How i cast BIG Bullets with a Bottom Pour Pot

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Idaholewis

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This Video is Long, But it Shows my Process, I did this awhile Back on Casting BIG Heavy Muzzleloader Bullets with a Bottom Pour Pot. I know The Majority of Casters For BIG HEAVY Bullets prefer Ladle Casting. I have 2 of them, i have tried them, I personally DON’T Like them at all! I started out with a Bottom Pour Pot, and learned how to make them Work for me. When Setup Correctly, A Bottom Pour is SLICK! I can Cast a PILE of Bullets in a HURRY, My No. 1 goal is to Cast QUALITY, Not QUANTITY, But it just so happens to be that i Get BOTH with a Bottom Pour Pot :lewis:

 
I challenge ANYONE to Cast a Nicer Bullet with your Ladles :) Anyone That Say’s you CAN’T Cast HIGH QUALITY Bullets with a Bottom Pour Lead Pot Simply Don’t Know what they are Talking about.

A few Examples
zNhAFBz.jpg


These Bases are PERFECT, This is EXTREMELY important!! The Bullet Base is What Steers the Bullet
QCr5XmD.jpg

pPUl9BO.jpg


485 Grain .50 Cal Bullet, PURE LEAD
tLzXoX6.jpg


340 Grain 9MM
9iFNZew.jpg

wUTmg00.jpg

knmeyj3.jpg
 
I challenge ANYONE to Cast a Nicer Bullet with your Ladles :) Anyone That Say’s you CAN’T Cast HIGH QUALITY Bullets with a Bottom Pour Lead Pot Simply Don’t Know what they are Talking about.

A few Examples
zNhAFBz.jpg


These Bases are PERFECT, This is EXTREMELY important!! The Bullet Base is What Steers the Bullet
QCr5XmD.jpg

pPUl9BO.jpg


485 Grain .50 Cal Bullet, PURE LEAD
tLzXoX6.jpg


340 Grain 9MM
9iFNZew.jpg

wUTmg00.jpg

knmeyj3.jpg
Idaholewis i plan on knurling up a pp bullet for my 410 super 91 . Is there anything i should know about ?? Im gonna use nasa lube like you do . Anything else ?? Those are beautiful by the way . Your work is admirable !!!
 
Those are sweet slugs, my brother in law and I have done the same system since the early 70's. really, only difference , we use a small built shelf to slid the mould into place , saved wear and tear on the wrist. Used a lyman bottom pour pot and ran only steel moulds ever thing from 25 cal. up to 520 grain slugs for the 45-120 and my 8 bore round balls. nicely done, this should be kept for all to see. cut down on the learning curve
 
Thx for more great pointers. I occasionally got wrinkles pouring last night, i thought it was temp (too low) but now i know it was lube contaminated. What do you clean the molds with? I was going to use brake cleaner and then denatured alcohol.
 
Those are sweet slugs, my brother in law and I have done the same system since the early 70's. really, only difference , we use a small built shelf to slid the mould into place , saved wear and tear on the wrist. Used a lyman bottom pour pot and ran only steel moulds ever thing from 25 cal. up to 520 grain slugs for the 45-120 and my 8 bore round balls. nicely done, this should be kept for all to see. cut down on the learning curve
Beautiful bullets !!! You guys KNOW what youre doing !!!
 
Idaholewis i plan on knurling up a pp bullet for my 410 super 91 . Is there anything i should know about ?? Im gonna use nasa lube like you do . Anything else ?? Those are beautiful by the way . Your work is admirable !!!

I have never Knurled any For Paper Patching, All of PP Bullets Drop Correctly from the Mold, or a Few Thou large and i Size them, Then Patch.

I don’t use any kind of Lube on my Paper Patch Bullets, I shoot them Dry :lewis:
 
Thx for more great pointers. I occasionally got wrinkles pouring last night, i thought it was temp (too low) but now i know it was lube contaminated. What do you clean the molds with? I was going to use brake cleaner and then denatured alcohol.

I use Brake Cleaner :lewis: Isopropyl Alcohol works Good as well. All you are looking to do is Cut Away the Preservative Lube/oil on the Mold from Storage. After i give a Mold a Few good Shots of Brake Cleaner, i hit the Mold with my Air Compressor Blow Nozzle, this Dries it up QUICK. Then i Corner the Mold in the Molten Lead/Alloy

