I cast a Lee pot 10lb pot's worth of Lee 1oz slugs yesterday. It's about 100 to a pot. I used pure stick on WW ingots and it took a while to get the fillout I will keep. The first 20 or so went right back in the pot.
I cast a Lee pot 10lb pot's worth of Lee 1oz slugs yesterday. It's about 100 to a pot. I used pure stick on WW ingots and it took a while to get the fillout I will keep. The first 20 or so went right back in the pot.
You can miss fast & you can miss a lot, but only hits count.
Actually the boolit in your photo looks pretty good for use in a 38 S&W at under 50 yards .
If you're not shooting for prize money or trophies ...load em up and Choot em .
Flux the alloy well and maybe add a little tin ( 1% max.) if you want to , it will help fill out .
Gary
Certified Cajun
Proud Member of The Basket of Deplorables
" Let's Go Brandon !"
Having a good supply of solder, I don't hesitate to add at least 2% tin to every pot. I set the PID at 725º and don't look back. The only wrinkles I get are a few until the mold reaches good casting temp. I'm mostly casting handgun bullets.
John
W.TN
I ran a little experiment and put the lead on my gas burner in a cast iron pot. Don't have the Lyman casting ladle I ordered yet but I just sloshed lead into and all over the mold using a soup ladle that has a little bit of a spout. Hot damn if I didn't get some good bullets. About 10 of the 40 bullets I cast were picture perfect. The rest has some minor imperfections because I am picky, and none of them had that dirty/milky effect.
Thanks everyone!
Jaak
There is a video somewhere on this site where the guy used a soup ladle with a small hole drilled in the bottom. He was using a cast iron pot and a 6 cavity
Lee mold. I thought it was a cheap fix for a ladle.
The solid soft lead bullet is undoubtably the best and most satisfactory expanding bullet that has ever been designed. It invariably mushrooms perfectly, and never breaks up. With the metal base that is essential for velocities of 2000 f.s. and upwards to protect the naked base, these metal-based soft lead bullets are splendid.
John Taylor - "African Rifles and Cartridges"
Forget everything you know about loading jacketed bullets. This is a whole new ball game!
Pure lead, more heat. Adding just a bit of tin, just 1%, will help alloy flow and almost no change to the bhn, still really soft lead bullet.
EVERY GOOD SHOOTER NEEDS TO BE A HANDLOADER.
NRA Cert. Inst. Met. Reloading & Basic Pistol
It wasn't frosting. It was in patches on the bullet, at first I thought it was dirty lead. Took a look under a strong magnifying glass and it turns out it was oxidization. I'm assuming the thin stream from the bottom pour pot was oxidizing mid flow and settling in the bullet.
You won't get frosting with pure lead bullets. Jaak is referring to the inclusions from dirt and oxidation.
Thanks for all of your help! I am now getting perfect bullets with my soft lead.
I bought the Lyman ladle and it pours lead much faster than my Lee bottom pour. I also heated up the mold to 250c (~480f). I also found that pressing the nozzle of the ladle up against the sprue plate then lifting the ladle away to form a puddle works wonders. No oxidization and perfect bases.
Thanks again!
Spiders "POP" too. I use parafin as a flux and mix it right into the lead to help clean it. But be careful as it may suddenly catch fire. 1-2% added tin makes it flow better and doesn't significantly increase hardness.
An oak stick from my yard makes a good fluxing tool. Free and unlimited.
BP | Bronze Point | IMR | Improved Military Rifle | PTD | Pointed |
BR | Bench Rest | M | Magnum | RN | Round Nose |
BT | Boat Tail | PL | Power-Lokt | SP | Soft Point |
C | Compressed Charge | PR | Primer | SPCL | Soft Point "Core-Lokt" |
HP | Hollow Point | PSPCL | Pointed Soft Point "Core Lokt" | C.O.L. | Cartridge Overall Length |
PSP | Pointed Soft Point | Spz | Spitzer Point | SBT | Spitzer Boat Tail |
LRN | Lead Round Nose | LWC | Lead Wad Cutter | LSWC | Lead Semi Wad Cutter |
GC | Gas Check |