Molds
With the cost of doing business at the range going up every time it rains I decided making my own bullets from scrap lead might be worth the endeavor. I spoke with Robert Bank (a member here at m1911.org) initially about getting started. We exchanged many emails and spent several hours on the phone getting me prepped to turn lead wheel weights into lead semi wad cutters as fodder for my Government Models.
I decided to start with the Lyman Master Casting Kit because Lyman has been making casting equipment a while now and many swear by it. The initial kit was inexpensive, which was also a factor as starting a new hobby there is always the chance it won't go as expected and casting would not be for me.
The Master Casting Kit includes a 10 pound electric pot, ladle, 4500 bullet sizer/lubercator, four cavity one pound ingot mold, and the Lyman Cast Bullet Handbook. The Lyman Cast Bullet Handbook should be read at least twice before any steps on casting or smelting begins.
I really enjoy reloading so I was optimistic on casting. A call to Cabelas one evening for the kit, then to Midway for some molds, and a little abuse to my Visa and I was on my way. I chose Lyman molds 452630 (a 200gr Lead semi-wad cutter for .45 Automatic) and 356402 (a truncated cone for Super .38).
There would be a few days before my equipment would arrive so I decided to scour the local tire stores for old wheel weights. After a few stops and some animated conversation I had liberated three five-gallon buckets full of wheel weights. This is a good time to mention that a five-gallon bucket full of wheel weights is heavy, so be careful loading your haul.
I should clarify why I am using wheel weights. Pure lead is too soft for use in front of smokeless powder, so a lead alloyed with a small amount of tin and antimony will add the hardness needed (more on that later) for clean shooting bullets. You can alloy pure lead with a lead/tin solder in ratios to get a desired hardness but for my casting purpose wheel weights (about 95.5% lead, .5% tin, and 4% antimony) work in my pistols. To further harden them, I water quench the bullets right from the mold. The step is not necessary for pistol but is a step that works for me. Water quenched bullets are harder than air cooled. Also as casted bullets age for the first three weeks or so they will harden a little. There are several kits that measure Brinnell hardness if you need to know bullet hardness closer than a guess (which I believe is a good tool to have on hand) I use the Lee kit, it measures harness by putting a dimple in a lead bullet using a reloading press by using a spring loaded punch and then measuring the dimple's diameter and comparing that number to a supplied chart to get the hardness.