How do you cast

[lifeon2]

Myself I cast by the metric ton I have several large sized coffee cans and they generally get filled. I usually sit down with 2 or 3 molds and cycle through them and I will cast 8-10 pounds per session. At the end of each session the boolits are allowed to air cool for a bit and then tumble lubed and stored away, ones that require gc are checked relubed and then put away. Once I have 1000+ from each mold everything gets put up and I reload to my hearts content.

Personally I just like to have plenty of boolits on hand regardless of whether I am loading 20 rounds or 1000 rounds

Rick

[docone31]

I paper patch. I cast up about 50, water dropped, size, wrap, size, load, then to the range!
Since I do not compete, I do not need lots of loaded rounds on hand. I have a small house and find ingots simpler to store than cast boolitts. With my front stuffers, I mean, how many rds can one do in a day? If I cast 100, I have a lot of range time ahead of me. Especially if I get one in the bore without any powder under it. That takes two target sets to fix. I am getting faster, but I can count on two anyway.
I save the roof lead for the front stuffers, the wheel weight for the paper patches.
It took me a month to clean and ingot the roof lead. That was a project!

[snaggdit]

I like to keep 3-400 of most of my calibers cast and ready to load with. My 2 main pistols, the 40 and 45, I like to keep 500+. I have several different boolits for each of these calibers so that allows me to go weeks before having to sit down and and cast to replace used boolits for a low caliber/style. Filling back depleted stores in different calibers takes a few hours every week.

[Beau Cassidy]

I won't cast unless I have at least 5 hours to devote to it. Preferably more.

[jameslovesjammie]

I agree with Beau. But I don't do it for volume, I take my time and go for quality. It may take me a little longer, but my rejection rate is quite low.

[jonk]

I would like to cast for volume, but rarely have the time or patience. I cast what I need for the next range trip or two, that's it.

[Dale53]

I am a volume caster (I guess). I used to cast as much as 8-10 hours at a time. Those days are behind me. Today, I cast a pot full (RCBS 22 lb pot). That typically means 20 lbs of finished bullets per session. I have a bad back (cast sitting down) so that is about my limit. However, using the MiHec's six cavity moulds, I can do a pot full in 1.0-1.5 hours. I enjoy casting and end up on a "casting high" (just love to look at beautiful finished bullets). Occasionally, I will do TWO pots full, back to back, if things are going really well. As a matter of comparison, that means that a pot full will give me 550-700 bullets from one pot full (depending on how heavy the bullets are). With the little .32, I can get 1400 bullets in a pot full (but that takes longer than an 1.0-1.5, of course - more like 3.0 hours).

My goal is to have several thousand of each bullet style that I use a lot (.32 GB 100 gr. Keith, .38 158 gr RF, .38 148 gr W/C, .44 200 gr W/C, .44 250 gr Keith, .45 H&G #68, .45 H&G #130. Then there are those odds and ends .45 Lyman 452664, .45/70 bullets, .40/65 bullets, etc.

Casting times do NOT include coming up to heat and alloying - that takes 30-45 minutes in the beginning of each casting session. However, I generally just turn on my hotplate with a bullet mould on it to pre-heat at the same time I load my pot up and start the heat. 30 minutes later (while I am doing something else) the metal and mould is ready to cast. THEN, 1.0-1.5 hours later I am finished.

I wait a bit for the bullets to cool, then I transport them from my Utility Barn to my basement workshop to size/lube.

When the spirit strikes me to go to the range (twice or three times a week) I NEVER have to put it off because I have no ammo or bullets. I take time off TV in the evening to run the Dillon 550B's so that I always have a thousand or two of the loads I use most ready to go.

YMMV

Dale53

[oldhickory]

If I'm in the mood to cast, I'll put out 4-5 hundred in a session...If I'm not in the mood, I just cast what I need for the moment. If anyone wants to know, I ladle pour, never could get the hang of a bottom pour pot.

[putteral]

I also ladle pour and generally spend about 3 hours casting. Depending on the amount of cavities the molds have, will determine the amount of boolits I can produce. The best I have done so far is about 800 in 3 hrs with a 6 cavity mold. Only about 250 with Mihec's single cavity mold.
:drinks:

[Lloyd Smale]

anymore with the bad back about 20lbs is it for me in one day. I try to do a casting session most mornings and some loading in the afternoon.

[BarryinIN]

I'm new at this, but here is how it's going so far:

I will cast for two, maybe three hours at a time. Whether that gets me a pile of boolits or a handful, that's when I quit until next time.
But the next time may be the next day.

This method of casting often, but in short stints, is probably not what I would have planned, but that's how it worked out.

