thinking about casting my own bullets

[DME72]

just signed up today,been reading lots of posts on here lately.been reloading off and on for 10+ years.like everything else i am amazed at the price stores want for cast bullets,had not bought any in 8-10 years.i have a pretty good source of range scrap,also a heaping 5 gallon bucket of wheel weights.i do not really want to spend a whole lot of money,i have a cast iron pot,camp stove.been looking for a mold on evil-bay but the prices those people are bidding are more than a brand new one would cost.have looked at lee molds but have heard good and bad about them.would probaly start ladle casting to see if i like it.would like to cast for 45acp,38/357.also would start out pan lubing,just to get me started.any thought as to what brand/type of mold for some one that is just learning?any info or thoughts would be helpful.the biggest reason i want to cast is cost,and i can get WW and range scrap free:D

[ph4570]

For starting out I would go with Lee 6 cav molds. They are far better than the Lee 1 and 2 cav molds but still reasonably priced. The handles are currently on sale at midway for less than 12 bucks.

[Doby45]

Look in the Buy/Sell section you will almost always find some 45 and 38/357 molds there. :-) For a cheap just to get started mold you can't go wrong with the 2 cavity Lee molds. If you planning to pan lube do not get the TL molds. The TL molds are hit and miss but most of the standard grease groove molds are atleast usuable on into your casting career. You will eventually get nicer molds but you can always dust off the ole Lee 2cav and pour a few.

[fryboy]

hola amigo ! welcome to the forum !

as long as time isnt considered the cost is or could be cheaper , fair warning ...it's just as addicting as shooting ;) several places have lee molds reasonable , natchez comes to mind erm
http://www.natchezss.com/ some lee molds rock some dont and some need a lil tlc to rock
there was a dipper for cheap in the swapping and such forum, not sure if it's still there , i've heard of guys drilling holes in stainless steel soup ladles as well
as for lube , tumble lube is also a option for the calibers u listed anyways but pan lubing does work too and a lee sizer is cheap and effective if needed
as for additional thoughts ? just get a mold and do it ! u'll wonder why u waited so long :kidding:

[docone31]

Welcome, lots of good people here.
I do not reccomend the Lee 6 cavity molds for beginners. They can be frustrating.
Start with the double cavity molds.
Lee, and other molds take heat to make a blemish free casting. All other issues aside.
Sizing is preferrable.
You gonna learn a lot here. Hang on and enjoy the ride.
Nothing wrong with independance from the stores.

[280Ackley]

If you are looking to save money, don't do it. There is some sort of virus that infects you when you start with the silver stream. After the infection takes hold you find yourself spending money on all kinds of things casting related you never thought about. Lubesizers, hardness testers, themometers and a endless supply of molds.:kidding:

That said welcome aboard and welcome to the sickness.

[qajaq59]

I also heard a lot of bad news on the Lee molds. But I bought double molds for both 30 and 50 caliber and had absolutely no problems at all. I soaked them overnight in denatured alcohol when they came out of the box. Then I smoked them, and started casting the next day. Haven't had any trouble with either of of them. Just don't drop them on the floor, or bang them around. That aluminum does dent real easy. And for $20 I don't really care if they don't last 40 years. These days it would probably cost $20 for candy bars at a movie if you brought the kids along.

[CATS]

Doby45,
Why do you think Lee TL molds are hit or miss?

[Doby45]

They either work or they don't. People have been put off of casting because of the TL design and some people have found it to be Nirvana. The experience is up to you and your reloading practices. TL seem to have more of a tendency to have the driving bands crushed when you are seating the boolit. I just think that the traditional grease groove boolits are more robust and easier to deal with, especially with a new caster.

[geargnasher]

Doby45,
Why do you think Lee TL molds are hit or miss?

Doby nailed it. It has to do with improper expander diameter or length causing the delicate TL driving bands to be crushed undersized when they are squeezed in the case, in turn causing gas-cutting and leading when fired through a bore they no longer fit. The other thing probably has to to with improper tumble-lubing technique.

Gear

[missionary5155]

Greetings & Welcome DME72
Sure you should.. who would want to be dependent on a factory system that can be manipulated to our demise.
I cannot imagine NOT casting my own. It is a great way to live knowing I can !

