Bullet Casting/Loading Summary
I posted on GB about casting bullets for my 44 mag and received lots of very useful information, thanks guys.
I cast bullets many, many years ago, kept my furnace and mold blocks so I have the basic tools. I bought some lead at yard sales in Florida, lots of sinkers and added this to my stash of wheel weights and linotype. I fired up the Lyman pot and after all these years it still works fine. It took several attempts to get good cast bullets but after tinking with the temperature settings, GOT IT!
I took one of my newly cast bullets, greased it up, and slugged the barrel on my Ruger Redhawk. It measured .429 just like we thought it would.
Bought a like new set of RCBS carbide dies from a buddy and he happened to mention he had an old Lyman 450 on the top shelf of a 14 foot shop and I could buy/have it if I'd climb up there and get it, which I did. I spent several hours taking it apart and cleaning it up. Found it contained a .430 sizing die and a top punch for the 429244 250gr lead bullet I'm casting. What luck!
Ordered a box of gas checks and a couple tubes of allox and am ready to go.
Sized, lubed and gas checked a couple of bullets. They measured .430, just like the sizing die. I shoved one through the cylinder to check for that size. It did go through with ever so slight resistance. Found that my wife's blow dryer works great to heat up the lubrasizer, who needs a $60.00 base heater? She keeps stealing it back.
Had a pound of Blue Dot in the cabinet left over from shot gunning game days and am going to use it up. I tried 10gr (sissy load), 12 gr which was not real kickie but felt like a good load, I have to run it over the chrony to get a speed.
Two more questions: Does the top groove on the bullet get lube or is it just for crimp? What's the max speed before needing a gas check?
I cast bullets many, many years ago, kept my furnace and mold blocks so I have the basic tools. I bought some lead at yard sales in Florida, lots of sinkers and added this to my stash of wheel weights and linotype. I fired up the Lyman pot and after all these years it still works fine. It took several attempts to get good cast bullets but after tinking with the temperature settings, GOT IT!
I took one of my newly cast bullets, greased it up, and slugged the barrel on my Ruger Redhawk. It measured .429 just like we thought it would.
Bought a like new set of RCBS carbide dies from a buddy and he happened to mention he had an old Lyman 450 on the top shelf of a 14 foot shop and I could buy/have it if I'd climb up there and get it, which I did. I spent several hours taking it apart and cleaning it up. Found it contained a .430 sizing die and a top punch for the 429244 250gr lead bullet I'm casting. What luck!
Ordered a box of gas checks and a couple tubes of allox and am ready to go.
Sized, lubed and gas checked a couple of bullets. They measured .430, just like the sizing die. I shoved one through the cylinder to check for that size. It did go through with ever so slight resistance. Found that my wife's blow dryer works great to heat up the lubrasizer, who needs a $60.00 base heater? She keeps stealing it back.
Had a pound of Blue Dot in the cabinet left over from shot gunning game days and am going to use it up. I tried 10gr (sissy load), 12 gr which was not real kickie but felt like a good load, I have to run it over the chrony to get a speed.
Two more questions: Does the top groove on the bullet get lube or is it just for crimp? What's the max speed before needing a gas check?
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"or is it just for crimp?"..........just for the crimp unless you are loading for a single shot
"What's the max speed before needing a gas check?".............close to 2000 fps(depending on alloy & powder) , but use it anyway
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There is different loading max for older Hercules BlueDot than the new (hotter) Alliant stuff. The shallow crimp grove at the top of the bullet gets no lube. In rifles, gas checks really helps with leading problems at 1600 - 1800 fps and up. Depends on the bore, lube, size, alloy etc. I don't run gas checks in my 29's with full tilt loads of BlueDot. I cast them hard, (Lyman 429421) drop them in cold water. Use 50/50 alox/beeswax and size them at .431. Only when new did the pistols lead, after a few hundred rounds they quit. If shooting them in the Winchester 94AE I make sure the lube grove is full, for the pistols I make sure every bullet has some grease in the grove. 0
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