Which bullet caster?

[wymanwinn]

So tell me something that I don't know... How long to warm up the pot? How many throw backs until the mold get warmed up enough to produce good bullets?How much tapping to get the bullets to fall from the mold? How many have PID controlled units? How many actual bullets do you produce in 150-160gr an hour? How many at 200gr an hour? How many at 230gr an hour? Are they actually faster than say a conventional 4 cavity mold an a drip-o-matic 10lb pot? Are they actually faster or it just a convenience? How much faster is a conversion to pneumatic operation over hand? If faster what percentage of increase is there?

oh, i will answer those questions....at least in my limited experience...

warm up on a full (1/2" from top, i finish a casting session by filling the pot) about 30 min from cold to 700° ready to cast...

when first starting out i pull the handle/actuate the pour by hand...first 10 or so casts are put back into the pot...from then all pretty good looking bullets using the pneumatics...

not PID controlled...i feel the Magma thermostat is pretty close, i do have a digital thermometer with probe 1/2" from the bottom to monitor though...

if i keep my focus on casting i can cast about 600 130/158gr bullets/hr, about 500 200gr/hr and the same for 230gr...slower on the big boy 450 and 500gr...

pneumatic conversion did not really increase production, which is really driven by cooling of the cast bullets...BUT, it sure does take the strain off of my Rugby damaged shoulder...as does the pneumatics on the Star....

i would say that a good 4 or 6-up mold in the right hands using a "drips-a-lot" or RCBS could probably match the output on the Master Caster...except maybe the reloading of lead into the pot...the MC is a 3000 watt unit vs the others at 800 watts

hope this helps...

BTW, i have several 6-up and single molds for old specialty rounds that i only cast on the RCBS....540gr Sharps bullets take a bit of time to cool properly....LOL

wyman

[finishman2000]

Thank you but I am looking for operator comments and not what I can find in a companies promotional material. I have read everything that is available and I am now ready for the truth from those that own the machines.

i have the mc and like it. i hit the molds with a propane torn for a few seconds and start banging out bullets. you can see my vid on youtube under the sane name i use here.

[6bg6ga]

wymanwinn and finishman2000

Thank you for the useful information. It says so much more than the promotional material that comes with a unit. The actual production rate that wymanwinn gives I know I can count on as being accurate.

Both the Master Caster and the Mark iV are good machines that would provide anyone with a lifetime of usage so this is what makes a decision hard. The Master Caster lends itself to production upgrades and the Mark iV holds two molds. So I guess what it will boil down to is the final price. My budget at this time is $1500 for the casting machine. Thanks for the replies.

[finishman2000]

when you order the mc you might as well order the other base and the single spout for it. i swap the bases back and forth all the time to use on my h&g molds.

[6bg6ga]

I will take your advise.

[LAH]

Thank you but I am looking for operator comments and not what I can find in a companies promotional material. I have read everything that is available and I am now ready for the truth from those that own the machines.

The threads here are full of operator comments, search them it will profit you.

I have two MCs, an older model & the newer one. The older one has went through a couple ton of alloy while the newer one maybe a ton. They work if you follow the company material. Please note the promotional material I've read is exactly what my machines do. IMHO you have the "truth" in that material.

[6bg6ga]

The threads here are full of operator comments, search them it will profit you.

I have two MCs, an older model & the newer one. The older one has went through a couple ton of alloy while the newer one maybe a ton. They work if you follow the company material. Please note the promotional material I've read is exactly what my machines do. IMHO you have the "truth" in that material.

Thanks for your input. Wyman has given me his production rates and that works for me as I can count on his credibility. As for published information and claims in promotional material ..... I have learned over the years to believe about 25% of what I read and 1/2 of what I see and this attitude has served me well over the years. It is refreshing to know that Magma's claims seem to be doable. Please understand my skepticism as I am not quite as gullible as some are.

[ReloaderFred]

Joe,

You'd get a lot more actual input if you'd tone down your rhetoric and stop putting others down for their offered information.

I have lots and lots of experience with the Master Caster, but choose not to participate for the reasons above.

Just sayin',

Fred

[Roundnoser]

I have had a Master Caster for a couple of years, and it works very well. It sounds like you have received more than enough information here to make your decision. No need to over-think it. Both are quality machines. It really just comes down to your personal preference. Time to, " 'SHAT' or get off the pot" as it were.

I realize that some here have offered you information that you didn't necessary ask for, or want. No need to call them out for doing it. There are lots of members here who are eager to help others. Just take the information you find useful, say thanks and move on. No biggie.
Pleasantries go a long way on great sites like this one.

Good luck with your purchase.

