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gas checks add (a very small amount) to the price per shot but they help keep the bore from leading up as fast. I generally don't use GC's on pistol though, I do for much of my rifle molds.

from my point of view, there are no cons, only pros for casting your own! I'm addicted... it's a handy skill to have for fishing or shooting and it's a hellufa lots of relaxing fun not to mention satisfaction. Just make sure you do it safely; eyepro, heavy apron or clothes and good ventilation.

you can handle lead all day and not get any in your system, the only ways to absorb lead is ingestion or inhalation of lead fumes. (don't lick your fingers!)

happy castin' to ya!
Im glad you mentioned the safety stuff.I dont know anything about casting bullets but I do know chemestry and what alot of people dont realize is you can ingest chemical through you eyes and bad thing is it goes straight in you blood stream.Like you said got to be safe.:)
 
I asked to have a lead test done (blood level, most people are around 1 or 2) but the doc I work for said that it is so rare that it's usually not done unless you worked at a lead smelter factory for 30 years or some insane amount of exposure. I would bet mine is around 5 or 6 but it's extremely uncommon, especially nowadays.

safety is for sure important, the biggest concern is the fumes and of course serious burns. It is funny though, look up Mythbusters on the ladenfrost (spelling?) effect in molten lead; they dip their (wet) fingers into a lead pot and don't get burned. But not for me!

Also worth mentioning is to keep liquids away from the pot; water will 'explode' the molten lead outta the pot as it rapidly turns to steam, not fun.
 
When I was in my 20's (about 40 years ago) I worked part time at a service station that balanced tires. The owner let me have all of the old wheel weights. I was in the Army at the time and I moved several times in the next 20 or so years and I toted 300 or 400 pounds of wheel weights around with me where ever I was stationed. In about the mid 80s, I finally got around to buying an ingot mold and melting them down to 1 lb ingots. I am still using those wheel weight ingots to make bullets. I have never had any problems with my wheel weight bullets. A couple of years ago I bought 50 lbs of linotype ingots so now I add 1 ingot of linotype to every 5 ingots of WW lead. Works out even better for a little harder bullet.
 
Also worth mentioning is to keep liquids away from the pot; water will 'explode' the molten lead outta the pot as it rapidly turns to steam, not fun.
Yep, I have a scar under my left eyebrow from where I was leaning over the melting pot when I was making WW ingots. A drop of sweat fell into the molten lead and it truly exploded, sending lead every where. If it had hit 1/2 inch lower, I would most likely be blind in my left eye!!
 
50lbs? How many bullets is that? By my math, 7000 grains = 1 pound. 7000g/158g=44.3 bullets. 44.3 x 50 = 2215. That's a nice stash. How long did it take to cast them?
Your math is correct. It's about 2K bullets. I use two Lee Six cavity molds and water drop into a half full 5gal bucket. It really speeds up the process. My little Lee pot keeps up just fine. I keep two ingots on top of the pot, pre-heating them, and drop them into the pot as they will fit. Always trying to keep the pot full.
It took me about two and a half hours, but a half hour of that was waiting for the pot to heat up.

They should be dry this morning. Now I have to tumble lube them, size them, and re-lube. Then they have to dry before I can load them. So I'm not done. I've probably two more hours work before they're actually done.

ha! very nice.

another pro for casting your own stuff is that you get to size them to what you want in your lubricator/sizer press. (which is also very time consuming, especially with the GC bullets). I know lee has a bunch of the tumble lube stuff but I don't trust it especially using WW lead.
I use Lee Tumble lube, and can push them pretty darned fast if I alloy them. Lee Alox lube does an excellent job of preventing leading, but lube alone is not the entire story. You have to have a properly sized bullet, and the right alloy.

I'm sure it is fine but I've always trusted my sizer to get them perfectly uniform; different hardnesses of lead can actually shrink more or less as they cool in the mold before you drop them. It's not much difference but it's just a superstition of mine, nothing to worry about. It is enticing for pistol bullets though, doing a batch of 500 at a time gets old about halfway through. the tumble lube stuff saves a lot of time.
Yes, the more pure the lead, the more shrinkage you will find. Especially if you water drop as I do. Fortunately my Lee Molds are generously sized to accommodate this. Also, pure lead doesn't always pour well. You can end up with wrinkles in your bullets, or partially filled mold cavities. I have learned how to overcome this, but if you're having problems with this, add some tin. Tin makes lead pour much better.

