Casting – Hobbies Hobo

Lead & Zinc

For Shooting , Fishing , or many other uses.

JUMP TO SECTIONS ON THIS PAGE …..

Lead & Zinc Sources
Ingot Production & Ladle Pouring
Alloying
Molds
- Handles for Molds
  - Rifle Molds
    Handgun Molds
    Shotgun Molds
    Buckshot Molds
    Round Ball Molds
Casting Pots (Bottom Pour)
Gas Checks
Bullet Lubrication
- Traditional Bullet Lube
  Powder Coating
Bullet Sizing
Lead Hardness Testing

SEE THE “MAIN PAGE” FOR EACH SECTION …..

Handloading (Metallic)
Shotshell Handloading

Under Construction of Course!
Mike

Face The Facts! If you’re in for bullet casting, then you’re in for the long haul, Ingots, Alloying, Sizing, Lubricating. The “Whole Nine Yards” as they say. Don’t let that frighten you from getting into it. Like any hobby, it’s a “Methodical & Logical” process. You can do it!

Muffin pans, old cast iron bakeware as well as many others are commonly used for ingots. Most of the larger reloading equipment makers have their own version. Lee is probably one of the most common.

**Lodge Cornbread Pans repurposed for lead ingots.**

June 2022 Full Photo Spreads

Ingot Production Full Page right here , more

Ladle Casting Full Page right here , more

Have fun looking at all the Molds! haha
Mike

Bullet Mold Handles

There is much to be learned about the handles you use for your molds. Track of the Wolf has an excellent read about mold handles (Lee in particular) and how & where they can be used if you need to use replacement handles.

Track of the Wolf ….. more

There are HUNDREDS of designs. These are just a few.

.22 Molds

.22 Caliber molds are available from Lee, Rcbs, NOE & Saeco. There may be others as well. Many people have great difficulty casting small calibers like .22 or #4 Buckshot for that matter. Mold temperature combined with alloy temperature seems to be the key. Sometimes TIN can be added to an alloy to increase the “Flow” which may help with casting small bullets & buckshot.

N.O.E. Molds

Here’s a look at a really nicely made N.O.E. 3 Cavity Brass Mold, for .225 Bullets (.223 Rem)

I purchased this mold used from a local gunsmith, but I have also done mailorder directly with N.O.E.

.243 / 6mm Molds

For my .243 Win, Remington Model 7 Hunting Rifle

.243 / 6mm bullet molds are one of the least common of all the molds. A good number of the companies that offer molds “Do Not Offer” molds available in this caliber. Rcbs, Saeco, & NOE are 3 brands that have or still do offer them.

.30 Molds

For use in both the Husqvarna, .30-06 as well as the Enfield, .303

(.30 cal molds probably offer the biggest variety of all rifle molds)

.32 Molds

This is the Lee, .311-100-2R, 2 Cavity, Aluminum, Flat Base, Round Nose, 100 Grain, Bullet Mold.

Once sized correctly , this should make a nice .30 Cal. plinking bullet in the .30-06 or possibly the .303 British.

For use in .30 Cal. Rifles for Small Game

9mm Molds

For use in the Kel-Tec Sub 2000 & the Aero Survival Rifle, both in 9mm.

.45 Molds

.45 Caliber molds are very common. Almost all the mold companies offer molds in this size. There are many varied bullet designs and weights. It may take some experimenting to find one that you like however you can get a good feel for those molds that others are happy with by doing a little research.

For the 870 Project or the Single Shots!

LEE, 7/8 Oz. Key Drive, 12 Gauge, Slug Mold

LEE, 1 Oz. Key Drive, 12 Gauge, Slug Mold

Hopefully these will work out as well as the smaller 7/8 oz. Slugs did!

Easy as heck to cast, an excellent “Beginner Mold” for “Ladle Casting”

LEE, 12 Gauge, Round Ball .690 Cal. Mold

**Lee .690 Cal Round Ball, 488 Grains or 1 1/8th Oz.**

The Lee, .690 Round Ball is very commonly loaded in 12 gauge.

Notice that as seen in the photo above that Lee molds “DO NOT” have a locking set screw for the sprue plate pivot pin. This is one of the mods you may want to incorporate into your setup.

#4 Buckshot, #00 Buckshot & #000 Buckshot Molds are usually available from Lee Precision. They are great value & deserve a place on any reloaders bench.

