Bullet Casting & Coating MegaThread

TrashcanDan said:
I can roll with that. I think I have ink poisoning. Or was deprived of oxygen in the womb.
Answer me this-
3 molds, roughly the same nose design, same grain weight.
Mold 1
Mold 2
Mold 3

Assume they all size out to .452.
For each design, we'll assume same case, primer and powder charge. Barrel type and length will be the same across all 3.

Using Hi-tek coating and not wax lube, what are the advantages or disadvantages of having or not having lube grooves, and does one lube groove style have an advantage over the other?
Click to expand...
No lube grooves
Advantage - easier to cast, easier to coat, 3-5 gn heavier for same shape
Disadvantage - harder to size, too much bearing surface unless bullet was designed grooveless.

Lube grooves are the opposite.

Also there isn't anything stopping you from coating and lubing a stubborn bullet that doesn't like going ad fast as you want it too.
 
mac1911 said:
Today was Casting and Machining Day
I took a scrap piece of bar stock made some slots in one end for the lead to grab onto and a light knurl on the handle end.
Then I used my Lee WC mold and adjusted it as large as it could go.View attachment 720533
Click to expand...
Wow that’s awesome.
I haven’t been able to find one of those Lee moulds. They're rare as chicken lips.
 
mac1911 said:
Today was Casting and Machining Day
I took a scrap piece of bar stock made some slots in one end for the lead to grab onto and a light knurl on the handle end.
Then I used my Lee WC mold and adjusted it as large as it could go.View attachment 720533
Click to expand...

Your "grooved" method may or may not hold up long term to impacts. As an option to grooves you can drill and tap the end of the handle and install a long hex bolt and nut to give the lead a solid area to bond against.
 
Road_Clam said:
Your "grooved" method may or may not hold up long term to impacts. As an option to grooves you can drill and tap the end of the handle and install a long hex bolt and nut to give the lead a solid area to bond against.
Click to expand...
It will hold well enough. The one I replaced this on with just had shallow divot bent into the handle. The next one will be more like this. IF I can get this mill to work better.
F4970226-E968-4ADC-A69F-F5A4C10D7972.jpeg
 
Last edited:
Jay77 said:
Has anyone tried and had any luck with the Lee REAL bullets through an in-line. Post deer season I started to play and they actually loaded pretty nice with a 50/50 crisco/bee wax lube. I ran out of 209 primers but I was curious.
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Cast with pure lead they are a great. Some where I have a post about them , I was getting sub 3 moa out of a Omega with res dot with out much effort.
REAL 50 cal with Blackhorn 209 and 209 primer. I dont shoot it much and basically minute of deer inside 75 yards is all I was looking for. Not that I ever get out for primitive but im ready if I do

I casted with wheel weight alloy and they where a bugger to load.
I was using straight crisco.
 
I scored some really over priced 209 primers at Cabelas .16 a pop to keep this going. Traditions scopes are POS so I played musical scopes over the weekend and the Buckstalker ended up with a cheap Simmons 3x9 I probably bought on clearance. My goal is to get a good hunting round before next deer season and to take a deer with a bullet I casted…
 
Jay77 said:
I scored some really over priced 209 primers at Cabelas .16 a pop to keep this going. Traditions scopes are POS so I played musical scopes over the weekend and the Buckstalker ended up with a cheap Simmons 3x9 I probably bought on clearance. My goal is to get a good hunting round before next deer season and to take a deer with a bullet I casted…
Click to expand...
For the most part any scope that cones with a rifle is a POS
I have a gen 1 pro point on my omega. Paper plate accuate at 100 yards.
 
I own three traditions scopes and two out of the three the crosshairs moved counter clockwise. Minus the scope issues they have been tack drivers. I put a crossfire on last season and we dragged a good size four pointer a few miles and post season I took it out and it was dead on. Thumbs up to Vortex because I know that gun was knocked around a bit.
 
Michael J. Spangler said:
Nice! What color?

I’ve been using the Kryptonite and I really like it. It seems to bake off faster than the rest and it holds its color well. It doesn’t darken like some other.
Click to expand...
There were only two choices.
First available and something else.
I forget what the something else was now.
I went with first available.
It'll be a suprise.🤣
 
Did they pass the smash and the wipe tests? Looks like you may be applying it a little thick or possibly tumbling them too long before you pour them on to the baking pan.

What ratio are you mixing? I always try to go with a thinner mixture. When using the powder I will go 4to 5 ounces of acetone for 20 g of powder.

They are usually good with two coats, but if need be, I can do a third. They seem to be much more aesthetically, pleasing, versus two thicker coats.
 
I did not smash or wipe test.
That was approx the ratio I used to start but it really didn't do much so I upped the powder.
Seems mottled and the powder does not dissolve or even stay in suspension. Too cold in the shed?
I tried preheating the second batch.
There doesn't seem to be much difference though.
 
240Geezer said:
I did not smash or wipe test.
That was approx the ratio I used to start but it really didn't do much so I upped the powder.
Seems mottled and the powder does not dissolve or even stay in suspension. Too cold in the shed?
I tried preheating the second batch.
There doesn't seem to be much difference though.
Click to expand...
It won’t stay in suspension. It needs a quick shake or stir immediately before use.

Always wipe and smash test.

A little goes a long way. 4oz should coat about 120 pounds. So 40 pounds 3 times if you like 3 coats.
 
240Geezer said:
I did not smash or wipe test.
That was approx the ratio I used to start but it really didn't do much so I upped the powder.
Seems mottled and the powder does not dissolve or even stay in suspension. Too cold in the shed?
I tried preheating the second batch.
There doesn't seem to be much difference though.
Click to expand...
The answer is ALWAYS less powder.
Do not preheat before coating.
For best coverage you want the extend the flash off of the solvent until you have a THIN, even coating.
First coat shouldn't even look coated until after curing - yes that thin.

In the cold or damp you need to be careful of blushing - water condensing on the bullet from the solvent flashing off and cooling the surface below the dew point. You won't see the condensing but the coating will be mottled and uneven.

My process is to use a closed container to coat - dump the bullets into the container, squirt the coating in and then immediately screw on the cover. 1-2ml per pound, do not go over this or you will get ugly bullets at best but will likely fail a hammer test (coating will flake off).

Shake for 15-20 seconds then take the cover off and shake for 10 seconds more - if you hear or feel it change then stop shaking and dump.
This is when I preheat - put them on top of your toaster oven to heat up and force any acetone AND water to boil off. The preheat step will allow a thicker second coat if you want it. However three thin coats are better than two thick coats for visual quality - two coats is plenty enough to keep the bore clean.
I usually do three coats for color but it's not needed.
 
One of my biggest challenges was getting a process that I was able to repeat with minimal variables that could affect the results. Search my name and you will see a bunch of issues that I came across while I was refining my process. Last seminar I was on a mission to pick the brains of the masters …. I brought all my gear (mixing and my convention oven) … come to find out what I thought were failures were actually successes. I coated enough in the late summer to cover for quite a while. When you get frustrated look at this photo

60069B63-378E-4535-B818-9EF8E3E9A03C.jpeg

As you can see there are various “test” runs with different color coating and different procedures. I lubed these “failures” during sizing so I didn’t have to recast and stink up the neighborhood.
 
Jay77 said:
View attachment 731241

I had to pour a few yesterday for the in-line and I may load up a few 8mm with IMR4198 to see if I can get some results close to @Artie. Anything that gets me to the range I guess.
Click to expand...
26.5gr is what seemed to work for my Mauser. I did Hi-tek coat and gas-check. It was shooting high but groups were about 2.5-3" at 100. Let us know how it goes, good luck.
 

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