I just can't stop...

[358429]

...casting these MP 359-125 HP .... even the virginia heat and cicadas invasion will not slow me down, when I have developed a cadence. The brass mold is strengthening my hands and forearms. The more I cast the more I can cast. For such a simple thing it sure ain't easy, until it is.

Next step is going to be eastwood ultra gloss clear, then pass through the inverted hand press with 358 sizer. They will get loaded over 5 grains of power pistol.

In a week or two I am going to shoot them offhand, bang bang bang, probably into a 3 -4 inch group at 20-30 yards after six cups of coffee. Ain't life just grand!! And the CZ just wants to eat em like candy!

I think it's about time to wash up, drink a cold beer and barbeque a steak with the savings versus buying xtp bullets.
Time for me to go chop some wood and get the fire started.

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[Thumbcocker]

I want a mold like that.

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[StuBach]

Great, and here I thought I’d bought my last MP mold for a while...might have to keep an eye out for one of those. His molds are works of art and rain once you get them prepped and the temp dialed in.

[vagrantviking]

Not usually one for casting hollow points but those are beautiful.
Nice work.

[358429]

Sizing with lee breach lock hand press and 358 size die.

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[Wild Bill 7]

Is that one of your casting buddies? LOL

[Joe504]

Can you flux with cicadas?

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[jim147]

Or make lube?

[358429]

Tomorrow, I may decide which will be more fun to load. I'm on an even split. They are sized 358. Which is more fun for you to load?

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[kevin c]

Can you flux with cicadas?

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I've done it inadvertently with moths. Roasting moth doesn't smell like pine sawdust, but it's actually not bad. Makes me wonder what roasted cicada tastes like.

[GregLaROCHE]

I've done it inadvertently with moths. Roasting moth doesn't smell like pine sawdust, but it's actually not bad. Makes me wonder what roasted cicada tastes like.

I saw something in the news the other day saying that people are starting to eat them. It went on to say that people with shellfish allergies should not eat them.

I wouldn’t flux them, fearing the moisture in them may invite the tinsel fairy!

[Wayne Smith]

I've had a yellowjacket sizzling in my pot with no untoward events occurring.

[Burnt Fingers]

Some of those sprue cuts look pretty rough. You might want to slow down your casting speed.

Personally if my sprue cuts looked like that they would go back in the pot.

[358429]

This is something that I have been trying to do better, you and the other gentleman who mentioned this to me are exactly right.

If I wait too long the sprue becomes extremely hard to open. Or the bullets stick to the pins. I'm using a front of my gloved thumb to slap the plate open, and the back of my gloved thumb to tap tap tap tap the pins and drop the bullets. Sometimes I chase my tail when the mold is not hot enough and yesterday my propane torch ran out. (Boolit hollow noses shattered when bumped out). Should I be using less tin to make the metal soft, easy cut sprues, wait longer, get better results?

I am open to suggestion.

I think a better heat source would help too, coleman stove has the stupidest regulator it is weak and frustrating. Cabelas had a small sturdy steel turkey fryer on clearance last year and I missed my chance.
In 357 mag (semi wadcutters hollow points) I have been loading these up with h110 and imr4227. In 9mm (round nose hollow points) midrange with power pistol. With the keith bullets I have to check for cracks along the nose and crimp groove (the hollow point is super deep and goes all the way to the crimp groove! ) and the 9mm bullets if the fill out is poor around the base when I open the plate, those I cannot tolerate and gets remelted.
Im getting 80-90 % that are suitable for shooting, three to four casts a minute. I think I am rushing it, somewhat depending on heat from the pours to maintain mold and pin temperature.
I think I am using too much tin, it makes me happy, the bullets seat without deformation, and make a high pitched *tink* noise if you bump them together in your hand. Even with the defects I am happy how they turn out. It sure beats not making bullets!

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[Conditor22]

Dipper casting over a gas stove and getting those results is really good.

I started dipper casting out of a Lee electric dipper pot. Electric makes it much easier to maintain even heat at a set temperature.

I quickly progressed to a Lee 4-20 electric bottom pour and not log after made a PID to control the temperature.

IF your dipper is too small to fill all the cavities at one pour I would recommend getting a bigger dipper, only casting the number of cavities the dipper will fill or getting a bottom pour pot.

What white PC did you use and how did you apply it? it is really hard to get good coverage with a light-colored PC when you shake-and-bake.

Divots in the base aren't as critical for close distance handgun shooting, IF I did that well with your setup on my first casting sessions I would be really happy with myself.

You can coat the pins with a carpenter pencil (graphite) and if your bases aren't filling out warming the sprue plate with a propane torch helps.

I think A turkey fryer is a little big for casting with.

Make sure you keep the sprue plate pivot, top of mold, and bottom of sprue plate lubed with synthetic 2-cycle oil fuel additive. --- first pour all the cavities in your mold and cut the sprues (don't dump the boolits yet)
apply synthetic 2-cycle oil fuel additive to a q-tip, get a little around the sprue plate screw, and lightly coat the top of the mold and bottom of the sprue plate.
work the sprue plate back and forth for 30 seconds to get the oil through the pivot point and the excess onto the top of the mold. I use a paper towel and wipe off ALL the visible oil especially near the pivot point (enough will be left behind to do the job)
open the mold and, with the same q-tip lightly coat the alignment pins making sure you don't get any oil in the cavities. Do this once an hour.
[to make it easier to oil the pivot screw I use a needle-tipped bottle, 1 tiny drop is all you need.
Don't tighten the sprue plate screw too much, the sprue plate should move freely (holding the mold up to a light, no light should show between the sprue plate and top of the mold)
When opening the mold by hand, put a little downward pressure on the end of the sprue plate to help get smoother cuts.

[Phlier]

Even with the defects I am happy how they turn out.

IMO, that's all that matters.

I think you are getting amazing results with the gear you're working with. I'd be darn proud to produce good lookin' boolits like that off of a coleman stove and a dipper.

[Phlier]

Oh, btw... There's a guy here on the forums that goes by "Smoke4320." He sells the very finest powder coating powders around.

And his clear powder coat is in a league of its own. It goes on extremely well with the shake-n-bake method, and is the toughest, most durable PC powder I've ever used. I hate to gush too much about a product, 'cause it's easy to come off as a shill, but I can assure you that I am only a very pleased customer.

If you like clear powder coat, you really should give his a try.

[Budzilla 19]

Plus one for Smoke’s powders! That clear is the best.just my opinion. It goes on easy. And you can get a thick enough coat in one pass with shake and bake.

[358429]

Has any body used the small rowell bottom pour ladle, the smallest one they make?

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[Wayne Smith]

The one. pound Rowell ladle is really too big unless you are casting cannon balls. The Lyman and/or the RCBS are ideally sized for most casting. I have to dip twice for my Lee six cavity 420gr .45 mold but that's the only one that requires two dips for six cavities. The Rowell ladle is also very long handled, you would have to cut that significantly to be comfortable using it to pour into a mold. I cast everything from a pot over a Coleman stove and have always cast that way.