While we're on this subject. I can push my .358's pretty fast. AA9 fast. I do it by alloying one pound of tin to ten pounds of lead. Tin is a semi-precious metal, and is priced accordingly. To get a cheap source of tin, you'll want to go to garage sales. Buy pewter trinkets, candle sticks, mugs, whatever. Get a dietary scale to weigh your alloys, and mix when you make ingots.

I use a set of Harbor Freight Letter Stamping Dies to mark my ingots. I mark them :

"S" for soft. Pure lead. This is what I use most. I push these at low pressures. ~780FPS.

"M" for an alloy of 20#'s lead to 1# of tin. I have to use this alloy in one of my revolvers that has a rough bore even at low pressures.

"H" for hard. 10#'s lead to 1# tin. For higher pressure loadings.

You want to slug the bore on the firearm your casting for. Be sure to size .001-.002 larger. If you're bullets are too small, you'll get leading in the bore.

Soft lubes work much better than hard lubes to help prevent leading the bore. I use Lee Alox Tumble lube just for this reason. I lube before and after I size.

Yep, I have a scar under my left eyebrow from where I was leaning over the melting pot when I was making WW ingots. A drop of sweat fell into the molten lead and it truly exploded, sending lead every where. If it had hit 1/2 inch lower, I would most likely be blind in my left eye!!
Water and Molten lead DO NOT MIX.

Always wear eye protection.
Cast only in very well ventilated areas.
Keep your hands out of your mouth. Scrub well before eating.
No food or drink in the reloading area.
 
Ah yes. "Hard lube" and "hard cast bullets".

You would guess, from the fact that that's what they sell, that that is the best stuff. Not so.

Cast up a bunch of bullets, at the correct hardness for the best shooting, dump 500 of 'em in a box and ship 'em off to Timbuktu, and when they get there, after bouncing around in the UPS truck for a week, they will be dented. This produces annoyed customers. How to solve? Cast them from a harder alloy. They don't get damaged from travel. They don't shoot as good, but they look better.

Lube. Alox. Soft. Sticky. Lube up a bunch of bullets with Alox, dump 500 in a box and ship 'em off. After a week of bouncing around in the UPS truck, when they get where they are going there is lube everywhere. Again, annoyed customers. Solution? Lube made of candle wax. Color it blue or red, and tell the customer that that special "hard lube" is so much better than old "soft lube". It is better. For the seller. Not as many annoyed customers.

Cast your bullets soft, use a soft lube and you'll be much happier, you'll have much less leading and your loads will probably be more accurate.
 
Discussion starter · #47 ·
I asked to have a lead test done (blood level, most people are around 1 or 2) but the doc I work for said that it is so rare that it's usually not done unless you worked at a lead smelter factory for 30 years or some insane amount of exposure. I would bet mine is around 5 or 6 but it's extremely uncommon, especially nowadays.

safety is for sure important, the biggest concern is the fumes and of course serious burns. It is funny though, look up Mythbusters on the ladenfrost (spelling?) effect in molten lead; they dip their (wet) fingers into a lead pot and don't get burned. But not for me!

Also worth mentioning is to keep liquids away from the pot; water will 'explode' the molten lead outta the pot as it rapidly turns to steam, not fun.



When I was around 12 years old, give or take a few years, my father was casting bullets. He had a Pepsi-Cola in a glass, but he had it sitting on another shelf about 5 feet to the right of where he was casting. To the left of him, about two feet on the floor, our lab had taken her litter and tucked them next to the end of the bench trying to re position her litter just as dogs try to do. The pups were born prematurely and we were bottle feeding them every hour. One had a half developed lip but believe it or not the lip continued to form. Anyway, the cat came into the garage and the dog tried to attack it (that is what I remember) and the cat jumped up on the shelf and knocked the Pepsi over. The Pepsi dumped over and ran down the shelf, then gushed down onto the second shelf, and it traveled down that shelf and went directly into the melting pot. The lead literally exploded. I remember my father telling us kids to get away, he was screaming at us. Once it was done we saw that our lab and her pups were covered in it. The pups were crying and the saddest part was our dog, the mother was hurting but she would not quit trying to rescue her pups. If I remember right only two of the pups lived. My father was always the strong type but me cried. We couldn't pick the lead off because it was stuck to them, so we had to wait for it to just come off on it's own. By that time the pups were dead. The mother was a half breed lab/retriever/and something else mix and she was the best bird dog we ever had.

