Home Forums Reloading Bullet Casting New to Casting----Help-----

I have been thinking of starting to casting bullets. I was given 30 pounds of linotype. Are wheel weights better to use? What are some good fairly inexpensive tools to get me started? Do any of you have any book recommendations? HELP!!

Newguy, Most of us hoard linotype like miser's gold. Linotype is an excellent alloy for the highest velocity cast bullet loads. Wheelweights are a good alloy for most cast bullet loads. The basic book for the beginning caster is Lyman's Cast Bullet Handbook. Once you read that you should have a good grasp of the process and will be able to ask detailed questions, that many here will be glad to help you with. curmudgeon

I bought the starter casting kit in Midway's catelogue for about $100.00. It came with a melting pot, dipper, and bullet lube/sizer and a book. I then bought a Lee mould with handles and cast my first ones the day after I read the directions. It's easy and not too hard, but I'd get the book curmudgeon suggested first. It's good advice!<P>

Lee molds are great! And they are cheap too. I have a dozen. Oldest dates to 1972. All are still casting good bullets.<P>------------------<BR>

Since my first Lyman casting outfit in 1952, I've had all the books on bullet-casting that I know about except the Lee book. One book that every bullet-caster should study carefully and often is a little $20 paperback from Magma Engineering (Queen Creek, AZ). The publisher gave it the kiss of death for handloaders by tagging it with a forbidding title, but certain key chapters are worth the price even if you tear the other chapters out.
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<br>Magma Engineering has a web site (http://www.magmaengr.com/). Look for the Paul B Moore book, THE HANDBOOK OF COMMERCIAL BULLET CASTING. Except for finding and ordering the book, ignore the title and the chapters devoted to Magma's commercial bullet-casting equipment.