earplug Posted January 11, 2010 Share Posted January 11, 2010 Read the lead verses jacketed topic and thought I would add some home cast info that works for me. I shoot 625-8's for Bullseye and other games. In the past I used Lyman molds and resized the bullets to 452. I read about Lee tumble lube bullets and lube and found out that for my guns the mold would drop undersize bullets. Revolvers bullets have to deal with cylinder size, the forcing cone and the the bore. The charge pressure has to be able to bump the bullet through the various size holes. On my guns a cast 452 will not seal and it leads. The hard and soft lubes always smoked and left a lot of wax like crud on the gun. I switched to Lee none tumble lube molds. The 200 grain SWC for Bullseye and the 225 LRN for other stuff. They drop out of the mold at 454. Then I use Rooster Bullet Jacket tumble lube. It drys and feels like 22LR lubed bullets. The only issue I have had is fat bullets with thick cases, of if you have any bullets with casting seams you will get a tite fit in the chamber. But i'm supposed to chamber check all my loaded moons. So i'm loading and shooting unsized 454 bullets that work great and smoke less. For Bullseye I use Bullseye powder and I get smoke. But its been the best for accuracy and burns clean at very light charge weights. I have used 231 and Bullseye in my 38 spl and find that 231 smokes more with light charges. I'm using LEE's none tumble lube molds for this round too. 148 WC and the 152 grain LRN. For USPSA I use CLAYS and I don't notice the smoke. I suspect SOLO would work even better. I shot a outdoor USPSA match yesturday and forgot to look for smoke. And I didn't get any comments about putting a smoke screen while shooting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Z Sr Posted January 11, 2010 Share Posted January 11, 2010 Good info earplug, thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sargenv Posted January 11, 2010 Share Posted January 11, 2010 Something else you can try tumble lubing with is Johnson paste wax.. I use one of those 2 pound square peanut containers (after eating the peanuts). I fill the container about half full with my boolits, then add a heaping tablespoon of JPW to it. Put the lid on and shake things vigorously for a minute or two making sure that it all coats. Then I lay them out on wax paper to dry using the carboard case that I get from the costco 32 packs of coca cola products. I've shot mine up to a bit over Major PF with no issue leading. I cast a 185 gr Semi pointed RN in 40 cal and picked up a 6 cav Lee TL mold for 175gr Truncated cone boolits also for my Sig which can't use the long RN. At about $6 and change for a can, I can lube about 10k - 12k bullets with it. Maybe more if I wasn't so generous on the amount earlier.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chills1994 Posted January 11, 2010 Share Posted January 11, 2010 PM sent, earplug. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boats Posted January 11, 2010 Share Posted January 11, 2010 I go two ways on cast bullets Rifle Competition I shoot two Schuetzens, They need the absolute best plain base cast bullet to perform The 25 ring center at 200 yards is only 1 1/2 inches. I buy pre mixed 1/25 pure lead and tin and cast with much care and attention. The 32/40 200 gr gets 36 bullets to the pound and the 38/55 300 gr gets 24. With pre mix costing between 1.25 and 2.00 per pound I am paying 6 cents roughly per bullet, and taking a whole lot of time. You cannot buy a good Schuetzen bullet from a mold cut to suit your particular rifle. No way around casting them your self. Total round count those two rifles is about 2000 per year almost all match shooting. Bullet cost is inconsequential, time spent is a real pain Pistol Competition my round count is much higher and mechanical accuracy requirement less. 230 gr 45 acp LRN last box from a local caster with a good product cost 60 dollars for 500 158 gr 38's 40 dollars per 500. Average it out and it's 10 cents or so per bullet. With lead prices down he is lowering his prices next batch. For me as long as the pre-cast bullets perform no reason to cast them myself. I might be able to save 200 bucks at best casting. If I saw the right 230 gr RN .45 acp or 38 158 RN mold for sale would probably buy it just to insure a supply of bullets, other than that my take is casting for pistols is not cost effective Boats Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chills1994 Posted January 11, 2010 Share Posted January 11, 2010 There are some aspects about being able to cast your own boolits that you can't put a price on. And that's all I'm gonna say about that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hockeyfighter25 Posted January 11, 2010 Share Posted January 11, 2010 Thanks for the info, I'll have to try out the rooster lube to avoid the stickiness of the alox tumble lube. In the way of cost, I have found casting to be a significant savings, I'm able to buy wheel weight lead ingots for right around $1.00 per pound delivered. I cast 9mm 125gr round nose bullets and tumble lube them with liquid xlox (bulk lee alox). My costs assuming ~90% yield of purchased lead is $20/k vs. $45/k to $50/k for purchased lead bullets. