Bullet Casting

stovepipe · Posted: Tue Jan 19, 2010 8:47 am Post subject: Re: Bullet Casting

350 lbs of lead?

Is it anywhere near your home?

The fuitcake hybrid-humpers here would have a field day with that. The haz-mat teams teams in level 5 contam suits would ribbon off your property, helicopters would come over, pretty soon it would look like an OJ Simpson trial....

Laughing

wiersy111 · Posted: Tue Jan 19, 2010 5:59 pm Post subject: Re: Bullet Casting

These are my first boolits. 500gr Lee .458 and 535gr Lyman .458. Shocked

res45 · Posted: Tue Jan 19, 2010 10:08 pm Post subject: Re: Bullet Casting

Well I'm back into casting again,me and my shooting and reloading buddy got together and bought a Lee pot and a few molds. We have gathered up and produced about 250 lbs. of WW ingots so far and cast a few K of bullets.

Here are a few of mine.

Lee 38 cal. 160 gr. TL SWC

Lee 9mm/125 gr. and .312 160 gr. TL/GC

My Yugo SKS group I shot today with the .312 bullet. I shot pretty much the exact group in my Chinese SKS so I set my rear leaf sight on the 400 meter setting thinking it would be the same but the longer barrel on the Yugo shoots a bit flatter so I will have to drop it down to 200 or 300 meters to get it on center.

gelandangan · Posted: Wed Jan 20, 2010 1:23 am Post subject: Re: Bullet Casting

Nice shiny stuff!!

I am sure you will run out of lead soon wiersy, so go and collect more!! Very Happy

I believe cast bullet is better to be left alone for about 2 weeks before being loaded.
That way the cast lead has age harden enough to withstand tiny deformation that may happen during loading.

Also, due to the fact that lead work soften (as opposed to work hardening of metal such as steel)
it is always better to size them right after casting, so the lead does not loose the hardening due to work softening ..

So there..

Btw, whats your boolit metal formula?

stovepipe · Posted: Wed Jan 20, 2010 9:44 am Post subject: Re: Bullet Casting

Neat stuff guys!

How fast are you pushing the SKS load and recipe please?

res45 · Posted: Wed Jan 20, 2010 7:25 pm Post subject: Re: Bullet Casting

Quote::

How fast are you pushing the SKS load and recipe please?

Not quiet sure I haven't run them across the chrono yet,was mostly looking for function and accuracy within the recommended range of 12 grs. MIN. and 15 grs. MAX of Alliant 2400.

I got pretty much identical accuracy with 12.5 grs. and 14.0 grs. of 2400,the lesser 12.5 grain load cycled both my SKS rifles,shot identical in both and dumped the brass about 5' from the bench recoil was very light. The 14.0 gr. load felt and acted pretty much like a standard 123 gr. ball rd. cycled with authority and threw the brass into the next county.

For the time being I'm sticking with the 12.5 gr. load. It uses less powder and works,I want to test it when the weather gets back down in the teen during the day to see if I get the same results,function and accuracy wise. Then once I settle on my all weather load I will run some chrono data.

gelandangan my bullets are cast from straight WW alloy air cool the slow bullets and water quench the fast stuff,all my bullets are TL design and require no sizing,lucky me that they work so well I put the gas check on the rifle bullets with an oversized push through sizer.

stovepipe · Posted: Thu Jan 21, 2010 9:29 am Post subject: Re: Bullet Casting

Copy and thanks man.

I'm gonna start loading for that caliber. The local range where I shoot mine wont allow Steel/alloy jacket ammo and that's all we can get here. I'm almost out of my coppper jacket ammo so...

wiersy111 · Posted: Tue Feb 02, 2010 8:48 pm Post subject: Re: Bullet Casting

Been doing lots of reading, learning and experimenting. It has kept me busy thus far, I must say the casting is a lot of fun. Took some of them big ol' 535gr to the range Saturday, they are defiantly an eye opener. Not exactly the kind of boolit to shoot on a hot august day in a t shirt, but still manageable. Very accurate in my BC and hard hitting. Pretty cool to shoot old wheel weights. My 357 and 9mm mold will be here this week so time to make some little fellas.

res45 · Posted: Wed Feb 03, 2010 6:05 pm Post subject: Re: Bullet Casting

wiersy111 small world,thats your 9mm bullet up there in my pic your going to be getting.

wiersy111 · Posted: Wed Feb 03, 2010 6:23 pm Post subject: Re: Bullet Casting

Sweet I'm chomping at the bit for that one, I am running out of 9mm. The only reason I haven't run out yet is I hate chasing brass in the snow.

Aloysius · Posted: Thu Feb 04, 2010 2:13 pm Post subject: Re: Bullet Casting

Wiersy, when this could help: I'm also using my 9 mm lead bullets in my .38 Sp when I need a lighter bullet. I just size it .357" then instead of the .355". It should also be possible the other way around, when you f.e. want to make a subsonic for you 9 mm, but till now I didn't try that.

wiersy111 · Posted: Thu Feb 04, 2010 5:49 pm Post subject: Re: Bullet Casting

I just poured 500 .359 158gr SWC's last night for the .357. I am enjoying my self playing with this.

Vince · Posted: Fri Feb 05, 2010 12:35 am Post subject: Re: Bullet Casting

Aloysius wrote:

Wiersy, when this could help: I'm also using my 9 mm lead bullets in my .38 Sp when I need a lighter bullet.

Aloysius, I used to cast two different boolits for my S&W 586 that I used for target shooting (all we are allowed to do in Australia). They were the 124gn 9mm Conical out of an RCBS mould and a .357 150gn SWC from a CBE (an aussie mould maker) mould. I sized them all to .357 and used them according to the match I was shooting...the 9mm for matches where low recoil was desirable, and the SWC for "power factor" matches.

Wiersay, you will like shooting the little 9mm from a .357...just don't over drive them mate.

Cheers, Vince

Aloysius · Posted: Fri Feb 05, 2010 2:11 am Post subject: Re: Bullet Casting

Right: when using lead bullets keep the velocity low to avoid stripping of the lead inside the barrel. When this happens all accuracy is lost.
And: a soft bullet needs a lower velocity than a hard one to remain accurate.

And shooting something you completely produced yourself gives another dimension. It's a kind of "not sending your wife or girlfriend to a spermbank"... Smile

stovepipe · Posted: Fri Feb 05, 2010 1:49 pm Post subject: Re: Bullet Casting

wiersy111 wrote:

Sweet I'm chomping at the bit for that one, I am running out of 9mm. The only reason I haven't run out yet is I hate chasing brass in the snow.

Dood- getta big blue plastic tarp from Home Cheepo.

Scree a lil valley, lay down the tarp, pop-pop-pop and they roll where ever ya want 'em too. Get most of 'em anyways if ya shoot in the same spot.