First try at casting bullets

[Badger Matt]

I finally got myself something for Christmas I know I can use, almost everything I need to cast my own bullets. Ended up with a mold to cast 150gr .357 bullets and good ol' Elmer Keith's 250gr bullets for the 44 Magnum. I played around some this afternoon and here's my first batch of Elmer's design...

 

[Jim Puke]

Welcome to a new addiction.

Casting bullets is one of the most addictive things that I have ever gotten started doing. There is a lot of satisfaction in making the bullets that you shoot and there is also great satisfaction in being able to make different bullets for different uses.

Looks like you are off to a good start.

Just looking at the pics, the only suggestion that I would make is to try adding a little tin(need about 2%) to your mix so that the bullets will fill out the mold a little better. Also, you will learn quickly that controlling the temp of your mix and mold is critical to producing good bullets. I try to keep my pot as near 700 as possible and then control the temp of the mold with my filling and dumping intervals. JMO

There is a lot to learn and very few places are better for learning bullet casting than http://castboolits.gunloads.com/.

 

[anachronism]

A good start! You do need a bit more heat, and a little faster pace will help you too.

Good luck!

 

[contender]

Uh-oh,, we have another caster in the bunch!
I've been casting some bullets some recently as well. I have a small "supply" of 285 grn 45 cal I've been making.
Go to http://www.castboolits.com to learn a LOT!

 

[RSIno1]

Good luck with your casting. I'm just getting out of it. Got 2000+ all ready to go and at 63 I figure that'll last me a lifetime.

 

[SweetWilliam]

I've never cast my own so I have to ask, how can you tell Matt needs more tin & heat just by looking at the pics?

 

[Badger Matt]

Thanks for the helpful comments guys. I'm soaking it all in. I've also been surfing the castboolits site for a month now and it's an amazing place. Ditto for the pdf Ingot to Target "book" as well as Lyman's book. I ordered the lead/tin from rotometals and believe it was the 2.5% tin mix (son's sleeping in the guest room and that's where the invoice is). What I've read tells me I'm not keeping the heat of the mold quite high enough (SweetWilliam - the wrinkles on the bullet tell that tale).

 

[contender]

Wrinkles are usually an indicator of a mold not hot enough. But, the addition of tin does help fill out the small areas better. But too much tin is a waste, as it only requires a certain amount. I believe the 2.5% is about right in most cases.
Making your own bullets is another way to truly enjoy our hobby, or even allow us to not be "without" when there are shortages. As a good Boy Scout, I always try & "Be Prepared." I have several bullet molds, a bunch of primers, lots of powder, so I'm good for a few years myself.
But at only 2000 bullets, I'd feel as if I was only good for a few months,, maybe 6 at the most, NOT counting my 45 ACP competition stuff. (I shoot a plated bullet there to reduce the smoke from bullet lube.) I shoot about 3-4 thousand in 45 ACP annually.

 

[Chief 101]

the mold is not filling out completely, yousee round corners, too shiny, and the wrinkles....more heat. When you get the heat right then the tin content can be corrected...if needed. You will know you have everything just right when you can see the machine marks from the mold in the bullet. Toss those back in and turn up the hear a little and speed up....when you get the mold and lead at the right temp regulate lead temp and speed to keep it there. You can get it so you can cast at a comfy speed then.

 

[06ackley]

I just started casting this year myself and I will say it is very addictive!!Looks like you need a little more heat there and they will be fine.It is a lot more work than I thought it would be but very enjoyable.Wait until you get your first custom mold from NOE or MP.

 

[Badger Matt]

Thanks for the suggestions guys. I paid more attention to keeping the mold hot and it paid off today. Not every bullet was a keeper, but I love being able to throw my rejects back into the pot.

 

[sixshot]

The wrinkles tell us that either the mould is cold or your alloy is cold, when you get both up to temp your slugs will have good fill out. Make sure the bases are flat with a sharp end, you don't want a rounded bottom on your cast slugs. 99% of the time if the bases are good & flat then the rest of the bullet will be good also. I don't add tin like many do but I do run my metal a bit hotter than most, that gives me good fill out.
Normally I'll use a hot plate with a piece of flat steel on top, then set the mould on top & bring it up to temp while the alloy is melting, or you can dip a corner of the mould in the alloy for 60 seconds or so & pre heat it that way, don't over do it.
Usually when you get going good you can use 2 moulds & trade off so you don't get the mould too hot. When you first start casting with a cool mould or cool metal the first slugs will usually be a bit heavier, try to keep everything an even temp & life is good when casting. One last thing, do not, under any circumstances let a drop of sweat or rain, etc. get in that molten alloy. From experience I can tell you its usally about 3 laps around the house to get it to stop burning.

Dick

 

[GP100man]

AAWWww come on guys , he`s new & I can tell ya his melt needs heat ,but the mold will never warm up if he`s picking em up or rolling em around to look at em !!

