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  • Axxe55

    Retiretgtshit stirrer
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    Dec 15, 2019
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    Lost in East Texas Elhart Texas
    Glad to hear, you're only a bullet order away. As far as dies, lee stuff has served me well but maybe your using proprietary stuff like Dillon. I've run through the spectrum of 9mm options and the savings of lead or coated bullets never felt worth it in the end.
    I'd go plated and be done with it but to each his own.

    The vast majority of my dies are Lee dies. I have had really great results with my reloads using them. They seem to be as good as, or better than the RCBS dies I got from my father when he decided not to reload anymore.

    More than likely, I will stick with Hornady or Sierra bullets. The only way I would venture into cast bullets, is if I started casting my own. And I don't want to venture there just yet.
    Lynx Defense
     

    billtool

    TGT Addict
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    Nov 16, 2008
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    The Wooldlands
    Used to move around a lot and got tired of toting all my RCBS gear from house to house. Sold it all and I've been sorry ever since. Nothing progressive, but the ole rock chuckers got the job done. Ah well, live and learn. Just took delivery of 500 Tula 45ACP just to keep me in range ammo. Got it pretty cheap from Target Sports USA. Just under $.30/round Don't think I've ever fired Tula, but as long as it feeds I bet it'll travel at around 850fps. If I can do my Jack Wilson drills, then I'm all good. Bought three boxes of 165gr Hydra-Shok as well. Those didn't come so cheap.
     

    Maverick44

    Youngest old man on TGT.
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    The vast majority of my dies are Lee dies. I have had really great results with my reloads using them. They seem to be as good as, or better than the RCBS dies I got from my father when he decided not to reload anymore.

    More than likely, I will stick with Hornady or Sierra bullets. The only way I would venture into cast bullets, is if I started casting my own. And I don't want to venture there just yet.
    Don't do it, its an incredibly addictive hobby on its own. It'll start out innocent enough with a cheap Lee 2 banger and a ladle pot. The next thing you know, you'll have half of Lee's molds and will start buying custom mold after custom mold from places like Arsenal and NOE. It gets expensive, fast. If you do decide to do it, the best advice I could offer is to skip the 2 bangers and go straight for the Lee 6 cavity molds. They cast faster, and are more durable/better quality. They're worth the extra $20.

    For .223, the main bullet I load is the cheap, bulk packaged Hornady 55gr soft point. It's accurate enough for what I do with my .223s.



    Sent from my SM-G965U using Tapatalk
     

    Axxe55

    Retiretgtshit stirrer
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    Dec 15, 2019
    47,021
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    Lost in East Texas Elhart Texas
    Don't do it, its an incredibly addictive hobby on its own. It'll start out innocent enough with a cheap Lee 2 banger and a ladle pot. The next thing you know, you'll have half of Lee's molds and will start buying custom mold after custom mold from places like Arsenal and NOE. It gets expensive, fast. If you do decide to do it, the best advice I could offer is to skip the 2 bangers and go straight for the Lee 6 cavity molds. They cast faster, and are more durable/better quality. They're worth the extra $20.

    For .223, the main bullet I load is the cheap, bulk packaged Hornady 55gr soft point. It's accurate enough for what I do with my .223s.



    Sent from my SM-G965U using Tapatalk

    You just hush up back there in the peanut gallery!

    Besides, I might also want to make my own fishing weights. You got someting against fishing too? LOL!
     

    SQLGeek

    Muh state lines
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    Sep 22, 2017
    9,591
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    Richmond
    supply and demand at work, it's a bitch. I'll probably buy a Dillon 750xl when the lady and i buy a house. I can't afford these ammo prices. I have 1k of the 2 big calibers (223 and 9) and about 600 of 6.5 Gr which was cheaper than 223 when I bought it :D

    Good luck finding components lol. They can be had but it's about like buying ammo right now, expensive and you have to work to find them.

    Don't do it, its an incredibly addictive hobby on its own.

    I've been researching casting and bullet coating lately. I already see how this is going to go. Just one hit and before you know it, I'm casting exotic black powder rifle rounds from a century and a half ago.

    The vast majority of my dies are Lee dies.

    Most of my die sets are Lee and I like them well enough. I think I'm in the minority that likes their lock rings with the o-ring. The new lock rings with the spline are pretty cool, I got some of those on my 9mm dies I just bought. I have to say I'm not a huge fan of how rough their powder through expander die is.

    I started with a set of Lyman dies for .45 and really like them. I can see why they cost more than Lee. The M expander die is pure butter.
     
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    Maverick44

    Youngest old man on TGT.
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    You just hush up back there in the peanut gallery!