[6bg6ga]

Joe,

You'd get a lot more actual input if you'd tone down your rhetoric and stop putting others down for their offered information.

I have lots and lots of experience with the Master Caster, but choose not to participate for the reasons above.

Just sayin',

Fred

Fred,

I'm sorry you see it that way.

[LAH]

Joe,

You'd get a lot more actual input if you'd tone down your rhetoric and stop putting others down for their offered information.

I have lots and lots of experience with the Master Caster, but choose not to participate for the reasons above.

Just sayin',

Fred

Well said Fred.

[6bg6ga]

Well I guess shame on me for wanting actual factual information instead of the usual bull **** that most companies have as their promotional material.

WoW!! This time the promotional material actually agreed with what the owners were able to obtain.

I don't want a glowing testomonial on the company. Now days if you don't deliver a good product you don't stay in business.

Don't get me wrong I appreciate factual information but I do not need to be told to read the brochure.

Been there done it and like I said I do not believe 75% of what I read so this is exactly why I ask for what an operator can get in real life.

Several have found me offensive and well maybe I am. The bottom line is and should be if you don't like it don't comment.

[LAH]

I didn't give you the usual bull. I tried the best I could to tell you the truth & offer to you the best advice I could. Now I'll take your advice & comment no more.

[6bg6ga]

I have had a Master Caster for a couple of years, and it works very well. It sounds like you have received more than enough information here to make your decision. No need to over-think it. Both are quality machines. It really just comes down to your personal preference. Time to, " 'SHAT' or get off the pot" as it were.

I realize that some here have offered you information that you didn't necessary ask for, or want. No need to call them out for doing it. There are lots of members here who are eager to help others. Just take the information you find useful, say thanks and move on. No biggie.
Pleasantries go a long way on great sites like this one.

Good luck with your purchase.

Well I don't believe that I have called anyone out as you mentioned above. I think the purpose of a thread is to seek answers/advice. No need to tell me to read the promotional material no need to tell me I have enough information to "SHAT or get off the pot" No real need for a glowing recommendation of a particular manufacturer and certainly no need to inform me that I should tone down my rhetoric so to speak.

If you feel me offensive there is a means in which to communicate and that is a personal message. I have done the same as any other poster here on this forum and that is to ask somewhat stupid questions. Pardon me for asking owners of these machines if they actually measure up to the promotional claims without having to kill yourself trying in the process. I am slow to spend this amount of money on this purchase because my spending money does take time to accumulate and doesn't come easily. I will be the judge of when I have received enough information to make a decision on a purchase. Thank you all for your input.

[Roundnoser]

Ok Sir. I'll just defer to the wisdom of ReloaderFred and LAH on this one; no more comments from me as well.

[Old Caster]

6bg6ga,
While I don't know how easy either unit is to work, the one thing that will be standard is speed for any of the machines because you can't open the molds until the sprue is hard and that would be the same as any way it was done even by hand. I think the important thing would be, which is easier to fill, clean, mount molds in, how many molds it holds and what the cost is compared to the other machines and whether you can get parts in the future. -- Bill --

[finishman2000]

Bill, why post if you don't have either machine? the mc has a fan that cools the sprue to help production time.

[6bg6ga]

He has brought up several good points here. Ease of mounting of the molds for one. I don't know how easily the molds mount to the Ballisti-cast machine. Cooling of the molds is another point. I have seen the operation via the video that wymanwinn had posted on his modified Master Caster but have not seen a close up on the other machine. People have posted on this thread telling me that basically I had enough information and to SHAT or get off the pot. Well my thought is its going to be a big chunk of my play money to purchase either machine. Honest production numbers interest me more than projections do and I will admit that its a confidence builder to have the projected number match the actual numbers. Both machines I believe will be backed for years to come because both are built by solid companies so I see no problem in securing parts for either.
The thought of two molds in production at the same time interests me and has me wondering how feasible it would be to produce two different bullets at the same time. I realize some sorting would need to be done in order to do this. I'm still on the fence so to speak.

[finishman2000]

and you just love to hear yourself talk. gawd i have to stop watching these kinda posts

[ballisti-cast]

We're re-doing the Mark IV right now. I have prototypes going out to a couple of different customers in the next few weeks. When I get some feedback on them I'll be ready to make a batch of them. The time frame of when they'll be ready is somewhere in the 3-6 month range, depending on how much time I can spend on them. Pricing is going to be as close to the master caster as I can get it for the base model and then there'll be optional features that add speed and convenience available as well. The molds are attached using quick release pins which makes mold changing take almost no time, and they also can't come loose. The molds are held on the current machine by allen style cap screws, which take a minute or two to swap out and need to be tightened down once more after the molds get hot.