Casting your own bullets

[Lone Wolf]

Was wondering if anyone is getting started, or getting back into bullet casting due to high ammo costs, scarce componets, etc. I for one am getting ready to get out the molds and fire up the pot.

[Flash]

My lead-scroungery which used to be merely a minor obsession is now becoming more like a full-time occupation. And yes, just as soon as I get some space in the garage, I'm firing up the lead pot, too. I just bought a Lee mold for the 40S&W, and can hardly wait to see how its product works in the new Sigma.

And I already have two shooting chums in line to be instructed in the fine art. They are feeling the pinch of factory stuff, and have taken up reloading. Suddenly, the reality of $70 to $125 per thousand factory bullets has become a matter of significant interest to them.

Even my neice, who has just gotten her second 9mm, is learning to reload, and has seen the price of JHP go up. She currently buys cast as well as JHP.

Flash

[DeadHead]

I cast for my muzzleloaders, but got my last batch of lead handgun bullets already cast, lubed, and sized and the price wasn't too bad. If I had the molds, good alloy laying around or even a pile of wheel weights, and a bunch of time - I would be casting as much as possible. The down side is - you can have all the cast bullets you would ever need for a lifetime, but with no primers or powder - they're just fishing sinkers. The couple of cents that pre-cast bullets cost only increase the reloading cost slightly. If you're reloading in general and already have the "supplies", than the savings over factory ammo (like $42 a box at Natchez right now for remington 124 gr. 50 rd box) is already worth it without the need to cast.

[RUDY850]

I started gathering wheel weights a year or so ago. There not that easy to get around here.

I got what I needed to melt the wheel weights and make ingots out of them

I have currently 200 pounds in ingots made up and about 150 pounds that need made in to ingots yet

I'm hoping to find more wheel weights before I get every thing that I need to make bullets to make it Worth it.

I got most of the wheel weights at a car junk yard and taking them off the wheels my self then paying for them. I don't wont to do that to often

[normanvin]

Does anyone in the Wikes Barre Scranton area Cast their own bullets? I wouldn't mind observeing to see if it is something I might want to do.

[GUNGUY45]

Does anyone in the Wikes Barre Scranton area Cast their own bullets? I wouldn't mind observeing to see if it is something I might want to do.

Here is a video which is very informative;

http://www.sturmgewehr.com/dalbert/B...sting%20v1.wmv

WARNING: This is a 32 meg file, very large.

[normanvin]

Here is a video which is very informative;

http://www.sturmgewehr.com/dalbert/B...sting%20v1.wmv

WARNING: This is a 32 meg file, very large.

Hey Thanks..

[imashooter2]

Here is a video which is very informative;

http://www.sturmgewehr.com/dalbert/B...sting%20v1.wmv

WARNING: This is a 32 meg file, very large.

Just to note... That was an odd set of blocks that had integral handles and so the guy was forced to hit the mold blocks with his screw driver handle. The traditional method is to hit the hinge screw on the handles to shake stubborn bullets from the mold. The blocks will last a lot longer if you treat them right.

[stephpd]

Just to note... That was an odd set of blocks that had integral handles and so the guy was forced to hit the mold blocks with his screw driver handle. The traditional method is to hit the hinge screw on the handles to shake stubborn bullets from the mold. The blocks will last a lot longer if you treat them right.

I tried using a piece of wood to release the mold, but found that using welding gloves was much easier and quicker.

I took up making boolits soon after starting to reload. I've only been reloading for a year so not a lot of experience. But melting lead wheel weights and making lead boolits isn't very hard. It doesn't take much material or tools to get it to work well. Biggest thing is looking at it as a two stage process. First is melting wheel weights down to ingots. Best down outside because of all the crap that's on the weights. I use a coleman stove and a 4 quart cast iron pot.

Second stage is with a Lee bottom pour 10# pot and Lee aluminum molds. I like the aluminum molds because they heat up quickly, just set them on the pot while waiting for lead to melt. Once everything is hot it's easy to get 1000's of boolits done in one sitting. For every 1# bar of lead I'll add 6" of 95/5 solder to increase hardness as well as quench harder the boolits by dropping into a water bath.

Once done I'll separate them by weight using a cheap electronic scale. Not sure if this step is necessary but it can't hurt and breaks up the batch into workable sizes.

[Lone Wolf]

I agree that you need a supply of material to make bullets with, and not everyone has that available in thier general area. My advice would be to look around. Iv'e been very suprised at the people who had various amounts of lead laying around, and all too happy to get rid of it. However, I would not buy lead from Midway, etc. If I have to pay for it, I buy local and cheap.