My first cast bullets

for cheap stuff to use for casting I visit my local goodwill store and buy some of the small muffin tins to make small round lead ingots with. I've also got a couple of aluminum loaf tins to catch my sprues and cast rounds in.

That waffle iron idea to warm the molds is inspired - you can always find those for cheap.
 
I have read about (but not seen) people warping aluminum molds using the coil type hotplates. It is recommended to use the flat or solid type hotplates. I have an old coil type myself, but I have a flat piece of tin (actually, the lid from a gallon bean can) that I put on top of the coils to disperse the heat from the coils evenly, and I put the mold on that to warm up. In theory, the red hot coils of those type hotplates can heat the mold unevenly and cause warping. But if that's the only hotplate you have, it's easy to put something on the coils..... coffee can or bean can lid or such.

Most wrinkles come from casting too slowly. If the lead is at a good temp and the mold is hot, then you have to cast and cast and cast, just slow enough that the sprue doesn't smear, but as fast as you can keep it going. You can't stop and put sprues back in the pot or cull the bullets or admire them or even notice how good they are coming out, until you have that thing up to speed and dropping bullets quickly, then you can slow it down and look at them or poke at one or two to check them out between pours. But until the mold is dropping good bullets..... it's "cast like your arm was on fire" time. :)
 
I been out there for 2 hours in the hot as heck 90 degree sun melting about 3 lbs of lead I got from a guy on cast boolit forum. Followed instructions to the t. Fluxed with wax. All I had. Used sawdust. Skimmed. Put a cookie pan on the hot plate to keep mold warm. After first ladle I wiped sprue plate while bullets in it with echo synthetic 2 cycle oil. Used a cast pot and a rotometals ladle. This lead is hard. My camp stove wouldn't melt it all the way on high. Turkey fryer worked but too hot to stand over. Guy I bought it from said it cast best at 700-750 degrees. Was afraid of getting it too hot but was too thick to pour through roto metal dipper without clogging up. Turned heat up a little more and got some decent bullets but back cavity never seems to fill or come out right unless I'm right over the pot. I may have done something to the mold last session out. It got better when it was really hot. My Lee 4-20 is supposed to be delivered today sometime. I know it gets hotter from what I've read without flames in my face and it super hot out. Some bullets super shiny. Some frosty but not bad. I was upset with a lot of wrinkles to start but they finally stopped. It got too hot and I stopped myself. This is a mixture of lead,tin,antimony and 1/4 percent copper. If I remember it was 95 percent lead and whatever percentages of tin and antimony. I just remember the .25 percent copper. Better luck next time.
 
I fill front to back, knock out bullets, fill back to front, knock out bullets, rinse and repeat. This gives each cavity a more even temperature verses hot lead staying in the front cavity for longer and gettimg more heat.

Might try this to see if it helps with your troublesome cavity.
 
My Lee pot came in. Cleaned it out with alcohol. Got my Rcbs thermometer. Went back out and this thing is great. If it leaks some I could care less. Ten times faster than the ladle. Guy I got lead from said to run between 700-750 degrees. He was spot on. Cavities fill good as lead is melted much better. I used about a pea sized piece of wax every time I added more lead to flux. Still have some culls but nowhere near like earlier with the ladle and stove. Kept my mold hot on the hot plate. I let temperature get up to around 820 for a few casts and had some frosty bullets but wrinkles all but went away. Still had a few but not 2 out of 3. I done about 150 in an hour and not so hot I couldn't breathe. Pot is way smaller than I saw on videos but perfect for me. Now I need a 44 mag 240 grain 6 cavity mold. I guess I'm hooked. Got a lot to learn but trial and error. Can't spend all my Money casting cause I've got bolt actions to load for. Great way to spend a cool evening. Very very little sludge so I guess the lead was clean. Got to order a sizing die and Alox to tumble lube and load these up one day.
 
It's a thought but I push 7 mm mag out around 3000 fps and my 6.5 Creedmoor I'm working up to a mile on. Going to try and pick up a Ruger #1 in 45-70 in next few months. Cast would be great for it.
 
Great thread. Brings back memories!

Nothing wrong with fluxing with sawdust but it's a bit messy. I just get those wax rings for toilets and they last forever.

If you're going to cast rifle bullets, especially for pushing at that velocity, you're going to need to use gas checks.

Keep us posted.

--Wag--
 
I really like my Tikka 7-08. I don't normally push it faster than 2600 fps. I do run the 120 grain Barnes at around 3000 fps. Wonder if a cast bullet would be good to about 300 yards with it. I would need a 140 to 145 grain mold.
 
This is old post since April the 3rd and I have cast over 300 lbs of bullets since and am loving it. Casting for 45-70-45 colt-357-10 mm-44 mag and have mods from NOE-Lyman-Accurate and a few six cavity Lees for banger bullets. I can't hardly keep up with all the alloys I have tried. Ended up with a RCBS lube sizer and a Lyman 450 Sizer I found used. This was supposed to be cheaper but I think it's going to be more expensive if I keep buying another caliber to cast for. LOL. I have to give credit to the Lee 4-20 pot. I had a few small leaks in the beginning but have not had any since. I do clean it every time I change alloys and it has held it's own considering the cost. Only thing I find that ladles better than bottom pour is the 45-70 I got from NOE. Large cavity seems to like the ladle pour better for some reason. I wouldn't consider buying a jacketed bullet again except for my bench rifles.
 
It is nice to hear and makes me smile when folks are enjoying the hobby of bullet casting.

I started in 1969 and have not regretted a day of it.

I just melted and cleaned a 5 gallon bucket of wheel weights that a buddy rounded up for me from a tire shop in a small town south of me.

There were a fair amount of iron and zinc weights in the batch, but not a problem.

I will use the WWs to build some alloys for future casting.
 
Wow, you’ve been a buzy bee! It is a very rewarding hobby for sure.

I’m a cheap sake, hence casting, so I always ponder real hard on the “next” mold for a long time before I commit. That doesnt in fact save any money, meerly delays the inevitable.
 
I normally will buy some commercial cast bullets of the design I want in a mold. If I like the bullet, I'll then buy a mold...
 
Fortunately I have a buddy in Idaho that casts everything I do except the 45 colt which I learned on. He sends me samples of different alloys and a few different sizes to try out first. Been a great mentor and we only email. Have never spoke except email. Sent me my first Lyman pots and a few ladles to get started without the junk I was using.
I've been buying lead from a few nice people on the cast boolit forum for around $1.00 a lb. They have mixed my alloys with tin and Linotype if I ask. I still have about 150 lbs of known alloy on hand and about a 100 lbs of mystery metal I mixed up myself. People I've met that cast have been a real help. Tons of reading and you tube helps a lot. I'm finding out casting is a pay it forward hobby. Sold my Henry 45 a month or so ago and gave the guy about 400 cast bullets and a spare mold I had. He's already casting his own now and enjoying it a lot. Now my goal for this year is to take a deer with my own bullet. Don't think it could get much better.
 
You bring up a point I ment to say earlier Wendy. Im looking forward to the day I take a peice of game with one of my cast bullets.
 
I'm going Saturday morning with some 44s I have cast for my rifle. Hopefully a good day. If not it will be nice to be in the woods anyway. Going to take Blackhawk in 45 just in case one might be close enough.
 
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