Rained out So I cast bullets

tigrr

tigrr

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Location
Burns Lake BC
The lead melting pot, it takes 20 lbs of lead. I added 6 lbs while casting.
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The bullet is a 160 grain .309 cal that takes a gas check.
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This is a thinned down, light coat of Lee liquid Alox. The resizing and gas checking is done in the same operation. It will be sized to .309.
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After resizing it will get a slightly heavier coat of Lee liquid Alox. I will launch these puppies out to 1000 yards soon.
I have the 308 cal molds for 150g fp, 160g rn, 170g fp, 180g rn and 200g rn.
 
It is always a great day to cast. What rifle/caliber you shooting those in? My 30-06 and 30-30 love the same bullet or the lyman 311041 sized to .311 for best accuracy.
 
The 150 and 170 grain flat point are for the winchester 30/30. The 3 others round nose are for the Savage model 12 F/TR 308. I hope to get some decent accuracy with them, but we will see. I also have a Savage 116 weather warrior that I will try them in it as well.
IMR 4064 will be the go to powder. I'll start with a ladder test and see how it goes.
Nothing like sending your own bullets down range. Need some dragon bullet lube now.
 
I cast 5 different 45/70 bullets. Heres a pic of 4 of them.
Left 500gr FP, mid 405 gr HP, Mid back 405 gr FP and the 500gr RN(most accurate) all Lee. Bens probably just sqirmin!!
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It takes about an hour to cast 150 308 cal bullets. It takes 2 hours to cast 100 500gr 45/70 bullets. Adding lead so often, you have to wait for it to come back up to temp. I have to let the 45/70 mold cool down, or the bullets get a cracked tip. Then giggle part is just going out and sending 50 down range at $0.08 a piece. Bullet 0$, primer 4 cents, 12 grains of IMR700X at 4 cents. And no I wouldn't cast for anyone else. I want to shoot, not cast full time. I used 32 cents of power for 4 hours of bullet casting.
 
I had access to all the lead I could clean out of a indoor range. I carried 80 - 5 gallon pails out of the range, with 5 inches of lead and paper target scraps in each. Did I mention it was a basement range. In the end I could scratch my ankles without bending over. I've never approached any scrap dealers. Batteries don't work for bullets though. Range scraps mixed with wheel weights made a fairly hard bullet. I drop all my pistol bullets into a large pail of water to quench harden them. Not my rifle bullets though.

Buckbrush 1000 rifle bullets an hour, you machine you! I guess I stop too often for refreshments, or just daydreaming. I did fill a 1 lb coffee can one afternoon using a 6 cavity 125 gr 9mm pistol bullet mold.
 
I ran about 400 320gr .412 LBT WFNGC's about 3 weeks ago on a nice sunny afternoon. Finally sorted them last weekend. Was surprised at the sort, each batch sorted 90% +/- 1.5gr. Used a blend of 1/20. wheelweights and Bleimeister shot. Not real sure what that blend is, but it is consistent and nice to cast. Runs 322 to 325 gr. Water dropped them all, haven't checked the hardness yet. They will be run thru a 412 sizer, then flipped and sized 409 to the crimp groove. Hopefully they only spring back about 0015 on the nose.
They will be shot in a #1 in 450/400NE 3".
 
Finished and ready to seat in a case.
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These are recovered in my field after the snow melt.
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These are recovered after a winter 1 mile shoot. Most within feet of the 1 mile target position. The big lead ones were found near short range targets. The big unfired ones on the end are 50 BMG, in for giggles.
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CanuckWR said:
I would say about 15% isn't lead. ;)

Turns out not many people around here cast as I made an "arrangement" with the 2 busiest tire shops.

Heck, I even got a 65000 BTU propane burner for free. The upside of working for the #1 volume consumer of propane in the area.
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Get 'em while you can.I been checking tire shops around central Ab., and the number of shops that sell used WW to the general public seems to be small.
Or they already have someone who spoke for it.And the ratio of lead to non lead WW is getting worse.If you have a good relationship with a tire dealer or 2, it may be a good time to stop in with a tray full of Timmy Ho's finest coffee when you go by, those guys really appreciate it and they remember it when they got a bucket full and someone else comes a lookin'.Works for me anyway.

Tis' the time to stock up while WW's are available.soon they may not be as accessible.At any price. I have paid anywhere from $25-50 per 5 gallon bucket,depending on who,what, where, and when.
$50 is no good, unless they are sorting out non lead ones a bit and not dropping the ciggy butts, garbage, valve stems etc.(Ran into that in two $50 buckets the other day not good)My local tire shop guy is great- sorts them somewhat and keeps the trash out of the bucket.And does not overcharge.
 
squirrelnuttz said:
Get 'em while you can.I been checking tire shops around central Ab., and the number of shops that sell used WW to the general public seems to be small.
Or they already have someone who spoke for it.And the ratio of lead to non lead WW is getting worse.If you have a good relationship with a tire dealer or 2, it may be a good time to stop in with a tray full of Timmy Ho's finest coffee when you go by, those guys really appreciate it and they remember it when they got a bucket full and someone else comes a lookin'.Works for me anyway.

Tis' the time to stock up while WW's are available.soon they may not be as accessible.At any price. I have paid anywhere from $25-50 per 5 gallon bucket,depending on who,what, where, and when.
$50 is no good, unless they are sorting out non lead ones a bit and not dropping the ciggy butts, garbage, valve stems etc.(Ran into that in two $50 buckets the other day not good)My local tire shop guy is great- sorts them somewhat and keeps the trash out of the bucket.And does not overcharge.
Click to expand...

Ya, i was giggling manically as I loaded the pails into the truck. :D

After the first 220lbs of ingots were done I figured it out to be around 25% crap by weight. Another 190lbs of WW to melt down into ingots.

Thanks to Tigrr for implanting the idea into my head!!! Casting is fun! :)
 
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