THAT IS NORMAL !!! & WE ALL DID IT !!!

Now , clean ya mold AGAIN , preheat it , to be shore ya read on CastBoolits `bout lubing ya mold with BullShops Sprue Plate Lube or synthetic 2 cycle oil, go sparingly ,it don`t take much .

Now if the mold is still giving trouble (It would help to know if it`s steel/aluminum/brass) & is new it`ll take a few heat cycles to purge all the machining oil from the pores, until then just smoke the cavitys with a butane liter(I prefer bic , sems to make a liter film , better quality fuel??) litely as needed.

Anyways , try the above before adding any tin any higher than 4% does`nt help hardness & benifits on fill out lessens also . I myself have to keep reminding myself NOT to rely on temp & tin to make up for bad technigues.

Just remember preheat(dry) everything before adding to a melt.

Have fun ,don`t let it turn into a chore, be safe!!

Flux & Stir Flux & Stir !!!!!

GP

 

[willk]

Looks like maybe your mold may not be broken in yet. Still, it looks like more heat might solve the problem. Molding bullets is something that takes a bit of time and experience. Don't get disappointed. Just keep molding.

Been molding on and off since 1977. Still young enough and inexperienced enough to ask questions and learn new things. My good friend from South Louisiana showed me a new trick last Saturday.

Never have enough bullets or enough lead.

 

[gman]

Here's what I do. I run my alloy temp just below or at 700 degrees. When I start the melting process I place my mold or molds on a hot plate on medium. By the time my alloy is ready my molds are preheated. Most times I'm dropping perfect boolits on the first cast or two. Hope this helps you.

 

[Badger Matt]

Kept the mold well-heated and didn't dawdle while filling the mold. Thanks for the suggestions fellas. Just need to find me a decent bullet sizer/lubricator so I can load up some of these bullets.

Goal for 2014 hunting will be to take a critter with one of these in my 4-digit SBH and another critter with my 357 Herrett TCC pistol.

 

[06ackley]

Now those look much better.Enjoy your new addictive hobby!!

 

[Chief 101]

those look good, but just a tad more heat the nest time...real close

 

[Chief 101]

not to criticize, just use a tad bit more heat as these are useable as they are, if you stay on the low side of frosty bullets(toohot) you are there...

 

[GP100man]

GOODER!!!

 

[callshot]

Looks like your getting started and will learn with experience. I learned from the WISE OLD OWL (SIXSHOT) himself. It helped the learning curve. I know from experience that it is fun to shoot all kinds of targets and then animals with your home made bullets. Keep enough lead in your pot so it isn't hard on the heating element if it gets too low. Have fun! Steve

 

[Blammer308]

Lee push through sizer and get some info on pan lubing with a cake cutter for cheap starts.

I would recommend .430 to start with the 44mag. I have 3 diff 44 guns and they all shoot .430 just fine.

 

[protoolman]

Turn up the heat until they have sharper corners. If your bullets start looking a little frosty or crystallized its a bit too hot so you should cast slower and turn your heat down. To preheat a mold I dip the corner of the mold into the bullet metal for a bit. Some say don't do that but it works for me. Order your alloy with a bit of antimony in it too. It wont help with the filling out but will make the bullets a bit harder. Don't get carried away with tin as it will make the bullets harder but has a lower melting point so too much can make the base melt and leave "solder" in your bore.

 

[Jayhawkhuntclub]

Congratulations! All you need for sizing/lube is a Lee kit. Just tumble lube them in a butter dish with Lee Alox and let them dry on wax paper. No need for the hassle of pan lube. It's cheap and easy.

 

[LAH]

Coming along. Better than my first time, or second.

 

[cadillo]

I didn't see whether you mentioned the mould brand or material, so I won't go into a lot of detail. The second photo looked good, especially for someone just starting out. You are on track. I see a spot on one of the bullets that would cause me to give my melt another fluxing. I use saw dust, which works better than anything else, and I've tried them all.

Some might tell you that you need more heat than you had in the second photo. They have good enough fill out and sharp enough edges, so I would put a mic to them before I decided on whether your heat is correct. All my moulds are iron or brass, I prefer iron, as they run cooler, and produce a better acceptance rate, at least for me. With my moulds, the cooler I run the melt, the larger the diameter as they fall from the mould. Frosted bullets will run just a little bit smaller than nice shiny ones.

Like everything else in life it's a balancing act. You need enough heat to get good fill out, but low enough to get the bullets up to a size you can utilize with your barrel. Most of my moulds are Lyman, and they tend to drop on the small side unless I run enough tin and antimony to keep my heat down to about 625 F, which works best with the Lymans. My brass moulds run better with a melt temp of 700F.

More tin means better fill out at lower temps, and more antimony means greater hardness and less shrinkage when cooling, thus larger diameter from the mould. Down side to too much antimony is that too much hardness can mean leading.

Your looking pretty good for just starting out! Get lead while you still can!