Now when I am in the garage and I have something to drink, I place it on a dedicated table that is lower then my bench that sits away from me. Every time I set a drink down that accident goes through my head. It goes so show you that you can never be careful enough.
 
Discussion starter · #48 ·
Ah yes. "Hard lube" and "hard cast bullets".

You would guess, from the fact that that's what they sell, that that is the best stuff. Not so.

Cast up a bunch of bullets, at the correct hardness for the best shooting, dump 500 of 'em in a box and ship 'em off to Timbuktu, and when they get there, after bouncing around in the UPS truck for a week, they will be dented. This produces annoyed customers. How to solve? Cast them from a harder alloy. They don't get damaged from travel. They don't shoot as good, but they look better.

Lube. Alox. Soft. Sticky. Lube up a bunch of bullets with Alox, dump 500 in a box and ship 'em off. After a week of bouncing around in the UPS truck, when they get where they are going there is lube everywhere. Again, annoyed customers. Solution? Lube made of candle wax. Color it blue or red, and tell the customer that that special "hard lube" is so much better than old "soft lube". It is better. For the seller. Not as many annoyed customers.

Cast your bullets soft, use a soft lube and you'll be much happier, you'll have much less leading and your loads will probably be more accurate.
Thank you for that advice. Good info for sure.
 
This is my experience.

Pro's,
1: If you try you can find lead for free, free lead = free bullets.
2: I always have bullets when I need them.
3: I can cast and size the bullets to the size I need to not get leading.
4: For me it's another enjoyable hobby.
5: To sum it up it lets me load 45 auto for my 1911 for $25 per 1,000 rounds with accurate no leading bullets.

Cons,
I can't think of any.
 
Discussion starter · #50 · (Edited)
This is my experience.

Pro's,
1: If you try you can find lead for free, free lead = free bullets.
2: I always have bullets when I need them.
3: I can cast and size the bullets to the size I need to not get leading.
4: For me it's another enjoyable hobby.
5: To sum it up it lets me load 45 auto for my 1911 for $25 per 1,000 rounds with accurate no leading bullets.

Cons,
I can't think of any.
That is great. The info you guys are giving me is what I am looking for. My decision is to do it. I will be ordering my stuff through Graf & Sons exclusively but I am sure my wife will make me wait until my birthday to open it.

My next question. How do I know what size molds I need. Rusty said that he can re size to the size he needs so he doesn't get leading. How do I know what size that is. So far I have learned that for .357 I need a .358 mold, and for .429 I need a .430 mold. Also, how do I "Slug" a barrel? Will that help me determine the "Best" size for not leading my barrel? Also, if I have excessive leading, will Alpo come over and scrub my guns? :D
 
I have been casting for over 30 years and have learned a few things; mostly in the last year trying to find a bullet and alloy that will shoot in my Sharps 1874 repro. Here's a little:

Range lead: often available at your local club for the cost of a few hours and some propane. We usually gather a few other members together to cut the labor down and divvy it up among us. Range lead is (obviously) a combination of everything from the hardest cast (WW) to pure lead (think .22 r.f.). The addition of a bit of tin will help "wet" the alloy to the mold. Any more than about 2% is basically unnecessary, and if you go too high can create solder. I get my tin from a local company that solders circuit boards. They are thrilled to dispose of the used solder without the hazmat fee.

WW's are a great source for HARD bullets. Unfortunately as some have found, many states have outlawed lead WW's. Again; the addition of some small amount of tin will aid in casting a crisp bullet. WW's also have a small amount of arsenic in it to harden. One can allow the finished bullets to age for a few months, or can oven cure them at 450 F for about an hour then let them rest for a couple of days to stabilize.

A mix of both. I've been working with a 50/50 mix of WW and range lead to drive a 500 gr. bullet at around 1,300 fps in my Sharps. I also use it in my paper patching and am up around 1,550 fps with respectable accuracy. You can also heat treat this alloy and it will age-harden as well.

Lubes. What was written above has some truth to it. A manufacturer has to look at the overall life of his product to determine what goes into it. A commercial high temp stick lube wears well and is easy to work with at both ends of the process. It's not the best choice by far. I read up on the subject and developed my own which is far superior to anything out there and is cheaper too. I buy cakes of surf wax (pure carnauba), paraffin (which does nothing but add bulk and raise the melt point), a toilet ring (beeswax and vaseline), and a teaspoon of STP oil treatment. This mix has to be heated (I use a Star) and stays where you put it but is not sticky. That lube reduced group sizes in my rifle to nearly one hole at 100 yards with cast WW's. I can live with that. You just have to find what works best for you.

