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Hate to seem impatient, but wheres Walking Point?
(look forward to your reply)
(look forward to your reply)
Bullet Casting w/Lee Micro Groove's
I'm thinking about getting into casting and these seem too good to be true. I've read most of the previous posts on casting, but have a few questions. I am interested mainly in 230gr .45 bullets. Are the Lee .45 230gr micro groove 6 cavity molds as good as they seem? Some say the finished bullets are messy? Do you have to either drop these in water or bake them? I would prefer not to size and lube them. Any thoughts?
Thanks, Max
Thanks, Max
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I'm sorry, I somehow missed this thread on one of my favorite topics.
I've only used the 200 SWC with micro-grooves, but it should be similar.
These bullets are accurate and I've found the Lee moulds can be easy to use, especially with 200+ grain bullets. Steel moulds are more forgiving when the proper temp range is reached, but check the price.
There's no need to size the bullets unless the mould drops them out-of-round or really oversized. Most Lee moulds I used drop 100% wheel weight metal at 0.002" over the stated diameter (except the one I WANTED to be oversized).
There's no need to harden bullets for the .45 auto with water or an oven. I've tried it and it's a waste of time.
Lubing with liquid alox (I use the zip-lok bag method) is extremely easy. Once lubed just dump them on wax paper overnight.
The drawback is the entire bullet is covered in lube. While not really soft, it will get on your hands and all over your brass if you toss freshly loaded rounds in a container until you box them or whatever. Wiping the stuff off of the exposed bullet is an option, but a very poor one.
I've used them and was fairly careful as I loaded them so they didn't come into contact with the cases of other rounds. Using them in competition was no big deal, but any rounds in dropped partially filled mags or the round that hits the dirt after clearing the pistol will require a wiping. Not a big deal, but it's a minor drawback.
As a vain reloader I tired of the ugly appearance and the slightly slower loading (due to added handling). I started using a lubrisizer, but the pure boredom of it has made me think I might just dust off that Lee mould once again. Lubing 2000 bullets in a lubrisizer is no picnic, while lubing 2000 with liquid alox only takes a few minutes.
Using liquid alox and a Lee sizer is pretty easy if you find that sizing is needed. Ignore the instructions and size before lubing. A person could probably size 1000 an hour with little effort.
I've never found the liquid alox to be especially dirty compared to "normal" lube as far as the gun is concerned as long as you normally clean roughly every 1000 rounds.
The 6 cavity moulds are different than the double cavity moulds for sure. I'd much rather cast using a pair of double cavity moulds than use a 6 cavity mould. It seems like one or more cavities will nearly always drop rejects unless your standards are low. I've heard positive comments from some people, but I won't buy any more of them.
I've only used the 200 SWC with micro-grooves, but it should be similar.
These bullets are accurate and I've found the Lee moulds can be easy to use, especially with 200+ grain bullets. Steel moulds are more forgiving when the proper temp range is reached, but check the price.
There's no need to size the bullets unless the mould drops them out-of-round or really oversized. Most Lee moulds I used drop 100% wheel weight metal at 0.002" over the stated diameter (except the one I WANTED to be oversized).
There's no need to harden bullets for the .45 auto with water or an oven. I've tried it and it's a waste of time.
Lubing with liquid alox (I use the zip-lok bag method) is extremely easy. Once lubed just dump them on wax paper overnight.
The drawback is the entire bullet is covered in lube. While not really soft, it will get on your hands and all over your brass if you toss freshly loaded rounds in a container until you box them or whatever. Wiping the stuff off of the exposed bullet is an option, but a very poor one.
I've used them and was fairly careful as I loaded them so they didn't come into contact with the cases of other rounds. Using them in competition was no big deal, but any rounds in dropped partially filled mags or the round that hits the dirt after clearing the pistol will require a wiping. Not a big deal, but it's a minor drawback.
As a vain reloader I tired of the ugly appearance and the slightly slower loading (due to added handling). I started using a lubrisizer, but the pure boredom of it has made me think I might just dust off that Lee mould once again. Lubing 2000 bullets in a lubrisizer is no picnic, while lubing 2000 with liquid alox only takes a few minutes.
Using liquid alox and a Lee sizer is pretty easy if you find that sizing is needed. Ignore the instructions and size before lubing. A person could probably size 1000 an hour with little effort.
I've never found the liquid alox to be especially dirty compared to "normal" lube as far as the gun is concerned as long as you normally clean roughly every 1000 rounds.
The 6 cavity moulds are different than the double cavity moulds for sure. I'd much rather cast using a pair of double cavity moulds than use a 6 cavity mould. It seems like one or more cavities will nearly always drop rejects unless your standards are low. I've heard positive comments from some people, but I won't buy any more of them.
I have used alox lube for Lee bullets and been very pleased with them, even at magnum velocities. I put the bullets base down in a pan and melt lubricant around them. When it solidifies, a "biscuit cutter" of bullet diameter removes the bullets, leaving lube only in the grooves. A swipe of the base across a towel cleans the base. For the next go, just put bullets in the holes left from last time. It is faster than it sounds, and avoids the mess.
Lee used to sell the biscuit cutter tools for various diameter bullets. I do not know if they are still available, but one could improvise.