If you are looking for mold sizes other than these I would check with Marty’s Arms (USA)

Marty’s Arms ….. more

My current inventory of Round Ball Molds includes:

.240 Cal. #4 Buckshot, for .223 Rem. Game Getter Loads & Shotshells in General.
.330 Cal. #00 Buckshot, for .30 Cal. Rifles & Shotshells in General.
.360 Cal. #000 Buckshot, for .30 Cal. Rifles & Shotshells in General.
.454 Cal. Round Ball, for .45 Colt., sized .430 for .44 Mag etc.
.490 Cal. Round Ball, I guess I’ll have to buy a Muzzle Loader?
.530 Cal. Round Ball, for Experimental Loads in 28 Gauge.
.690 Cal. Round Ball, for Standard, 12 Gauge.

Round Ball has many uses for me so I will be actively searching out a source for the following:

#3 Buckshot, .25 Cal., for .243 Win. Game Getter Loads.
#2 Buckshot, .27 Cal., Just Because?
#1 Buckshot, .30 Cal., Minimum Legal Buckshot for Big Game in BC. Canada.
.310 Cal. Round Ball, for use in .30 Cal. Rifles & Buckshot loads.
.320 Cal. #0 Buckshot, for use in .30 Cal. Rifles & Buckshot loads.
.380 Cal. #0000 Buckshot, Is there anything “Cooler” than “Quad Buck”
.390 Cal. Round Ball, for use in .410 Shotshells & Larger.
.395 Cal. Round Ball, for use in .410 Shotshells & Larger.
.535 Cal. Round Ball, for use in 28 Gauge Shotshells.
.575 Cal. Round Ball, for use in 20 & 12 Gauge Shotshells.
.600 Cal. Round Ball, for use in 12 Gauge.

General Info

Metal	Symbol	Melting Temp F	Uses
Tin	Sn	450	Alloying
Pewter		500	Alloying
Lead	Pb	625	Bullets / Weights
Zinc	Zn	790	Bullets / Weights
Antimony	Sb	1170	Alloying
Aluminum	Al	1225	Misc.
Brass		1700	Mold Blocks
Silver	Ag	1760	WereWolf Bullets
Gold	Au	1950	007 “Bond Bullets”
Copper	Cu	2000	Final Product
Iron	Fe	2800	Mold Blocks

Lead Compatible Bottom Pour Pots

Lee “Production Pot IV”, 10 lb. Capacity Melting Pot
Lee “Pro 4-20”, 20 lb. Capacity Melting Pot – Recommended Model
Lyman “Mag 25” Digital Electric Melting Pot
Rcbs “Pro Melt 2” 25 lb. Capacity Melting Pot

The Lee 4-20 Bottom Pour Pot is the “De-facto Standard”, get one now!
Mike

Lead Compatible Ladle Casting Pots

Lee “Precision Melter”
Lee “Magnum Melter” – Recommended Model
Lyman “Big Dipper”
Rcbs “Easy Melt 2”, 25 lb. Capacity Melting Pot

Zinc Compatible Pots

Zinc compatible pots are not currently made, you need to track down an antique or go back to “Ladle Casting”.

New Lee, RCBS & Lyman casting furnaces (Melting Pots) are not safe to use for casting Zinc! You must try to get yourself an antique “Cast Iron” melting furnace if you want to try casting zinc.

Be on the lookout for the following models:

SAECO Model #24 (May not have model marking)

Lyman “Mould Master” Model 61 (Looks like a re-branded SAECO)

And for “Gosh Sakes”, if it needs repair or rebuild , “BUY IT ANYWAY”, they can be made serviceable again.

Ladle or Bottom Pour Casting, Both Work!

Warning!

Gas Check Porn

When you need them, you need them, just bite the bullet and get what you need.

You will need to lube your bullets, powder coating seems to be fast growing in this field but no shame in “Traditional Lubing”. Hand lubing, pan lubing or lube-sizer, your choice, they all work.

RCBS Lube-A-Matic “Traditional Sizer / Lubricator”.

Traditional Lube or Powder Coating, if you’re casting lead you’ll need one or the other.

**Eastwood Powder Coat is a proven Winner!**

My choice is to use the Color to Identify the Loads.

Blue, For Low Power, Subsonic or Small Game Type Loads.
Green, For Mid Power, Specialty or Varmint Type Loads.
Red, For Full Power, High Velocity Hunting & Target Loads.

There are many different brands and colors to try out.

See the video of my first steps into powder coating right here!

June 2022 Full Photo Spread right here , more

June 2022 Full Photo Spread including details not found in the video right here , more

Coming Soon!

The “Easy” way!

Get yourself one of these Pencil Sets, File a flat spot on the bullet or lead you want to test. The pencil that will scratch the lead is harder than your lead. That easy.