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Posted: 3/5/2015 5:55:18 PM EDT
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I am giving thought to casting bullets for my revolvers and also making heavy 30 cal (.309) projectiles for use in subsonic 300BLK and 308
I watched Jerry Miculek's video on you tube and it appeared stupid simple. lead into cavity, a couple of seconds to set, and open bullet mould, repeat But as I have read more, I see things about sizing, lubing, etc Is it possible to do it one step like Jerry was doing and have ready to shoot bullets? FWIW, he was producing slugs |
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He must be a pro to make look simple.
Its simple, 'in theory', but more difficult in practice. The lead mix, theres lots of chemistry here, mix determines hardness, springback/shrinkage, etc. Molds: oh the universal empire that is lead molds.... Lube: how you gonna lube the bullet, traditional, tumble, powder coat? Gaschecks, paper patched, plainbase. I recommend the Lyman Cast Bullet Handbook. Its a small investment, and may illuminate things better, plus it has lots of cast load data. Second, goto CastBoolits website, and read for free. |
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Adding to first reply:
After you learn a little it can be a lot easier. It can be kept pretty simple or you can take it to rocket science levels. I tend to keep it simple but still keep an open mind to other methods. I use all Lee equipment and have no complaints. Most, not all, of my bullets go from mould to lube to loading. It don't get too much easier than that. Even if you need to size its no big deal. In fact if you are using a gas check you install the check and size the bullet at the same time with Lee size die. I know it has to be very hard for people who don't have someone who "knows" help them get started. I still have my brother do the fluxing. I think that's the last lesson I have to learn yet. Motor1 |
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You'll have to lube at a minimum. That's assuming your mold happens to drop bullets in the perfect window. Otherwise you'll need to size them. For SS, you shouldn't need to add a gas check. Getting a cast bullet to shoot well can be a lot more work than with a jacketed bullet. Lots more variables thrown into the mix.
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Quoted:
Second, goto CastBoolits website, and read for free. I agree with everything that was said, especially the last part. It can be as simple or complicated as you make it, but like most things, function does not require much complication, and all your questions have FAQs over at CastBoolits... ETA, since he is dropping the bare lead slugs into wads, the wads act as the lubricant and cushion for sizing variances. You can get regular pistol and rifle molds that require no sizing (if they cast at the proper diameter of your bore) and can be tumble lubed in a pan. The lube dries, and you load them. Or you can get some bullets that you force through a lubrisizer so they are set to your exact required diameter and a lube is applied in the lube grooves. Gas checks can also be used on lead bullets driven at rifle speeds. Powder coating seems to be the latest thing. HTH |
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Jerry does make it look easy, but it's obvious he is very experienced. A very good read that explains every step. The best thing I learned from it was to use sawdust for fluxing. If this is new to you, read the fluxing chapter. There are also many shooting articles at this site. |
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Quoted:
But as I have read more, I see things about sizing, lubing, etc Is it possible to do it one step like Jerry was doing and have ready to shoot bullets? FWIW, he was producing slugs Lee makes tumble lube design bullet molds that are theoretically cast, lube, and load. That said, I found that most bullets dropped from my TL mold didn't need sizing but one batch had some (5 - 8%) that were oversize and when loaded the cartridges wouldn't chamber. I recommend sizing all of your bullets even if your mold is advertised as not requiring it. Overall I've found that casting is pretty easy to start doing although I'm casting handgun bullets which seem easier to manage than casting good rifle bullets. |
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The video is about making slugs for shotguns, you are talking about making center fire bullets which is a little different from slugs. If you know your barrel diameter which is found by slugging your bore you can then find a mold that throws .001 to .002 bullets over your bore diameter. If you can keep a consistent cast going so your bullets maintain there size then they can be lubed and shot without sizing but most the time some sizing will need to be done.
I am in the keep it simple camp and mostly cast and shoot clip on wheel weight lead out of my handguns and rifles but I do size with either the Lee push through dies or a regular bullet sizer. Depending on how the bullets are sized or there application I either tumble lube or stick lube in the sizer. Currently I cast for a multitude of calibers from the .380 auto up to the 308 bolt rifle. As already stated go visit Castboolits.com for a wealth of casting information. |
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It is pretty simple to begin casting for revolvers.
I have only used Lee casting equipment; they seem to make very good quality tools at a price that is easy to get into. Someone already mentioned their "tumble lube" bullet molds. They are the ones with lots of little grooves like this: 
With these in theory all you need to do is coat them in Alox and you are ready to shoot. In practice we have always ran them through Lee's sizer before loading. My family started with just a blowtorch and a cast-iron ladle for melting lead when we were beginning casting, making Minie balls for a muzzle-loader. You will soon want to get bottom pour electric furnace. 
