?? For those that water drop

[Vance in Ak]

For those of you that water drop your bullets while casting, how do you keep them from getting banged up by each other?
I'm just getting started, but I loose at least 10% to damaged bullets.
How deep is your bucket, how do you cushion the bullets, etc?????

[dubber123]

The deeper the better, (within reason). I stretch a T-shirt over the opening, and cut a small slit in it. Push the shirt in until it has a pool of water above it, and drop your boolits onto that. You'll prolly have to keep a stick handy to poke them through the hole occasionally. Really cuts down on the dents.

[Jeffery8mm]

The deeper the better, (within reason). I stretch a T-shirt over the opening, and cut a small slit in it. Push the shirt in until it has a pool of water above it, and drop your boolits onto that. You'll prolly have to keep a stick handy to poke them through the hole occasionally. Really cuts down on the dents.

+1
Thats the way to do it!!
Jeff

[Phat Man Mike]

I use a 5 gal bucket and it's half full. I drop my boolits on a damp towel and it rolls down a pipe then drop's in the bucket with another towel with a cut in it! sounds long winded but works for me!!
http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h130/ziggytrucker/highpoint%20talk/21may2009005.jpg

[docone31]

I set my "gig" up, with my casting pot at eye level, and my dump pot at shoulder level. This way, it is a straight dump into the water. I watch the sprue for the freeze. I try to time it at six seconds.
I use a deep pot. This I fill half with water.
I do not get damage this way.
A five gallon pail would do well. Fill it half with water.

[mooman76]

I also use a 5gal bucket half filled. I place it on a chair almost directly behind me so I have to turn around. This avoids the splash getting too far and sence it's on a chair, they don't get dropped far.

[44man]

I use a 5 gallon bucket almost full, enough space for all the boolits I cast. The water slows and hardens them enough before the bottom is reached.

[chaos]

I use a 5 gallon bucket almost full, enough space for all the boolits I cast. The water slows and hardens them enough before the bottom is reached.

I do the same thing. Never have dinged slugs

[Paladin 56]

I use a full (within 2-3" of the top) 5 gallon bucket off to the side of the small table the melting pot sits on and dump right over the water. I have also used a large sponge floating in the water at the recommendation of Veral Smith. The boolits hit the sponge and roll off slowing their decent and it works well. Either way, I don't get dented boolits, even those as large as 515 gr. .470 NE.

If you dump that close to the water, make dang sure you don't get a dancer in one of the cavities or it will open the mold up for you before you're ready.

[Kraschenbirn]

I place a 2" foam pad in the bottom of a 5-gal. bucket...a little two-sided carpet tape will keep it from floating...and fill the buck to within about 3" of the top. The fall through the water hardens the boolits and the pad softens the impact with the bottom.

Bill

[BrianB]

About the same here, just fill a 5 gallon bucket then sink a bath-size towel on the bottom.

[Shiloh]

The deeper the better, (within reason). I stretch a T-shirt over the opening, and cut a small slit in it. Push the shirt in until it has a pool of water above it, and drop your boolits onto that. You'll prolly have to keep a stick handy to poke them through the hole occasionally. Really cuts down on the dents.

Same method but I use a towel.

Shiloh

[HeavyMetal]

The 5 gallon bucket is the trick!

Sponge or foam, about 3 inch's thick, glued to the bottom. Fill bucket with cold water to a few inchs of the top and have at it. I run my alloy hot enough that I hear them go" Zinggkk" when they hit the water, impressive noise when your using a 6 banger!

I figure boolits are as hard as they are gonna get by the time they get half way to the bottom. This has worked well in my 45 auto boolits since "74"!

If your still getting dings you don't have enough antimony in your ally, stick on WW metal, or pure lead and tin. These will not harden and your wasting your time.

[rmb721]

I use a minnow bucket with a cloth drooping into the water. The bucket sits on a stool. This is not near as heavy as using a five gallon bucket.

When the bucket gets half full of bullets, I dump the bullets on flat pans to dry.

