Homemade mold

Here is my setup and doing a little casting with a homemade mold made from old cast iron plumbing fittings

Here’s part 2

That is a Good Looking Bullet sdporter

My Casting Video is a Bit on the Long Side, But shows in fair Detail how i do it. I use, and Swear by a Bottom Pour Pot, With Spout opened to 3/32, If a guy figures out a Bottom pour, They work FABULOUS! They have their Quirks no doubt about it. Like the Spout Clogging, Dripping etc. I keep a Heavy Paper Clip Wire Handy that i have bent in a Shape i can Push it up inside the Spout, If i am having Trouble with the Spout clogging up i will Stop real Quick, place my Catch pan underneath, lift the Handle and Push that Paper Clip up inside and Turn it Around and Around, Then let a Steady Stream Flow in my Catch Pan for a Few Seconds to “Clean up” Then Back to Casting. I rarely have problems with Clogging tho, the few times i do, it only takes a Few Seconds to Fix it, and I’m Back in Business

Idaholewis said:

That is a Good Looking Bullet sdporter

My Casting Video is a Bit on the Long Side, But shows in fair Detail how i do it. I use, and Swear by a Bottom Pour Pot, With Spout opened to 3/32, If a guy figures out a Bottom pour, They work FABULOUS! They have their Quirks no doubt about it. Like the Spout Clogging, Dripping etc. I keep a Heavy Paper Clip Wire Handy that i have bent in a Shape i can Push it up inside the Spout, If i am having Trouble with the Spout clogging up i will Stop real Quick, place my Catch pan underneath, lift the Handle and Push that Paper Clip up inside and Turn it Around and Around, Then let a Steady Stream Flow in my Catch Pan for a Few Seconds to “Clean up” Then Back to Casting. I rarely have problems with Clogging tho, the few times i do, it only takes a Few Seconds to Fix it, and I’m Back in Business

Click to expand...

That 20 pound pot is probably pretty nice to use. I just have a 10 pounder. That sprue cutter being nice and polished makes a difference too. Mine has a small step in it. I went in to cut the cone shape with the wrong angle of countersink at first on the blocks I was casting with last night. Cast up 242 bullets in about 3 hours counting the time the melt took to get hot. I noticed you wait 4 or 5 seconds after the sprue solidifies. I should probably do that too. I dump them probably a little soon. Don't seem to have any issues doing it my way, but a little longer would definitely not hurt anything. My mold seems to always hold on to the bullet on the left side also. I think probably when I dialed that set of blocks in the lathe before I bored the bullet, I must have been off by a half a thousandth or they would probably fall right out. In my video (I just watched it back) it sounds like I'm beating the hell out of that mold to get the bullets to drop, I'm not, just tapping on the towel. Once I found my chisel, I quit doing that, but I was smacking it on the side of the handles where they hook to the blocks. Hitting the pivot bolt makes more sense. Nice video. I've been casting for about 35 years and learned a few things today. I've also never really weighed my bullets and culled them, but you nailed it, we cast and strive for perfection, why not remelt them and get 'em perfect. Not like it costs anything...

I expect a lot from my Rifles, I take out EVERY possible Variable i can, i make EVERY shot as close as I possibly can to the Shot before it

I have always weighed my Bullets after a Casting Session, it’s amazing when you find a Bullet that is WAY light? Doesn’t happen often, but it DOES HAPPEN! Say 10-12 Grains light? But looks PERFECT exterior Wise? There is Obviously a Void in that Bullet, Now How would we have known this if we didn’t Weigh them? We wouldn’t! This would likely be a “Flier” on the Target, all we can do at that Point is say, Must have been me? See what i mean? TAKE OUT ALL VARIABLES!!

I treat my Muzzleloaders the Exact same way i do my Centerfire Rifles, Our Centerfire Bullets Weigh Identical right? And our Powder Charges all weigh identical right? We brag about Sub MOA Groups from our Centerfires, Which we EXPECT From them!! WHAT MAKES OUR MUZZLELOADERS ANY DIFFERENT? Are they Magically Suppose to Shoot Sub MOA no matter what we do/don’t do? No matter if our Powder Charges Vary from a Volume/Field Measure, our Bullets Don’t weigh the Same, etc etc., Folks GET FRUSTRATED When a Muzzleloader does NOT perform well, Even Though they have all of these Variables. This COMPLETELY AMAZES ME!! YOU ARE GETTING OUT, WHAT YOU PUT IN IT, You DESERVE a Cr@ppy Group, you earned it!!

I feel we get out of this, What we put in it. Make EVERYTHING the Same as you possibly can each and every SHOT, Just like a Centerfire Rifle, If your results on paper are stil not Great? At least you can Rule out all of the Variables that you TOOK out, Now It’s time to look in to your Rifle, Scope, Mounts, etc.