[RKJ]

DME72, I can't say anything more or any better than has already been said, but let me tell you my story. About 6 months ago I also got to thinking about casting but was worried that I wouldn't like it, wouldn't be able to find lead, etc. I then found this forum (a great bunch of people BTW) I read and read and thought I'm going to try it. I bought a LEE furnace and one each 2 cavity .45 and .44 moulds from Midway USA www.midwayusa.com . I got a lot of the smelting tools needed at the local Goodwill/Salvation Army stores and I thought I'd pan lube so I was set. I got some WW's and some pure lead I'd bought, smelted it, poured the molten lead into some cheap muffin tins and waited. After that I was hooked, it was so enjoyable seeing those dirty nasty WW's turn into that shiny new lead. I find the whole process very relaxing. I now have a Lyman Lubrisizer and 5 moulds (Lyman & LEE) and can't go to the range w/o mining the berms for lead (I always picked up the brass lying around but now I spend as much time scrounging for lead). I have access to plenty of WW's and live 35 miles from the Missouri lead belt so I have access to plenty of lead but I find it's addicting to scrounge for those little "Boolits". I believe that you enjoy it and become hooked just as we are. Good Luck, have fun, be safe and keep us posted.

[Doby45]

Put it this way, there is no such thing a "dabbling" in casting. Your either all in or all out. Period.

[Cherokee]

Welcome to casting...

[chris in va]

Ditto on the tumble lube, they work for some but I couldn't get it to fly straight in my 9 or 45.

Really can't go wrong with the 228-452-1R mold. Works great in my Sig 220.

I will say however you may want to get a bottom pour furnace. Ladle pouring is slow and can get mixed results.

My 358-125-RF mold drops at .362, so you may want to have a look at that one for your 38/357. I use it in my 9mm to good effect.

Grafs or Midway is a good source of casting equipment.

Please do one thing though before you go casting a bunch of boolits. SLUG YOUR BORE first. Don't make the same mistake I did, casting several hundred boolits only to discover they didn't fit my gun. Lead is a whole different animal from FMJ and requires the proper size to work right. You wouldn't believe how bad a keyholing issue I had.

[ghh3rd]

Sounds like you have a good start on equipment. Since you probably have four or five thousand boolits in that bucket, you may was well start casting them. Besides saving money, you'll have the satisfaction of shooting your own hand made boolits.

[David2011]

Welcome! Gotta say I agree with the others about the six cavity Lee (or any other brand for that matter) for a beginner or if casting with a ladle. It would be tough to keep the mold hot enough without a bottom pour furnace. Lee's molds are inexpensive but iron or steel molds are easier to keep at a good casting temperature. If you shoot a lot you can save money on boolits but it will consume a lot of time. Approximate wt per 500 boolits:
158 gr- 11.3 lb
200 gr 14.3 lb
230 gr 16.4 lb

So, even if you have to buy wheelweights at $1/lb, you can cast for far less than the current retail prices. The going price seems to be about $55/500 158 grain and around $67/500 230 gr. You'll probably want a lube sizer and a bottom pour pot eventually but a Lee sizer and pan lubing will take you a long way. Once you get the hang of casting you will have no trouble deciding that either a Lee sizer is adequate for your volume or that you really need something faster. Same for the bottom pour pot. The tools can be added slowly and when you find them at the price you wanted to pay. Most casting tools have a very long life if given reasonable care.

Above all, heed the safety warnings, like don't use an aluminum pot to melt lead alloys. All of the safety tips on this site come from someone's unfortunate experience.

David

[Recluse]

Doby45,
Why do you think Lee TL molds are hit or miss?

First off, I'm going to also agree about not starting with a six-cavity mold. Can be real frustrating.

My number one boolit of all time comes from a Lee two-banger TL mold. My lousiest ever boolit also comes from a Lee two-banger TL mold--even in the same caliber, same diameter.

I'm the odd man out here at Cast Boolits as I actually like Lee two-cavity molds over six-cavity molds. The six-bangers, while increasing production, tend to give me a bad case of indigestion as they're just too damn finicky to suit me (along with the sprue plate handle I can't stand).

I prefer traditional lube groove design boolits. I enjoy tumble-lubing, but also have and use a lubesizer. You can tumble-lube any boolit, but I'm not a fan of running a TL boolit through a lube sizer. Pain-lubing is only marginally better. You'll learn what combinations work for each firearm you cast and load for.

:coffee: