Question for bullet casters
If I cast some .510, 350 grain bullets of melted clip on wheel weights, water quenched then gas checked, how do you think they would perform in a .510GNR at about 1050 FPS? should that be hard enough to keep from leading at moderate speed?
This will be my first try at casting
So I'll start with about 50 practice loads, gas checked and lubed. I do not have any Linotype or tin/ anatomy additives to add to this batch, but from what I have heard from a friend that casts, also here, as long as they are moving slow, sized and lubed properly, and gas checked, they should work just fine for practice loads.
first off, don't listen to that friend anymore.. If
you put a gas check them you can run them to 1400 fps if you like with very little or no leading. That is what gas checks are for. Forget the water quenching unless you enjoy making a mess in the floor. Waving a magic wand over the freshly cast bullets will do just as much good. Wheelweights are fine. if you really want to be a whiz kid go to e-bay and find 10 lbs of linotype, usually about $1 a lb and get thet. it is all over e-bay's sporting goods section. Good stuff and a piece a bit bigger than a marble will do for a 20 lb lead pot. So 10 lbs will last you a long time. Forget all the special formulas and miracle lubes and hocus pocus bullshit. Just cast them, let them sit overnight, then size, and gas check them and go have fun.
Casting
![[image]](images/uploaded/20170129220049588e661180452.jpg)
So I melted and cleaned about 10lbs of lead. Using both sets of molds, I made almost 200 bullets. I wanted to test the hardness, or if they were brittle, so I put them on an anvil vise, and gave them two hard hits with a 3lb sledge. The nose flattened nicely, no chipping or cracking, you could just about reload them. I think they look good. I'll play with sizing etc during the week, but it's easier than I expected so far.
Hey Michael, looks like you on well on your way.
It looks like on both bullets that your alloy and or your mould is not yet hot enough. (the rounded edges) Notice on the post above yours how nice and sharp the edges are on Jim Taylor's bullets, that's what you want. Especially on the base the most important part of the bullet. Don't count on a gas check to square up an uneven base.
Also I see no crimp groove on either of those bullets so to avoid bullet jump you may have to seat them just over the front driving band and put a very slight crimp over that. If you do that don't forget that your case capacity gets smaller so you may have to adjust your powder volume.
If you did water drop those you may want to check, lube, and size them right away. They will get hard in the next 24 hours and may not want to go through your sizer very easily.
But hey looking good, it just takes a bit to figure out what your mould likes.
Michael, pay attention to what Mark Conner says. he is the
cast bullet guru. Pay no attention to the rest of us as we are rank beginners compared to mark.
Casting in very cold weather
So I did not water quench. I poured the first few molds and let the bullets heat up the blocks before I kept any of the bullets. They cooled off quickly as I dropped them on some soft towels in 20 degree weather. I believe they will be fine for low velocity practice on the range. Is there a big difference in lubes? ![[image]](images/uploaded/20170130141244588f49dc5e25d.jpg)