Centaur 1
03-21-2010, 08:52 PM
I posted this over in the cast boolit section but some one suggested that I post it here as well since I'll be casting for a Marlin 336.
I need some help so I’ll explain my situation and hopefully you guys will point me in the right direction. I’ve had a palmer hot pot for the past 35 years, and I’ve used it for fishing sinkers and lures. Recently I’ve came into possession of approximately 300 pounds of range lead from a friend who works at an indoor pistol range. The mix is about 60% cast .45 acp/.38 wadcutters and 40% jacketed bullets. I’ve been melting small batches since my pot only holds 4 pounds at a time, for ingots I’m using a mini cupcake pan. I fill them ½ full and get 12 mini ingots per pot. Then I place them into 12 separate piles and continue this way until a 5 gallon bucket of bullets is smelted. I’m now left with 12 piles with one ingot from each batch. Now I remelt each pile one at a time, flux the lead, then pour the mix into a full sized cupcake mold, it make a 2 ¼ pound ingot. Before I get started I plan on trading in some BassPro shop reward points for a lee 20 pound pot.
So this is where I’m starting and this is what I’m up against. I’m disabled and on a fixed income, so funds are limited. I just want to make plinking ammunition so that I can go shooting without breaking the bank. The two guns that I want to start with are a Marlin 336ss 30-30, and an AR-15 in 9mm. The 30-30’s barrel measures exactly .308” diameter, I haven’t checked the 9mm yet, but will soon. Since I’m not looking to make anything fancy and all shooting will be at short range at cans and spinning targets, the ammo only has to be “accurate enough” to have fun. I’ve already been making 30-30 loads using Hornady short jacket 100 grain bullets on top of six grains of bullseye, so this is where my mind is at in regards to type of load. Due to my limited funds, I would really like to buy molds that produce a bullet that is shootable without having to buy even more equipment to resize and put on gas checks. I’m hoping that due to the extremely low velocities, that I won’t need gas checks, and since I’m not trying to win any shooting matches that resizing won’t be necessary.
So that’s my situation, now I’d like to hear suggestions on which bullet molds to buy that’ll meet my needs. I’ve already been advised against buying a mold for light 115 grain bullets. I was thinking that they would just use less lead, but I’m told that they can be real finicky to get to shoot accurately. I’ve been told that I should just get either a 150 or a 170 grain bullet and either will shoot well using bullseye. So anyway I really want to hear suggestions on what to buy for both guns, there are so many choices that I don’t know where to start, especially in regards to standard lube grooves or tumble lube grooves and which is more apt to shoot well in a micro-groove rifled barrel.
Thanks in advance for any and all help………….Mike
I need some help so I’ll explain my situation and hopefully you guys will point me in the right direction. I’ve had a palmer hot pot for the past 35 years, and I’ve used it for fishing sinkers and lures. Recently I’ve came into possession of approximately 300 pounds of range lead from a friend who works at an indoor pistol range. The mix is about 60% cast .45 acp/.38 wadcutters and 40% jacketed bullets. I’ve been melting small batches since my pot only holds 4 pounds at a time, for ingots I’m using a mini cupcake pan. I fill them ½ full and get 12 mini ingots per pot. Then I place them into 12 separate piles and continue this way until a 5 gallon bucket of bullets is smelted. I’m now left with 12 piles with one ingot from each batch. Now I remelt each pile one at a time, flux the lead, then pour the mix into a full sized cupcake mold, it make a 2 ¼ pound ingot. Before I get started I plan on trading in some BassPro shop reward points for a lee 20 pound pot.
So this is where I’m starting and this is what I’m up against. I’m disabled and on a fixed income, so funds are limited. I just want to make plinking ammunition so that I can go shooting without breaking the bank. The two guns that I want to start with are a Marlin 336ss 30-30, and an AR-15 in 9mm. The 30-30’s barrel measures exactly .308” diameter, I haven’t checked the 9mm yet, but will soon. Since I’m not looking to make anything fancy and all shooting will be at short range at cans and spinning targets, the ammo only has to be “accurate enough” to have fun. I’ve already been making 30-30 loads using Hornady short jacket 100 grain bullets on top of six grains of bullseye, so this is where my mind is at in regards to type of load. Due to my limited funds, I would really like to buy molds that produce a bullet that is shootable without having to buy even more equipment to resize and put on gas checks. I’m hoping that due to the extremely low velocities, that I won’t need gas checks, and since I’m not trying to win any shooting matches that resizing won’t be necessary.
So that’s my situation, now I’d like to hear suggestions on which bullet molds to buy that’ll meet my needs. I’ve already been advised against buying a mold for light 115 grain bullets. I was thinking that they would just use less lead, but I’m told that they can be real finicky to get to shoot accurately. I’ve been told that I should just get either a 150 or a 170 grain bullet and either will shoot well using bullseye. So anyway I really want to hear suggestions on what to buy for both guns, there are so many choices that I don’t know where to start, especially in regards to standard lube grooves or tumble lube grooves and which is more apt to shoot well in a micro-groove rifled barrel.
Thanks in advance for any and all help………….Mike