That's awesome! Fun isn't it?
I bought the Lyman Big Dipper kit and it works great, I pour balls outside in front of the garage. The kit comes with that Lyman lead casting book that someone mentioned, great book too! I use Lee double cavity moulds for my .50, I have a .490 and .495 and I store in round tin slip cover cans in a .50 cal ammo can. I think 3 deep and 3 across have about 900 balls if memory serves.
If you scrounge lead from range or whatever, and you wash, please make sure it's dry, a pocket of water in a bullet can make a nice huge eruption of molten lead go all over! Don't ask.....Be careful! I got 20+ lbs of lead from scrounging at my local range. After a good rain they stick out like sore thumbs!
When I cast, I glass the balls. I have a piece of glass with a piece of plywood with a circle cut out and roll around 20-30 or more balls and use a piece of thick glass on top, the weight of the glass is all the pressure, don't want eggs.....
I had a hoot of a time my first session! I think I counted 500+ my first casting session! I was having so much fun I cast until I ran out of lead!
My first casting session, I was fortunate to have my mentor present in case I said a bad word.....
The tin cans on left is where I store them, put a 100 in each tin. I inherited my gun with some pistol balls and just melted them all down as I didn't get the pistol. It was my Dad's cousin who gave it to him and Dad gave it to me when he passed.
I bought the Lyman Big Dipper kit and it works great, I pour balls outside in front of the garage. The kit comes with that Lyman lead casting book that someone mentioned, great book too! I use Lee double cavity moulds for my .50, I have a .490 and .495 and I store in round tin slip cover cans in a .50 cal ammo can. I think 3 deep and 3 across have about 900 balls if memory serves.
If you scrounge lead from range or whatever, and you wash, please make sure it's dry, a pocket of water in a bullet can make a nice huge eruption of molten lead go all over! Don't ask.....Be careful! I got 20+ lbs of lead from scrounging at my local range. After a good rain they stick out like sore thumbs!
When I cast, I glass the balls. I have a piece of glass with a piece of plywood with a circle cut out and roll around 20-30 or more balls and use a piece of thick glass on top, the weight of the glass is all the pressure, don't want eggs.....
I had a hoot of a time my first session! I think I counted 500+ my first casting session! I was having so much fun I cast until I ran out of lead!
My first casting session, I was fortunate to have my mentor present in case I said a bad word.....
The tin cans on left is where I store them, put a 100 in each tin. I inherited my gun with some pistol balls and just melted them all down as I didn't get the pistol. It was my Dad's cousin who gave it to him and Dad gave it to me when he passed.
