old school still using a Lyman lube sizer have not ventured into baking power paint bullets yet.
one of the guys on this forum makes real good lube sticks, lsstuff.com white label lube or there is a whole bunch of info here on how to make your own bullet lube

[Rich/WIS]

My buddy has the Henry and found the same feeding issue with SWC/Kieth type bullets. I cast his bullets and he reports excellent results with the LEE 452-255 RF sized .452 and lubed with either White Label XLOX 2500 or the old 50/50 NRA formula.

[Wayne Smith]

Redtop - when you say you have multiple machines I assume you mean reloading machines and you are very familiar with reloading. If not please clarify this.

Second issue is available space. You need a place to do this and possibly convert an unusable large single quantity of lead into useable ingots that will fit in a melting/casting pot. Thus the question of the source of the lead - composition and quality, how much work are you looking at to convert what you have into useable casting metal?

I said the above because most of us with 'shops' - space is already at a premium. You may need space to melt large quantities of lead to clean and convert it into ingots - typically outdoors - and space to cast boolits - typically indoors.

The guys who have advised you about specific equipment for casting are leading you correctly, but you need to think about the process of getting your lead into the condition to cast boolits with and in the size and shape to fit into a casting pot.

[popper]

Lee bottom dripper, what ever mould - refer to the guys that cast for your RIFLE. How big a chunk of lead? Whittle down to size with elec chain saw. Depends on what it is as to how much zinc or other 'less desirable' metal in it. Don't need to xrf it, try muratic acid (foams if zinc), slow heat to get stuff to float to top, ect. Propane turkey fryer and half a propane bottle (etc) with old muffin tins to make ingots.

[farmbif]

that's it! I need to make new friends. the kind redtop has, that just drop by with 1000lbs of lead.
still curious what form the lead is in. there have been all kinds of discussions here about how to to get big chunks like sailboat keels into bite size pieces.

[Redtop72]

About 500 ingots in different sizes

[Redtop72]

Redtop - when you say you have multiple machines I assume you mean reloading machines and you are very familiar with reloading. If not please clarify this.

Second issue is available space. You need a place to do this and possibly convert an unusable large single quantity of lead into useable ingots that will fit in a melting/casting pot. Thus the question of the source of the lead - composition and quality, how much work are you looking at to convert what you have into useable casting metal?

I said the above because most of us with 'shops' - space is already at a premium. You may need space to melt large quantities of lead to clean and convert it into ingots - typically outdoors - and space to cast boolits - typically indoors.

The guys who have advised you about specific equipment for casting are leading you correctly, but you need to think about the process of getting your lead into the condition to cast boolits with and in the size and shape to fit into a casting pot.

Have an iron press, auto ap press set up with both rifle and pistol, dryer, large sonic cleaner, powder coating, auto scale, micrometers, bullet seating micrometers, 1600 SQ. Ft. Shop, case prep center, annealer, and a few more things

[sailcaptain]

farmbif... I agree... I need new friends

[kevin c]

Ingots imply that somebody already processed the lead. Did your lead donor give you any idea on the source or composition of what was given?

Unless you have a couple tractors and ATVs parked in there, it seems you have plenty of space. Lead storage is just a matter of a few square feet of floor space in an accessible corner. Processing and casting equipment can be shelved over it, to be used on a bench or floor as needed, though a volume caster might dedicate bench space full time the way many reloaders do.

Equipment used depends on a combination of need (application, volume), desire (gottahaves and wantahaves) and resources. Feeding a single rifle might require forty high quality rounds a year for sighting in, practice and hunting. Feeding an action pistol habit might need forty thousand reasonably accurate rounds in the same timespan. A single cavity mold and ladle pouring from a 10# pot works for the first, an eight cavity mold with a 20+# PID controlled bottom pour is better for the second. Gas checking may be the way to go for some rifle applications. Coating the boolits rather than lubing traditionally lends itself to high volume, and may allow the use of alloys that aren't as hard as often recommended for the application. Also, some want to dip their toes first, others dive right in.

So, what and how much are you going to shoot? Are you just trying this out of curiosity, or do you think that this will be the direction your reloading is going in the long run? What kind of resources might you commit to this?

[Drew P]

You guys crack me up. He doesn’t need help finding places to store it lol. I suggest that you buy some antimony and tin, and start casting for whatever pistols/slow rifles you shoot the most. See where that takes you. As far as molds, I think the best value in molds is MP. They are under 100$ and they are beautifully made, and many of them drop more bullets per cast than your average Lyman/rcbs/old styles where 2 cav was considered standard. I like to have at least 5 cav per cast, really speeds it up.

[45workhorse]

Nice amount of lead, be careful, it will disappear faster, than you think!:castmine:

[Rich/WIS]

kevin c makes a good point about volume, let me add that when you start casting your own there is a good chance you will be shooting more than you are now. Take that into consideration when planning your purchases. If your alloy is usable as is there is enough there for over 25K bullets for your rifle. Not sure of current costs to purchase factory cast but the savings will cover any equipment you buy, regardless of how much you spend, even if you have to buy alloy to sweeten it . Being somewhat frugal (late wife would say cheap) I am an inveterate user of range lead and even with the current cost of powder and primers have been shooting 45 ACP for about 5-6 cents a pop. Rifle ammo is a bit costlier because I harden and GC it but still in the 10-12 cents a pop range. For my shooting I cast with the Lee 20# pot, a Lee 6 cavity for the 45 (452-200 SWC) and NOE 5 cavity molds for the 06 and 30/40 and 243 (311291, 311115, 246105). I cast 9mm, 38/357, 40, 44 and 45 Colt for my buddies, all with Lee 6 cavity molds. Never got into powder coating or tumble lubing and do all my sizing on Lyman 450's or a RCBS LAM II, lube is White Label XLOX 2500. Also used the old NRA 50/50, but switched to the 2500 as it was a bit less tacky.

[David2011]

Cheaper Than Dirt has Cowboy 180 gr RNFP for almost $64 for 50 rounds. Ammobuy has Armscor at $39.50 for 50. Reloading your brass will be about as Rich said, 5-6 cents/round; $2.50-$3.00/50. Big savings. Most of the Cowboy Action Shooters use a round nose flat point boolit in their .45 Colt rifles. The main thing is to get a mold with a profile that will feed reliably. The advice to make your first mold an RCBS is good. Iron or steel molds are much easier to use than aluminum so that eliminates one learning curve from the process. Use sawdust for the flux. It will reduce another learning curve. With all the savings buy a lead thermometer. Another learning curve shortened.

If you decide to try powder coating from the beginning you will see two benefits. Powder coated boolits are easy to size. They are cleaner than traditionally lubed boolits both to handle while reloading and they will leave your rifle far cleaner than traditional lube.