I have been reloading for 20+ yrs but want to get into casting your own. Could those of you with more experience than I in this area please give me a laundry list & approximate cost to get started in this arena. As of right now I have about 30 lbs of wheelweights and thats it. I am also told that a bottom flow furnace is better than top load. I want to cast for a .50 cal muzzle loader and experiment with cast for 45-70 & 6.5 swede, probably 44 cal pistol bullets too. Your help would be appreciated.

Thanks

swede

Welcome to the world of the "SILVER STREAM".

Casters like others have a LOT of opinions about what is the only way to do something, make up proper boolits . . . yest you have to learn to differentiate between real boolits and those other things.

If you hang around many of the BP shooters you are already used to the "opinions" issues.

Casting can start off cheap and build into as much as one wants to spend. It is also a part of the shooting sports where ones handiness will allow them to make some things that they will need.

Starting with a RB mold for the .50 caliber will make it easy to get used to everything and one can work up from there. If you shoot only conicals from the 50 then you may want to try with one of the 50 cal molds. Yet another approach since you mention 44 Mag, is to start casting 44 mag boolits and using a sabot in the 50 (you did not say if your were a traditionalist or modern Black Powder shooter).

WWs are a little hard for round balls and will cast a little larger than the mold is spec'ed
. . . a .490 mold is likely to be closer to .495. Keep your eyes peeled for any Pure lead for the BP shooting. I have always said I was going to test accuracy of Lead vs WWs in the RB but never have. Nother shooting roundtuit there. You will likely get complete penetration on a broadisde shot with WW based RB vs finding a big flattened RB under the skin on the opposite side like you would with pure lead.

I would peruse the pages of the catalogs from Midway, Mid South Shooters Supply and F&M reloading Supplies and get the idea of the investment required. Others here on the site may have their own favorites that they will share.

I personally prefer the Lee RB molds as they cut off the sprue pretty dang cleanly and then the nib is not a loading issue. My testing of their REAL boolits has left me with mixed results.


A lot of verbage just to say, that I cast many thousand boolits for my 44 Mag using an old
WWII canteen cup and a home made dipper when I first started.

Hunt around and read info on casting Boolits on various places on the web before making a committment to start.

If you shoot traditional BP I would suggest starting with Lee Double Cavity RB mold or if not then the Lee DC or 6 cavity Plain Base 44 mag mold.

I don't cast for it, but I understand the 6.5 can try even the most experienced caster/shooter.
You will know if you are getting serious about it if you will run out in the street to get "just one more" wheel weight.

Wyoming Swede---You'll get about as many opinions as you get responses. Here's some of mine. First thing I'd do is get a Lyman reloading manual if you don't already have one. Besides information,(which you'll have to sort through their opinions too)the Lyman has data which will be useful when you reload the cast bullets. From wheelweights to bullets,you'll go through a couple of processes which are separate. Smelting and the actual casting. Smelting is rendering the wheelweights into ingots. You'll get a lot of smoke off the wheelweights,so this is an outside deal. I use a Coleman stove. Many use turkey fryers. I prefer a cast iron pot(don't use aluminum). How big a smelting pot? Weight is an issue. I use a small pot and when the weights are melted,I can handle it with pliers to pour into my ingot mold. If you use a big pot,you'll need a plumbers type ladle to pour it. How much weight your Coleman stove/turkey fryer/whatever you use can handle is a consideration. Once the weights are melted,the clips etc will be on top and need to be skimmed off--I use a big soup spoon. You'll want to flux the melt too--all sorts of stuff used for that,probably be easier to list what can't be used than what is used. Then you pour into whatever you use for an ingot mold. If you think what is used for flux is creative,read what all is used for an ingot mold to see some real creativity. I use,of all things,an ingot mold. You don't want to use your casting furnace for smelting,if you have a bottom pour. You'll stop it up from all the crud that comes off the wheelweights. Ok,you now have ingots. Ready to cast. The major choices are a bottom pour pot or a ladle. I have done both and prefer the bottom pour. I am not a big fan of a lot of Lee stuff,but I like my Lee bottom pour. Most everything else I go with RCBS. An RCBS mold will cost more,but will last you a lifetime. So you have poured the bullet. Many don't like to size them so they use liquid alox to lube them. I size mine and use an RCBS luber sizer to do so.

Thank you gentlemen...I will continue to lurk & learn.

swede