Busyhands94
Member
hello everyone! i have been shooting muzzleloaders ever since last fall, and have fallen in love with this hobby. it's gotta be the coolest thing i have ever tried! i like shooting, i like working with my hands, i LOVE history and Civil War history in particular, i have somewhat of an addictive personality, so getting hooked on blackpowder shooting was not a matter of if, but when. i started out with homemade blackpowder guns, and of Tuesday i will have a new pietta 1858 Remington! I'm mighty exited and can't wait for it to arrive!!! so, i have been saving myself money on ammo by casting my own bullets, so i can in turn take that money i saved and buy more guns! hehe!
my casting setup includes the following:
Lyman "Big Dipper" lead furnace
Lee .450 revolver conical mold
Lee .454 round ball mold
Lee .490 ball mold
Lee improved Minnie ball mold
my homemade .17 conical mold
an ingot mold that casts four ingots
a Lyman dipper
a few old spoons for fluxing lead
a fan for ventilation
a stone-topped table
an old towel i drop my bullets on to cool them off
some bullet lube i keep nearby to flux the lead with
some good thick welding gloves
safety glasses
a radio (i like to listen to music while i cast ammo)
and of course... lead!
I've set my casting setup outside away from the windows, and i keep the fan blowing over the lead pot to blow any fumes away from my general direction to keep me safe.
bullet casting is incredibly easy, it goes quick too. if i get the mold, dipper and lead nice and hot i can easily churn out 2 round balls in about 5 seconds and repeat the process. with these Lee molds i found they don't really need to heat up for too long, i can often get a good ball or even conical on the very first pour! they are low-cost too and pay for themselves quickly. i have never bought a box of muzzleloader bullets except the .22 30 grain bullets.
a bit about safety. if you want to cast your own bullets i highly recommend you are safe when doing so. lead is hot and toxic, so there needs to be safety involved. i would STRONGLY recommend doing it outdoors, or at least in a garage with the door open and a fan pointing out to suck the fumes away from you. make sure you wear gloves too, the tools get very hot (obviously) so that is something to consider. keep water away from the lead pot, if you get a little bit in there it can flash into steam and shoot lead everywhere, that would be nasty. ventilation is key, so again, to it outdoors. when you handle lead in general, even bullets you should wash your hands as soon as possible, if you are going to cast ammo you should at least practice good hygiene (not to sound like a mother) make sure you change your cloths after a casting session, take a shower, and wash your hands. i cannot be adamant about safety enough. an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.
anyway, i strongly suggest you start casting. it's fun and will save you money on ammo. you can even reuse the lead you have shot! hehe!
Stay safe and God bless America!
~Hawken
my casting setup includes the following:
Lyman "Big Dipper" lead furnace
Lee .450 revolver conical mold
Lee .454 round ball mold
Lee .490 ball mold
Lee improved Minnie ball mold
my homemade .17 conical mold
an ingot mold that casts four ingots
a Lyman dipper
a few old spoons for fluxing lead
a fan for ventilation
a stone-topped table
an old towel i drop my bullets on to cool them off
some bullet lube i keep nearby to flux the lead with
some good thick welding gloves
safety glasses
a radio (i like to listen to music while i cast ammo)
and of course... lead!
I've set my casting setup outside away from the windows, and i keep the fan blowing over the lead pot to blow any fumes away from my general direction to keep me safe.
bullet casting is incredibly easy, it goes quick too. if i get the mold, dipper and lead nice and hot i can easily churn out 2 round balls in about 5 seconds and repeat the process. with these Lee molds i found they don't really need to heat up for too long, i can often get a good ball or even conical on the very first pour! they are low-cost too and pay for themselves quickly. i have never bought a box of muzzleloader bullets except the .22 30 grain bullets.
a bit about safety. if you want to cast your own bullets i highly recommend you are safe when doing so. lead is hot and toxic, so there needs to be safety involved. i would STRONGLY recommend doing it outdoors, or at least in a garage with the door open and a fan pointing out to suck the fumes away from you. make sure you wear gloves too, the tools get very hot (obviously) so that is something to consider. keep water away from the lead pot, if you get a little bit in there it can flash into steam and shoot lead everywhere, that would be nasty. ventilation is key, so again, to it outdoors. when you handle lead in general, even bullets you should wash your hands as soon as possible, if you are going to cast ammo you should at least practice good hygiene (not to sound like a mother) make sure you change your cloths after a casting session, take a shower, and wash your hands. i cannot be adamant about safety enough. an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.
anyway, i strongly suggest you start casting. it's fun and will save you money on ammo. you can even reuse the lead you have shot! hehe!
Stay safe and God bless America!
~Hawken