Casting bullets need advice.

C

Ccctennis

New member
I have spent the last two weeks reading books, magazines, forum threads, and reaching out to senior cast specialist Here is what i think i know so far and what am i missing?

I ordered the following as of today:
Lee Precision 4 20# Pot Bottom pour pot
Lyman casting dipper

My next set of questions revolve around lubes
Should I get a lube sizer or get Lee tumble molds and just tumble size?

Should i buy 2, 4 or 6 cavity molds?

It seems that it is just a prefernce thing, but i am trying to figure out what would work for me before investing in the equipment. I primarily plink and target train with the handguns.



I am going to cast for 9mm, 38/357, 44, 44-40, 45acp, 45 colt
 
I do not use my casting dipper. I like the Lee 6 cavity molds and I rarely use anything but 45-45-10 mix of Liquid Alox for lube for my target bullets. I sometimes use a sizer from lee and use either tumble lube molds or regular molds. I suggest getting one Lee 6 cavity and give it a try. My 45acp guns really like the 230gr tumble lube bullet. I also like the 148 grain non tumble lube wadcutter for 38. In 45 Colt I use non tumble lube 6 cavity for 255gr bullet.
 
You are on the right track with the Lee furnance. Have used their molds for many years and like them better than the steel mold. After a few hours of casting you will like the lighter Lee molds. Also I use Lee Alox to lube and with some practice
you can get some nice bullets. The secret is that a little goes a VERY long way. Lee makes some a nice lube & sizing kits that you might find helpful. They do make a few bullet designs that won't need any sizing. Have on of the 12 ga. slug molds that I use offend because I down load the rounds so its not as painful to shoot. The 00 buckshot molds works but only about 75% will come out rounds, But who cares I shoot them or drop them back into the pot. You might like to check out
a web site www.castbullits.com its a good source of ideas and info. Good luck.
 
If you are casting those particular bullets, I would go with a traditional deep lube-groove design instead of tumble-lube ridges.

If you're able, I'd go ahead and get a Lyman 450 sizer and the appropriate sizing dies. It's a lifetime tool.

Lyman sticks of 50/50 ALOX/Beeswax for the lube to start.

Double cavity for now. I've been playing this game for 45 years and out of 34 molds of various calibers, only two are four-cavity -- and I rarely use them

... and use a dipper ;)
 
I agree no matter what lube your doing, go with the traditional groove and not the tumble lube grooves. I have some tumble lubes that I cannot keep from shaving off the ridges when seating the bullet no matter how much I flare the case. please make your life easier and as least "look into" tumble powder-coating. it made the whole experience less finicky and more rewarding for me, and the investment is about 35$
 
Should I get a lube sizer or get Lee tumble molds and just tumble size?
Click to expand...

If money is tight, and when isn’t it, try tumble lubing as cast boolits to see if you can obtain the accuracy you desire and achieve minimum leading. If not then purchase a Lee sizing tool (I don’t remember what they call it). It should be 0.001 over bore size. If you still have troubles then get a lube sizer that way you will not be out much cash. You can use tumble lube molds with a lube sizer.

Should i buy 2, 4 or 6 cavity molds?
Click to expand...

It depends on how many you want to cast at one sitting, the 6 cavitys will cast a bunch in no time but take longer to heat up.


If your mold is clean and hot and your lead is hot you can cast good boolits. No need for smoking a mold or release agents. So don’t buy into that. Clean your mold (when it’s cold) with naptha and let dry.
 
I forgot to add that the lee sizing die will also install the gas checks quickly while lubing the non tumble lube bullet. They are a little slow but for low volume hunting bullets they work great. You do need a gas check bullet mold to use gas checks.
 
To get up and rolling, without a large investment, go with tumble lube. If you choose alox, thin it to about the consistency of whipping cream with mineral spirits. Thinned alox goes on thinner and dries quicker. 90% of new users use way too much alox on their bullets, just a light tan coating is good and it does not have to fill the lube grooves. Also, thinned alox will dry quicker and be much less messy. Another good tumble lube is 45-45-10 http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?67654-Tumble-Lubing-Made-Easy-amp-Mess-Free Both of these tumble lubes work on "micro groove" and standard lube groove bullets.

