A Beginners Guide to Bullet Casting
Serious reloaders know that not only can you reload your own ammunition…you can make your own bullets too. Whether you are interested in casting bullets to save cash, crafting the perfect target load for your competition handgun, casting hard-to-find bullets for rare firearms, making soft lead bullets easy on historic rifle barrels, or even tuning a subsonic standout load, there are many good reasons to get into casting.
This article walks through how to properly melt lead for bullet casting or even fishing weights. We’ll cover the tools you need, safety procedures, and a quick casting how-to.
With quality equipment like RCBS’s line of bullet casting furnances and accessories, this process is safe, clean, and efficient.
Casting Background, Alloys & Temperature
Lead has been melted and cast into many different items for centuries. Lead is the metal of choice for casting bullets and fishing weights due to its high specific gravity, malleability, availability and cost. There are various alloys to choose from when casting bullets.
- Pure lead is the softest of the materials. Pure lead alone is not a good choice for bullet casting in modern arms
- 1:20 (lead, tin) alloy is a good bullet casting material commonly used in black powder firearms and historic firearms
- 1:10 (lead, tin) alloy is common alloy for bullet casting and is harder than the previous materials
- Linotype (lead, tin, antimony) alloy is 84% lead, 4% tin and 12% antimony. This is the hardest and easiest material to cast bullets with
Lead melts at a relatively low temperature. Lead will melt at 621degrees F. Casting temperatures are higher than melting points. Materials will flow and form better at higher temperatures.
Suggested casting temperatures are as follows:
- Lead, 1:20, 1:10 – 700 degrees F
- Linotype – 775 degrees F
These are common temperatures reloaders use for casting lead bullets. Depending on your project, results may vary.
Casting Safety
Before we get to casting specifics, let’s review a few safety tips. Precautions need to be taken when melting lead. Lead can be ingested into the body in many ways. The body does not readily dispose of lead and can build up in tissues and vital organs and can inhibit their function. Molten lead is extremely hot and will burn the skin badly. The following precautions should be adhered to with no shortcuts.
- Good ventilation is required to avoid breathing of lead dust and fumes
- Wear eye protection, long sleeved shirts, work gloves and shoes that completely cover the feet and ankles. Reducing the possibility of burns is essential
- Keep small children well away from the casting area
- Do not eat, smoke or handle food while handling lead. Wash well and clean the casting area well after the session. There are various soaps and wipes on the market
- Be sure the bullet mould, lead dipper, anything that will be in contact with the molten lead is clean and free of moisture
- Moisture is not a friend of molten lead. A very small amount of moisture introduced to molten lead can cause a reaction that will send hot lead in all directions.
- Melting pots should never be left unattended.
Casting Equipment
There are various methods and equipment to melt lead, from the low tech to very sophisticated.
- On the entry level side, beginning casters can use an RCBS Lead Pot. This item can be used on a small stove to melt lead. A Lead Thermometer is required to produce proper temperature. Use of the Lead Pot also requires a Lead Dipper to transfer the molten lead from pot to the bullet mould. The Lead Pot has a 10 lb. capacity
- For a step up, RCBS’s Easy Melt-2 is a standalone casting pot with a programmable temperature control with digital readout. Simply plug the Easy Melt in, and use the unit’s controls to reach your desired casting temp. Use of a lead dipper is also required. The Easy Melt has a hinged pot cover for safety and less mess, with a 25 lb. capacity.
- High Quality: Dedicated casters will utilize a furnace like the RCBS Pro Melt-2. With programmable temperature controls and digital readout, the Pro Melt-2 is a bottom-pour furnace that ensures accurate and safe casting. 25lb capacity.
In addition to the thermometer, lead pot, and lead dipper above, bullet casting also requires the use of a bullet mould and mould handles. Many serious casters use equipment such as RCBS’s Lube-A-Matic to size and lubricate their cast bullets in one step. Multiple moulds are also a good idea as you can speed up your process by pouring/batching for multiple moulds at once.
As detailed above, don’t forget your safety equipment including gloves, eye protection, long sleeves/pants, and consider an industrial mask desired to filter out lead dust and fumes. Be sure to use a heat-resistant bench for your casting equipment and work station.
Casting Procedure
- Use your furnace to get the lead or alloy to reach desired temperature
- Once temp is reached, add your lead ingots
- During the lead’s heat up period (up to 30 min) place your bullet mould/moulds on top of your pot to evenly heat the mould
- Lead must be ‘fluxed’ after reaching casting temperature. There are flux materials on the market for this procedure. This is done to remove any impurities in the material
- After the metal is fluxed there will be an ashy looking substance on the molten lead. This is to be removed using the Lead Dipper or a wood handled spoon
- Utilizing a dipper or bottom pour, transfer lead at desired temperature into each cavity of your mould or moulds to overflowing
- Once the bullets have set or hardened, using an RCBS mould mallet knock open the steel sprue plate, cutting sprues loose and freeing the bullets
- Open the mould and remove your cast bullets. Quench the bullets if desired
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