The key for me is getting the Mold a Little To Hot, Where the Sprue “Dances” for 20-30 Seconds before it Starts to Solidify, This is a CRITICAL Step, This BURNS Away ANY remaining oil in the Mold that the Brake Cleaner, Alcohol might not have Got? After the Sprue Slowly Solidifies (this takes Several Seconds when the Mold has been Slightly Over heated) WAIT at least 30-45 Seconds AFTER you See the Sprue FULLY Solidify before Culling that Bullet out, If you open the Mold to soon the Bullet Wont be Solid and will pour out on the Mold Halves, Then you have to Deal with that :( it’s FAR better to wait a little Longer and MAKE DARN sure that Bullet has Hardened enough to Drop from the Mold :lewis: I then Cast 6-8 Bullets with the Sprue Plate Wide Open, These Are QUICKLY Cast, and Dumped/Culled. THEN i start Keeping them. With the Above method i get PERFECT Bullets, and my Keep Rate is at least 95%, With LOTS of Casting Sessions yielding 99-100% :lewis:


With the Above method, Smaller Bullets Such as 200-300 Grain Pistol Bullets, Round Balls, etc. Will yield nearly 100% PERFECT Keepers for me Every Casting Session :lewis:

The Bigger the Bullet, the Faster you need to Fill the Mold, this is why i Drill the Spout of the Lee 4-20 Bottom Pour Pot out to 3/32, Then i use the Adjustment/Shut off Stem to Play with Flow til i get it where i want it.

Casting PURE Lead is BY FAR the TOUGHEST to Cast, Alloys such as 1-40, 1-30, 1-20, 1-16 etc. Will Cast MUCH MUCH Easier. Learn to Cast PERFECT PURE Lead, and you can Cast ANYTHING :lewis: Start with an Alloy, and Pure Lead will FRUSTRATE you :)
 
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I got some lube contamination from somewhere. Maybe the sprue plate screw. I had cast pure lead out of this before and it turned out ok.
I'm casting 1:40 into .45 395grn and 420grn moulds. Ive drilled out the spout a bit already. I have cast some pure lead in .45 220grn for my Ruger old army and they turned out pretty good but, yeah, this 1:40 is easier to get right.
 
I got some lube contamination from somewhere. Maybe the sprue plate screw. I had cast pure lead out of this before and it turned out ok.
I'm casting 1:40 into .45 395grn and 420grn moulds. Ive drilled out the spout a bit already. I have cast some pure lead in .45 220grn for my Ruger old army and they turned out pretty good but, yeah, this 1:40 is easier to get right.

Truth is, Casting did NOT come easy to me, I walked away FRUSTRATED Many times! It took me a LOT of tinkering to get it Down. I am sure glad i stuck with it :lewis: I can pick up a Brand new Mold of ANY kind now Days and be Casting PERFECT Bullets in no Time. And to Have Guy’s like Dave Gullo (World Champion) And BACO Mold Maker Jim to Look at my Bullets and Say “WOW, NICE!” That’s pretty Cool as Well :cool:

It just takes time Behind the Mold and Pot :lewis: Believe it or not, it’s a LOT like learning how to Ride a Bicycle, all of a Sudden you “TAKE OFF” and it just Becomes natural, DON’T GIVE UP on it!! I have thrown Bullets back in the Melt that Many people would have Fought over :D But Why keep a Bullet that isn’t Perfect? When you can Toss it back in the Pot and Re-pour it PERFECT :lewis:
 
:lewis:
I have never Knurled any For Paper Patching, All of PP Bullets Drop Correctly from the Mold, or a Few Thou large and i Size them, Then Patch.

I don’t use any kind of Lube on my Paper Patch Bullets, I shoot them Dry :lewis:
I think maybe that i wasnt too clear . Im gonna use a pp bullet (408/409) with a hollow base to knurl up to .411 or so and lube it with your nasa lube . No patch !! It will get sized when i put it down the bore .I think this is how hunter280man made 410 bullets that everybody loved the accuracy years back ?? Got any experiance with such a plan or insights ?? Youre a really experianced guy and i bet you do !!!

ALSO --i left some info for you on GM54--120 's post on. Scopes or those rings i forget which:lewis:
 
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Will that pp bullet have enough lube on it without grease grooves? Maybe a good lube like nasa will hold enough in the knurling though.
I looked back in really old posts (like 14 to 15 yrs old) that hunter280man made bullets this way and the accuracy was really good i guess . I found where he sized to 408 and knurled them up oversize and it said they shot like crazy good . I never heard of that . Idaholewis bullets are the best i ever seen . All the different shooting he does i figure he is the man to ask !!! He is really good with lead .
 
