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Bullet Casting & Coating MegaThread

Michael J. Spangler said:
Could you make a Dillon one? Powder through expander?
Click to expand...
Would need to look at one but I doubt it's all that complex - I make them for Lee dies with two steps, one sizes to bullet diameter+0.002 for 0.020 and the rest at diameter-0.002
Issue is that you really need to know the seating depth to get it right (unsized part helps stop setback)

Edit - quick search shows it isnt all that complex

Dillon powder funnel & expander

99% of my handgun reloading is with cast bullets and I have not been pleased with the Dillon factory powder funnels case expanding results because the dimensions are designed for jacketed bullets. I have had to separately expand the cases using Lyman M dies before loading on the Dillon 650 or...
www.artfulbullet.com www.artfulbullet.com
Also seems that I reinvented the wheel with my two step expander
 
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pastera said:
Would need to look at one but I doubt it's all that complex - I make them for Lee dies with two steps, one sizes to bullet diameter+0.002 for 0.020 and the rest at diameter-0.002
Issue is that you really need to know the seating depth to get it right (unsized part helps stop setback)
Click to expand...
I could bring over my current Dillon 9mm expander. All I would need is that + .002” I believe.
Or bring my 38 expander and figure somewhere between that and the 9mm because I size the 9mm to .357” and 38 to .358” so my WAG is somewhere in-between those two.
 
TZCHRIS said:
So I'm starting to accumulate quite a pile of lead. What is a good price per pound if I decide to sell some?
COWW-800lb
SOWW-200lb
Pewter-100lb
All pot melted then bottom poured.
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Guys on CB forums will sell it for about $1 a pound plus flat rate shipping
The pewter I think is around $8 per pound. Their swapping and selling forum is probably the best place to sell and see current pricing.
 
Michael J. Spangler said:
Guys on CB forums will sell it for about $1 a pound plus flat rate shipping
The pewter I think is around $8 per pound. Their swapping and selling forum is probably the best place to sell and see current pricing.
Click to expand...
I guess I make 9mm till the cows come home! I paid just under $1 then I process it.
 
TZCHRIS said:
I guess I make 9mm till the cows come home! I paid just under $1 then I process it.
Click to expand...
Yeah it would be weird to sell it and then buy bullets at $4 a pound.

Keep it and every time you cast 1000 bullets pay yourself what you saved vs buying them. Put that money in a slush fund to pay for toys.

I think that’s what @mac1911 does.
 
Michael J. Spangler said:
Yeah it would be weird to sell it and then buy bullets at $4 a pound.

Keep it and every time you cast 1000 bullets pay yourself what you saved vs buying them. Put that money in a slush fund to pay for toys.

I think that’s what @mac1911 does.
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I do sell off lead from time to time.
I have a few muzzle loader friends who like the soft stuff.
Used to have a outlet for zinc but no more and Zinc wheel weights are slowly starting to thin out.
If you stuff away what you save or pay yourself for the bullets/ammo you always have a little WAM for other fun stuff or supplies.
 
TZCHRIS said:
So I'm starting to accumulate quite a pile of lead. What is a good price per pound if I decide to sell some?
COWW-800lb
SOWW-200lb
Pewter-100lb
All pot melted then bottom poured.
Click to expand...
You could mix the COWW/SOWW 50/50 then add pewter for 2% tin
I do this in 50 lb batches
25lb soww 25lb coww 1lb or so pewter.
This is poormans lyman #2

maybe get your alloys tested so you know exactly what you have. Would help gettting top $$ for sale if you know exactly what you have
 
Don't sell any of it unless it's to a friend. It is going to dry up and go thru the roof scrap yards around boston are paying 80 cents. I have a life time supply but have seen less of it in my day to day work ie demolition. Only place I find it is at my beach. All semi valuable metals aren't used like in years before so the won't be available unless through roto metals or similar vendors. I am sitting on about 3 tons and wouldn't sell or pass up a good deal.
 