    Besides, I might also want to make my own fishing weights. You got someting against fishing too? LOL!

    Depends on the type of fish. I'm partial to Largemouth and catfish. :p

    I've been researching casting and bullet coating lately. I already see how this is going to go. Just one hit and before you know it, I'm casting exotic black powder rifle rounds from a century and a half ago.

    Yeah, that tends to happen. I do a bit of coating too. It's nice to not have to lube rifle rounds, and you can usually get away with a bit of a hotter loading on them too. I also do 9mm, but that's mainly because my PT92 absolutely hates cast like nothing I have ever seen before. It doesn't matter how well you lube them or what size you use, a few rounds will

    Me and a buddy bought the 8K box and split it last year.

    That's the way to do it. I really should have gotten some more before the panic set in. I've got enough that I should make it through it, but I've been shooting my black rifles a bit more lately. I'll stock up when the panic subsides. I really like those bullets.
     

    SQLGeek

    Muh state lines
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    4   0   0
    Sep 22, 2017
    9,591
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    Richmond
    Yeah, that tends to happen. I do a bit of coating too. It's nice to not have to lube rifle rounds, and you can usually get away with a bit of a hotter loading on them too. I also do 9mm, but that's mainly because my PT92 absolutely hates cast like nothing I have ever seen before. It doesn't matter how well you lube them or what size you use, a few rounds will

    I know there's a lot of resources out there but have any recommendations on what kind of equipment to start with?
     

    Maverick44

    Youngest old man on TGT.
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    I know there's a lot of resources out there but have any recommendations on what kind of equipment to start with?

    Yep, a small cool whip container (you want a plastic container with a triangle and a #5 stamped on the bottom), a pack of black, plastic BBs, a cheap Walmart toaster oven (do not ever use for food again, powdercoat fumes are toxic), and a thermometer for it since those cheap ovens are rarely at the temps they say they are, some NON STICK aluminum foil, and either some needle nose pliers/tweezers, or blue nitrile gloves.

    That is all you need to do the shake and bake/dry tumble method. Pre-heat your oven to the temp specified by the manufacture of the powdercoat. Use the thermometer to ensure that the temp is correct. I recommend buying your powder from Smoke over at Cast Boolits forum. You can get the BBs from him too. I like his copper colored powder. His powder needs to be cured at 400 degrees for 15 minutes.

    http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?252509-VS-Hi-Quality-Powdercoating-Powder-For-sale

    While the oven is heating, You add the BBs to the container (about a 1/2" thick layer), add 2-4 spoonfuls of powdercoat, a handful of bullets, and then close her up and shake away for about 30-60 seconds. After that, pick the bullets out with the pliers/tweezers (try to pick them up by the lube grooves if possible), or just pick them out by hand with the gloves. It helps to get a good dusting of powder on the tips of your gloved fingers, it keeps them from rubbing off a lot of powder from the bullets. Place your bullets base side down on a cooking sheet (the one that comes with the oven usually works fine) that has been lined with non-stick foil. Once the oven is up to temp, stick your bullets in and 15 minutes later they will be done. At this point, you can call it good and throw them in a box after they cool off if you'd like. I like to run mine through a Lee push through sizer just to make sure everything is uniform, and that they are at the diameter I want. Powdercoat will add between 0.01"-0.03" of thickness to your bullets. If you plan on gas checking your bullets, do it BEFORE you coat them.

    Powdercoat is tough. The method most use to test their adherence to the bullets is to smack one with a hammer. The powdercoat should stretch and deform with the lead so that no lead is exposed.

    This method is cheap, simple, and easy.
     

    satx78247

    Member, Emeritus
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    Jun 23, 2014
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    Yep, a small cool whip container (you want a plastic container with a triangle and a #5 stamped on the bottom), a pack of black, plastic BBs, a cheap Walmart toaster oven (do not ever use for food again, powdercoat fumes are toxic), and a thermometer for it since those cheap ovens are rarely at the temps they say they are, some NON STICK aluminum foil, and either some needle nose pliers/tweezers, or blue nitrile gloves.

