SmallCaliberCentral

I have been thinking about starting to cast my own bullets. Since my son inlaw works for a tire shop and says he can supply me with wheel weights. Bullets will be for 45 acp & 45 long colt (200gr. swc) for starters. If anyone can suggest a good book on the subject it would be helpfull. I plan to purchace Lyman's basic casting kit & molds. Do wheel weights need other alloys added or are they hard enough as is? Does casting save enough money to make it worth the equippment expence ? I shoot about 2000-3000 bullets a year now, so i figure it will take some time to pass the break even point. Any comments on equipment & how too's will be helpfull .

thank you Rick S.

Definitely worth the expense. Start out with a 1 or 2 cavity mold and progress to a 6 cavity - they are worth it.

Wheel weights are generally hard enough if you keep the speed under 900ish.

Lyman and RCBS both have good books on bullet casting. Think about spending the extra to get a Magma Star lubri-sizer. It is so much faster and easier than any other it is worth the price. My experience is that wheel weights are fine up to about 1000 fps and can be pushed faster if hardened by dropping in water out of the mould. You may want to add a bit of tin to wheel weights when casting SWCs to aid in filling out the sharp corners. Soft lubes like Javalina are messier to use but work better.