bullet making

hound2013

hound2013

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thinking about getting into bullet making ,just wondering what it would cost ?? what i need to get started, what kind of books i need???? . these are the cal i might try . 30/30, 9mm, 243 , 308,223,can you use any of these to make bullets . i can get some lead wheel wieghts from my friend at the garage where i get my truck fixed . will this stuff work or do i need different lead . since some bullets are hard to get thought i would give this a shot . any info would be great...... hound13
 
I suggest going over to the "Cast Boolits" forum.
h t t p ://castboolits.gunloads.com/forum.php
There is a lifetimes worth of reading you can do there. All you will ever need to know to get started. Welcome to the addiction!
 
.30-30 will do as well with cast as with jacketed. 308 can be a 200 yard hunting cartridge with cast bullets, with a little work.
9mm can be loaded for little more than the cost of .22 shells.
I don't cast for .22 centrefire or .243 as you can't get that kind of velocity with cast. Some people load plinking and short range varmint loads for them.
I'm loading for my .32 winchester right now, it's almost a .30-30(I use .30-30 brass).
.30-30 is about as close to the ideal cast bullet cartridgde as you can find.
 
I am just waiting on some gas checks for my 60 gr .223 cast round nose. I am anxious to see how they work. With a magnum lube and gascheck you can push cast at the same velocities as jacketed bullets.
 
I can bring my gear over to your place some afternoon if you want to try it out before buying.170 gr flat nose for .30-30 (or .308), 200 gr round nose for .308 and 55 gr for .223.

The Lyman Cast Bullet Handbook is a good reference. There's also good info in the Lee Modern reloading 2nd Edition.

Pete
 
Once the gas checks arrive I'll post some tests up. I hope they turn out good. Boolits them selves look great. I got my cases all prepped and ready. And some loads written down in my book to test out.
 
hound2013 said:
thinking about getting into bullet making ,just wondering what it would cost ?? what i need to get started, what kind of books i need???? . these are the cal i might try . 30/30, 9mm, 243 , 308,223,can you use any of these to make bullets . i can get some lead wheel wieghts from my friend at the garage where i get my truck fixed . will this stuff work or do i need different lead . since some bullets are hard to get thought i would give this a shot . any info would be great...... hound13
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Bullet making is a broad statement. Do you want to cast, swage or both? Casting is the least expensive. Notice I said "least expensive" not "cheap" To cast, you need a mould, a dipper, some lead, a source of heat and some "boolit loob" If you've done your homework. you might not even need a sizing die. Maybe $100 investment, to start, less if you can score some free stuff.
Swaging on the other hand can be damned expensive. A complete kit of .224 stuff will run you over $1400 US from BT_Sniper. This will include a de-rim die (to make jackets out of .22 RF cases) a "squirt" die, (to swage cores to a given weight) a core seating die, a ogive forming die, a 11 cavity core mould and an auto eject system. These will produce an open point bullet. If you want to make soft point bullets, you will need a point forming die, another $150 or so. Plus the cost of a press suitable for swaging. I use a few of BT's tools and they are first rate! The very best in that price range. You can pay less than that or more, but you won't get any better, IMHO!
You can also buy dedicated swaging equipment, used only for swaging and there, you are limited by the extent of your imagination and the thickness of your wallet. I got into swaging some 40 years ago. My first 2 sets of dies were C-H 2 die sets, in 358" & 429" that I bought from Giovanni's in Toronto for the princely sum of $37.95 ea + 7% tax!!! The same dies today on e-Bay are fetching close to $500 USD. Go to the Castboolits website for a thorough education on the subject then you can make an informed decision.
Good luck and as BT says..........swage on!!

Mike
 
migrant hunter said:
I'd be interested in how that turns out, I thought you could only run plinking loads in .223.
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Check out the Lyman Reloading Handbook (mine is #47). For the .223 Remington a load of 29.4 grs of 748 with a 55 gr cast (Alloy #2) gas check bullet produces 3037 fps.

In my .222 Remington I used to shoot a hard cast gas check bullet with 12 grs of 2400 for about 2400 fps. Was a great groundhog load.
 
oldrodder said:
Bullet making is a broad statement. Do you want to cast, swage or both? Casting is the least expensive. Notice I said "least expensive" not "cheap" To cast, you need a mould, a dipper, some lead, a source of heat and some "boolit loob" If you've done your homework. you might not even need a sizing die. Maybe $100 investment, to start, less if you can score some free stuff.
Swaging on the other hand can be damned expensive. A complete kit of .224 stuff will run you over $1400 US from BT_Sniper. This will include a de-rim die (to make jackets out of .22 RF cases) a "squirt" die, (to swage cores to a given weight) a core seating die, a ogive forming die, a 11 cavity core mould and an auto eject system. These will produce an open point bullet. If you want to make soft point bullets, you will need a point forming die, another $150 or so. Plus the cost of a press suitable for swaging. I use a few of BT's tools and they are first rate! The very best in that price range. You can pay less than that or more, but you won't get any better, IMHO!
You can also buy dedicated swaging equipment, used only for swaging and there, you are limited by the extent of your imagination and the thickness of your wallet. I got into swaging some 40 years ago. My first 2 sets of dies were C-H 2 die sets, in 358" & 429" that I bought from Giovanni's in Toronto for the princely sum of $37.95 ea + 7% tax!!! The same dies today on e-Bay are fetching close to $500 USD. Go to the Castboolits website for a thorough education on the subject then you can make an informed decision.
Good luck and as BT says..........swage on!!

Mike
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hey mike i ment casting i got my stuff yesterday from higginsons powder in hawksbury
 
Expect to use $200 to get started if you don't size your bullets, and tumble lube. This what I started with:
20 lb Lee pot: $50
Lyman ladle: $40
LEE dipper: $5
Mold: $50 to $100
Lyman lead thermometer: $40
You can make pretty good bullets with that setup, and the only other thing you need is liquid alox for tumble lubing, and lead.

You can get a LEE push through sizer die for about $20 if you want to size your bullets. You need a reloading press to use the LEE sizer die.
 
jethunter said:
Expect to use $200 to get started if you don't size your bullets, and tumble lube. This what I started with:
20 lb Lee pot: $50
Lyman ladle: $40
LEE dipper: $5
Mold: $50 to $100
Lyman lead thermometer: $40
You can make pretty good bullets with that setup, and the only other thing you need is liquid alox for tumble lubing, and lead.

You can get a LEE push through sizer die for about $20 if you want to size your bullets. You need a reloading press to use the LEE sizer die.
Click to expand...

Hey jet, where can you find a Lee 20lb pot for $50? I could use another one.
 
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