Left pot is full of soft lead for muzzle-loading bullets, and the Right pot is a 20 pounder we use with hard (wheel weight) lead for our metallic cartridge loading. I have moved away from the Alox lubing into powder coating, because I really don't like how sticky the bullets get, and I don't want to take the time to wipe lube off a thousand loaded bullets. 
Happy casting, I enjoy it almost as much as reloading itself! |
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I wouldn't buy the lyman kit, I'd buy the Lee bottom pour pot instead personally. A lot less trouble, I'm not a fan personally of ladle pouring. Any benefit is marginal, as in "have to be a benchrest/1000 yd BPCR shooter using foundry certified alloy with decades of experience and top notch fitted molds with a breechloading gun" level of marginal to ladle pouring over bottom pours.
For the OP, please bear in mind that you likely will want 0.310 or 0.311 bullets for your .300 and .308. Fatter is almost universally preferable to skinny, and too skinny is just terrible in terms of accuracy and leading. If you're just going to be shooting subs then liquid alox is more than enough to lubricate it. Personally I would buy 45-45-10 lube from white label lubes instead, which is dirt cheap, less sticky, and generally less annoying. I would advise you to buy the Lee revolver loads you like, but I would look elsewhere for subsonic .30 bullets... I'm sure you're looking at the .300 BLK mold by Lee, but this is one instance I would urge you to spend a bit more. Few people are happy with the performance of that particular bullet (although personally I think part of that is that many people started casting JUST to make subs for their .300s, and cast bullet shooting in rifles is a whole nother game from jacketed, and pretty complicated). I had subpar results as well with that bullet and sold the mold. Save yourself some grief in this case and buy the NOE 311-247, perferably a plain base version if you are planning to use it in a suppressor, it's a better design. However I highly recommend the 155 gr Lee 30 caliber bullet, it is absolutely excellent. |
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Quoted: I wouldn't buy the lyman kit, I'd buy the Lee bottom pour pot instead personally. A lot less trouble, I'm not a fan personally of ladle pouring. Any benefit is marginal, as in "have to be a benchrest/1000 yd BPCR shooter using foundry certified alloy with decades of experience and top notch fitted molds with a breechloading gun" level of marginal to ladle pouring over bottom pours. For the OP, please bear in mind that you likely will want 0.310 or 0.311 bullets for your .300 and .308. Fatter is almost universally preferable to skinny, and too skinny is just terrible in terms of accuracy and leading. If you're just going to be shooting subs then liquid alox is more than enough to lubricate it. Personally I would buy 45-45-10 lube from white label lubes instead, which is dirt cheap, less sticky, and generally less annoying. I would advise you to buy the Lee revolver loads you like, but I would look elsewhere for subsonic .30 bullets... I'm sure you're looking at the .300 BLK mold by Lee, but this is one instance I would urge you to spend a bit more. Few people are happy with the performance of that particular bullet (although personally I think part of that is that many people started casting JUST to make subs for their .300s, and cast bullet shooting in rifles is a whole nother game from jacketed, and pretty complicated). I had subpar results as well with that bullet and sold the mold. Save yourself some grief in this case and buy the NOE 311-247, perferably a plain base version if you are planning to use it in a suppressor, it's a better design. However I highly recommend the 155 gr Lee 30 caliber bullet, it is absolutely excellent. I agree with the part I bolded. Like most "starter" kits, you will replace most of it. http://www.midwayusa.com/product/339539/lee-2-cavity-bullet-mold-ctl312-160-2r-762x39mm-312-diameter-160-grain-tumble-lube-2-ogive-radius-gas-check I size 2R bullet down to .310 for 300 blk, .312 for 7.62x39. |
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Ladeling works fine. It's no harder than bottom pour. It's just different. I cast for years on a coleman stove. Some aspects are easier, some are not. If the mould drops round bullets of an appropriate size, the only thing you are doing by sizing is making the bullet worse. Ideally, you'll shoot bullets out of the mould with no sizing. Liquid alox'd bullets shouldn't end up sticky and you certainly don't have to wipe them off. If you can see more than just a faint tint, you're using way too much and need to thin it out and add more bullets. They'll be just a tiny bit tacky. At subsonic velocities, you can tumble lube most bullets--it's not limited to the tumble lube designs by any means. |
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Question for the casters out there - is there a way to recover your bullets after shooting so as to reduce the amount of lead you have to procure for a given melt? I have my own range in my woods behind the house, shooting into a berm for the moment. This should keep you busy for a while. Start reading good luck |
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