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Christian Posted January 11, 2010 Share Posted January 11, 2010 I think Boats just hit the bullet casting nail on the head. The component cost is just one factor. The place to do it (the kitchen is not the best bet... a seperate outside facility is nice, but that adds to the expense) and the time it takes, has to be factored in. As far as casting precision Shuetzen rifle bullets goes, I can certainly see the need to do that if the required product is not commercially available. For handguns however... there's a slew of cast bullets on the market, and once you factor in the time required to make them I have not seen an advantage regarding casting vs purchasing. I stopped casting 20 years ago when I discovered that in the time it takes me to cast, size, and lube 1000 handgun bullets I could have earned enough money to buy 2000 very uniform cold swaged bullets that shoot just fine at target level velocities, and run through my loading press as clean as jacketed slugs. The math didn't work for me on casting my own. And, the cold swaged bullets don't smoke at the the 740 - 830 fps I run them at, because they are fully enclosed (including the bullet base) in a hard lube and don't use that waxy surface lube that contributes to smoke. Chris Christian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carmoney Posted January 12, 2010 Share Posted January 12, 2010 There are some aspects about being able to cast your own boolits that you can't put a price on.And that's all I'm gonna say about that. You really can't put a price on the following aspects of casting your own bullets: Behavior and attention problems Hearing problems Kidney damage Reduced IQ Slowed body growth Abdominal pain and cramping Aggressive behavior Anemia Constipation Difficulty sleeping Headaches Irritability Loss of previous developmental skills Low appetite and energy Reduced sensations Vomiting Staggering walk Muscle weakness Seizures Coma Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
20nickels Posted January 12, 2010 Share Posted January 12, 2010 ^^ Clearly you are a caster too Mike. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
20nickels Posted January 12, 2010 Share Posted January 12, 2010 Earplug, Those Lee .45's have a goofy OAL. What are you using? I believe 1.200 is proper for an auto. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chills1994 Posted January 12, 2010 Share Posted January 12, 2010 Carmoney wrote: Behavior and attention problems Hearing problems Kidney damage Reduced IQ Slowed body growth Abdominal pain and cramping Aggressive behavior Anemia Constipation Difficulty sleeping Headaches Irritability Loss of previous developmental skills Low appetite and energy Reduced sensations Vomiting Staggering walk Muscle weakness Seizures Coma I don't know if that was meant to be sarcasm or not. But with my health insurance, I go in at least once every six months to get my blood lead levels checked. They were checked a couple of weeks ago and the result was an 8. The time before that it was an 11. And way back when, when I used to shoot an indoor match every Tuesday night, it was even higher at a 20. IIRC, the doc said anything above a 27 is where they put people in the hospital. My co-pay is only $10. My employer pays the rest, which if I have read the bill correctly is still only $90 for the lead test. Casting lead bullets is no more dangerous than a lot of other activities....if you know what you're doing and take reasonable precautions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Christian Posted January 12, 2010 Share Posted January 12, 2010 I didn't realize what the cost figures were for a semi-annual blood test for lead levels. That would certainly cut into the perceived cost savings for casting your own bullets. Chris Christian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flexmoney Posted January 12, 2010 Share Posted January 12, 2010 I didn't realize what the cost figures were for a semi-annual blood test for lead levels. That would certainly cut into the perceived cost savings for casting your own bullets.Chris Christian I believe that the experience that Chill's shared shows that...in his case...casting is not responsible for higher lead levels. Whereas "shooting indoors" has a greater correlation. I don't know, but that jives with other reports that I have heard. Therefore, I don't know that it is fair to associate the blood test with casting...when just about anybody that shoots a lot ought to get their levels checked. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flexmoney Posted January 12, 2010 Share Posted January 12, 2010 There are some aspects about being able to cast your own boolits that you can't put a price on.And that's all I'm gonna say about that. You really can't put a price on the following aspects of casting your own bullets: Behavior and attention problems Hearing problems Kidney damage Reduced IQ Slowed body growth Abdominal pain and cramping Aggressive behavior Anemia Constipation Difficulty sleeping Headaches Irritability Loss of previous developmental skills Low appetite and energy Reduced sensations Vomiting Staggering walk Muscle weakness Seizures Coma Mmmmmm...bourbon! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DWFAN Posted January 12, 2010 Share Posted January 12, 2010 There are some aspects about being able to cast your own boolits that you can't put a price on.And that's all I'm gonna say about that. You really can't put a price on the following aspects of casting your own bullets: Behavior and attention problems Hearing problems Kidney damage Reduced IQ Slowed body growth Abdominal pain and cramping Aggressive behavior Anemia Constipation Difficulty sleeping Headaches Irritability Loss of previous developmental skills Low appetite and energy Reduced sensations Vomiting Staggering walk Muscle weakness Seizures Coma My wife says I had most of those before shooting a lot.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
