Just starting, need equipment advice

[Reddot]

I'm at the planning stage of getting into casting. I don't have any equipment so I need advice on who's equipment to buy and what I need to buy. The decisions that I have made so far are:
9mm only
6 cavity mold
Bottom pour lead melter
This will be a small operation with economy being a factor, hence I don't want to spend money on multi-phase equipment. I have a Dillion 550, Lee's Modern Reloading book, and a turkey fryer. Suggestions on where to purchase equipment are welcome.

[oneokie]

I'm at the planning stage of getting into casting. I don't have any equipment so I need advice on who's equipment to buy and what I need to buy. The decisions that I have made so far are:
9mm only
6 cavity mold Lee
Bottom pour lead melter Lee
This will be a small operation with economy being a factor, hence I don't want to spend money on multi-phase equipment. I have a Dillion 550, Lee's Modern Reloading book, and a turkey fryer. Suggestions on where to purchase equipment are welcome.

Would suggest a Lee push through sizer if one is needed. Slug your barrel and add .001" minimum.

LLA will work for lube.

Places to purchase: Check the Swapping and Selling section here. Mid-south, Midway, Grafs are also good places to look.

Hope this helps

Welcome to Cast Boolits.

[357maximum]

Reddot

I would keep an eye on the swapping and selling right here...but you must be quick when you see what you want at a good price...the good stuff here goes quick. It is kinda like dropping a barrel of crack in the middle of da hood...get it quick or your share will be gone. [smilie=1:


There is a lyman 356-402 ..9mm mold for sale there right now...but could be gone by the time I submit this that I am presently typing...[smilie=1:

http://www.castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?t=42322

[runfiverun]

you will want to get you a cast iron pot for your turkey cooker to clean and alloy your lead in.
yard sale is always good. but these are pretty inexpensive if you look around.
midway has some pistol molds on sale right now.
and a lee sizer is an economical way to start. but i fear this is one thing that i wouldn't do on a dillon.
a cheap c press yes.

[carpetman]

I too would go with a Lee bottom pour. (Most equipment I favor RCBS, but the bottom pour Lee is an exception). I would also get a Lyman reloading manual. If you also reload jacketed bullets,get their standard manual---if you are strictly reloading cast,get the cast manual. Lyman being a company that makes reloading equipment, includes cast data and information in their standard manual. You will read tons of stuff here about muffin pans,for example, to be used as an ingot mold. This info will include all kinds of detail---where to get them,rusted or non rusted,teflon coated or non and who knows what all else. I had some muffin ingots once upon a time and they did not go into my Lee pot---they were a pain in the rectal area. In my books a $15 ingot mold will last a lifetime---I guess---had mine over 40 years and it looks like it did when I got it--btw I lucked out and found a used one. The ingots are the right size and will stack easily---I find it easier to just put em in a plastic bucket. I have not gone the liquid alox route--have used both Lyman and RCBS sizers--prefer the RCBS due to the warranty for one reason. You didnt say what you will use for alloy---but if like most of us it will include wheel weights. DONT USE YOUR bottom pour for this. Needs to be done outdoors due to smoke etc. A small cast iron pot and a Coleman stove works fine.

[canebreaker]

I got my Lee 10-2 production pot from fmreloading.com.
Added 3 blocks of 1x for extra space. The 10-4 pot cost
a bit more. Cast iron pot of any size will last longer than
an alum. ones. Clean your lead before you place it in
production pot. I found a cornbread stick alum. mold 7 cav.
at carport sale for a quarter. New cast iron ones are about
$15. Each stick weighs about a pound, I can place 4 in
pot to start. Not knowing the correct weight of the sticks,
I get 30 to 35 boolits from each stick (.357 120gr. rn)
I turn my thermastat to 10 to get started, then back to
6 for production. I use a long tea spoon to scrape bottom,
sides and pin of pot to remove any trash that builds up. Then
dip it out. The bottom spout will drip! Top of pin has a slot,
A screwdriver to twist it back and forth a couple of times will
cure this. I never leave lead in pot when finished.
I remove pin from pot, scrape trash from pin and pot, light sanding
and apply a light coating of AW32 hydrolic fluid. It's a 10w non-
corrossive non-detergent oil.

[catkiller45]

well for what is worth I think I would suggest you go with a ladle pour pot if your using a multi cavity mold..I have found the bottom pour to be too slow for the gang molds..The mold cools off to quickly..And thus the bullets will be of poor quality.....Just my opinion.....I have an extra 20 lb or 25 lb cast iron pot here if your interested.....John

[wiljen]

Spend the extra $20 and get the 20lbs pot if you go with the Lee, it is well worth the difference in cost over the 10 lbs variety. As for molds, consider the 4 cavity designs as well as the 6. I tend to only use 4 or 5 cavities of a 6 cav mold anyway and you really should choose the mold based on what your gun shoots best, rather than # of cavities in the block. It would be a shame to pass on the best shooter because it wasn't available as a 6 cav mold. Consider the Lyman 356402 or 356637 along with the lee designs as these are the most economical of the currently available molds. Consider borrowing molds or requesting sample bullets as many 9mm designs prefer an over-sized bullet and will shoot better with designs originally made for the 38 Spec. Case in point, my High-power prefers the Lyman 358345 or the Lee 358-125-RF.

[NSP64]

Slug your barrel. I would go with the Lee 20# BP pot also. I would go with 2 lee 2 Cavity molds(come with handles- as opposed to 6 cav & also have to buy handles) in a TL356-124 design RN or TC. With 2 2-cav molds you might have less rejects. LLA thinned with mineral spirits. Load and shoot.
4-20 Pot$60.00
2 molds $40.00
LLA $5.00

[mold maker]

Midway has the 20# bottom pour Lee pot, ingot mold, and the 6 cav. handles on sale.
Ignore the complaints about drips. Put your ingot mold under the pot to catch the drips, and a screwdriver to stop them.
Lee boolit molds, ingot mold, and pot save enough money to pay for powder and primers.

[Reddot]

Thanks to everyone for the answers. I'm rethinking a 6 cavity mold. As Wiljen pointed out I don't know what will shoot well so why spend the money on a 6 cavity if it doesn't turn out to be the appropriate mold for my guns.

Can someone point me in the direction of a sizer/lube press? I don't have a clue on what to look for on that one.

How do I slug my barrels?

[runfiverun]

either the rcbs or the star.
you can also do the lee push through.
and buy one of their cheap c presses.

[Tweaker]

Why would one not use a Dillon press (mine's a 550B) with cast boolits?

This would prevent me from making the jump into casting like the OP.


If one uses a turkey cooker, is that just to prepare alloy, not to ladle into boolit molds?

I already have a cooker that I make homebrew beer wif. My electrical rates are Obamabot stoopid. I would love to avoid an electrical melting pot. Is this possible?

1st post, great site!

[glicerin]

Tweaker:the lee sizer is not made to be used with a full or semi-progressive press. It requires a C or O press shellholder slot to accept the push-thru sizing rod. A machinist could probably reduce the rod end to fit in a dillon shellplate. Dillon's work fine for reloading cast bullets.

[Wayne Smith]

An old Coleman 2 burner camp stove and a 1qt steel pot from the kitchen that your wife no longer wants are all you need to melt lead and ladle pour. Well, a Ladle helps as well, it does get hard on the fingers without one! Seriously, along with the boolit mold, something to flux with - old candle wax, sawdust, etc, do a search - this is all you need. Some arrangement to catch all of the boolits you make softly is nice. To stir my flux in my melt I simply took a short piece of copper pipe and pounded one end flat. Jam a stick in the other end for a handle and - viola!- a stirrer. I have it all on a resin table on the screened in back porch with an old piece of 3/4" plywood between the table and the equipment. I have been casting like this for over 10 years and it works for me, obviously.