What caliber to start with?

[tazman]

I have a question , which has probably been ask before. :roll:  I would like to get started in casting my own bullets. I need some advice as to which would be the easiest to start with. What type, weight, mould maker etc.
I would like to start a cheap as possible in case I find I don't like doing it.
I already have wheel weigts cleaned and in about 3lb blocks. So the biggest problem I have is deciding which caliber to start with and in what weight and type.
I have 357 mag, 41 mag, 44 mag, 45 colt revolvers. 356 win, 375 win, and 45-70 lever action Marlins.
Out of all of them I shoot the 357 and 41's the most.
Any advice and help would be greatly appreciated
Jack

[Lloyd Smale]

I know your going to get alot of people telling you to buy lee molds because your looking for cheap. But for a starting caster id recomend you buy something better its tough enough getting over the learning curve of casting without dealing with a cheap lee mold. Id recomend you buy yourself a rcbs or seaco mold to start with. Lyman are ok too but for the same price a rcbs or seaco is a better mold. Caliber doesnt really matter but id start with a good .38 150 swc or a .41 in about a 230 grain swc. and go from there. I use alot of lee molds and can honestly trash one in a couple days of marathon casting. There 6 cavity molds arent bad buy for the most part the 2 cavity molds are throw away molds ill buy them to see if a bullet shoots and if it does ill buy the 6 cavity version to use. youll find once you get into it that theres nothing like a real good mold. Ballistic Cast or h&g (same thing) are the best out there but expensive. Lbt are good molds applegate molds are top shelf Dan at Mountain molds makes a good mold. Seaco rcbs and nei are all good molds. Lyman and 6 cavity lees are exceptable. A good mold will make casting a lot easier for you especially when your just starting out. I actually dont recomend any aluminum mold to a beginner. Lbts and Neis are real good molds but you have to be a little more careful with them when casting or you will beat them up.

[jgalar]

I have 15 Lee molds. I have not had any problems with any of them. If you follow the directions included with the mold they work fine.

[flintman]

but jgalar has some good points too.I think that if you will smoke the mould faces with a match to help release the bullets and gently tapping the mould hinge pin,GENTLY!
 You can use a pencil to remove lead spots that may accumulate on the block faces and cause fins on the end product.
 SAFETY PRECAUTIONS should be taken-keep in mind that the lead will be 600-700 degrees and as fluid as water,although heavier.If it splatters on you it WILL hurt!Wear safety glasses,a leather apron,long sleeved shirts,glooves,pants too.Do this casting outside!Lead can accumulate in a person's body and cause health problems-doing this outside will take care of the majority of these problems.Keep water away from the lead-want to see a bomb go off?If you let even a drop of water hit the surface of the molten lead then you certainly will!And IF you have safety glasses on you will see it-if not then you may lose your eyesight to lead burns.
 Yes,this can be a hazardous undertaking and I am not trying to scare you off from it-but I am,as well as others,trying to make you more informed so you will not face the same pitfalls as some of us have experienced.
 Borrow the Lyman Cast Bullet Handbook from your local library and read it,then ask others (friends and on the Internet groups)what their favorite bullet is,this helps.
 A .375 Winchester,lever action I presume?I'm hoping to pick one up off layaway soon I hopeI have thought about using a plain based flat point bullet and loading it to .38/55 levels for my son.
 I hope that all this helps,Jeff,276-783-4310.

[jgalar]

One thing you have to avoid with the aluminum molds is getting them to hot. The aluminum will gall. I quickly (with bullet in mold) dip the mold in a bucket of water every few bullets to keep the mold temp down.

I think with the calibers you have listed I might start with the 45 colt. There is a big cost savings over casting those over store bought. A less than perfect bullet will be less noticable in a handgun over a rifle. In the magnums some people swear by gas checked bullets and some like plain based. Thats another decision you have to make. With the 45 I would just get the plain based and there is gobs of cowboy loads available on the internet.

[cjensen]

I would recommend the Lee Tumble lube mold in 357 or 41.

You would only need a pot and ladle, mold and dipper and some lee liquid alox. I see no way to go cheaper and you would still get good bullets.

This would make target velocity loads.

After that I would go to the 45-70 then the 45 colt, some sizing and lubing equipment would be better for these.

[Robert]

I have Lymans and Lees.  The Lee molds tend to be a little less 'finicky' with different temperatures...and they fill out nicely.  They are great for beginners.  I started out with a Lee mold, a dipping ladle, a plumber torch and a pair of wire cutters.  Just snip off a peice of w/w, put it in the dipping ladle, hit it with the torch, and pour.  I also still use the 50 cent hotplate from the Salvation Army to bring my molds up to temperature.  If you need to stop for a minute....just put the mold back on the hot plate.

