Just sharing enthusiasm for new facet to my shooting:casting

[Tallbald]

Folks I've been a forum member a long time. Had both light-hearted and serious discussions along the way. Last year, I fulfilled a plan my long-gone best shooting friend and I had starting back in the late 1960's. My daddy....my best friend and shooting partner ever.... passed away in 1978 when I was 20, before he and I could ever try casting bullets. He was only 46 and died of service connected illness. I miss him and Mama both each day and so wish that Daddy and I were together for this fun, new-to-me casting venture.
I now am back to reloading after a hiatus of 30 or more years. I load .38 Special, .357 Magnum and .44 Magnum. I also started casting for the .38's. I started last year with a Coleman stove, iron casting pot, a Lee 6 cavity mold and iron ladle. For lead, I went to a scrap yard and bought roofing lead. I received a lot of help from members of another forum dedicated to casting, and generous members even shared some raw alloy materials with me. 125 grain round nose flat point slugs over Trail Boss recommended charges give me 3/4 inch groups at 50 measured yards from my 77/357 carbine. And I make the entire loaded round for about 6 cents each!! I recently went to a basic electric Lyman dip type pot, and things are now simpler that in the beginning for me, and thus even more fun.
Recently I bought an RCBS two cavity mold and began making 140 grain round nose flat point bullets I will load in .38 Special and .357. I like slow projectiles and I choose my powders for this and I can cheaply tumble lube the slugs in a plastic freezer bag. My favorite rifle is my 77/357, and I'm really enjoying having one cartridge for the carbine, my SP101, my GP100 and Blackhawk.
If anyone is contemplating beginning casting, I can honestly say it's one of the most rewarding aspects of shooting I've experienced in years. Be safe, read and follow all safety rules if you decide to try casting, and I hope you have as much of a good time as I myself am having at it. Don

125 grain .358 diameter slugs.

Some of my newer 140 grain slugs

 

[Bucks Owin]

Welcome to the casting clan amigo! 8)

Now comes the dilemma...Does one cast so that you can shoot more or shoot so that you can cast more?!? :lol:

 

[cadillo]

Always stay on the lookout for lead as it's getting harder and harder to find without paying a premium plus shipping. The lead pipe jacks are a good source of what amounts to pure lead for our purposes, but presents one with the issue of finding a source of sweeteners to get the tin and antimony levels up to where we need them.

If you don't have that angle already covered, you can oft times find what you need over at the castboolits forum. I once scored a bunch of monotype @ $1.00 lb. delivered by USPS. I won't find it that cheap again, so I got enough to last me a while. The good stuff is getting scarce, but it's still out there.

 

[Tallbald]

Thanks both of you. Yes it's a toss up as to which is more fun....casting or shooting! I too am a castboolit forum using the same screen name, and it's filled with a wealth of information and helpful folks. Generous too. Good to hear I'm not alone in my enthusiasm here on RF! Don

 

[Jim Puke]

Tallbald...I know where you are coming from.

It adds a new dimension to reloading and shooting...it has certainly increased my enjoyment.

 

[gster]

Welcome to casting . I too am fairly new to it. I wished I'd have started many, many years ago. I honestly think that I shoot more so that I can cast more. I sometimes head up to start the lead pot only to stop myself, because I'm saving ingots to use with some new molds in different calibers.

 

[cadillo]

I forgot to mention one important point, and that is to let folks at your range or club know that you cast. On three occasions, I've had folks give me significant amounts of lead and sweeteners when they either moved or felt that they had gotten too old to cast due to the weight involved and the chance of being burned etc. Most of the Old Timers would rather see a caster get some benefit from the stuff than to take it to the scrap yard.

 

[Jim Puke]

I forgot to mention one important point, and that is to let folks at your range or club know that you cast. On three occasions, I've had folks give me significant amounts of lead and sweeteners when they either moved or felt that they had gotten too old to cast due to the weight involved and the chance of being burned etc. Most of the Old Timers would rather see a caster get some benefit from the stuff than to take it to the scrap yard.

X 2

Good advice and true of the older casters.

 

[Tallbald]

Excellent advice folks, and thank you for responding. Lots of fun ahead of me! Don.

 

[gramps]

I too am on castboolits forum-luvtn-as are several others from here. I have lead, pot, and moulds, but I am intimidated by the process, and haven't begun yet. Thanks for sharing, and the encouragement.
gramps

 

[Chuck 100 yd]

gramps, it really is no big deal casting bullets. Melt the lead,heat up the mold and fill it with molten lead. Most bullets can be fired as cast with lube applied by hand or tumble lubed in Lee Liquid Alox. That will get you started. Any other steps or tools are just icing on the cake and can come later. Have fun.

