Shiloh Rifle Forums

I cast in batches of 125. Takes me a while with the method I'm using, but my results are getting a LOT more consistent. I'm now getting almost all of them dropping within a one grain spread, and sorting them into 1/2 grain lots for loading. It's taken a fair amount of work to start getting this casting thing down. I remember back when I started casting, thinking how easy it was...yeah right LOL.....

I usually cast up 50-60 or so at one time and strive for perfect bullets with a perfect base. Casting any more than that and my mind starts to wander making me want to do something laboriously fun like draw filing and polishing a 34" barrel. If the current vendor trend of mold blocks where sized smaller like a Lyman with corresponding smaller/lighter handles a session would not be as tedious.
kw

kwilliams wrote: ↑Sun Jan 23, 2022 11:29 am I usually cast up 50-60 or so at one time and strive for perfect bullets with a perfect base. Casting any more than that and my mind starts to wander making me want to do something laboriously fun like draw filing and polishing a 34" barrel. If the current vendor trend of mold blocks where sized smaller like a Lyman with corresponding smaller/lighter handles a session would not be as tedious.
kw

Different people get different results, the larger mold blocks tend to hold their heat well and give more consistant bullet weight for me. ..bobw

I find that larger blocks do hold their heat, but also take longer to get heated. And I usually get more culls out of them before they begin to drop perfect bullets. Smaller blocks heat quicker, and cast great bullets quicker. Sometimes the first bullets out of them after warming them will be perfect, and continue to be so.
I also find the larger blocks sometimes hold the heat so well I need to wait longer before opening the sprue plate, or risk tearing lead out of the bullet base. Doesn't seem to happen on my lighter molds.
I cast up a bunch of bullets yesterday, and because the shop was about 45 degrees I fought getting good .40 cal. 400 gr. bullets and had lots of wrinkles. But picked up a smaller 315 gr. .40 caliber mold and it cast 100 perfect bullets from the very first one.
I grabbed my heat shrink gun and heated up the larger 400 gr. mold and it began to drop perfect bullets too. Just seemed to be too cold for the larger mold to get going until I heated it good.

If I am casting in colder weather....like now in WI
I set a "milkhouse "electric heater on the casting bench to help keep molds AND ME warm.
Also, I cast with two molds "back and forth" , In between , set the molds on a hotplate
to keep them warm enough
beltfed/arnie

beltfed wrote: ↑Sun Jan 23, 2022 5:16 pm If I am casting in colder weather....like now in WI
I set a "milkhouse "electric heater on the casting bench to help keep molds AND ME warm.
Also, I cast with two molds "back and forth" , In between , set the molds on a hotplate
to keep them warm enough
beltfed/arnie

The hotplate is an excellent idea! I was casting a week ago with temps in my shop around 45 degrees. Had a heck of a time getting my larger Hoch .412" 400 gr. bullets, or my RCBS 400 CSA to get hot enough to get nice bullets from either mold. I'll take my hotplate out next time, and try preheating the mold blocks to see ifI can get good bullets faster. Thanks.

I just cast 125 bullets out in front of the garage this afternoon and only had 4 rejects after weighing. Temp was 22 degrees with no hot plate. Just keep the cadence up and mould stays hot and drops good bullets.

Yup I have good luck running the pot at 805 degrees and doing a quick ten count holding the ladle and mold together plus leaving a bug sprue…but I am adding a hot plate I got off Amazon to speed the warm up along. Fir whatever reason, the RCBS pot doesn’t do a good job of warming the mold. I suspect that the heater element is not as good as the one in the Lyman pot.