Lee slug and bullet molds

[Zep 0]

With the outragous prices of slugs and bullets I've decided to cast my own,

Lee products seem to be reasonably priced, any opinions or experience casting,
My main use are 1oz slugs, .223 and .303
Lead is no problem I'll take all I want from the church roof.

( see god does provide)

Gone fishing

[shropshire 0]

There y'go ... just use slugs .... the garden must be full of them

(.)Y(.)
Chivalry is not dead; it only sleeps for want of work to do. - Jerome K Jerome

[steve1 5]

I shot cast bullets in my pistol some. I was told to load them slow, so there would be less lead fouling. That's about all I know on the subject.

There's a lot of 223 ammo, already loaded, that seems to be reasonably priced. Compared to other ammo.

I know what you mean by high priced ammo. It's getting ridiculous for some calibers!

I remember the days when I could load a box of ammo for about $3.00. Those days are long gone...

[Coreece 190]

Quote

I know what you mean by high priced ammo. It's getting ridiculous for some calibers!

I know...It's not fun shooting .270's, .30-30's, and .30-06's even at a buck a bullet.

However, Dunham's here in the midwest has 'em for about $0.62 (12.50 for 20 cartridges...limited time only with rebate.)

I don't shop around alot so let me know if you guys find them any cheaper.

I don't even bother with the .307's anymore at about 2 bucks a pop.

Your secrets are the true reflection of who you really are...

[rehmwa 2]

Quote

I don't even bother with the .307's anymore at about 2 bucks a pop.

I have a Winchester model 71 (.348 caliber) rifle. The cheapest I've found so far is $50/box (one box only found at the local place ($2.50/round). Typically on line, I find it at $70-80 a box.....


I need to get a reloading setup - this gun won't be shot very much at all

...
Driving is a one dimensional activity - a monkey can do it - being proud of your driving abilities is like being proud of being able to put on pants

[Zep 0]

Quote

There y'go ... just use slugs .... the garden must be full of them

Nope I shot em all

Gone fishing

[jclalor 12]

Quote

Quote

With the outragous prices of slugs and bullets I've decided to cast my own,

Lee products seem to be reasonably priced, any opinions or experience casting,
My main use are 1oz slugs, .223 and .303
Lead is no problem I'll take all I want from the church roof.

( see god does provide)

Lee loaders are great, when I was in high school I reloaded all my .308 rounds with one. They may be a bit slow, but well worth it.

[winsor 236]

Quote

With the outragous prices of slugs and bullets I've decided to cast my own,

Lee products seem to be reasonably priced, any opinions or experience casting,
My main use are 1oz slugs, .223 and .303
Lead is no problem I'll take all I want from the church roof.

( see god does provide)

Cast bullets are generally well-suited to larger calibers. Even with very hard alloys and gas checks, you are velocity-limited by lead fouling, so sectional density is the way to go. With pure lead, you should stick with patched balls or slugs, since fouling goes off the scale fast.

I have had really good luck with cast 12 ga. slugs, but don't cast anything for bottleneck rifle cartridges (too much like work).

Lee molds are aluminum, and a lot less sensitive to preheating than ferrous molds. Casting bullets is tedious, and I am willing to use those showing wrinkles for plinking instead of starting from scratch.

The Lee bottom-dispensing casting pot (I forget its model name) works well, but adequate ventilation is critical. Hot lead fumes are not good for you.

The Lee Loader turns out ammunition that works just fine, but it is very time-consuming. You don't have to go all the way to a Dillon progressive to improve greatly on throughput, but that is the way to go if you shoot a lot.

About the only metallic caliber I am not set up to load on a progressive of one type or another is .50 BMG. Then again, if you fire 20 rounds out of that puppy you've done a LOT of shooting (and burned 0.6 pounds of powder), so speed is not of the essence.

For .224" and .311" slugs, go to gunbroker.com and look for bulk. I have bought multiple thousands of slugs for dirt cheap due to tarnish from long-term storage; throw them into the tumbler for half an hour, and they shine like new. The few rounds I actually shoot at game I can afford to buy retail. For the rest, the cheaper the better.

I highly recommend getting a good manual (or a shelf full) for any specific type of reloading you are considering. The Lyman Cast Bullet Manual/Handbook is a great place to start.


Good luck,

Winsor

[steve1 5]

Thanks for all the info. Windsor! It's hard to find people with your knowledge and experience. I'm not sure what happened to all the reloaders. Maybe noone has time for that sort of thing anymore. I'd sure rather reload than pay $50 a box.

I haven't bought any large caliber rifle ammo, in about 35 years. I started reloading when I was about 14 and never wanted anything else for my rifles.

I still buy 22, shot gun shells, and some pistol cartridges, but that's about it.

Having at least one good reloading manual is a must. When I first started loading I never even had that. A friend tried to remember a good load, and I was lucky I didn't blow myself up.

When I was 16 or so, I was loading Hornady bullets a lot. I decided to write in to Hornady and tell them how much I liked them. I even sent a picture of a big buck I shot with one of their bullets.

Old J.W. Hornady himself wrote back to me. I still have that letter. He sounded like a great guy.

He and three of his employees were killed a few years later. I'm not sure what happened. Maybe it was a plane crash.

I shoot a lot of Nosler bullets now, but I still shoot some of Hornady's....

[Coreece 190]

Quote

Thanks for all the info. Windsor!

His name is Winsor...

He's a kike, not a canuck damnit!

Your secrets are the true reflection of who you really are...