    That is all you need to do the shake and bake/dry tumble method. Pre-heat your oven to the temp specified by the manufacture of the powdercoat. Use the thermometer to ensure that the temp is correct. I recommend buying your powder from Smoke over at Cast Boolits forum. You can get the BBs from him too. I like his copper colored powder. His powder needs to be cured at 400 degrees for 15 minutes.

    http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?252509-VS-Hi-Quality-Powdercoating-Powder-For-sale

    While the oven is heating, You add the BBs to the container (about a 1/2" thick layer), add 2-4 spoonfuls of powdercoat, a handful of bullets, and then close her up and shake away for about 30-60 seconds. After that, pick the bullets out with the pliers/tweezers (try to pick them up by the lube grooves if possible), or just pick them out by hand with the gloves. It helps to get a good dusting of powder on the tips of your gloved fingers, it keeps them from rubbing off a lot of powder from the bullets. Place your bullets base side down on a cooking sheet (the one that comes with the oven usually works fine) that has been lined with non-stick foil. Once the oven is up to temp, stick your bullets in and 15 minutes later they will be done. At this point, you can call it good and throw them in a box after they cool off if you'd like. I like to run mine through a Lee push through sizer just to make sure everything is uniform, and that they are at the diameter I want. Powdercoat will add between 0.01"-0.03" of thickness to your bullets. If you plan on gas checking your bullets, do it BEFORE you coat them.

    Powdercoat is tough. The method most use to test their adherence to the bullets is to smack one with a hammer. The powdercoat should stretch and deform with the lead so that no lead is exposed.

    This method is cheap, simple, and easy.

    Maverick44,

    THANKS for the "tutorial".= I'm going to try that technique the next time that I "do" 9.3mm bullets for my treasured 9.3x62mm pump-rifle.
    (I'm WAY too cheap to buy factory ammo for that rifle.)

    yours, satx
     

    Maverick44

    Youngest old man on TGT.
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    Yessir, thank you! Bookmarking this thread for future reference.

    What I meant to ask was equipment recommendations for casting in general. But that is incredibly helpful.

    No problem at all. For general casting, it's hard to beat a Lyman or Lee pot and a ladle. They're cheap and there's not a lot that can go wrong with them, which is great for just starting out. I still use a ladle to cast, though I plan on picking up a Lyman or RCBS bottom pour pot at some point.

    Mold wise, Lee is the cheapest by far. Like I told Axxe, I'd just skip the 2 cavity molds and go straight for the 6 cavity ones. There's not much more, and they are so much faster to cast with, and are more durable in my experience. The 2 cavs are $20, and the 6 cavs are $40. You have to buy the handles separately, but a pair is like $12, and you can swap them around between molds just by unscrewing two screws.

    If you want something a little different, both NOE and Arsenal molds are incredibly well made pieces of art, and are not THAT expensive. Generally, $70-$90 depending on how many cavities you want. Accurate also makes some nice molds for a bit more, and their catalog is massive to say the least.

    I would pick up some Lee push through sizing dies. They're like $20 and fit in your reloading press. You'll need to slug your barrel with a piece of pure lead to know about what size you'll need. Better yet, get some cerrosafe and cast your whole chamber so you can figure out what your throat size is. Ideally, you would want the bullet to be 0.001" or so under your throat size, and just a bit (0.001-0.002") bigger than your bore. That doesn't always happen, but that is what you want. There are a ton of tutorials out there on doing both of these things.

    Pick up some Lee Alox lube so you can tumble lube your pistol bullets, and either "pan lube" (place bullets in a pan of melted lube with just enough to cover the lube groves, wait for it to solidify, and push the bullets out of the lube cake while it's still warm and a bit soft), or powdercoat your rifle bullets.

    This book will get you off to a really good start.

    http://www.lasc.us/Fryxell_Book_textonly2.pdf

    Really, that's all you need to get started.
     

    SQLGeek

    Muh state lines
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    Sep 22, 2017
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    Richmond
    Thank you much. Appreciate the advice. Are NOE molds worth the initial upgrade for a beginner? I don't mind paying a bit more to get started if it's worth the premium.

    Also I noticed you don't say powder coat pistol bullets. Do you not bother? I'm primarily going to be loading (and casting) in .357, 9mm and .45 ACP to start. I imagine .44 Special / Mag or .45 Colt will be to follow.

    I'm not much of a centerfire rifle shooter right now.
     

    satx78247

    Member, Emeritus
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    Jun 23, 2014
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    maverick44,

    Fwiw, the last time that I was "TOO CLUELESS" to take enough ammo on a hunt, the store that I finally found some wanted 43.00 per 20 = "DAMN", is the least offensive of what I said under my breath when I read the price tag.
    (I have NOT made that mistake again. = my 298 grain homebrew GCCB work just FINE, thanks on most any critter out past 200M at about 2100FPS.)

    I also load a .38-55WCF old-school/"standard speed" equivalent 260grain PBCB at about 1400FPS, that is a WT KILLER W/O damaging much edible meat AND a "small game load", that my "little" brother figured out for me, that is PURE DEATH on coyotes/foxes/coons/jackrabbits out past 100M.

    yours, satx
     
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