Yah...nice and easy for a beginner.
Looking to cast lead for hunting
- Thread starter Bushbum40
- Start date
Yah...nice and easy for a beginner.
Barnes_270
Regular
- Location
- Langley, BC
The "bruceb" softpoint method I referenced above is a refined version of this.
Mr Barnes270, I didn't see this when I wrote the reply. Mind you it takes me forever to type. Mr Yomamma, I don't think this would be difficult for anyone to do. If you can make a small ladle (wood attached to a spoon) you're good to go. Plus you don't need to make them by the 100's. When I made mine I usually just cast about 10-15.
Barnes_270
Regular
- Location
- Langley, BC
It's all good - just thought I'd let the OP know that there is more info he can google for if he wants. I think the bruceb method is more time consuming, since it requires cooling the soft point lead in the mold before filling with harder lead above it - and then cooling again, followed by remelting in the mold to fuse the two layers together. It's supposed to give a better fusion between the two. I haven't tried it yet, but I plan to give it a go.
I read his method and it's likely superior as it "welds" the base & nose together. I'd get some where the base did not fix to the nose so they were trash but only if you took too much time for the second pour. As I mentioned, because you end up with a "Partition" type bullet the effort is worth it. Also you're not making many, perhaps 20 at most. If you have a second small (very small) pot and tiny ladle the process is quite easy once you're set up. The first ones I did were using a propane torch to melt the lead ball in the small ladle. Even with that method you can melt, pour, drop the small ladle, grab the large one and fill. The most important thing is to cast a lot to get the mold very, very hot. When I do it again this summer I'll try the part where you dip the mold in the melt just to be sure of obtaining a "weld".
I think i'll avoid the composite or multi-stage casting for the first little bit. I just want to get into the swing of things first, i have yet to melt any lead whatsoever.
I ended up having to go with a lee 150gr mould, website listed the 170 as being in stock, but wasn't. The trick is now finding out if there's any load data for 150gr with h4895. Can't find any recipes so far. Also, not sure how suited 150 lead is going to be for island blacktail deer.
I ended up having to go with a lee 150gr mould, website listed the 170 as being in stock, but wasn't. The trick is now finding out if there's any load data for 150gr with h4895. Can't find any recipes so far. Also, not sure how suited 150 lead is going to be for island blacktail deer.
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the lee 150 will work fine for Island deer just get it going around 1700 fps. That being said I have the noe ranch dog 165gr and it has a much wider meplat than the lee mold which is better for hunting applications. Once you get rolling you will have multiple different molds most likely. As you are on the Island if you want I can send you some of the 165's to try and see if they work for you. PM me if interested.
Big JD-From the hills
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Saskatchewan.
I’m having more luck with the plain based bullets outa my guns for accuracy. The ranch dog bullets may have trouble feeding outa some/most guns(feeds like butter in my sako 85) But with that meplat you could just use a hard alloy and not worry about expansion. That’s what mr ranch dog does for 30-30 and pigs down south.
Don't melt down those wheelweights in your good lead melting pot. Use an old pot that you don't mind getting nasty and dirty. I messed up my nice bottom pour pot doing this.
Depending on the age of your wheelweights, you might have a very high scrap rate. The new ones have a lot of zinc in them. Zinc is bad for boolits. Plus the steel clips, valve stems, dirt, and nasty shop rags that end up in your wheelweight bucket. You might be lucky to get 1/3 of your bucket in lead if they're newer wheelweights.
Stick on weights are supposedly more "pure" than the clip-on ones. But, then, they might be some other soft flexy material.
I melted my first lead on a thrift store hot plate with a scrap frying pan. I dropped my first muzzleloading round balls into a bucket of snow and immediately turned them into ball bearings. Way too hard for a muzzleloader. I could barely squash them with a hammer on the anvil.
You're going to make mistakes. But, that's ok so long as you're having fun and learning in the process
Depending on the age of your wheelweights, you might have a very high scrap rate. The new ones have a lot of zinc in them. Zinc is bad for boolits. Plus the steel clips, valve stems, dirt, and nasty shop rags that end up in your wheelweight bucket. You might be lucky to get 1/3 of your bucket in lead if they're newer wheelweights.
Stick on weights are supposedly more "pure" than the clip-on ones. But, then, they might be some other soft flexy material.
I melted my first lead on a thrift store hot plate with a scrap frying pan. I dropped my first muzzleloading round balls into a bucket of snow and immediately turned them into ball bearings. Way too hard for a muzzleloader. I could barely squash them with a hammer on the anvil.
You're going to make mistakes. But, that's ok so long as you're having fun and learning in the process
...good advice above...look for a large meplat...my loads are so slow i can't conceive of any expansion...i have a pic somewhere of a slug i dug out of a tree truck after going through 14" of poplar at 20 yards and it is not deformed in the least...i only hunt lead with a 45-70...i have shot several deer with them and a 1/2" hole at 405 grains at 1600 fps never destroys any meat and has always had a bang-plop result...good luck!
Gentlemen, thank you for your sage advice and generosity! It turns out that the supplier got some 170gr stock in, and that's what's been sent. Still waiting for it. Dealing with budget shooter supply was probably the best customer experience i've ever had. Stellar service, great guy.
Shame about the wheelweights being touch and go like that. Might have to get creative to source lead. I'm super excited to get into this! Seems like a whole new way to enjoy shooting sports.
Shame about the wheelweights being touch and go like that. Might have to get creative to source lead. I'm super excited to get into this! Seems like a whole new way to enjoy shooting sports.
I'm either lucky, or dumb, or both. I got a ton of lead a few years ago and had to process it into useable ingots. I knocked together a stand or an old dutch oven and set up a turkey fryer burner under it. I kept a close eye on the melt, and any wheelwheights that didn't melt got scooped out with a Value Village strainer of some kind. I figured that if they didn't melt that they were zinc that melted at a higher temp. I haven't noticed any problems with casting any boolits, so I must have gotten all of the zinc before it melted. I had a 45 gallon drum set up next to the melting setup and dumped the rejects into the barrel.
I made up some molds at the farm and they were long enough to fit into an ammo can either crossways or lengthways, depending on the mold I made. I used bed frame angle iron with angled ends with handles so that they could be dumped out easily without sticking.
I also stamped the ingots with a Princess Auto stamp so I could tell the difference as to what ingots were made from what. PB was stamped on the pure lead. WW for wheelweights.
I made up some molds at the farm and they were long enough to fit into an ammo can either crossways or lengthways, depending on the mold I made. I used bed frame angle iron with angled ends with handles so that they could be dumped out easily without sticking.
I also stamped the ingots with a Princess Auto stamp so I could tell the difference as to what ingots were made from what. PB was stamped on the pure lead. WW for wheelweights.
