Thinking about casting pistol bullets
- Thread starter Tazzy
- Start date
For scrap lead you should process you scrap using a seperate pot. A goodwill pot and single plate electrical burner ($20) should be used to flux and refine your scrap lead into ingots.
If you have nice clean lead you can skip this step. At some point though you will need this type of setup.
Hot plate can also be used to preheat lngots and molds.
If you have nice clean lead you can skip this step. At some point though you will need this type of setup.
Hot plate can also be used to preheat lngots and molds.
I was thinking of buying a small cast iron pot at princess auto for that sort of thing.I'll look around for a small hot plate. Thanks for the idea.
I do have a pot from when I used to make my decoy anchors out of Babbitt with a muffin tin.
I do have a pot from when I used to make my decoy anchors out of Babbitt with a muffin tin.
This is the pot I'll be getting soon.
Wow, that is an old Lyman pot but it looks to be in really good shape! I've got the same one . . . my uncle bought it in the 60s. Mine definitely doesn't look new but it still works.
Casting is fast once you get into the rhythm. Takes about 10 seconds per 6 bullet Lee mould; so 36/min, so theoretically 2160/hr.
Casting 158 gr SWC one pound makes ~44. Spur weight about the same so half that to 22 so need to add a 1 pound ingot every 45 sec. A Lee 20# pot will keep up this pace esp. if you throw the hot spurs back into the pot.
What will slow you down is mold will heat up, have to wait for the spur to cool down. Having 2 or better yet 3 six bullet mold with wet towel for water cooling will keep production going.
Scrap prepping, casting, lubing is rewarding if you have lots of time and space (stinks so you won't be popular with nearby neighbors, Van does not have big yards.)
Casting 158 gr SWC one pound makes ~44. Spur weight about the same so half that to 22 so need to add a 1 pound ingot every 45 sec. A Lee 20# pot will keep up this pace esp. if you throw the hot spurs back into the pot.
What will slow you down is mold will heat up, have to wait for the spur to cool down. Having 2 or better yet 3 six bullet mold with wet towel for water cooling will keep production going.
Scrap prepping, casting, lubing is rewarding if you have lots of time and space (stinks so you won't be popular with nearby neighbors, Van does not have big yards.)
Thanks fort catching that I would not have noticed.
I also didn't notice that on Tazzy's pic . . . good catch. I've only seen pictures of the Saeco pot . . . it does look very similar.
Smelting into ingots will take a lot of heat - a wood fire and an propane tank crucible can do - I donno - I guess that I've done maybe 6-700 lbs in a day more than once - but that is wintertime work - outside. After you have the muffins made, they store compact and keep forever, so stock up a bit - a box of bullets uses a lot of lead. I use an old dryer drum with a propane tank on top to smelt wheel weights in - good ash firewood gives me the BTUs that don't cost $ like propane.
It is important to have a very regular temperature - and the best way that I found is to use two pots - heating in one and then dumping that (smaller) pot into the bigger one. It keeps the flow going. I was able in one day to do a bit over 190 lbs of .45 bullets - in three sizes - using Lee six-cavity molds. Tumble a bit of lube on, then size with a Lee die - kids are handy for that - then tumble-lube batches of them as you need them.
It is a fun thing to learn - not that it helps for total $ - but you get to shoot much more for your $.
It is important to have a very regular temperature - and the best way that I found is to use two pots - heating in one and then dumping that (smaller) pot into the bigger one. It keeps the flow going. I was able in one day to do a bit over 190 lbs of .45 bullets - in three sizes - using Lee six-cavity molds. Tumble a bit of lube on, then size with a Lee die - kids are handy for that - then tumble-lube batches of them as you need them.
It is a fun thing to learn - not that it helps for total $ - but you get to shoot much more for your $.
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I just scored my first bucket of wheel weights yesterday. I have a half of a five gallon bucket after sorting out the bad stuff and about fifteen pounds of stick on weights.
How much would a half a bucket weigh? I don't have a set of scales.
How much would a half a bucket weigh? I don't have a set of scales.
CreamySmooth
CGN frequent flyer
I use nothing but wheel weights. Make sure you get out all the zinc...
Once your done, if you PC, you get this. About 8 hours of casting with a Lee 6 die mold and PCing a batch every 15 minutes or so. I'm good for around 4000 I think.
In the front are a few 1 oz slugs I'll put in a red AA hull with a roll crimp. Should look purty.
Close up.
