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Author Topic: I've crossed over to the dark side  (Read 851 times)

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Offline Chris Potts

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I've crossed over to the dark side
« on: February 02, 2008, 02:58:11 PM »
Well I cast my first batch of bullet today.  I picked up a mold from LBT a couple of months ago and I finally got around to using it today.  The first few weren't pretty, but by the end of the session I was getting some really nice looking bullets.  I weighed a few when I got done any they were all within 1 gr. 

Chris
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Offline jhalcott

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Re: I've crossed over to the dark side
« Reply #1 on: February 03, 2008, 02:50:29 PM »
  Congratulations! You will get better with experience!
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Offline Chris Potts

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Re: I've crossed over to the dark side
« Reply #2 on: February 03, 2008, 04:22:41 PM »
Thanks.  I scrapped probably half of the first hundred.  The very first ones were really bad.  I think that I was going way to slow.  There were only a couple in the last hundred that look bad.  So I ended up with 150 good bullets.  I am going to weigh a few more but the ones I weighed seemed pretty consistent.  Less than 1gr variation on a 245 gr bullet seemed good to me.  I can't wait to get them loaded and see what they will do.  I need to get a few more molds.

Chris
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Offline Dusty Miller

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Re: I've crossed over to the dark side
« Reply #3 on: February 04, 2008, 06:36:26 AM »
It takes a while for the mold to heat up, until then you'll get a lot of wrinkles.  Keep at it, its a lot of fun and certainly cheaper then buying from a retailer.  Make sure you have sufficient ventilation.  I put up a bathroom exhaust fan right above my melting pot. 
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Offline blhof

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Re: I've crossed over to the dark side
« Reply #4 on: February 05, 2008, 12:58:00 PM »
If there's room, you can dip a corner of your mold in the pot to prewarm the mold for the starting casts; results in more usable bullets and redip if you have a long delay between casts.
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Offline Chris Potts

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Re: I've crossed over to the dark side
« Reply #5 on: February 05, 2008, 04:40:32 PM »
Thanks for the suggestions.  Veral mentions dipping the corner of the mold in the pot in the instructions that come with the mold.  I tried this after a break before I started the last hundred and it work really well.  It is rather addictive.  I've got enough lead to last for at least the rest of the year but every tire shop that I see I still stop to see if they have any wheel weights.  Of course when I get a couple more molds I am going to need more lead.

Chris
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Offline Sweetwater

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Re: I've crossed over to the dark side
« Reply #6 on: February 09, 2008, 07:51:17 PM »
You will find as you get more proficient that the molds will get too hot. You can regulate your mold temperature by adding more molds as your session progresses. A few years ago I was doing a lot of casting, all by hand. Starting with one mold, as it got on the hot side of what I liked, I added another mold. Usually I would end with either 3 or 4 molds running in succession. If I was using both aluminum and steel molds, then I had to set up a rhythm as the different metals dissipate heat at different rates. It took a while, but I soon learned which ones to use and when to maintain their temperatures. Having the bullets mixed was not a problem as I sorted when I inspected, and at the time I was using straight wheel weights for all my casting needs. It is a blast and some satisfying to watch an animal being harvested with 'one of my own'. The big guys make great bullets and we've depended on them for years, but since I've started hunting with my flying wheel weights, I use other types of bullets less and less.

Regards,
Sweetwater
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Regards,
Sweetwater

Courage is being scared to death but saddling up anyway - John Wayne

The proof is in the freezer - Sweetwater

Offline scout34

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Re: I've crossed over to the dark side
« Reply #7 on: February 10, 2008, 02:00:50 AM »
Just cast my own first last night!  Casted about 200 150gr .357 SWC from a Lee 6 place mold.  What a blast!  Why did I wait so long?
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Offline jhalcott

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Re: I've crossed over to the dark side
« Reply #8 on: February 10, 2008, 02:21:15 PM »
Chris,  You realize that 1 grain is a SMALL percentage of 245 grains right? If you weigh a box of purchased bullets (jacketed or cast) you will get more variance than that some times.
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Offline Chris Potts

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Re: I've crossed over to the dark side
« Reply #9 on: February 10, 2008, 02:45:34 PM »
I thought that it was pretty good.  Things have been busy so I still haven't gotten them loaded.  I have most of them patched.  Hopefully I can get them loaded up and get some decent weather to try them out soon.  It has been helpful to have such a good resource as this website.

Chris
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Offline VTDW

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Re: I've crossed over to the dark side
« Reply #10 on: February 11, 2008, 05:21:44 AM »
Welcome to The Brotherhood of The Silver Stream. ;D

Dave 8)
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Offline D Crockett

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Re: I've crossed over to the dark side
« Reply #11 on: February 12, 2008, 11:46:16 AM »
I will give you a helpful tip if you are using more than one mould go to your local scrap yard and get a piece of aluminum about 8x8x2 and use it or a heat sink it will let you cast much faster and go over to castboolits.gunloads.com there is a gentleman over there that sales mould prep he lives in Alaska but I forget his name get some of that it is well worth the money you can even make bullet lube with it D Crockett
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