|
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 15,748
Campfire Ranger
|
OP
Campfire Ranger
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 15,748 |
I have been reloading for 15 years so I have a pretty good grasp on much of this but I have never cast bullets before. Would like to learn. Anyone have a good source or book that starts from the beginning and explains how and why?
Last edited by mjbgalt; 01/31/21.
|
|
|
|
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 10,353
Campfire Outfitter
|
Campfire Outfitter
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 10,353 |
lyman cast bullet handbook. gives a great few chapters on how to do and what to look for. https://archive.org/details/LymanCastBulletHandbook3rdEdition1980Ocr/page/n61/mode/2up
Last edited by blammer; 01/31/21.
Whatever you are willing to put up with, is exactly what you will have.
When your ship comes in. ... make sure you are willing to unload it.
PAYPAL, sucks and I will never use them again. I recommend you do the same.
|
|
|
|
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 15,748
Campfire Ranger
|
OP
Campfire Ranger
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 15,748 |
|
|
|
|
Joined: Apr 2010
Posts: 8,175
Campfire Outfitter
|
Campfire Outfitter
Joined: Apr 2010
Posts: 8,175 |
Veral Smith’s “Jacketed performance with cast bullets” is a great book after you have the basics down. Gives lots of good info on sizing, bullet design, bullet fit, and heat treating.
|
|
|
|
Joined: Aug 2015
Posts: 13,235
Campfire Outfitter
|
Campfire Outfitter
Joined: Aug 2015
Posts: 13,235 |
Let's Go Brandon! FJB
|
|
|
|
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 10,947
Campfire Outfitter
|
Campfire Outfitter
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 10,947 |
It’s pretty hard to beat the Lyman Cast Bullet manual! memtb
You should not use a rifle that will kill an animal when everything goes right; you should use one that will do the job when everything goes wrong." -Bob Hagel
“I’d like to be a good rifleman…..but, I prefer to be a good hunter”! memtb 2024
|
|
|
|
Joined: Dec 2014
Posts: 9,115
Campfire Outfitter
|
Campfire Outfitter
Joined: Dec 2014
Posts: 9,115 |
Also on those housebound stormy days, you can get some real nuggets with a very small investment of your time from the 'stickys' on cast boolits. It's the little things that trip you up in casting. Silly stuff, like maybe a wee drop of oil migrating from your sprue plate pivot, a tad of zinc in your melt, a tiny burr you can't see without magnifiers on your mold parting line. Casting is easy, but can be frustrating if you overlook the details. For your first project, I would pick a larger caliber, .30 cal and up...if you have a .30-30 or .30-40 or .308 for instance. Then, when you get a good accurate product, expand your mold inventory. Before you invest heavily in lube/size equipment, do a little reading, maybe powder coating or tumble lube will do what you need.
Well this is a fine pickle we're in, should'a listened to Joe McCarthy and George Orwell I guess.
|
|
|
|
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 15,748
Campfire Ranger
|
OP
Campfire Ranger
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 15,748 |
Yep. I was going to start with my 308 and hoped to build 30-30 level loads with it and lighter ones for fun
|
|
|
|
Joined: May 2004
Posts: 56,131
Campfire Kahuna
|
Campfire Kahuna
Joined: May 2004
Posts: 56,131 |
I am..........disturbed.
Concerning the difference between man and the jackass: some observers hold that there isn't any. But this wrongs the jackass. -Twain
|
|
|
|
Joined: Dec 2004
Posts: 14,488
Campfire Outfitter
|
Campfire Outfitter
Joined: Dec 2004
Posts: 14,488 |
If you can find a copy of the Lyman 3rd Edition, that's the one I'd recommend. It has a great article on alloys and busts some popular myths.
Not sure how you'd come up with one, but that's the one I'd pass along to an aspiring bullet caster.
Don't be the darkness.
America will perish while those who should be standing guard are satisfying their lusts.
|
|
|
|
Joined: May 2004
Posts: 56,131
Campfire Kahuna
|
Campfire Kahuna
Joined: May 2004
Posts: 56,131 |
A few suggestions on getting started based on my limited experience.
-Don't try to cheap out at the starting line. A few quality pieces of equipment will last a Looooog time. -Ladle pour, not bottom pour. Fewer headaches -stay away from aluminum moulds. Iron or brass will work fine -put together a supply of the following based on perceived needs: Pure lead, clip on wheel weights, linotype, tin. -buy a lead thermometer -A choice to make....Lee push thru sizer or a size/lube set up. I use the former and it works just dandy for my needs. -Lee Liquid Alox is quite functional, but so is grease in the grooves. One can lube the grooves with pan lube techniques. Ain't hard to do. -Bullet fit is everything on the road to success. SLUG YOUR BARRELS, know what size bullet you need before buying a mould. -Don't get hypnotized by the idea of hard cast bullets. Wheelweight alloy will cover a great deal of need for most pistol and intermediate rifle loads. I use it for the .30-30 and have launched 180 grain bullets at 2,100 fps with fine precision on the targets. -Powder coat if you want, it's al alternative to other lubes. Your wife with think you're nutz when you start cooking bullets in the oven.
I am..........disturbed.
Concerning the difference between man and the jackass: some observers hold that there isn't any. But this wrongs the jackass. -Twain
|
|
|
|
Joined: Jul 2013
Posts: 9,189
Campfire Outfitter
|
Campfire Outfitter
Joined: Jul 2013
Posts: 9,189 |
When I was getting started, I read that site "cover to cover". Then I did it again. It was a great primer. I've not found that there is 100% agreement on some of the information that casters consider to be scripture. Experimentation is revelatory.
I belong on eroding granite, among the pines.
|
|
|
|
Joined: Nov 2017
Posts: 771
Campfire Regular
|
Campfire Regular
Joined: Nov 2017
Posts: 771 |
Check out YouTube, there are some great videos.
“One thorn of experience is worth a whole wilderness of warning.” - James Russell Lowell
|
|
|
|
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 1,264
Campfire Regular
|
Campfire Regular
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 1,264 |
Check out: castboolits.gunloads.com
NRA Endowment Member
|
|
|
|
Joined: Nov 2005
Posts: 23,090
Campfire Ranger
|
Campfire Ranger
Joined: Nov 2005
Posts: 23,090 |
At the end of the day nothing beats empirical knowledge gained from Doing It.
"You can lead a man to logic, but you cannot make him think." Joe Harz "Always certain, often right." Keith McCafferty
|
|
|
|
Joined: Apr 2013
Posts: 14,040
Campfire Outfitter
|
Campfire Outfitter
Joined: Apr 2013
Posts: 14,040 |
At the end of the day nothing beats empirical knowledge gained from Doing It. applies to all endeavors of life.
the consolidation of the states into one vast republic, sure to be aggressive abroad and despotic at home, will be the certain precursor of that ruin which has overwhelmed all those that have preceded. Robert E Lee ~Molɔ̀ːn Labé Skýla~
|
|
|
|
Joined: Mar 2017
Posts: 4,350
Campfire Tracker
|
Campfire Tracker
Joined: Mar 2017
Posts: 4,350 |
Thank you for posting this. What a treasure trove.
|
|
|
|
631 members (17CalFan, 160user, 06hunter59, 10gaugemag, 10Glocks, 1badf350, 43 invisible),
2,505
guests, and
1,355
robots. |
Key:
Admin,
Global Mod,
Mod
|
|
Forums81
Topics1,191,835
Posts18,478,070
Members73,948
|
Most Online11,491 Jul 7th, 2023
|
|
|
|