I brought a bit of gear and knocked up this rough and ready casting booth for the garden shed

My first two attempts were outside in the cold and the results were not great, but with the booth set up in the shed I cast this lot (except for the big HP which is Danny's work). They are in pure lead...

I have some perfecting to do but they seem to work OK....I shot this 3 shot group with the 115 grain flat nose slugs on Sunday, off one 3500 fill of the DAQ.

Cheers
Neil

Hi Neil

Great set up! What pot are you using?

Wow - for a thousand yard group - that doesn't look bad! . Hehe.

Nice casting work.

Gary

Oops, meant to say that was at a 100 yards.....I'm working hard on my 1000 yard groups though...
Thanks Gary

A hundred! Gosh - we throw darts a hundred. . Horse shoes too ...

Slugs look good Neil. What pot are you using. I need a new one.

Gary

I was wondering about the distance too.

Casting has always intrigued me but I have too much on my plate currently to start another venture. Looks great for a newbie.

Lon

Thanks Lon

Sorry Gary, I should have answered your question in my first response....I am just using a small cast iron casserole dish over a cheap gas-burner and I use a Lyman ladle. I have an old saucepan for melting down the recycled roof flashing lead and cleaning it up before it goes in the red casting pot. I also have an RCBS lead thermometer so I know what temperature I am casting at. And some very good heat proof gloves and a full face visor to protect my good looks
Cheers
Neil

Hi Neil,

Well, silly me. I looked at your post on my iPhone. When I see the pics on my laptop, it's clear as day what you are doing. Actually, I've never done it that way. I've always used a bottom pour lead pot. The ones I've used are called a Pro-20 I think. Something like that. They are only about $69 and I've had probably 6 or them. They last me about two years. Now Jerry has a fine bottom pour that's in the $300+ range. Forget the name but I want one. I think they run it day and night on three shifts.

The slugs look great. Must work great for you. I can't imagine that the ladle keeps the lead hot - but clearly it does. And has for centuries. Da!

Protect the looks Neil. At our age - the trophies to protect are slim. hahah

Gary

Way to go Neil .I port a lot of lead for sinkers for fishing and in my experience I always had to sacrifice my first pour. The reason being that the mold have to get hot to fill up really good or it hardened to quick leaving void! I never broke down and bought a bottom pour pot either. I always use my turkey fryer with a Dutch oven cast iron cooking and a bullet ladle. The turkey fryer melts lead in record time. ( no waiting )

That works, Kurt; but it makes the next batch of biscuits taste funny!



Gary

That's why you put gravy on them. Plus a little soot from a torch or candle helps split shot fall out easier .and again gravy covers up the black soot. you can hardly taste it !

.

Hi Kurt, I have found (and was expecting from what I had read) that the first few slugs are usually rubbish while the mould reaches temperature...

Gary, the wee Lyman ladle is cast iron and sits in the lead the whole time except for the pour so it keep hot alright.
Us colonials have to do things the old-fashioned way you know

We have the RCBS bottom pour pot. Pricey but working more than 4 years now. We never got a year out of the Lee pots.

Looking good Neil. Both the bullets and the groups at 1000 yards.....

Oh SWEET Jesus!!!!! I thought ya was Ded!!!!

What dragged ya back here Faz?

OK, I think I got it. Lee melting pot last 1 to 2 years, RCBS 4+ years. A cast iron pot last a lifetime. I tried casting once with mixed results. I used a small cast iron pot, but it did not fit the burner well. Reading the posts I now know I have to keep the ladle in the pot, which was not possible with the oversized burner. I just need to find a smaller burner and try again.

Keith