Starting out casting, I would recommend two cavity molds. Two cavities will make a good sized pile of bullets fairly quickly and easier to control mold temperature along the whole mold. Six cavity molds will make a bunch of bullets but getting good bullets out of all cavities sometimes can be a problem for new casters (some cavities may be much "hotter" than cavities at the ends of the mold).

The only way to learn to cast bullets is to cast bullets. So melt up some lead and start casting (don't forget safety glasses/goggles) :D

Added later; Tumble lubing is only as messy as you are. If you get alox all over your hands, bench and press, it ain't the alox's fault. For a more "controlled application" you can "dip lube" your bullets (just as the term stated, grab your bullets by the nose and dip them in the alox and stand them up on a piece of aluminum foil. Lube stays off the nose where it ain't needed.)
 
Last edited:
Tumble lube on rifle bullets can make a mess of your rifle so what I do for my cast rifle bullets now is to apply the tumble lube to the lands with a Q tip. I didnt use to do that and it sure makes a huge difference because lube is not rubbing off and leaving deposits in magazines or mag wells.

You will need to use a dipper when making ingots. By using a dipper it keeps the crud out of the valve in your bottom pour pot. My original bottom pour pot the valve gave out so I drilled and tapped it to 1/8" pipe thread and installed a brass valve. The brass valve disapates so much heat that I used to have to heat it up with a propane torch every once in a while. I now use that old Lee pot for processing lead scrap to make ingots and use my newer pot strictly for casting bullets.

I chill my bullets so when I am casting I have a sizer set up in my Rockcrusher. When I am low on lead in the pot and waiting for it to melt I size my bullets. Since the bullets are still damp from me chilling them I use the water as a lube instead of messy allox and it works fine.

I have l also used my Lee lube sizers for sizeing jacketed bullets.
I only carry a certain amount of jacketed bullets.....Makes no sence to have .38 S&W and .38 Special and 9mm so I just turn 38 hollowpoints into 9mm by using the sizer.
 
Compared to most, I haven't been casting that long (5years) but I've made tens of thousands using a pre-owned 10# bottom pour and double cavity molds.

I borrowed a 6 hole and franky didn't like the quality of bullets it made. Lee really should go with a 4 banger. When you cast make sure to put the Lee mold on a flat surface when closing. I've rounded out a mold to the point of being useless by closing above the table. Steel pins and aluminum don't agree.

Go with a regular lube mold, not a TL design. It's just not necessary.

I use the '45-45-10' formula and here's a trick. Using a heat gun on the lower setting, heat up your freshly sized bullets a bit before dripping the lube in the tub. It prevents clumping as the lube hits the cold metal. DON'T use more than the bare minimum. Dry them over a fan, mine takes about a half hour or less.
 
Get regular lube groove molds. That way you can either tumble them, or get a lubesizer later, and you won't have to get all new molds. Regular grooved bullets tumble just like tumble-lube only bullets.

There's a new tumble lube in town...... you might read about it and maybe test out a small batch. It's not sticky and it works just like the plain old Lee Alox method. Tumble em to get a very light coat of it and let dry. But this dries much faster and isn't sticky on your hands or dies, and it really works well as a lube. Don't just take my word for it...... read the reviews and maybe test a little yourself.
http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?259285-NEW-!-!-T-L-Liquid-Lube



When you cast make sure to put the Lee mold on a flat surface when closing.
Click to expand...
^^^This really does help a lot!:)
 
I finally found some Johnsons no buff liquid floor wax. I had to order it from local hardware store. I have several hundred bullets ready to lube. I am eager to give this formula a try.
 
I got mine off Amazon. $8 bucks with free shipping with some other stuff I had ordered. Home Depot has it for $6.48 with free ship-to-store if not in stock. Lowe's has it for about $7+ as well.
 
I have a LOT (!!) of Lee molds (2 & 6) in both the standard and microgroove design. Stick with the standard. That way you can lube any way you want. I had great success with the 45/45/10 concoction with both designs before I switched to 100% powder coating 1.5 years ago. Never looked back. You can PC any design of slug. I even have a couple of no lube groove molds specifically for PC, but cannot see any advantage after casting and shooting al lot of them.

I use the Lee 4-20 pots all the time with great success. I have never had any of the dripping problems many bemoan. It is a great tool.

Enjoy casting and rolling your own....whatever lube method you choose! :)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top