Demoman said:
Don't sell any of it unless it's to a friend. It is going to dry up and go thru the roof scrap yards around boston are paying 80 cents. I have a life time supply but have seen less of it in my day to day work ie demolition. Only place I find it is at my beach. All semi valuable metals aren't used like in years before so the won't be available unless through roto metals or similar vendors. I am sitting on about 3 tons and wouldn't sell or pass up a good deal.
Click to expand...
I have cornered the market here in Vegas at the Mexican tire shops, its everywhere. I tested one bucket and got 57 lbs COWW, about 40% of the 5 gal bucket. This morning I went back for 15 more buckets (three trips) :)
20210923_120839.jpg
 
mac1911 said:
You could mix the COWW/SOWW 50/50 then add pewter for 2% tin
I do this in 50 lb batches
25lb soww 25lb coww 1lb or so pewter.
This is poormans lyman #2

maybe get your alloys tested so you know exactly what you have. Would help gettting top $$ for sale if you know exactly what you have
Click to expand...
I think tomorrow I will try
COWW 66%
SOWW 33%
And add 3% tin
These numbers work well with the supply I'm getting.
I'll run a batch and test with my BHN tester.
 
TZCHRIS said:
I have cornered the market here in Vegas at the Mexican tire shops, its everywhere. I tested one bucket and got 57 lbs COWW, about 40% of the 5 gal bucket. This morning I went back for 15 more buckets (three trips) :)
View attachment 526108
Click to expand...
Get what you can and stock pile it.
See if the shops are using new lead weights or if they are using steel.
If they are still using lead you know theres still a chance of more lead to come.
I just filled a 1g bucket at work. Im lucky if its 25% lead

Unless you just want to know BHN testing is not needed. Should be around 10-12 bhn . You could water quench and compare the hardness between air cool and water quench.
 
Some vintage lead came in today.
I pulled more lead off these 4 tires aprox 3.5lbs than I did the 25 tires we did this month. Swapping out tge old procomps onto some aluminum M/T image.jpg
image.jpg
 
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Just cast a bit over 100 Lee .451, 138gr round-balls to try in my 45 Colt. They dropped at .4525 and around 136.5 - 137.3gr using a wheel weight and lead mix. Unsure if I should have used pure lead? Will resize to .452, should I hi-tek or lube with Alox? Some reading online, some seat 1/2 down like an equator and others seat 2/3 and have the crimp run with the ball shape. Will be using Unique, starting around 4.5gr as indicated in Speer #10 and up to 6.5gr as indicated in an old Lyman manual. Thanks to @Michael J. Spangler for the mold.
20211013_213913.jpg
 
Artie said:
Just cast a bit over 100 Lee .451, 138gr round-balls to try in my 45 Colt. They dropped at .4525 and around 136.5 - 137.3gr using a wheel weight and lead mix. Unsure if I should have used pure lead? Will resize to .452, should I hi-tek or lube with Alox? Some reading online, some seat 1/2 down like an equator and others seat 2/3 and have the crimp run with the ball shape. Will be using Unique, starting around 4.5gr as indicated in Speer #10 and up to 6.5gr as indicated in an old Lyman manual. Thanks to @Michael J. Spangler for the mold.
View attachment 532122
Click to expand...
Nice!
I seat deep enough so the roll crimp follows the curvature of the ball.
I prefer to coat them. Alox works but seeing as you usually have very little bearing surface they can have little neck tension and the powder burns erratic.

I get better results with single ball loads alox lubed if I start larger and size down. Like a .451” sized to .430” so it has some bearing surface to give neck tension. That shoots well as a single ball with alox.
 
Don’t go too small on the batches. That can be issue because it’s easy to add too much coating and get a thick first coat.

If you do a 1 pound batch just make sure you let those suckers sit in the sun and fry properly for a long time.

Like I mentioned at the seminar, push your thumb really hard on the coating and try to smear it. It might seem dry to the touch but it can be a little damp underneath.
 
I’m going to coat them and the morning and let them dry for the day and then send them to the oven. The one you smashed was one of my very first the leaded up the 1911 and I poured them in early spring and they may not have dried. Watching Pastera and seeing his smashed bullet really helped. His looked great after the smash test.
 
BFDX7 said:
I’m going to coat them and the morning and let them dry for the day and then send them to the oven. The one you smashed was one of my very first the leaded up the 1911 and I poured them in early spring and they may not have dried. Watching Pastera and seeing his smashed bullet really helped. His looked great after the smash test.
Click to expand...
Great. I love his fan set up. I need to get a box fan that I can lay down like that for my large trays.
 

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