[Flash]

I have to agree with Lloyd on this one. Even though I own Lyman moulds and only one RCBS, I would still recomend a steel mould over a aluminum mold any day. I have trashed Lee molds myself from casting alot. I started casting with a Lee mold and after one summer of casting, I had to replace it. The gun shop owner asked me if I wanted to spend my money or throw it away. Being confused, I had him explain and it's been Lyman ever since. A straight walled handgun case is going to be the easiest to load for so I'd recomend either one of the hangun calibers. You can get a bottle of liquid alox from Lee which works on any style of bullet and will do fine for lubing. I think it costs about $2 a bottle and will lube several hunderd bullets. If you go with a plain base bullet and not a gas checked bullet, you'll be a little restricted on the velocity. However, a gas checked bullet will shoot fine with or without a gas check in place if you keep the velocity around 800 to 900 fps. Once you start casting and realize how much you like it, just add a gas check to your bullet and start shooting at magnum velocities. Welcome to the art of bullet making. Wait until you see how easy it is to cast a extremely good quality bullet, shoot it at jacketed velocities and harvest game with it. You'll be hooked just like everyone else. Accuracy parallels casting quality so be patient, make good bullets and enjoy yourself.

[rvtrav]

 every caliber that you listed would be a good one to start out with.
Handgun calibers are a little easier to cut your teeth on, because of the modest velocities. But you have an excellent list to goto after a little practice.
  I would recommend that you shy away from the aluminum molds, they are tricky and finiky, and when you start out you'll have enough lessons in frustration-Don't fall for the cheaper price! Also excellent quality RCBS and Lymans are available at bargain prices at every pawnshop, garage sale, and places like ebay etc. they are nearly indestructable and will give good service to many owners for many years.
  Equipment like sizer dies and lubricator sizers are a little harder to come by.
   Good luck, it is a fun and rewarding hobby in itself!
   rvtrav

[JPH45]

I have the Lee 357-158-RF, I've been casting with it two years and would conservatively estimate it has dropped 5000 bullets. I have 2 other Lees that have cast similar amounts of bullets. I do like my Lyman molds, but my Lees see far more use. The mold mentioned is a good one for lower velocity plinking.

I smoke the cavities using wood matches, I find they produce a better smoking than paper matches, The instruction say to touch the sprue plate screw with a peice of bulle lube, but have only found this to cause trouble. Get a can of mold release (the midway product is Frankford Arsenal mold release) and spray the top of the blocks and the bottom of the sprue plate. Works fine.

I use the Lee bottom pour furnace, have for over 20 years. A good bargain for the money.

While many claim good success with the tumble lube method, I have had zero good luck. Yeah it don't lead, but it shoots lousy for me. Get a sizer and the largest sizing die for the caliber. I use a .360 die for my 357.

I cannot say this emphatically enough.....size your bore and with revolvers the cylinder throats. You can do this with lead sinkers of just over the nominal bore size. Put a little Slick 50 on it and drive it through, then measure. SIZE YOUR BULLETS ACCORDINGLY. If you are pushing 357 sized bulelts through a 359 bore I guarantee you poor accuracy will result with the best bullets you cast.

......I'm willing to bet that the problems most beginning casters face are more related to bullet size than to bullet quality......

If with a revoler, your throats are smaller than your bore, the throats must be reamed out before you will have the accuracy the gun is capable of. If on the other hand the throats are larger than the bore, size to the throat, otherwise you will get gas cutting and resultant crappy accuracy.

Do not go into this thinking you are going to save money, it won't happen. There is an investment in equipment, and your learning curve. In the end, you will shoot more for the same dollar, but you won't save a dime. Visit www.castboolits.gunloads.com everyday. There are people there who have been doing this successfully for many, many years; some could write highly authoritive manuals on the subject of cast bullets.

There are lots of wives tales out there. One is a drop of water on the melt is explosive. Won't happen, it'll sizzle away into harmless steam. A drop of water IN THE MELT is quite a different story, in the melt, the weight of the metla serves to create presure and the steam reacts accordingly. Therefore we always melt raw scrap outdoors and well clothed and in a different pot than out casting pot. I have cast indoors for 20 years with no ill effects. You simply cannot bring lead to a boiling point in a casting furnace. However, be sure to throughly wash your hands before eating or smoking during and after casting and and be sure to wipe the area down with a damp cloth to remove any lead dust that will occur during the process. Casting is quite a safe and enjoyable hobby. Always remember and be guided by "Common cents is better and cheaper than nonsense",

[tazman]

Thanks Guys, for all the advise, gonna have to start reading and getting some catalogs to review for some moulds. I guess I should have said in stead of on the cheap side, some more like not to expensive to start out with. I know that if I start to enjoy it that I could end up with a lot of dollars tied up in to it. I guess as long as the boss don't find out it would be alright.
And  flintman it's a  Marlin in 375 Winchester caliber