Years ago I was talking with Paul Jones to have him make me my first custom mould. I was having problems with the commercial bullets that I was buying and they were shooting all over the place at 100 yds. I had weighed them and found them to be 10 to 12 grains difference in a 540 gr bullet and thought that was the problem. He told me that even that crappy of a bullet should shoot one hole at 100 yds. He then told me to get some good proven bullet lube and boil out the stuff that was in the bullets and relube them. I did and it worked ! I too believe in removing all the variables and like my bullets to be + or - 1/2 a grain in the batch I'm shooting. But I learned that even things like your lube can make or break a good bullet.

MSalyards said:

But I learned that even things like your lube can make or break a good bullet.

Click to expand...

I FULLY agree here, it can be found ALL THROUGH THIS FORUM, and any other I’m on, or have been on, Where i preach this about Bullet Lube, i have witnessed it DESTROY accuracy.

For me, i find it JUST AS EASY to make, and keep PERFECT Bullets, than Culls. Why chance a Cull Bullet Ruining my Group?

It is a great learning experience to hear idaholewis and sdporter discuss the fine points of loads and what makes a difference.
Thanks to you guys for sharing.

MSalyards said:

Years ago I was talking with Paul Jones to have him make me my first custom mould. I was having problems with the commercial bullets that I was buying and they were shooting all over the place at 100 yds. I had weighed them and found them to be 10 to 12 grains difference in a 540 gr bullet and thought that was the problem. He told me that even that crappy of a bullet should shoot one hole at 100 yds. He then told me to get some good proven bullet lube and boil out the stuff that was in the bullets and relube them. I did and it worked ! I too believe in removing all the variables and like my bullets to be + or - 1/2 a grain in the batch I'm shooting. But I learned that even things like your lube can make or break a good bullet.

Click to expand...

It would be an interesting sub topic, bullet lube that is. It would also be an interesting experiment to shoot groups with everything the same with the exception of the lube. I use three different ones, a homemade lube from a recipe that I’m not convinced is great, Bore Butter, which I’m not convinced is great, and some CVA stuff I’m not convinced is great either. What is everyone using? A lot of guys have mentioned NASA lube.

I lube with a blend of deer tallow (40%), bees wax (40%) and olive oil (20%). Or there about. It does need tweaking based on ambient temps its used in.
Seems to work in my MaxiBalls and my cast .459-405HB bullets for my .45-70 (at sub 1400fps).
Walk

sdporter said:

It would be an interesting sub topic, bullet lube that is. It would also be an interesting experiment to shoot groups with everything the same with the exception of the lube. I use three different ones, a homemade lube from a recipe that I’m not convinced is great, Bore Butter, which I’m not convinced is great, and some CVA stuff I’m not convinced is great either. What is everyone using? A lot of guys have mentioned NASA lube.

Click to expand...

A thin lube has BY FAR been the Best for me, Try a Group with STRAIGHT Crisco, Push them down on an 1/8” Wool Felt Wad. Crisco is DIFFICULT to get to Stay in the Grooves Good, All you can do is your Best to get as much in the Grooves as you can Try this! I think you will be Surprised at the Results

You can easily Tweak Crisco to Firm up and Hold, Lanolin/Beeswax, Lanolin is my FAVORITE ingredient for “Tacking up” a Lube. Just remember to keep it as thin as you possibly can, Firm it up with Beeswax and Lanolin JUST ENOUGH so that it will Hold in the Grooves.

Back when i first started Trying Grease Groove Bullets i was using a Lube that a Guy in Utah had sent me, It was called GatoFeo No. 1, He made sticks of it for a Lube Sizer that was sitting on a Heat pad. I shot some of the worst Groups of my Entire life with that Stuff, it was HORRIBLE!! Dan Congiolosi of Bullshop is who Explained the importance of Bullet Lube to me, how it can DRASTICALLY effect Accuracy, in Good, and Bad ways. To be ABSOLUTELY HONEST, i HIGHLY doubted him? After testing it, i had to Eat some Crow I was DEAD WRONG, Dan WAS DEFINITELY RIGHT! This is why i ALWAYS Highly advice Bullshop Dan’s NASA Lube, It is the 1st lube i Shot REALLY good with, And he is the Man i owe what i learned about Lube to I have never Spoke to him other than Email WAY BACK when. He was a BIG help to me!! I was really Close to being Discouraged enough to Walk away from Grease Groove Bullets.

used to use Crisco 35 yrs ago, with beeswax or paraffin cant remember now.. used it in a old T/C flintlock hawken.
Worked pretty good except when it was really hot out, then it was just plain messy.