Want to cast bullets???

[44fanatic]

Looking to start casting bullets...44Mag (pistol), 9mm, and 30 Carbine. Figure it will be much cheaper to shoots these if I start casting.

The equipment that I am looking at needing:
Melting pot
Flux
Moulds (looking at Lee 2bullet moulds, 1 each for the above calibers)
Ladel
Lube for gas rings/checks.

Hope to get the lead from local tire shops.

Have to go bare minimum, so am I missing anything?

In the above calibers, are the copper gas checks required?

 

[skynimrod]

44 u have a pretty good start. I think you will also need a sizer/lube die, and a good set of welding gloves.
Gas checks are needed for keeping barrel leading down when exceeding approx 1,300 Vel I believe.

I only cast my own soft lead bullets for my Black Powder & Fishing weights, and buy hard cast bullets for some of my firearms for Now....

 

[LeatherLungz]

I love making egg sinkers.

That reminds me I need to holler at someone on here-maybe he will see this and PM about some lead I was supposed to get with him on.

whatever you decide 44, you gotta do it outside though, them lead fumes will make you stupid for sure

 

[skynimrod]

No-roll sinkers for me LL
My 45 cal bullets (with holes) make great slip sinkers also.

 

[44fanatic]

whatever you decide 44, you gotta do it outside though, them lead fumes will make you stupid for sure

Would all be done in the garage w/ an open door or on the back deck.

 

[Tiny]

Bullet Sizer such as the Lyman 4500 and sizer dias,For mild loads you can get by without gas checks,for hotter loads you will need them and they lessen leading issuies. Personally I would use gas checks on the 44 and 30 carbine.

Been a while since I have done much casting myself but am getting back into it.

 

[44fanatic]

Is the sizer/luber die something that I can get at a later time? I have read that the lee moulds are about as close as they get.

 

[Tiny]

Yes, but they are real nice to have for Lubeing and Seating Gas Checks.

 

[Tiny]

BTW Midway has been running casting kits on sale a good bit latealy inculdeing one from Lyman that come with the sizer which is a better deal than buying the sizer straight out by itself.

Also the top punchess and sizer will work both on the Lyman and RCBS sizers.

 

[JWW4]

I love casting (357 and 54 cal). I use one of home lube recipies. There are alot of them out there. Different combinations of, parrifin wax, bees wax, petrolium jelly, lard, STP oil treatment.

Here is a good video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bBDFO0ftCQc

 

[gustaf]

castboolits.gunloads.com is a very good source of information for all things casting. Study that site, search particular topics you're interested in. A Lyman Cast Bullet Handbook would be a good investment. If you just start casting without knowing what you're getting into, you can easily become disilllusioned. That's general advice for any sort of handloading, but more so for cast bullets because more variables are involved; casting technique? gas check or not? bullet diameter in relation to bore diameter? variety of lubes available? I'm not trying to discourage you, just get you headed in the right direction so you can get off to a good start. I think you're doing the right thing keeping it basic to begin with. For sizing, the Lee sizing dies are relatively cheap, will work on the reloading press you already have, and can seat checks as well. Good luck.

 

[Tiny]

gustaf,

Thanks for the reminder on the castboolits.com site.