I'm a stay home dad, which gives me a lot of "free" time but little freedom of how to use it because I'm usually stuck in one place. I spend a lot of time sitting on the deck watching the kids in the yard and pool (including watching the neighbor's kids since they don't). Since I'm stuck out there, I might as well cast. It's a good spot for it anyway.

So since I actually got going about six weeks ago, I've been casting two or three times a week, and lube-sizing maybe once a week.

I do most of my shooting from August through May (during the school year when I have the chance) so hope to have a mountain of boolits cast up for when I start up my regular range visits again in August.

[wallenba]

I shoot about 300 rds of various loads a week. Two days a week I cast between 500-600 boolits, depending on inventory. This way I build up a winter supply,so I don't have to deal with a cold garage and snow.

[jdgabbard]

I am a volume caster (I guess). I used to cast as much as 8-10 hours at a time. Those days are behind me. Today, I cast a pot full (RCBS 22 lb pot). That typically means 20 lbs of finished bullets per session. I have a bad back (cast sitting down) so that is about my limit. However, using the MiHec's six cavity moulds, I can do a pot full in 1.0-1.5 hours.

I use up my Lee bottom pour with a 2 cav mold in a little over an hour. Whether its the 160g RN or the 190g Ranch Dog. It seems to take about the same. Unless I'm casting for 9mm, then it takes about 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Of course I cast pretty hot many times.

One of these days I'm gonna get my hands on a few 4 cav Iron molds. That'll be lightning speed.

[Cloudpeak]

I cast in the winter using either a 4 cavity Lyman 200 SWC mold or one of two, 6 cavity Lee's for 9mm, about four hours at a time using a Lee bottom pour.

Here's a couple of sessions I recorded (though I don't know why.)

12-14-08 cast 34.5 lbs of 200 SWC which equals approx. 1,204 bullets (4 cavity)
12-15-08 cast 44# of 105 gr 9mm bullets which equals approx 2,935 bullets (6 cavity)

I like to cast;)

[RP]

Well I cast a few hours at a time or several hours depends on the heat. I stock pile my boolits then size or lube later then store in several methods from plastic pails cans boxes depends on the type of boolit. I have a proplem if 100 is good 1000 is better and several 1000 is even better. I think it has to do with not being brest feed as a kid kind of left me wanting more all the time.

[GabbyM]

I use one gallon plastic jugs. From pickles and such food stuffs. They will hold around 2,800 of 200 grain 30 caliber boolits. Place a couple coffee filters in for descants.

[imashooter2]

Depends on what I'm casting. I generally only run a single mold. If I'm casting for a competition load (150 grain .38's or 228 grain .45's), I'll run 30 pounds or more at a shot from Lee 6 cavity blocks. Some of the low volume stuff, I may cast a couple hundred and be done.

[roarindan]

heeyyyy Gabby,,, 'splain to me the coffee filter thing. is it the paper ones, for a drip maker??
always lookin for "good an cheap"

[10mmShooter]

I dont set down to cast or reload unless I have at 3-4 hours to dedicate

[GabbyM]

heeyyyy Gabby,,, 'splain to me the coffee filter thing. is it the paper ones, for a drip maker??
always lookin for "good an cheap"

Yes those paper filters for the drip machines. Supposed to absorb moisture. I've wraped molds in them too.

On my water droped bullets I add a tsp of Murphy's Oil Soap to the water also. Bullets seam to keep well in the air tight jugs. Kind of smell like pickles though.

One gallon jugs put a lot of bullets in a small foot print on the shelf. Any larger container would get to heavy.

[atr]

I ladle cast,,,usually with single or double casting molds which I alternate....I will spend maybe 3 hours at the most and 90% of my casting is done in the winter months...Im much to busy during spring , summer and fall to do any casting. I usually keep about about 2 or 3 hundred rounds on hand for the four calibers I shoot cast with,,,,30 cal, 7mm, 25 cal and 38/357

[gnoahhh]

I cast 1 at a time. Lovingly polish and carress it, lube it with ear wax from a Vestal Virgin, carefully load it in my cartridge case (counting out the flakes of powder one at a time) and drive to the range and fire it. Takes about a week-and-a-half to shoot a 10 shot group.

[SciFiJim]

lube it with ear wax from a Vestal Virgin Yep, finding them Vestal Virgins sure can take a while.[smilie=1:


I cast until my back can't take it any more, usually about an hour or so. That will get me two to three hundred boolits a session. I try to keep about 500 of each caliber on hand unlubed. I will lube a couple of hundred handgun and about 100 rifle boolits a few days before a range session (about twice a month) and then load them the day before.