Casting advice please..............

[Scotsgun]

I have a lever action rifle in 45LC (cowboy type) and my source of cast bullets has dried up. As the postage costs to Kranks or similar would likely double the costs, I guess I'll need to start casting.

So provided i get myself a suitable mould, will i also have to pass the bullets throug one of those lubing sizng things? Also, if so, where can i source one?

[dromia]

Not neccessarily, If your as cast boolit fits to your rifles throat and groove diameters then just lube and shoot. You will need to take a throat/lead/bore/groove impact slug to determine the best boolit size for your rifle.

If you do have to resize then pan or tumble lubing and a twenty quid push through die in your press is a cheap and effective option.

[phaedra1106]

Kranks have a flat rate delivery charge of £4 per order, I've ordered a couple of thousand .44 RNFP from them before.

[dodgyrog]

I can make and supply them.
pm if interested

[Scotsgun]

You will need to take a throat/lead/bore/groove impact slug to determine the best boolit size for your rifle.

Take a what ????

....... pan or tumble lubing and a twenty quid push through die in your press is a cheap and effective option.

HUH????

Sorry but none the wiser......this poor boy is clueless

[Alpha1]

You will have to purchase a mould a Lee double cavity mould would be fine. Check there on line catalogue.
You will need some thing to melt your alloy in and a means of getting the alloy in to your mould.
Once you have cast your bullets you will need a sizing die a Lee is probably the best way to start.

lubesize.jpg (20.62 KiB) Viewed 1178 times

They do them in the following sizes.
Diameter Diameter
.224 .357
.225 .358
.243 .401
.284 .410
.285 .427
.308 .429
.309 .430
.311 .451
.314 .452
.323 .454
.339 .457
.329 .501
.356 .510
You can put your cast bullets in a old pan squirt some Lee liquid allox on them then swirl them about until they are all coated with the lube. Leave them to dry then push them through your sizing die.
You will also need some thing to slightly flare your case mouths before seating the boolits to avoid shaving lead.
Depending on the velocity you may have to fit a gas check to the base of your boolit.

Just keep asking questions until it starts to make sense.

[dromia]

A DISCUSSION ON CASE LENGTHS, CHAMBER CASTS & IMPACT IMPRESSIONS. This how to is here in the library: http://www.full-bore.co.uk/viewtopic.php?f=36&t=855

I recommend the impact method as the easiest way for getting the best measurements

For the velocities you are looking for gas checks will be unneccessary. Look for a good plain base boolit design.

Do not use a hard alloy, wheel weight or range scrap cut 50/50 with plumbers pipe lead or roof flashing will be plenty hard enough.

Do not buy a mould until you know what diameter boolit you need, the Lee moulds are notoriously undersized.

Do not just flare the case mouth, you need a parralel neck expander like the Lyman "M" die, no point in going to all the effort of getting the right boolit size to have it resized down by a crudely taper flared case. Taper flaring is like expander plugs an abomination and an affront to nature.

Never use Xlox neat cut it 50/50 with white spirit, with Xlox less is more.

Pan lubing is far more elegant and effective, any good boolit lube is melted in a pan with the boolits standing in it. The lube is poured in deep enought to cover the lube grooves, allowed to set around the boolits. A fired case from the rifle then has the case head cut off and is used to cut the bollits from the lube.

The Lee push through sizers are OK but you rarely get one sized your exact needs, they can be opened out quiet easily however to your desired diameter by wrapping some oiled emery cloth round a suitable dowel, putting it into the dies and rolling it back and forth on your thigh, measure often 'till you get the correct diameter.

With judicious mould selection to match your rifles dimensions I'm certain that you will get away without needing to size.

All this is easier to do than explain.

[FredB]

I started shooting centrefire calibres when relatively newly married with a young family and, being poor, could not afford to buy bullets. I still cast everything that I shoot. All the above advice is good, but it needs to be put into context----yes correct diameter is inportant, but did you check this for bullets from your previous source? The only lead bullets that I actually size are for a lever action rifle in 44-40. This is not needed for accuracy, but to ensure reliable feeding. I have a Lyman lubri-sizer but some years ago I conducted accuracy tests comparing lubri-sized bullets with unsized ones which were tumbled in liquid alox. I did this in three calibres and the un-sized bullets shot better groups every time.
What range do you shoot your 45LC at? If it is less than 100yds, then any old crap lead will provide good accuracy, proving that the point previosly made about bullet hardness is taken in to account. Many of us were revolver shooters and, for reasonably heavy loads, hard bullets are required in revolvers to avoid lead build up on the forcing cone. Rifles work best with relatively soft bullets---the lead needs to expand into the rifling immediateley on firing. Lead build up in rifle barrels is caused by hard, undersized bullets.
What heat sources do you have? I use an old electric ring with a number of the steel tins sold for decanting paint into---one for pure lead, one for 20:1 lead / tin for longer range bullets and one for mixed crap for the lever action which is never shot at more than 50M. I also have a 20lb bottom pour pot, but would not recommend this for beginners: for most people, the ladle works better.
I used to cast under the open garage door to keep the rain off and ensure adequate ventilation. Nowadays, I have a bench built into the storeroom above the garage with a hooded extractor fan.
Casting is a deeply satisfying job: you will get hooked.
Fred

[meles meles]

Hmmm, maybe with the depth (and width) of expertise availabubble here on cast boolits and loading for them, certain individuhals (looks at dromia and dodgy) might be so kind as to offer a masterclass one day ? Find a suitabubble location, perchance a range with a clubhouse, a hostelry nearby with good ale and scran for afterwards, and let the Masters show how to slug a bore, select a bullet, make it, work up a load, test it... Attendees could pay into a kitty to cover their costs...

[dromia]

I do these quiet often for local shooters both at my club and at my workshop, that is best as all the kit is there.

I did paper patching last week for a few shooters.