Cast my first boolits!

[xxclaro]

I recieved my Lee 2 hole .45 mold today,and had to try it as soon as I got home. My setup is pretty basic right now,just a coleman propane burner,pot and ladle. Still, the bullets coame out pretty good for my first try. I used straight WW, which I had previously smelted into ingots. It was a bit messy,as for some reason the ladle was collecting gobs of lead all the time,no matter how hot I got it. I'll definitely be getting a bottom pour pot soon.The bullets wanted to stick in the mold,and took a couple good wacks to get them to drop,but at least I ws making bullets. Only made 75,and it took about an hour,so I'll be looking to speed things up. Still need a way to lube them,as I ordered a TL mold,but got a regular one instead. I got some liquid paste wax from the auto detailing guys at work,and lubed some up. We'll see how they are once they dry.http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i274/xxclaro/DSC00134.jpg

[docone31]

Not too bad. Needs more heat though.
I shoot that casting. Great stuff. No leading in my 1911.

[geargnasher]

+1 on needs more heat, and maybe a little tin, I see a few wrinkles, but hey, they look way better than my first ones!! Congratulations and welcome to the forum (am I too new to extend welcome?). Please check out the sticky on "LEE-MENTING" which addresses, among other things, the hard release you are experiencing with the aluminum moulds. Sure helped me.

Good luck!

Gear

[jdgabbard]

The ones fourth over from the right, and up front look like they had enough heat. Its the ones over on the far left that look like they could use some more.

Most look good to me, the only one I probably wouldn't shoot would be up front far left. Looks like it has a little bit of the nose missing. You know it never quits amazing me how nicely those large caliber molds drop boolits. Seems to me like the smaller the mold the more difficult it is to get nice boolits. I think the larger molds just hold the heat better...

[SCIBUL]

+ 1 for the boolit on the left. All other ones seems quite goods.
Have fun shooting and tell us !

[Wayne Smith]

When up to heat the ladle should not be collecting lead. Do you have a thermometer or are you guessing as to the heat? I ladle pour everything without problems, but my boolit weight became much more consistent when I got a thermometer.

[putteral]

Congratulations! Not bad for the first time. As stated needs to be a little hotter. Have the same mold and love it. Makes real nice clean holes in paper. Keep up the good work.
:drinks:

[captain-03]

Congratulations -- I would have been ashamed for you to see the first ones I ever cast!! They scared me!! You will learn more and more as you do it!!

[jdgabbard]

When up to heat the ladle should not be collecting lead. Do you have a thermometer or are you guessing as to the heat? I ladle pour everything without problems, but my boolit weight became much more consistent when I got a thermometer.

On the contrary. My ladle always collects little clumps. And I am usually around 800 degrees, as that is where I cast slightly frosty. And I always use a thermometer.

[Recluse]

Nice work there. One thing you'll learn about Lee moulds is "the hotter the better," and this applies to both mould and alloy.

I pay more attention to the bases of the boolits than I do the noses/meplats. I'm looking for a well-cast, well-filled in base so that obturation can occur. This is what helps reduce/eliminate leading as well as determines your initial accuracy. A good tight seal means the boolit isn't rattling down the bore. The nose never contacts the bore, so I don't worry about it too much.

Interesting article in one of the rags, I think it was Handloading where a guy did all kinds of abuse to the nose of some high-velocity bullets (believe he was using j-bullets). He didn't see any noticable depreciation in accuracy. But when he started messing with the bases, accuracy really started falling off.

Someone else here on this forum did a similar thing with cast boolits--boogered up the noses something awful, and still shot extremely tight groups. Then he boogered up the bases and had all kinds of problems. Want to say this was three or four years ago.

But, nice job on your first outing. Lots of us did lots worse on ours. [smilie=1:

:coffee:

[snaggdit]

I have this mold, too, and even though it has a lube groove (albiet a small one) I have tumble lubed it with LLA. Works fine. Also pan lubed and no difference. Go ahead and try tumble lubing, it is way easier. They look really good for your first try! This is the 200gr Round Flat, right? Mine drops WW at 210gr. YMMV.

[captaint]

I also just received that mold last week in mail. Haven't cleaned it up yet. I will be tumbling mine also. Don't have that sizer/luber yet.

[xxclaro]

Thanks guys. I plan to head off to the city on monday to see if I can pick up a Lee bottom pour pot. I also need the sizing die,as the bullets are a bit too big to chamber as cast. I don't have a micrometer,so I can't slug and measure my bore, but I assume a .452 die should work. Hopefully I can get everything,as I'm really anxious to get to shooting these fat little buggers.

[Slow Elk 45/70]

Good for you, agreed with more heat is better with the aluminum molds, now if you can find a micrometer and a thermometer you should be in business, don't be afraid to tumble lube these, they will work fine.

If you have not measured the boolit as cast, how do you know it won't chamber, unless you made a dummy and tried to chamber it?? Just wondering. The .452 is probably a good guess if that is the way you want to go.

if you want to make your WW go farther, you should be able to mix 50/50 pure/WW and still have a pretty hard boolit for the .45, just a thought.

Let us know what happens and good luck.

[xxclaro]

Yeah,I made up a dummy round and dropped it in the barrel,and it won't sit down all the way. I seated it to the same specs as 200gr jacketed, not sure that's right. Also,if anyone is using Unique,could you recommend me a load for these bullets in my .45 acp? My manual doesn't list Unique for lead bullets in this weight.

[Slow Elk 45/70]

Yes you did the right thing, the boolit is to big unsized, the case is hanging in the chamber, it is to bad you don't have a casting, but the .452 sizer you mentioned should work. Most don't have to be sized down to .451, but you never know.

7.6gr of Unique should get you about 980fps with your 200gr boolit.

[armyrat1970]

I think you did a pretty good job in your first casting session. My first cast was for the 8x57. I was amazed at how well all of the bullets came out after casting about 30. The next time I tried my bubble was popped because I could not drop a good bullet. I also use the Lee molds and you have to keep the mold heated enough. It seems that the first drops were from a to cold mold but as the mold heated up the bullets looked more uniform. Your on the right track.

[44man]

No junk in out out of the ladle allowed! :drinks::drinks:
Never stir or flux with the ladle, get an old stainless spoon and put a long wood handle on it with a few rivets.
Keep the nose of the ladle out of the lead and keep the hole open.
Keep the ladle as clean as the mold, you wouldn't stir with the mold would you? [smilie=1:

[bingo]

I am still green with all this casting stuff. I can tell you I use a lee pro 4 bottom pour and I love it. Your first boolits will not be nice but after the mold warms up they will start drooping perfect. Once you get this DO NOT stop. Keep the same rhythm, speed. Deffinitely get a thermomoter. One more thing. Do not use your lee bottom pot for a smelter. Make ingots first.

Good luck

Bingo

[armyrat1970]

I am still green with all this casting stuff. I can tell you I use a lee pro 4 bottom pour and I love it. Your first boolits will not be nice but after the mold warms up they will start drooping perfect. Once you get this DO NOT stop. Keep the same rhythm, speed. Deffinitely get a thermomoter. One more thing. Do not use your lee bottom pot for a smelter. Make ingots first.

Good luck

Bingo

Bingo is right on there. First time I smelted wws in my Lee ProVI I got zinc contamination that clogged my spout. It took me quite some time with a number of post on different forums before I finally got the pot cleaned again. Don't smelt in your pot. Continue they way you are going. Get a thermometer to check your temps and try to find the Lyman 3rd edition castbullet handbook.