 

[Tallbald]

Gramps I understand your trepidation because I had it myself. Finally just decided I had to do it. Just read about the process, understand the basics and safety rules,and be ready and willing to make some mistakes while you learn. Remember it's just metal and a mold. Mistakes just go back into the pot for another try. Not something serious like starting a line, putting down an NG, drawing up a med, or placing a Foley. When you finally do get a pile of cast ones you are satisfied with it's like looking at a pile of treasure! And there's a LOT of satisfaction when you find the right load that shoots a cloverleaf and you know you MADE the projectile. And after you do the math and determine the material cost on a per projectile basis you might even do the Happy Dance like I did. I now look at factory loads with a sense of boredom. Unless I cast them, load and shoot them myself they aren't nearly as much fun. Don.

 

[jsh]

I too got bit by the casting bug 15+ years ago. All I had ever heard was that they were only good for plinking and barrel leading.
Ken at CB and I had been chatting on yahoo chat. This prior to the fall of shooters and the start of the castboolit forum. I bought a used bunch of casting molds, pot sizer, etc. I had what I thought was plenty of lead as I made my own sinkers for years. I soon found that I shot way more lead than I lost fishing. That ended up being a constant search for WW and other alloys for the next several years. I have amassed enough now that I don't search for it anymore but I don't turn any scrap down either.
I got pretty serious on accuracy from the get go. I was shooting IHMSA matches on an average of 3-4 guns a match three weekends a month at that point. If I was going to shoot cast and do as good as I did with jacketed score wise it was going to take a bit of work. If I couldn't at least equal my scores with jacketed it would be a waste of time.
I started culling real hard. Weighing and culling by eye. If the bullet didn't look exactly like the the inside of the mold, it is a cull, plain and simple. Folks told me it didn't matter. My response was you would cull a jacketed bullet with eye visable damage wouldn't you? You accept sub standard cast bullets you get sub standard results.
I have since equalled speed and accuracy in numerous guns in a fair spred of calibers, rifles and handguns. Size and fit is king, as has been noted by a large majority of shooters.
Yes I could buy lube and good to excellent lube to boot. BBQ is the same way, but if I make my own that is as good as I can buy, why? I started off with some rcbs lube just because it came with the sizer. Some tubes were labeled pistol others rifle. That made me scratch my head, still does. Enter FWFL aka Felix World Famous lube. I am of the KISS theory (keep it simple stupid). I spoke to Felix several times and communicated with emails a fair bit as well. I use what I believe to be the original recipe. The only addition I made was to add some carnuba to it which I think became a standard by a lot of folks but does little to make it any better. I have had ZERO issues with it. Any leading when this lube was used was either alloy or a size issue. I have ran it up to mid range jacketed speeds in various rifles in various calibers with no leading, and good to excellent accuracy. I say midrange because that is about what a well designed cast bullet will handle for hunting purposes with out fragmenting.
I have gotten rugersingleactionitis. Another good revolver maker upset me one to many times and I have all but a few swapped to Rugers and couldn't be more happy.
Casting for and making revolvers shoot a cast bullet good to excellent has been a brand new experience. I learn somthing new at every outing it seems. It is by no means witch craft by any means. It will make you scratch your head a fair bit at times.
One last thing I will say. If I had ever shot a 41 magnum 30 years ago I doubt I would have ever picked up a 44. I have had a SW and Ruger bisley hunter in this caliber in the past three years. Both are out standing shooters. One shot as well as the other but the Bisley remains as it was more in line with my purposes.
Jeff

 

[pps]

Welcome to the addiction.

 

[LAH]

Welcome to the addiction.

That what it be.

 

[contender]

As a long time caster, I can attest to the enjoyment I get from it AND saving money for the amount I shoot.
As you do more, you will acquire more equipment. I just took delivery of ANOTHER custom mold. Only cost me $134.50 shipped.
Then you can look into powder coating bullets, as it is a way to not mess with lubes. Lots to play with!
Enjoy the fun!

 

[GP100man]

Welcome to the brotherhood of the silverstream !!

& independence from the projectiles meant for the masses!!

My Granddaddy was a hunter/ shooter , he`d loved reloading & casting ,I can feel it !!!!
He`s smiling down on me everytime I reuse/reclaim or scrounge anything!

He raised 7 yungens thru "HOOVER DAY" & he did not shoot for sport or fun ,he shot to eat !!!!

Happy casting !!!

GP100man