Author Topic: Finally got some casting time  (Read 713 times)

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Offline TommyD

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Finally got some casting time
« on: December 18, 2010, 04:23:03 AM »
I got a new mould from Veral a few weeks back, but yesterday was the first time I got a chance to do some casting.
I ordered a 160 grain FN bevel base bullet to be sized to .358.

The mould arrived in good condition and the cast bullets dropped easily from it.

The bullet diameters were .359 or a little bit over. Perfect for my Star sizer.

Selecting random bullets, they all seemed to weigh in  within two tenths of a grain. Four bullets weighed together gave me an average weight of 159.75 grains.

Nice looking bullets. Haven't had a chance to shoot them yet, but I have a good feeling about them.

I put them through the sizer and you can see samples of sized and unsized bullets below. I had my Star die set up with two rows of holes open for a gas check bullet and I didn't want to go through the hassle of plugging the up the extra row of holes with lead shot. Because of the placement of the bevel, I decided that a little lube in the crimp groove wouldn't hurt anything. Much better than gumming up the base of the bullet.

I do have to have to practice my lighting technique for this type of photography. It seems to accentuate every blemish in the frosted surface of the bullet, and I do get some odd reflections. Anyway, i think it shows the nice contours of the bullet, the fine bevel, and the nice wide front driving band quite well.

Tom


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Offline Veral

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Re: Finally got some casting time
« Reply #1 on: December 19, 2010, 04:57:45 PM »
  Thanks for the post, Tommy.

  The photos are real nice, and I sure am not picking anything apart about them , but will give couple tips for anyone wanting to photograph bullets, guns, small parts etc.  I got these tips from a professional photographer back when I was writing magazine articles.
 
  Notice the shadows falling to the right behind the bullets in this photo, and, that the profile is a bit more defined on the left side than on the right of the bullets.   Play with the light angle if using artifical lights, but best light is indirect outdoor light.  Like under a carport on a bright day.  To show edges sharply defined, set a dull grey object on each side of what you are photographing and look through the camera view finder till you get the angle set so a shadow is thrown on the parts edges, to eliminate glare.  Photo shops sell grey board, for just this purpose.  Very inexpensive and effective.  Your photo shows all edges well enough, but a bit more shadow on the right would have brought out more detail.   Also, experiment with various things of contrasting color to lay your objects on and show as a background.  Gunwriters often used pieces of leather, with and without hair, wood with a dull finish etc.
Veral Smith