20nickels Posted January 12, 2010 Share Posted January 12, 2010 Carmoney wrote:Behavior and attention problems Hearing problems Kidney damage Reduced IQ Slowed body growth Abdominal pain and cramping Aggressive behavior Anemia Constipation Difficulty sleeping Headaches Irritability Loss of previous developmental skills Low appetite and energy Reduced sensations Vomiting Staggering walk Muscle weakness Seizures Coma I don't know if that was meant to be sarcasm or not. But with my health insurance, I go in at least once every six months to get my blood lead levels checked. They were checked a couple of weeks ago and the result was an 8. The time before that it was an 11. And way back when, when I used to shoot an indoor match every Tuesday night, it was even higher at a 20. IIRC, the doc said anything above a 27 is where they put people in the hospital. My co-pay is only $10. My employer pays the rest, which if I have read the bill correctly is still only $90 for the lead test. Casting lead bullets is no more dangerous than a lot of other activities....if you know what you're doing and take reasonable precautions. I took it as sarcasm, though it is serious issue no doubt. I have also considered shooting indoors with little ventilation to be more hazardous than the average outdoor casting settup. When I started casting last year I never considered saving $$ a priority but if it happened it was certainly welcome. Having complete control over type of boolit, alloy, lube and bore fit is what I was going for. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
38supPat Posted January 12, 2010 Share Posted January 12, 2010 If we based everything strictly on how much it cost, I doubt very much any of us would be shooting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carmoney Posted January 12, 2010 Share Posted January 12, 2010 Sarcasm? How about we call it good-natured kidding around, with the intention of also making a serious point. It is my opinion that casting indoors is not worth the health risk. I'm not a physician, but then neither is anyone else who has weighed on this issue here so far. I do know of a guy in Omaha who was said to have become gravely ill as a result of casting indoors. And I know that back in my pin-shooting days when we used to cast bullets in my friend's basement every Tuesday night all winter long, I sure could produce a lot of black matter when I blew my nose on Wednesday mornings. That can't be good. Totally anecdotal, I agree. But I wouldn't set up a casting operation in my house. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chills1994 Posted January 12, 2010 Share Posted January 12, 2010 @ Carmoney... would you mind posting the link from where you cut and pasted those symptoms from, then? slight thread drift ahead... My girlfriend's cat or dog was sick a few years back. We took it to the vet. The vet determined it was poisoned with something. It just so happened to be around Christmas season. I bought a lead paint test kit, and tested it on the artificial Christmas tree. Sure enough it tested positive for lead. We got rid of the tree, and the dog eventually got healthy. Again...just anecdotal... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
earplug Posted January 13, 2010 Author Share Posted January 13, 2010 Earplug,Those Lee .45's have a goofy OAL. What are you using? I believe 1.200 is proper for an auto. I'm using 1.206, it works in my Springfield 1911. The bullet is weird looking, but it works. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DougCarden Posted January 13, 2010 Share Posted January 13, 2010 I this last fall alloyed 1500lbs of range lead and cast bullets with a good friend who is a commercial caster. You could say I got an "education" I have a friend who set up a venilation hood in his basement and cast bullets in his house. He was a neat freak and cleaned up really well. His kids turned out ok..... . After melting down wheelweights in a 20lb pot in my dad's machine shop, and doing the range lead I just did.......I don't think I would cast in the house. Garage maybe, with venilation, but not in the house. Even with a good fan.....To each their own, and if you want to, be damn careful, but seek out a professional's advice and learn about it before you jump into it. Chills has done a lot of research, and knows the stuff. To each their own.... And for the .454 bullets, get yourself a lee factory taper crimp die for those bullets, they will all chamber, and no I dont want to hear about accuracy problems, etc. That is why they made the damn things, for the oversize bullets....LOL The accuracy with them is just fine! See ya, DougC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flexmoney Posted January 13, 2010 Share Posted January 13, 2010 How did we get indoors? You kids get outta da house and go play outside. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slflr Posted January 13, 2010 Share Posted January 13, 2010 There are some aspects about being able to cast your own boolits that you can't put a price on.And that's all I'm gonna say about that. +1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slflr Posted January 13, 2010 Share Posted January 13, 2010 There are some aspects about being able to cast your own boolits that you can't put a price on.And that's all I'm gonna say about that. And reload your own primers. +1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now