Home Forums Reloading Bullet Casting Some questions

I bought the Lyman cast bullet handbook but there's some things that aren't in there or not explained well enough for me.
First. What is fluxing? How and why do it?
Next. To size do I need to buy a press or just a die that I can use in my RCBS press and what about where the shell holder normally goes?
More to come.

I've been making fishing weights for years but my 45acp bullet stash is getting low and bullets aren't as easy to come by as they were a few years ago.
Most of the pistol shooting I do is in a weekly bowling pin match, a 230 gr bullet doesn't have to be pushed very fast to knock over bowling pins so cast bullets would be perfect.

Fluxing helps precipitate impurities out of the mix. Truth be told, if I fill my clean bottom pour furnace with clean alloy ingots I often don't bother fluxing.

Many ways to skin the bullet sizing cat. A push-through die from Lee (that screws into your press) works fine- for sizing. You still have to deal with lubricating which is often solved by using Lee Tumble Lube, which is ok but I never warmed up to it. Alternatively one can pan lube the bullets, or even smear it on by hand (if one is a glutton for punishment). If you see yourself making your own .45 bullets forever (not as a stop gap until commercial bullets are readily available again), you might as well get a lubri-sizer machine and be done with it. If you stick with it you're going to end up with one anyway eventually so you might as well skip the first step of the push through system and save the money.

fluxing is adding a material to the top of the melted lead, and stirring it around to help get rid of the impurites in the lead.

Sawdust, candlewax, stuff that burns well, usually carbon based is best. When it's on top, light it and stir it around and stir deep and fairly vigorously. then when it's done, skim it all off the top and discard.

Two ways for sizing are most common.

lee pushthrough, which will screw in just like a regular die.
Upside: cheap easy
downside: the lee liquid alox sometimes is not the best and takes practice to use properly.

Get a seperat sizer, like a Lyman 450 or a Star
Upside: quick easy and efficient, a must if you shoot 1,000's
downside: cost a lot of money for initial investment.

Star is the best and fastest and most expensive

Lyman is cheaper but good quality not as fast.

Thanks for answering some questions for me. I haven't made up my mind on getting a sizer yet. I think I'll wait until after the mold I ordered get here, I cast a few bullets and measure them . I may load a few unsized.

Using unsized bullets is always a benefit, if the stars are in alignment and you're lucky enough to have bullets drop from the mold at the exact diameter you need. Were it me, I would be measuring my chamber throat via a chamber cast, and slugging the bore to determine the diameter I wish my bullets to be, whilst waiting for the mold to arrive. That way you'll know immediately upon casting if you need to size or not (probably will). For optimal results go with throat diameter- don't assume that the standard jacketed .45ACP diameter of .452 is the best diameter for your cast bullets. Of course, having them fit inside the case without grossly bulging it is a consideration too.

Regardless, you're still faced with having to get lube into the grooves somehow. The lubri-sizer is still the most efficient and least messy way to accomplish that. A used sizer won't set you back any more than an evening of pizza and beer with the guys.

I started out with a Lee push-thru sizer myself and it works fine, but you have to tumble lube the bullets and it gets messy. You'll end up with lube in your seating die and you also will want to clean the excess off your cartridges once the seating and crimping is completed. I'd look for a used Lyman lube sizer and get the correct dies and top punches for it and avoid that frustration. If you then decide casting is not for you then getting your money back out of it should be no problem.

To get started, just use your thumb and forefinger to apply the liquid Alox lube to the bullet shank. Set the bullet on it's base on wax paper to dry...It doesn't take very much lube.

I often do the pan and cutter method of lubing and then run them through the Lee sizer.

Mmmm...I see the error in what I've said. There ARE options when using Lee Liquid Alox, but I still would never give up my lubesizer and go back to the push-thru die.

I'm sure that the amount of casting a guy does will shape his preferences. I like to cast 300 to 500 in a session and do all my lubing/sizing over the following day or two. If time allows I'll go right back out to the garage and cast another batch when I'm done.

To cure the "Alox tumble lubed gunked up my seating die syndrome" dust the bullets with motor mica or graphite before seating.

I pan lube BP bullets without a cutter or problems. They push out of the wax cleanly.

Also use push thru size dies. Bullets are lubed with case lube first.

The Los Angeles Shooting Club has a very good web page devoted to bullet casting. Look for articles by Glen Fryxell. (?sp)

Yup, EXCELLENT information there; LINK

Ed

That's good stuff. Got a new bookmark!

I have been using a Lee push through for my .38 special but use a tumble lube that I found on the Cast bullet forum. It uses alox and Johnson paste wax and something else like mineral spirits. If you want I can try to find the recipe. It dries pretty good and smells like old .22 bullets used to smell. I also ordered a generic alox off ebay that is way cheaper. miles