[RobS]

I use a large tote or tub that is set up on an angle so the bullets will hit at one end and then slowly roll down to the end. Every once in a while I use a pice of wood to move the bullets to one side so I can cast a large number of bullets. I need to fill the tub a bit more, but you will see where I'm going. Here's a picture.

[cheese1566]

Five gallon bucket 3/4 full. Then either a small strip of 2" thick foam (2x3x6") or a layer of 1" square foam bits floating on the top. The bullets hit the water soaked foam and roll off into the water. The foam helps keep the water from splashing up.

[Bob J]

I use a 5 gallon bucket almost full, enough space for all the boolits I cast. The water slows and hardens them enough before the bottom is reached.

Works for me as well.....:wink:

[Lead Fred]

A five gallon bucket with a bag of ice in it, filled 3/4 full.

[Vance in Ak]

I use a large tote or tub that is set up on an angle so the bullets will hit at one end and then slowly roll down to the end. Every once in a while I use a pice of wood to move the bullets to one side so I can cast a large number of bullets. I need to fill the tub a bit more, but you will see where I'm going. Here's a picture.


Man, lots of great ideas.
Thanks guys.
For simplicity & logic sake this looks like a winner!

[XWrench3]

I use a 5 gallon bucket almost full, enough space for all the boolits I cast. The water slows and hardens them enough before the bottom is reached.

I do the same thing. seems to work well for me.

[JIMinPHX]

I use a 2-liter Coke bottle with the top cut off. I fill it about 80% with water & put it under the bench. I cast with a 2-cav mold. I drop the boolits out of the mold into a gloved hand & then gently dump them from the glove, into the water under the bench. That's the way that I've always done it. I haven't seen a dent yet.

[fredj338]

I use a 2gal bucket w/ an old towel taped over it w/ a slit cut in the middle. I never get deformed bullets & I drop from about 3ft.

[Hillyard]

Pot on the bench, 1gal bucket 1/2 full of water behind me on the floor

[joejr]

i put a fine mesh net in my bucket 3/4 full,it catches all the boolits so you don't have to fish for them

[Lloyd Smale]

nice thing about casting in the winter up here is theres lots of snow. a little layer of snow on top keeps the water colder and cushions the bullets.

[WHITETAIL]

:idea:I am with Loyd.
I get a large coffee can and go outside
and fill it with snow.
Then come back in and pour cold water in the middle
of the can.
This makes a whole in the center of the snow.
I put the can on a small table about waist high when sitting.
The can is to my left.
Most of my moulds are 1 or 2 bangers.:redneck:

[Jayhem]

5 gallon bucket, half full. I zip tie a towel over the bucket with a large X shaped slit in it that the bullets roll through into the water...no splashing and unless your bullets are almost pure lead, after sinking through 12" of water they aren't going fast enough to dent each other.

[Artful]

Five gallon bucket 3/4 full. Then either a small strip of 2" thick foam (2x3x6") or a layer of 1" square foam bits floating on the top. The bullets hit the water soaked foam and roll off into the water. The foam helps keep the water from splashing up.

Yep sponge floating on the water - I used a 1 gallon milk carton with most of the top cut away just leaving the handle area to move it with, and two sponges filled the surface area. When the bullets hit it sizzle and steam and the sponge would sort of dip down letting the bullets roll off and fall and then bob back to the surface for the next incoming -

used multiple molds - one being emptied, one just filled - resting ready to be emptied - so just take the empty fill it and set in place in the resting area. pick up the rested and empty and continue the cycle. when you get done with a 20 pound pot time to stretch and empty the milk carton.

[45-70 Chevroner]

44man has the right idea, i have been using that method for a very long and have never had dented or banged up bullets. You can fill a 5 gallon bucket to within 4 or 5 inches of the top and still have room for 1000 bullets and it won't run the water over the top. As for splash I drop 500 grain 457 bullets straight in the water and don't get enough splash to amount to any thing. If the water drops were to get in the melt it does no more than splater a little steam. Water has to be under the surface to cause a lead explosion. Even if you had water in a cold pot and you put ingots in to melt the water would steam away before the lead got hot enough to explode. If you drop a wet bullet in the melt look out because you will have an eruption, and it won't be fun.