Lee used to sell the biscuit cutter tools for various diameter bullets. I do not know if they are still available, but one could improvise.
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Thanks Walking Point, thats the insightful reply I was hoping for. I may hold off on casting for a while. Max
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KLN, we posted at the same time, thanks for the reply. Is this method faster than using the lubrisizer method? Thanks, Max
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I'm going to butt in and say that this method seems slow based on my one attempt at pan lubing. Not the best way to get large quantities of bullets lubed IMHO. However, if you prefer Lee sizers and regular lube, pan or hand lubing are your only options besides liquid alox. Some folks seem to think the Lee sizers turn out a rounder bullet.
I did forget to mention that Rooster has a liquid lube that sounds like it dries to a hard finish. I may give this a try in the future instead of the liquid alox. Too bad I have several bottles of LA and only use the stuff for my paper patched .303 rounds.
I do like the Lee sizers when I'm oven hardening bullets. I can size quickly in the Lee unit, then oven harden and age, and finally lube in the lubrisizer.
I haven't seen any of the Lee "cookie cutter" kits offered in quite some time.
[This message has been edited by Walking Point (edited 10-21-2001).]
I did forget to mention that Rooster has a liquid lube that sounds like it dries to a hard finish. I may give this a try in the future instead of the liquid alox. Too bad I have several bottles of LA and only use the stuff for my paper patched .303 rounds.
I do like the Lee sizers when I'm oven hardening bullets. I can size quickly in the Lee unit, then oven harden and age, and finally lube in the lubrisizer.
I haven't seen any of the Lee "cookie cutter" kits offered in quite some time.
[This message has been edited by Walking Point (edited 10-21-2001).]
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I use 2 sets of Lee Micro Groove Moulds. I have pushed them to 1500 fps without leading.
I do drop them in water out of the mould. I use Lee liquid Alox lube. The moulds are so consistent weighing bullets is a waste of time. I'm also having good luck with a Lee 230 gn hollow point mould.
If God hadn't meant for man to own guns, He wouldn't have sent us John Browning!
Rob
I do drop them in water out of the mould. I use Lee liquid Alox lube. The moulds are so consistent weighing bullets is a waste of time. I'm also having good luck with a Lee 230 gn hollow point mould.
If God hadn't meant for man to own guns, He wouldn't have sent us John Browning!
Rob
I have cast mayber 2,000 of these in the .40-cal 180 gr. TC variety.
I really like the 6-cavity Lee mould. I really do not like the liquid ALOX lube -- I'm in a very dry climate, and the ALOX takes about a week to set-up, and even then it remains 'tacky'.
I just recently tumbled a small batch of these in moly, and then applied a thin coat of wax to seal the messy moly... this experiment is incomplete, but the first batch worked well. (Still have to apply lube in the grooves).
I'm still looking for the perfect liquid lube that dries fast, and really does DRY. --CC
I really like the 6-cavity Lee mould. I really do not like the liquid ALOX lube -- I'm in a very dry climate, and the ALOX takes about a week to set-up, and even then it remains 'tacky'.
I just recently tumbled a small batch of these in moly, and then applied a thin coat of wax to seal the messy moly... this experiment is incomplete, but the first batch worked well. (Still have to apply lube in the grooves).
I'm still looking for the perfect liquid lube that dries fast, and really does DRY. --CC
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I've never seen liquid alox take over a few hours to "dry", but I'm in SC.
Try the rooster liquid lube, as at least the advertising indicates it actually dries.
My next order to anybody who carries this lube will include some. Using the lubrisizer on thousands of bullets is getting very tiring and I know my Lee mould drops accurate bullets.
Try the rooster liquid lube, as at least the advertising indicates it actually dries.
My next order to anybody who carries this lube will include some. Using the lubrisizer on thousands of bullets is getting very tiring and I know my Lee mould drops accurate bullets.
As WP pointed out, pan lubing is slower, but I only use the technique for lower volume loading such as .44 Magnum and .445 Supermag.
The time required for casting, lubing and sizing .45 ACP bullets in more than I can bear. I have done it before, but now I can buy good bullets for $29 per thousand and that suits me better. I go through a lot of them.
A Lubrisizer speeds things up, but often sizes the bullets slightly crooked due to the nose punch arrangement. Bullets made with Lee tools are much more accurate, which is what I want for the big revolver loads.
I also want them pretty, which obviates having lube all over them. The pan technique is neater than all-over lube.
When I have done volume casting, I used a Lyman four cavity mould and a Lubrisizer, which seemed the best arrangement. Lee did not make the six cavity mould then, so I never tried it.
The time required for casting, lubing and sizing .45 ACP bullets in more than I can bear. I have done it before, but now I can buy good bullets for $29 per thousand and that suits me better. I go through a lot of them.
A Lubrisizer speeds things up, but often sizes the bullets slightly crooked due to the nose punch arrangement. Bullets made with Lee tools are much more accurate, which is what I want for the big revolver loads.
I also want them pretty, which obviates having lube all over them. The pan technique is neater than all-over lube.
When I have done volume casting, I used a Lyman four cavity mould and a Lubrisizer, which seemed the best arrangement. Lee did not make the six cavity mould then, so I never tried it.
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