Soilarch

What things would I HAVE to buy to get started with this? A Mold and pourer or dipper are given. Ignot (sp?) molds, heat sources, melting pots, the metal/lead itself...all these can be "po-boyed" fairly easy I think. Bullet lube would have to be purchased, correct? And what exactly are top punches? Are sizing presses necassary? And how in the world can a mold have a "break-in" period?

Are there custom mold makers and what would that cost?
Do guys who cast their own really save any money? I suspect its like a labor of love.

johnch

I started out with a single electric burner , 1 quart cast iron pan ( both from a gardge sale )
A single burner Colman stove works great
Ingot moulds are still muffin tins , NOT your wifes !!!! , again gardge sales or junk shop
Wheel weights are great

Yep
Lee Liquid Alox is a great lube for the starter , I still use it after 20+ years of casting

They are used in abullet sizer to push the bullet into a sizer die .
They are made to fit a bulletsnose to not deform it .

Notrealy .
Lee makes a push thru sizer , that looks like a reloading die .
Works just fine and a lot cheaper .
But I have 2 sizers mounted on the bench also

A iron mould is like a good cast iron pan
But a brass or Alumin mould just needs to be cleaned , debured
Then treated well , it will then give you many years of good bullets to shoot

A custom mould will cost you from $60 for 1 from a group buy
I am running 1 on Cast Boolits for a .360 220 gr bullet
There are also several others being run by other guys
To $100 +
But most of the time I run standard Lee , Lyman and RCBS moulds starting at $15 to $60

I get bullets that fit my barrel and are more accurate
As for saving $$ , I plead the 5th

I would stop in at http://castboolits.gunloads.com
Great group of guys , I am Johnch there also
More info there than I could type in a month
The guys are great in helping the first timers .
If nothing else , just lurk and read

Johnch

HEAD0001

The best way to start is to cast balls or conicals for your muzzle loader. All you need is a pot, ladle, and some pure lead. You do not need anything else to get started. Just melt your lead on the kitchen stove(If you are allowed), and pour some bullets. If you do not like the way it looks, just put it back in the pot and pour another one. No sizing, no lubing, nothing else necessary, just shoot. If you shoot alot of ML, then yes you can save money. But it is just like anything else, how serious will you get. I agree with the other fellow about the castboolits site, you can get alot of information there. However I suggest to keep it simple to start.

A Lee melting pot is not very expensive, and will probably last a lifetime if taken care of. I also like the small Lyman pot. I have 6 different pots, for different types of lead.

One last tip. A very easy way to test your quality of bulet is 1. Simply look it over. 2. Make sure your mold is good and hot. 3. weigh your bullets, throw the ones back in if they are not the same weight(give or take a little). For mold prep just follow the instructions. Just pick out one that you like the looks of. I suggest you stay with Lyman or RCBS. I would stay away from the Lee's. And remember you need to order handles. Tom.

DM

The problem here is, it's not all that easy to get "pure" lead let alone pure lead that's cheap.... Wheel weights are available but are alloyed so are better for somethingother than ML balls...

I've been casting since the late 60's and i haven't had to "break in" a mould yet... Mostly what's considered a break in is really just burning off all the oil ect.. that's on it to prevent rust.

Lee pots are cheap, but haven't held up for me... I'd use an heavy pot on a stove and a dipper to get started... If you like it then move on up to more expensive equipment...

Here's a good tip.... What ever you use to melt lead in, do NOT empty it after your done casting. Leave it at least 1/3 full.

It really helps if you can find someone to show you the ropes the first time around.... It's so much easier when you do it right and get past the learning curve sooner by being shown..

DM