casting for 9mm

Definitely gonna clean those up with some fine Emery cloth or steel wool before using it for sure. I'm wondering if I should put a small dab of expoxy under the broken and separated pieces of Mica before I button it up. Not sure if it matters at this point.
 

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Well I tried my hand with the casting of 9mm this evening. First time ever and I think overall it turned out not too bad. Took me a couple hours and I came away with about 440 good projectiles and about 15 not so well formed. . At least I think most are good. I think it requires a touch for sure to master the heat regulation and speed to move the mold etc but I'm hoping to get better with practice.
 

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Honestly I can really see whereby it can easily become an addiction like the rest of it. I always enjoy trying new things and the cost savings is a bonus. Powder coating is next on the agenda. Onward through the fog!
 
Don't get too fussy about rejecting bullets. A minor wrinkle here or there has no real effect on accuracy. Unless the bullet is obviously not fully formed, the wrinkling is really excessive or the base is not complete there is no need to scrap it. Powder coating will only make the situation better as minor imperfections will be covered by the powder coat. I used to be overly OCD about rejecting bullets that did not appear 'perfect' but through experience have found that only grossly deformed bullets will not shoot accurately, especially in handguns.
 
Looking good! You are definitely on the right track.

If your first casting session came together that well you will have no trouble with powder coating. A thrift store toaster oven and some powder are almost everything you need to shake and bake so it's easier to get into than a luber-sizer. Nothing wrong with tumble lube either other than gumming up the seating die and a bit of smoke on firing.
 
Thanks folks for the votes of confidence. I did the PC tonight before leaving for work... I believe they turned out ok, many thanks to a fellow local CGN member who gave me some Powder to try, and some advise to boot and of course everyone here as well. One batch is Tool Blue and the other batch is Black and White mixed. I'm really enjoying this aspect of the reloading. I will let the PC dry and cure for a day or so before I size I guess. I'm concerned that sizing will remove some of the PC.
 

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ted_dent said:
Don't get too fussy about rejecting bullets. A minor wrinkle here or there has no real effect on accuracy. Unless the bullet is obviously not fully formed, the wrinkling is really excessive or the base is not complete there is no need to scrap it. Powder coating will only make the situation better as minor imperfections will be covered by the powder coat. I used to be overly OCD about rejecting bullets that did not appear 'perfect' but through experience have found that only grossly deformed bullets will not shoot accurately, especially in handguns.
Click to expand...

NOT being OCD is difficult for me. I've always been my own worst critic and If I don't think it's good enough then I'll toss it to start over. I'm trying hard not to be so picky but your right in the fact that the PC covers the minor imperfections just like drywall mud!!!
 
vagrantviking said:
Looking good! You are definitely on the right track.

If your first casting session came together that well you will have no trouble with powder coating. A thrift store toaster oven and some powder are almost everything you need to shake and bake so it's easier to get into than a luber-sizer. Nothing wrong with tumble lube either other than gumming up the seating die and a bit of smoke on firing.
Click to expand...

I had read on Castboolits about folks wanting to walk away and give up on casting because it didn't work out that I was afraid I'd run into the same problem, but maybe it was just beginners luck. Next casting session will tell the tale I guess but I certainly won't walk away.
 
There's nothing to dry with the powder coating. Once it's baked they just need to be cool enough to handle. Take one and do the hammer test. Place it on something solid (I use the rear flat spot on my vise) and one good smack with a big hammer to flatten it. The powder should not flake off. Sizing shouldn't do anything to the PC.

Auggie D.
 
Auggie Doggie said:
There's nothing to dry with the powder coating. Once it's baked they just need to be cool enough to handle. Take one and do the hammer test. Place it on something solid (I use the rear flat spot on my vise) and one good smack with a big hammer to flatten it. The powder should not flake off. Sizing shouldn't do anything to the PC.

Auggie D.
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Ok I'll try that this evening. Thanks.
 
dearslayer said:
I had read on Castboolits about folks wanting to walk away and give up on casting because it didn't work out that I was afraid I'd run into the same problem, but maybe it was just beginners luck. Next casting session will tell the tale I guess but I certainly won't walk away.
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There is much truth to that statement about folks walking away but i dont think it was so much the casating operation itself, it was the many vagaries of trying to make them shoot in all different alloys & sizes & speeds.
Old style cast bullet shooting most times ended up with a rabbit hole that would take a big backhoe to dig....now ,with the introduction of powder coating into the equation, a couple shovel full to dig the hole & your away.
I dabbled in cast bullets shooting a bit when i was younger but like the ones you mention, I soon lost interest but a couple years or 5 ago Auggie Doggie put me onto powder coating and I subconsciously thank him many time a year since.. I can spend an afternoon casting, PC for an hour or so the next day & shoot 2" or under groups all summer with a dozen or so different rifles....I couldn't afford 10% of the rifle shooting I do without cast & PC.
 
fingers284 said:
There is much truth to that statement about folks walking away but i dont think it was so much the casating operation itself, it was the many vagaries of trying to make them shoot in all different alloys & sizes & speeds.
Old style cast bullet shooting most times ended up with a rabbit hole that would take a big backhoe to dig....now ,with the introduction of powder coating into the equation, a couple shovel full to dig the hole & your away.
I dabbled in cast bullets shooting a bit when i was younger but like the ones you mention, I soon lost interest but a couple years or 5 ago Auggie Doggie put me onto powder coating and I subconsciously thank him many time a year since.. I can spend an afternoon casting, PC for an hour or so the next day & shoot 2" or under groups all summer with a dozen or so different rifles....I couldn't afford 10% of the rifle shooting I do without cast & PC.
Click to expand...

I guess like all things advancements in technology and such make things simpler to a certain degree nowadays although there are many times when I despise technology and reminisce about the old days.
 
dearslayer said:
So if my sizing die is .357 then how come after sizing with the powder coat the size is .355??
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That situation would seem to defy the laws of metallurgy. It's physically impossible to size a bullet smaller than the minimum diameter of the size die. In fact if anything the opposite should be true as 'spring back' might allow the bullet to expand slightly larger than the size die diameter. Try sizing an uncoated bullet for comparison. Measure it, size it and measure it again. If it comes out smaller than the diameter of the size die then the die is either incorrectly marked or it was cut with a worn out reamer at smaller than .357.
P.S. Or your calliper needs calibrating. Make sure it is properly zeroed. I see it is a Mitutoyo so I'm guessing it's not faulty like a cheap Chinese calliper might be.
 
dearslayer said:
Would it have anything to do with the mold size?? The mold I ordered and used was the Lee 356 135 2R.
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It should not unless the mould is cut drastically undersized and even powder coating only brings the diameter up to .355. Typically the moulds throw bullets slightly over the stated diameter. Do you feel resistance when you run the bullets through the size die? Have you miked unsized bullets to determine what diameter they are when dropped from the mould?
 
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