[TODD G]

I AM GETING REDDY TO START CASTING AND HAVE A COUPEL QUESTIONS ON EQUIPMENT BEFOR I PLACED MY ORDER SO HEER GOES QUESTION 1 HAVE BEEN LOOKING AT DIFFERENT FURNACES AND LIKED THE LYMAN MAG-20 THE SHOPE HAS BOTH BOTTOM POOR AND DIPPER TYPE TO THE BEGINER WOULD ONE BE BETTER THEN THR OTHER OR JUST A MATTER OF PREFRENCE
QUESTION-2 MOLDS WAS INTERESTED IN A COUPEL BULLETS I SAW AT THIS SITE ONE WAS A 300 GR-WLNGC .45 &185 GR-FNGC .357 ARE THESE MOLDS FOR SALE OR CUSTOM MADE FOR BEAR TOOTH BULLETS THANKS TO ALL FOR THE HELP

 

[kevinm]

Todd-

I started casting last summer so am not an expert but can at least relate some experience. I bought a refurbished bottom pour furnace from Lee and have had no problems at all with it but if you have the dough Lyman makes great gear and one of their bottom pour pots would be great [BTW, I think you will find a bottom pour more convienient than the dipper type with much faster production but I may be corrected on that].

The bullets you see on this site are, as far as I know, cast from molds that have been custom made.
You can get the bullet design's you want from mold makers like Ballisticast but they will probably cost you around $150 dollars by the time you get one home. I just received a mold from them and have not have the chance to really try the bullets out yet [.38 cal WFN 158 gr and WFNGS 180 gr] but the preliminary results look real good.

I have come to enjoy bullet casting and its related tasks almost as much as shooting and I hope you will as well.

God bless
Kevin

 

[cast-n-blast]

Todd,
      Welcome to the wonderful world of cast bullets. You will feel very satisfied shooting your own home grown projectiles. It takes a special attitude or trait to cast bullets. After a few sessions, you'll know if you're cut out for it. If you are, you're in for a treat ! There's nothing magical or mystical to casting good bullets. It just takes time, coupled with a little experience, to get the results you want. After awhile, you'll be cranking out 500 bullets, in a little over an hour, with a 4 cavity mold. I've been casting for a little over 10 years and have never regretted starting. I actually enjoy casting as much as re-loading, shooting, and hunting. Plus, what else can you do on cold, stormy winter nights when it's impossible to do one of the above mentioned activities. During the winter months, I cast almost my whole years supply of projectiles.

Now to the meat of your questions. I would definitely go with the bottom pour pot. I use a RCBS, however, I'm sure the Lyman is comparable. Bottom pours are extremely fast compared to the dipper method. With practice, you'll get the consistant results you're after.(we're talking 1 to 2 sessions here).

As to molds, Saeco makes a .358 180 gr FN with or w/o gas check. They drop from my mold at .3595 when cast from WW and weigh in at 185 gr. Lyman makes a .452 300 gr WFN w/ GC, that should serve any purpose you have.

Just look in the links section on this site under re-loading supplies. Graf and sons and Midway carry Redding/Saeco products. Mid-south has the best prices for Lyman products.

Again, welcome to the exciting world of casting, where you are holding all the cards in your own hand, to decide what YOU want to send down your barrel. Any questions you have will be quickly answered on this site by many capable and able individuals with many different solutions to any problem. So jump in there, and start casting away.

I highly reccomend Marshall's Tech Guide and a book by Veral Smith called,"Jacketed Performance With Cast Bullets". This book can be ordered by going to Sixgunner.com and looking at their site.
Just about any question you come up with can be answered by these two books, along with a ton of information on why and how anything pertaining to cast bullets happens or works.

Hope I helped out and didn't bore you to tears.

                              Jeff

 

[arkypete]

The above advice is right on the money. I use the RCBS pot, matter of fact I've got three RCBS, one Lyman 20 pounder and the Lee 10 pounder. The Lyman and Lee don't get much of a work out any more, the Lyman pot is used for casting 375 bullets with very hard alloy.
I'd suggest that any mold made by anybody other then Lee would serve you well. I'd go so far as to say that any equipment made by anybody other then Lee will make your bullet casting efforts pleasant and productive.
Jim

 

[aladin]

<!--QuoteBegin--arkypete+May 14 2002,05:40--></span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (arkypete @ May 14 2002,05:40)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE"><!--QuoteEBegin-->The above advice is right on the money. I use the RCBS pot, matter of fact I've got three RCBS, one Lyman 20 pounder and the Lee 10 pounder. The Lyman and Lee don't get much of a work out any more, the Lyman pot is used for casting 375 bullets with very hard alloy.
I'd suggest that any mold made by anybody other then Lee would serve you well. I'd go so far as to say that any equipment made by anybody other then Lee will make your bullet casting efforts pleasant and productive.
Jim[/quote]
<<I'd go so far as to say that any equipment made by anybody other then Lee will make your bullet casting efforts pleasant and productive>>

I'd take good natured exception to that contention. No- Lee molds and pots are not the equal of RCBS, but at 20% or so of that cost-- MANY folks do quite well with them. Lee molds run the gamut-- from gem to rotten road apple. Trick is learning how to refine and polish them-- which is easily done. As for the pots-- replacement elements are all of $10 IF you manage to burn one out. Otherwise they function just fine. Lee push thru sizing is the best system out there- talking just sizing.

Thing is- Lee has got a ton of people into casting with that price structure. Add a little ingenuity, and Fancy is as Fancy does.

If your going top dollar equippment, skip the Lyman. RCBS has the warranty and customer service worthy of their tag. Lyman's is here today and gone tomorrow-- ya never quite know. Lyman has the better bullet designs, but their two cav block is bean counter designed. Result is a higher ratio of poor casting blocks going out to casters. Just is unacceptable, especially considering the old Ideal/Lyman tradition of yrs past.

 

[kevinm]

Aladin-

I have to agree with you that Lee gear can be used to make great ammo and that their molds, after some knowledge is gained of their idiosyncrasies, will make great bullets. But more than anything the cost of Lee equipment makes reloading attractive to people who would otherwise find the initial investment too intimidating. I know my initial leap into both reloading and casting was due to seeing how inexpensive the gear to do it with could be obtained.

God bless
Kevin

 

[TODD G]

THANKS FOR ALL THE HELP SINS I FIRST WROTE I ROUNDED UP 300 LBS OF WW AND AN OLD PLUMERS LEAD POT TO GET STARTED WITH FOUND THE MOLDS I WAS LOOKING FOR AT BALLISTICAST STILL THINKING ABOUT WITCH FURNACE TOP GET BUT ONCE IM UP AND RUNING ILL LET YOU NO HOW IT ALL WORKED OUT THANKS AGAIN

      TODD