A big part of the reason we cast is to reduce overall shooting costs. Scrounging, and looking for good deals and alternative methods are part of the whole process. Will it save you money? You can tell your wife that, but trust me; it ain't so! But it will make a better shooter out of you.
 
Discussion starter · #52 ·
I have been casting for over 30 years and have learned a few things; mostly in the last year trying to find a bullet and alloy that will shoot in my Sharps 1874 repro. Here's a little:

Range lead: often available at your local club for the cost of a few hours and some propane. We usually gather a few other members together to cut the labor down and divvy it up among us. Range lead is (obviously) a combination of everything from the hardest cast (WW) to pure lead (think .22 r.f.). The addition of a bit of tin will help "wet" the alloy to the mold. Any more than about 2% is basically unnecessary, and if you go too high can create solder. I get my tin from a local company that solders circuit boards. They are thrilled to dispose of the used solder without the hazmat fee.

WW's are a great source for HARD bullets. Unfortunately as some have found, many states have outlawed lead WW's. Again; the addition of some small amount of tin will aid in casting a crisp bullet. WW's also have a small amount of arsenic in it to harden. One can allow the finished bullets to age for a few months, or can oven cure them at 450 F for about an hour then let them rest for a couple of days to stabilize.

A mix of both. I've been working with a 50/50 mix of WW and range lead to drive a 500 gr. bullet at around 1,300 fps in my Sharps. I also use it in my paper patching and am up around 1,550 fps with respectable accuracy. You can also heat treat this alloy and it will age-harden as well.

Lubes. What was written above has some truth to it. A manufacturer has to look at the overall life of his product to determine what goes into it. A commercial high temp stick lube wears well and is easy to work with at both ends of the process. It's not the best choice by far. I read up on the subject and developed my own which is far superior to anything out there and is cheaper too. I buy cakes of surf wax (pure carnauba), paraffin (which does nothing but add bulk and raise the melt point), a toilet ring (beeswax and vaseline), and a teaspoon of STP oil treatment. This mix has to be heated (I use a Star) and stays where you put it but is not sticky. That lube reduced group sizes in my rifle to nearly one hole at 100 yards with cast WW's. I can live with that. You just have to find what works best for you.

A big part of the reason we cast is to reduce overall shooting costs. Scrounging, and looking for good deals and alternative methods are part of the whole process. Will it save you money? You can tell your wife that, but trust me; it ain't so! But it will make a better shooter out of you.
Very good info. Thank you.
 
all this thought of tackle reminds me.. my deceased FIL had a bunch of tackle i put ion the garage.. had some large round and tringular weights. I gotta find them...
 
That is great. The info you guys are giving me is what I am looking for. My decision is to do it. I will be ordering my stuff through Graf & Sons exclusively but I am sure my wife will make me wait until my birthday to open it.

My next question. How do I know what size molds I need. Rusty said that he can re size to the size he needs so he doesn't get leading. How do I know what size that is. So far I have learned that for .357 I need a .358 mold, and for .429 I need a .430 mold. Also, how do I "Slug" a barrel? Will that help me determine the "Best" size for not leading my barrel? Also, if I have excessive leading, will Alpo come over and scrub my guns? :D
Slugging a bore is easy. Just cast a soft bullet, and beat it through your barrel using a wooden dowel. Measure the diameter, then size .001-.002 larger.
 
Alpo don't even clean his guns. Ain't no way he's gonna clean yours. :p
 
What works better than a bullet is a round ball. A 36 pistol uses .375 ball. 44 uses .454 and 50 caliber rifle uses .490. Bullets have grease grooves in them, which can mess up your mearsurement. Soft lead ball is better. If you know anybody that shoots black powder, you might can con him out of a couple of balls.
 
Hey, good info on the homeade lube; gonna half to do some more reading and come up with something similar. Been using lyman's stick lube lately but it's too sticky for my liking, have to use the heater element to soften it just a little during the winter months. I have a bunch of parafin hanging around, they're easy to come by as is the rest of the stuff in that recipe above.
 
hey, wait a minute. I corrected the word 'half' to 'have' and when I hit post, it came back! what the crap....
 
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