Hi all,

I am thinking of getting into casting for my muzzle loaders, but as the way things are going politically, I am also wondering about other calibers. Can I as a hobby caster and loader, cast and make any caliber? IE .223, or .243, .257, etc.? I just don't know. If the answer is 'yeah, any caliber' then I am getting a pot, and some moulds tomorrow!! I have about 300# of lead and that makes me able to make a s*** load of bullets. What about the copper jacketing, is there a way to do this also? I am so dumb to this, but would like to get educated.

If not, then I will have muzzle loader balls for my great grandchildren to use:)


Thanks for any help.

Jason,
in Charleston

The smaller the bore and the faster a bullet shoots the harder it is to cast and shoot cast. Folks are certianly casting and shooting those smaller bores though. I cast mostly for the handguns and cast for the muzzle loaders for years when I was shooting them. You might go over and pick up a copy of Marshall's Technical manual on bullet casting on the Beartooth bullet side, it's just an excellent book on how to do it. Just click the tab at the top of the page and you can order from there.

I like the Lee muzzle loader cast bullets and cast the improved minnies, REAL bullets and round balls with their molds. I also cast 38/357's, 40's, 41's, 44's and 45 colt bullets with their molds.

As far as making copper jacket bullets that's also doable, but the initial startup expense is much more than casting. Here's a link to look into that. They have the equipment, components and educational material to make any caliber from 12 to 2 inch jacketed bullets. You can even make jacketed .224 and 6mm bullets from fired 22 casings just as Vernon Speer did when he started building bullets.

http://www.corbins.com/

ok, after some research, I am going to get the tools for swaging my own bullets. I just can't see spending that much money for one mould every time I need to cast another caliber. Yeah, the initial startup is a bit pricey, but I can set up the press in my reloading room inside the house. no need to worry about blowing up my face with hot lead either. thanks for the info faucettb.

Jason

Jason
You will need a different die set for each different caliber that you swage bullets in.
The copper cups and rolls of lead are quite expensive.
I abandoned swaging,in favor of casting,because of the difference in cost.
Casting equipment is common;used molds can be had for a good price,on occasion.
I got into swaging because of a 'find',but I was very lucky.I've never seen another deal like it,since.
Another thing to consider is that cast bullets cover a vast range of use.
Soft cast,medium and hard cast,each have different uses.
All swaged bullets are soft lead.
Good luck,
Frank

Considering that you can buy several Lee molds for 18 bucks each, a pot for 60 bucks and all the other needed stuff for another 40 bucks and that a Corbin S-1 press alone is 500 bucks along with about 1000 bucks for dies for one caliber I don't quite see how bullet swedging could even come close to competing pricewise.

Each time you change a set of dies in a Corbin press your looking at $750 to $1200 bucks and the jacket material is expensive.

Even talking about swedging just lead bullets, you end up with soft bullets that are unshootable except at extremly low velocities in handguns vs cast lead alloys that can be pushed at up to 2500 fps from most rifles.

Like Frank says you may want to do a little more research, Casting is the least expensive and most versitle way to go for bullet making than any other method that I've looked into.

I've often thought about getting into jacketed bullet making, but the two grand pricetag has alway been a little daunting for me. Of course with bullet prices continuing to escalate perhaps this is good time to think about it and you can always use the Corbin S-1 press to reload with at the same time.

I looked into making bullets from fired 22 cases, but their so thin that velocities under 2800 fps are recommend to keep from overspinning and exploding the bullets before they hit a target and all the small caliber high velocity varmint rifles I shoot run in the 3800 to 4200 fps range.

I guess I'll just keep casting with the free or almost free lead I scrounge around here.

Better do some more research Jason. If swaging bullets is less expensive than casting, a lot more folks here would be swaging. Swaged bullets are mainly offered by the big bullet makers, there must be a reason for that. The reason being more costly swaging equipment needed and more costly materials for the bullets. IMO, go with casting, it's less expensive and produces a good bullet. For purposes which cast bullets can't do, just buy from the bullet makers.

ok... :o

with all that being said, what kind of material should I read up on before I Make my final decision (now leaning back to casting, by the way) ?


What I am wanting to do is to be able to make bullets for the afore mentioned calibers. (.223, .243, .257, 7.62, 300 WM and possibly others before long)
I came across a bunch of lead, and I can possibly get about 600-800# more of the stuff. I have a friend that gets it from tire shops, old batteries, ballast from sail boats... he is just a scrounger!! I think that you guys are all very informed and experienced about this stuff, so any help you can give would be very appreciated.:D

I can't think of a better place to start than with Lyman's "48th Edition Reloading Handbook". They list cast bullet loads for almost all rifle and handgun loads. There is also a great deal of technical content. This book is widely available for $25 or less.

ok, so why do I need a fancy melting pot? Won't a cast iron pot and an old stove outside work as well? Is it just the convenience? I am not trying to sound cheap, in fact after the advice given from everyone I decided to nix the idea of swaging. What I am wondering is that if I have some things that will work SAFELY already laying around, why not use them. At least until I can find someone who has some of the other components for sale or trade. Thank you for putting up with my uneducated self. I feel that I am getting more and more educated as the days go by.

