Hello everyone. Greetings from Mongolia. I am interested in casting bullets for Mosin Nagants and some other medium bore rifles. Please lead me to online source for bullet casting infromation. I am totally new to casting.
Thanks

Nyamdavaa

Hmm, Mongolia
A suggestion don't cast in your yurt, the fumes are poisonious and there is a fire hazzard.
Two really good sites for casting info are Cast Boolets and Beartooth Bullets.
Hope to see you in both.
Jim

I doubt Davaa's going to be casting in a yurt.

Davaa, the "Cast Boolits" site mentioned is at: http://cast_boolits.aimoo.com/ I think there's a thread over there about what it takes to get started in casting.

Welcome!

I'm almost totally ignorant of mongolia, and am curious about what sort of shooting supplies are commonly available, or where else you can have them shipped in. Are there local producers of bullet molds?

The basics for getting started are a source of lead, though pure lead will be too soft for all but black powder rifles. One of the preferred alloys in the states are wheel weights, the lead alloy weights used to balance automobile and truck tires. They are preferred because they are both relatively easy to come by, and the alloy produces a reasonably hard alloy, and can be made harder by heat treatment.

Once you have a source of lead, you'll need a means of melting it. The small electric furnaces 5-10kg capacity, are good for actually casting the bullets. The trouble is the wheelweights need to be melted down into clean ingots, so a larger heat source is typically used, either a propane powered burner and large pot, or a naptha burning camp stove. It is important not to get the alloy too hot, or lead fumes will be created with the associated helth risks. I believe the smoke from the contaminats on the wheel weights are likely a greater health risk than the lead fumes.

Once you have molten lead alloy, it is just a matter of pooring it into a mold that is at the correct termperature, then dropping out your bullet either onto a soft heat resistant cloth or into a bucket of cold water if you want it hardened.

After you finish a casting session, you'll visually inspect the bullets, and discard those with obvious defects.

Then the bullets need to be lubricated, likely sized and perhaps a gas check fit. Then it is just a matter of loading and shooting. Due to the soft bases of the bullets, even with gas checks, the case mouth will have to be slightly belled, or a narrow angle chamfer cut. I usually use a 5 deg bridge reamer to chamfer my rifle cases as opposed to belling, but bell pistol cases.

Fire away with any other questions.

Hi Davaa- Resistance is futile! You will be assimilated! Ahhh, err, ahem
You'll like casting bullets. But you really don't 'save' money though. The money you save you invest in molds and more guns to try those molds in. If you are anywhere near southern Illinois, you could drop in & I'll teach you all I know. Hmmmm... We'd have to go shooting after that 5 minutes has passed though!

Try to find someone nearby who can show you. Read what you can. Always,always, always secure the pot on the bench. ( Ask me how I know!) Wear glasses. I always use a fan to blow the gases out the window. And get a dentist appointment. you will be grinning so much you will want your smile to be it's best. Dale

Hello Davaa:

Here you have a lot of bullet casting FAQ�s

http://www.magmaengr.com/answer_wizard.html

Splitting advertisement claims, there is a lot of good info about casting.

If USA equipments, tools or materials are not available in your country, do not hesitate to ask. I suffer this lack of specialized stuffs and finded good substitutes.

BA Shooter

Davaa: Send us a complete address for mailing stuff to you, and we can maybe start sharing some of our extras. I have a spare copy of the original 1958 Lyman "Handbook of Cast Bullets", an "oldie but goodie" with all the basic information you need to get started, a good listing of moulds and their uses, and most of the powders and loads listed are still valid (but start about 10-15% low on powder charges and work up). They suggest .30-06 loads for the Mosin-Nagant, and have a lot of data on these. It's a pocket-size booklet, under 1 lb. and should go International Priority Mail as a "gift" without any Customs problems - at our end at least. I've had a lot of interest in Central Asian History and the Mongol era, so I can at least find you on the map. Welcome to the Cast Bullet world. floodgate

Hi Davaa, I ,too, would like to help. (Wonderful idea, floodgate) But we all must be careful here. There are many laws overseas and here,,,,and we don't want to get you or ourselves in trouble.

That said, what calibers do you want to reload? I am sure we can not send powders/primers/bullets, or such. Molds/die sets/presses I don't know about.

The easiest way would be to post the reloading info you need. Do you reload now? Dale

P.S. After reading my post and realizing that you really are from Mongolia, I am sorry for my flip reply. That is just my warped sense of humor. Let us be friends.