I looked back in really old posts (like 14 to 15 yrs old) that hunter280man made bullets this way and the accuracy was really good i guess . I found where he sized to 408 and knurled them up oversize and it said they shot like crazy good . I never heard of that . Idaholewis bullets are the best i ever seen . All the different shooting he does i figure he is the man to ask !!! He is really good with lead .
Thats true
 
Truth is, Casting did NOT come easy to me, I walked away FRUSTRATED Many times! It took me a LOT of tinkering to get it Down. I am sure glad i stuck with it :lewis: I can pick up a Brand new Mold of ANY kind now Days and be Casting PERFECT Bullets in no Time. And to Have Guy’s like Dave Gullo (World Champion) And BACO Mold Maker Jim to Look at my Bullets and Say “WOW, NICE!” That’s pretty Cool as Well :cool:

It just takes time Behind the Mold and Pot :lewis: Believe it or not, it’s a LOT like learning how to Ride a Bicycle, all of a Sudden you “TAKE OFF” and it just Becomes natural, DON’T GIVE UP on it!! I have thrown Bullets back in the Melt that Many people would have Fought over :D But Why keep a Bullet that isn’t Perfect? When you can Toss it back in the Pot and Re-pour it PERFECT :lewis:
I just noticed in the vid you have the hotter than i do. I haven't checked the temp but have mine set at 5 where you set yours at 7. Next batch im going to go hotter. I get a lil faint bit of frosting sometimes. Maybe higher temp will help
 
I just noticed in the vid you have the hotter than i do. I haven't checked the temp but have mine set at 5 where you set yours at 7. Next batch im going to go hotter. I get a lil faint bit of frosting sometimes. Maybe higher temp will help
Maybe idaholewis got busy with something muzzy . Dont seem like him to ignore our questions . Im kinda off topic but i gotta get my super 91 410 shootin first with big lead . For right now i can buy pp bullets and knurl em myself till i get it to shoot good . THEN ill probably invest in casting my own . With where he is at and all he does i bet ya Lewis is a REALLY tough customer in competition shooting !!! That man is SMART !!!!!! Hes seen ALOT too !!!
 
I just noticed in the vid you have the hotter than i do. I haven't checked the temp but have mine set at 5 where you set yours at 7. Next batch im going to go hotter. I get a lil faint bit of frosting sometimes. Maybe higher temp will help

I can’t say that all of these Pots Run the Same Heat per dial setting? I run 2 Different Lee Pots, and an RCBS, The Lee’s are on 2 different Settings. I have Certified Pure Lead in 1 of them, 1-40 Certified Alloy in the Other. The RCBS Has Certified 1-20 Alloy. Covers all bases. This way I don’t have to Empty and Switch a Pot out.

As for Temp, there just isn’t a Substitute for a Lead Thermometer, Here is the BEST Deal i have ever seen on a Lead Thermometer, Had i of Known about this before i bought mine? This is the one i would have bought, Read the Description at the Bottom in the link I provided, This Thermometer is Made By RCBS :lewis:
https://www.rotometals.com/lead-bullet-casting-thermometer-6/
 
Rotometals is where i buy my lead from. I ran some bullets last nite for my Ruger Old army, 200grn, i turned it up to 7 and that was WAY to hot. When it gets too hot it seems like the tin separates from the lead really fast. I let it cool down and went back to 4.5 and stirred it back together and got a couple dozen really nice bullets. No frost or wrinkles. Im going to get that thermometer
 
Maybe idaholewis got busy with something muzzy . Dont seem like him to ignore our questions . Im kinda off topic but i gotta get my super 91 410 shootin first with big lead . For right now i can buy pp bullets and knurl em myself till i get it to shoot good . THEN ill probably invest in casting my own . With where he is at and all he does i bet ya Lewis is a REALLY tough customer in competition shooting !!! That man is SMART !!!!!! Hes seen ALOT too !!!

No competition shooting for me, I Shoot strictly for Fun, against myself, maybe a Friend or 2 along :lewis: Competitive Shooting takes the Fun out of Shooting to me Personally. I have Shot Competitively in Shotgun Trap (How i met my Wife :)) And Archery, i did Very well, Placed in Both. But it took the Fun RIGHT OUT of Shooting for me. I see 2nd Place as a 1st Place Loser

I understand what you mean now, But i have never tried the Knurling and Greasing a Bullet? It sounds like it would Work Though, i would bet that it would.

I have Paper Patched a Minie Though :lewis: This was a .533/410, This is Something I might Re-Visit, Back when i did this I didn’t understand the importance of Lead Hardness (These were HARD) And i tested this in a Stock 1:48 Twist Thompson Center New Englander, I was lucky to Hit a Volkswagen Broadside, it was AWFUL! I did more testing of Different Bullets Paper Patch with the Same “Unknown” Hard Lead and found that Hard Lead and Paper Patched Bullets in a 1:48 Twist was DISASTROUS

My Bullets Turned out Good Though :lewis: I wish i had owned a Fast Twist .54 Cal Back in this Time, Or had Poured these Minies of PURE Lead, instead of an Unknown HARD Alloy for the Stock 1:48 Twist .54 Cal i shot these in. BUT it was a Good learning Experience, What i did was a DISASTROUS Fail, Which taught me NOT to do that Again :)

mlDdJRX.jpg
 

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