Got started casting

[jforwel]

My Lee tumble lube bullets get aloxed. But I think that stuff is too thin to actually run or drip like a beeswax based lube.

[38 WCF]

A small amount of lube on the base of the bullet such as LEE liquid alox will not hurt anything. The powder will not be affected unless you have a massive amount of sticky lube under there. It is always best to keep the bullet nice and clean except in the lube groove. This just makes handleing the bullets much nicer.

[dale53]

bones507;
Congratulations! You are now a full fledged member of THE club - The Bullet Casters! You certainly picked the right way to learn how. Working with someone is much the best way to learn. When I started, I was a young teen ager and knew NO ONE who reloaded much less cast bullets. However, my father found Elmer Keith's "Sixgun Cartriges and Loads" and it became my reloading bible. In no time at all I was casting bullets and reloading. It has been a wonderful lifetime sport.

Most all of my bullets come from WW's + 2% tin. I smelt them in a 12" cast iron dutch oven (do NOT use aluminum - it melts at about 1200 degrees and trying to melt lead in it can lead to a catastrophic failure). I use a propane Fish Cooker/Turkey Fryer for heat. I recommend a good lead thermometer (Tel Tru makes a dandy) to keep the temp below 625 degrees. Zinc weights can contaminate your lead so you do NOT want to melt them. Zinc melts at 787 degrees so as long as you keep the temp below 650 degrees the zinc ww's will float and allow you to skim them off with the WW clips. Flux the metal well, skim off the trash, and pour the clean metal into ingots. That way you will NOT introduce dirt into your lead pot to cause problems when casting.

FWIW
Dale53

[bones507]

Thanks for the help guys. We are going to buy our lead from a distributor as my buddy is getting a pretty good price so its one less step we have to worry about as far as making sure the lead is pretty free of impurities. I icked up the DVD Bullet casting 101 and it had some good info in it but to my shock i found i had learned most of it in my first lesson, lol.
I feel like im going thru reloading by the numbers all over again if you know what i mean. Up till last year i was always using jacketed stuff, now i figured i havent shot a jacketed bullet in about 8 months. I have been buying commercial lead rounds to save some cash but after learning this im saving about 70% of what i was spending. There is still a lot to learn but i am very fortunate i had someone to show me the way.

[blueroan]

castboolits.gunloads.com and lasc.us are two sites that will help any casters a lot. Lots of advice and sources for the tools and supplies...the mark-up on the stuff is astounding and used moulds can be found from time-to-time. Unfortunately, used moulds are a desirable item and you'll have competition to obtain them.

castboolits also has a section on group buys where you can buy new moulds of designs or variations no longer available. Current buys include a 200 grain 38/357 semi wadcutter; modified versions of the discontinued RANCH DOG designs; and a full wad cutter in 45 caliber.

[djw]

Sept 22, 2009 3:52:12 GMT -5 bones507 said:

Thanks for the help guys. We are going to buy our lead from a distributor as my buddy is getting a pretty good price ....

So, what is a pretty good price for buying the proper lead alloy? 92-6-2 seems to be what most commercial casters talk about.

Thanks.

[bones507]

Sept 23, 2009 11:55:40 GMT -5 djw said:

Sept 22, 2009 3:52:12 GMT -5 bones507 said:

Thanks for the help guys. We are going to buy our lead from a distributor as my buddy is getting a pretty good price ....

So, what is a pretty good price for buying the proper lead alloy? 92-6-2 seems to be what most commercial casters talk about.

Thanks.

Well one source we got its something like $1.69 a pound with a 200 pound order. Not too bad i dont think. It gets a little cheaper as the weight goes up.
If you need links flip me a PM.