OT- MORE Questions about casting

[Otto]

I've been reloading for awhile, and have toyed with the idea of casting. Initially it will be for a .45 Colt revolver, and maybe .38/.357 later. For the most part I load 200gr and 250gr cowboy bullets at near maximum standard loads. Almost all of my shooting is plinking and target shooting, although I may take a short-range opportunity at nuisance deer.

Is there a particular type of bullet, or a specific mold, that is easier for beginners to use? Right now I'm looking at a couple of CAS moulds and a couple of Keith types, because they seem to be the most popular. I'm not particularly concerned about match-grade accuracy, or terminal performance, at least for the time being.

[mescalero1]

I have always had good luck with Kieth style bullets.

[Chuck 100 yd]

I agree with mescalero1 .
The traditional style bullets are popular for CAS but I have found the Kieth bullets much easier to get to shoot well. A problem can be the nose length of some of the bullets in Kieth designs. When crimped into the crimp groove they may be to long and not feed through your rifle.
Find a few samples to try in your rifle before spending money on a mold. The Lee SWC bullets have shorter noses but dont shoot as well as the Lyman and RCBS bullets in my rifles.
Have fun!!

[Tycer]

Lyman 454190

[Otto]

Thanks, guys. Just to clarify, this is for a revolver, accuracy is not so important. I'm looking for a mold that is easier to cast with, if there is such a thing.

[Chuck 100 yd]

You tell`n me they make a pistol in .45 Colt? Well what will they think of next?

[O.S.O.K.]

OK, I suggest that you get an RCBS Keith Style bullet mould - square bottom grease grooves and plain (not beveled) base. They will shoot better, lead less and be real killers should you employ them for hunting. The 250 grain version will be fine for what you want. The 270 is better for hunting though.

For sizing, I really like Lee's sizer die kits. They produce an accurate bullet because they push the bullet through the die from the bottom - which is much better than nose pushers which may or may not produce a true bullet. And they come with a free bottle of Lee Liquid Alox lube - which is excellent stuff. These simply screw into your regular reloading press too.

[reo]

I agree with OSOK on the Lee sizer and Liquid Alox. I would say go with the Lee double cavities to start with. I think they are more forgiving to a new caster. They make a 200 ( http://www.midwayusa.com/eproductpage.e ... mid=789762 ) and two 250's that are great. http://www.midwayusa.com/eproductpage.e ... mid=668245 (The picture is wrong on this one.) and http://www.midwayusa.com/eproductpage.e ... mid=775664 I suggest the round nose flat point 250 grain to start with. Make sure you get some long wooden kitchen matches to smoke the cavities, directions on how to do this comes with the mould. I actually use pine twigs with melted pine pitch. It works faster for me. I have had some moulds for ten years and have cast thousands of bullets. They come with handles in the double cavity and you can buy three for the price of one iron mould and handles, IIRC. I have had great accuracy with these at standard velocities, for the faster velocities I go to the Keith style. Good luck it is a rewarding hobby, right up there with fly tying.

[revolverjunkie]

ya if your just shooting standard loads lee's setup is the way to go
i switched to a lyman lubrisizer
1. faster
2. no drying time
3. make my own bullet lube = cheap

[mescalero1]

Revolverjunkie,
How do you make your own bullet lube?
Would it be insertable in my Lyman luber/sizer?
Is it equal to/ better than store bought?

[Don McDowell]

Just to get started the Lee bullet molds work fine, and are ok to run limited amounts of bullets, but don't stand up well to loading huge amounts of bullets. The lee 255gr swc is a great bullet for the 45 colt. I've had some really good results casting that bullet from straight wheelweights, and lubed with Lees Liquid alox.
After you get a handle on the casting thing and if you decide you want to stay with it, then is the time to move into RCBS molds, and get a good lubrisizer. I'm real pleased with Sagebrush alox bullet lube in both smokeless and blackpowder loads. It's an inexpensive lube as well.
www.sageoutfitters.com

[Otto]

Okay, where do I get lead? I live in a small town in Ohio farm country, and have been surprised to discover that none of the local tire shops will sell wheelweights. Some of them claim they are required by their supplier to sell them back. One guy who is known both for casting and for selling wheelweights, said the scrap price is so high that he basically has to sell them back, because no caster would be able to meet his price.

The local hardware store sells 5lb ingots for $13.99 each. I am not sure whether it is pure lead, but it is really soft. The bars of 50/50 solder, 1lb I assume, are the same price.

[Don McDowell]

For certified alloy try www.rotometals.com
Theres quite a few folks selling rendered wheelweights on ebay.

[Otto]

Thanks for the link and the speedy response. That website indicates a BHN of 16 for their bullet-casting ingots. If I understand things correctly, that is at the upper limit of hardness for standard-pressure loads? Would I want to soften it at all, or use as is?

Thanks to everybody for all the responses.

[Chuck 100 yd]

Otto , For as you say, standard , loads you dont need bullets that hard and can cut it with pure lead at 50/50.
Most of the bullets I shoot at about 1500 fps and below are 50% WW and 50% lead and they do just fine.

[Don McDowell]

That 16-1 alloy will handle about anything that needs handled for 99% of cast bullets, rifle or handgun
Fact of the matter the 20-1 alloy will do quite well for most applications.
Some folks have gotten completely carried away with needing "hard" alloys.
Proper bullet fit to your gun, and a quality lube often cure way more ills than going with hard alloys.

I orderd some of the 20-1 from roto, while I haven't shot any of it yet. I've been real pleased in how well its casting for the various bullets I use in my bpcr's.
Good luck with your casting adventures, it's a sometime frustrating business, but the satisfaction of shooting excellent groups, or filling a hunting license with home cooked bullets is large.