Home Forums Reloading Bullet Casting Thinking about casting my own

I am wondering, how do you get the proper mix for a fairly hard bullet. Just wondering what I am getting myself into. Plan on casting 195 gr. .311 for my 303 Savage. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks, Les <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/help.gif" alt="" />

Because I'm frugal, that reads cheap, I use wheel weights with tin. Three feet of 50/50 solder to a 20 pound pot of wheel weights.
If I'm casting pistol bullets the bullets get dropped on a folded up old cotton towel. If I'm casting rifle bullets, the bullets get dropped into a five gallon pail of water with that old towel mention above down at the bottom of the pail.
I used jacketed bullet loads with my cast bullets. This goes for my 30-06, 45-70, 405 Winchester, 375 Whelen and in the past my 243. All of the bullets were gas checked, lubed with LBT Blue, or Apache Blue sized 1 to 2 thousandths larger then bore diameter. Leading was never an issue!
Jim

Thats what I wanted to know, when the equipment starts arriving, I will be asking alot more questions. I take it that is cold water, and it affects the hardness of the bullet, correct? Thanks, appreciate it. Les

Not only am I cheap I'm lazy!
I walk out of the loading shed to the creek, fill the bucket, walk over to the casting table and I'm in business.
I do the same process summer, winter, fall and spring.
The only absolute is the towel/cloth be natural fibers.
You are correct, the water hardens the bullet by 1.5 to 2 times.
I'm a cheap shooter and not a metalugist. I established that one 20 pound pot of alloy is one lot of bullets. Any rejects discovered after I've turned off the pot becomes part of an other lot of bullets. This applies to water dropped bullets.
When I'm casting pistol bullets all of the acceptable bullets go into the finished tub. A tub of 45 Colt 255 grains grainers weighs 150 to 200 pounds. My buddy and i will spend several evenings with two identical four cavity Saeco molds casting bullets. One of us casts 45 Colt slugs and the other casts 45 acp 200 grainers from 2 identical four cavity Saeco molds.
When we get tired of that those two calibers we'll cast 140 or 150 grain 357 bullets and 300 grain 45 bullets.
The idea is to get bunchs of bullets we use most, ready to go.
Jim
Jim