Jason

you are getting smarter, these guys reek of info! it oozzes out of every part of their body, I soak up the overflow everyday.

A bottom pour Lee casting furnace is a good place to start: Not too expensive, works great, and the bottom pouring feature is very convenient. Forget about putting jackets on the bullets, its not worth the expense, or bother, with no real advantages. (In most instances). A properly cast bullet will shoot as accurately or MORE accurately as jacketed bullets, (shooting IHSMA and NRA Highpower with cast bullets proves this), and you will NEVER wear out your barrel using them! Finding a good combo of bullet type, alloy, lube, sizing diameter, powder type and weight, seating depth, and primer type is half the fun! If you're not the experimenting type, use some proven load recipes from manuals, and tweak them to work for you. They have done the majority of the legwork for you. Don't kid yourself, the prices of jacketed bullets is not coming down, and is only continuing to rise. I think casting is going to be more popular than ever soon. Also visit castboolits.com for a bunch of helpful tips on casting, and the Guys there really know thier stuff. Good luck and good shooting!

Jason
One thing that I can tell you that is both good and cheap.After spending quite a bit of cash and effort on name brand ingot molds and some made from angle iron,I found common muffin tins do a better job.
For melting scrap into alloys/ingots,I usea big cast iron pot and a gas fired deep fryier.The pot was from a flea market;the fryer is used for outdoor cookouts.
I cast bullets for ten years,or more with a plain iron pot,on the kitchen stove.Be very careful with spills;some women are very fussy.
For the next ten years,or more,I used a Lyman electric pot.It was given to me,and the heat control,never worked.BUT,just getting out of the kitchen,into the workshop,was great.
Your biggest,single cash expense,is the new 20 pound electric pot from Lyman.Put it off,and aquire some molds with yourhard earned money.
Good luck,
Frank

ok, so why do I need a fancy melting pot? Won't a cast iron pot and an old stove outside work as well? Is it just the convenience? . . . Jason
Sure, you can do it with a cast iron pot and an old stove but you will have more things to watch over. You will need to make sure your alloy is up to casting temperature especially when the alloy in the pot is depleted and you add ingots. Just melting the alloy is not enough. You will need to make sure you have enough fuel for your stove. You will need to watch out for the open flame. All the while making sure your mould is up to casting temperature and that the bullets are coming out perfectly formed.

An electric casting pot with thermostat will maintain the alloy at a set temperature for casting. Light comes on, the pot is heating, light goes out, alloy is ready for casting. The energy source to run to electric pot is always there (in most cases) unless you live in an area subject to power failures. There is no open flame to contend with although the equipment is hot either way. Having the alloy at the proper casting temperature leaves you free to just focus on the mould temperature and the cast bullets being made.

Sure, it's the convenience, but covenience translates into more production and a better product as you have less things to contend with so you can focus on the product. Given the proper equipment, casting bullets is a lot of fun and will allow you to shoot at a far more reasonable cost without any loss in accuracy or effectiveness.

My suggestion, get yourself a bottom pour electric casting pot with an opening large enough to ladle cast with. That will allow you to cast at either end. The Lee 20 lb. production pot with the 4" clearance under the spout IMO, is the biggest bang for the buck and a good place to start. If used equipment is acceptable, you can also check on eBay and save a bit.

BTW, do NOT use battery plates as a source of lead. Battery plates are no longer pure lead and contain elements that are harmful if inhaled. They have also been saturated with acid and will contaminate your alloy.

Best wishes and cast safely.

BTW, do NOT use battery plates as a source of lead. Batter plates are no longer pure lead and contain elements that are harmful if inhaled. They have also been saturated with acid and will contaminate your alloy.

OK, I didn't know that. that brings up a different question... How do I know what alloy I have, being that I got these huge hunks of lead?

Jason

Your not stupid Jason, you are just new! I suggest that you start by reading the "sticky" about safety at the top of this forum. After that use the "search" function this board provides to find answers to more specific questions that you may/will have. If you can't find the answer from a search, ask again with a new thread.

I made good cast bullets from my first try(revolver) from reading this board. I prefer them over "store bought" at this time for what I do.

I struggle with rifle bullets due to my resources. Answers to my questions are allways found here.

Cheezywan

order cat from lyman,lee rcbs,hornady and redding.
get midsouthshooters.com cat
get graf.com cat.and natchez .com cat.
I think Lees book is very good.
lyman cast bullet book
abc of reloading is good book.
Lee cast turret and ***. are low price also Lees 20 melting pot.
go to CASTBOOLITS web site.
dont try to load full loads with cast bullets.a 30/30 at 1800fts will kill deer dead.
dont melt ww in your elec pot.
ww will give you excelent bullets.
if you can scratch the lead with your finger nail it is to soft but good for muzzle loaders.
read read read.
get cast iron muffin pan.app $6.;) enjoy.

Thanks to everyone!! Now I am off to read and get some egemacation...

Jason