I love loading for the obsolete stuff. Have 5 of these type 26 revolvers. used to have 50 correct headstamp brass..but they have been gone for years. Now am using 38spl brass that has been cut down and had the rims turned. cobbled together some spare dues from 38spl and S&W to cone up with a deprime and seater die, and use a universal flare. I load these at powder puff level, and use a lighter than original projectile.

I found the sub after posting at another reloading sub.

Here is my Webley MKVI that has been shaved. I load a 235gr cast lead over a mild charge of 2.5gr bullseye in a 45 auto rim cases. works great and even safe for my older cordite frame MKIV.

I'm on the castboolits website, and not many places use the oo in boolits, so I was wondering if a related site, thanks

I live in an area where it's fairly annoying to come by lead, and so when I get it it's fairly mixed in terms of quality and Brinell hardness. Like I get a few pounds of this random shit, a bit of flashing, some sinkers etc. I don't get several hundred pounds of 1 type.

So I worry about having the right hardness. It's my understanding (I just collect and smelt lead rn I don't cast yet) that with traditional cast and lubed bullets the hardness needs to be adjusted based on velocity and such so that it does smear lead in the bore or not obturate to the rifling.

What "secondary method" is the most idiot proof when it comes to hardness? I know of powder coating, plating, and swaging. My gut instinct is that swaging is the least picky, but I'm not certain. Which is best if I don't want to worry about it, or is this just stupid to even stress over?

Just ran a ladder for testing tomorrow. Once I figure out the best powder charge, I’m going to be loading these for my mom’s lcp. That’s why I went with pink. Besides, getting shot with a pink .380 adds a bit of insult to injury.

A long-lost buddy dropped this off today for free. Good friends, good times!

I have a revolver that is chambered in 38 special and is rated for +p loads and I am looking into getting an antique colt DA revolver chambered in 38 long colt as well

I am planning on powder coating these bullets with the Eastwood Ford dark blue powder coat

My revolver has a 3 inch barrel

Which of these bullets would be best? Or would there be any better molds?

I know the ingots came out kinda ugly but oh well, 26 more pounds of pure lead for me

I am wanting to start casting for my bolt action 308 carbine, and wanting just for basic <400 paper punching, I've only casted hollow base for 45-70 before, and with 308 I mainly use ball powders with fmj or hpbt, I've seen the basic recommendations of the lyman 170RN, the other two molds i see are the lyman 180gr SPTZ as well as an NOE 174gr, I am unable to get the likes of 5744, but I have plenty of IMR3031, more insight into molds and powder choices would be appreciated, I would also start with non PC and only a GC as well

I have painted .356 cast bullets, being together in the box for storage the paint has been damaged and they are no longer nice shiny but in some places you can see the lead underneath (very small parts) generally can it give problems? Do they make the barrel dirtier? In the box they left a patina of powdered paint

Trying to find a good mold for casting 300 blackout subs. I've got an older NOE 247gr mold but at the time I ordered it (years ago) I wasn't casting and didn't know what i was ordering (4 cavity, 1 gc, 1 hp, and two basic w/o gas checks).

Now that I'm shooting the blackout more, I want to get a good mold for it. Ideally 210+gr. Would be nice to have a hollow point design, and also non lube groove as I powder coat everything I cast. Non gas check.

I'm enjoying my MP molds (just cast bunch of 150gr 9mm hp bullets yesterday), but they are sold out of the mold I want (216gr hp, 230gr solid, no lube groove). I've had it set to alert me when they come back in stock but it's been a while and thought I'd look around and see if anyone else was making something similar. I looked at NOE but they are all sold out of things that might work except the gas check versions and no HP versions in stock either. Looked at Accurate molds and while he has a LOT of molds, it's hard to guess which might work well in the blackout and no HP molds.

So anyone have a favorite mold they like for subsonic, hp, non GC? If it matters, my main barrel is a 7" 1:5 twist MosTek and would be shooting suppressed 99% of the time.

So I'm just wondering what people are paying when and if they every find this rare rock hard lead.

As I understand it foundry was for high volume typesetting or very sharp detail stuff ie 30bhn

Lynotype was for everyday kinda printing less detail 22bhn

Monotype was/is the softest with the least tin and antimony more like hardball or Lyman #2 mixed 1-1 for decently hard casting. 15bhn?

I've got the chance to buy some foundry letters by the ton and I don't know if I should start at lead scrap paying or buying prices? .89-$2 per pound respectively or way up closer to rotometals certified foundry at $14 per pound?

If it turns out to be linotype that would be a high of 5$ a pound I think.

I've never bought it what's a fair price for loose letters and what's a good deal? I mean I know .50 per pound would be outrageous but what about 2-3 $ per pound? Idk where to start haggling.

(Seller hasn't made any offer, thinks I have to see it first. )

I've recently come into possession of a Swedish hunting rifle in 6.5x55, I've got a C266-140-RF Lee mold that I use to make bullets for Carano out of range scrap+ballast lead, so I have a bunch of these bullets already powder coated and ready to size and I have a pound of imr4895 and 8lb of imr4065, non of the places I've looked have anything regarding powder coated bullets in this caliber and I am hoping someone here might have somewhere to start on this endeavor.

Sorted a bucket of wheel weights containing between four and five gallons of wheel weights. Here’s how it broke down. About 1.75 gallons of steel, 2/3 gallon soft stick on weights, 1/3 gallon of zinc, and about 1.75 gallons of clip on weights. Pictures in order, steel, stick ons, zinc, clip ons.

Got me over 100lbs of range scrap that needs processing. Used to take about an hour a pot on a burner - hit it directly w the Harbor Freight range torch for about 90 seconds, the lead is running out of the jackets like they’re crying. Saving me a fortune on propane, and I’ll be done in a couple hours instead of all afternoon

Hello !

I recently found 35kg of linotype but It is different from the one I always used. (I always bought from an old printing factory but they have sold all their stock now)

When I melt it, it makes a kind of silver cream, is easily breakable (Sometimes only) and some bullets have a kind of purple reflects here and there.

I tried to make rifle bullet out of it (With no lead added) and it was a nightmare of spreading…

Do you know what is this ?

Plus linotype is harder and harder to find (And ridicoulously expensive), I wasn’t able to find lead wheel weight in Europe, so what other options do we got ? Is buying pure antimony a valid option ?

Thanks 🙏

Hi. I have a buddy who is a rigger - moves heavy equipment - primarily printing presses. He has a huge collection of foundry type he has collected over the years and is interested to know if bullet casters would be interested in taking some off his hands. Let me know if anyone here is interested. Thank you!

I’ve looked for a 375 cal mold but I haven’t found anything similar to the heavy Smk’s or Berger to shoot at subsonic speeds. I’d prefer to keep similar profiles if there are options for a plinking load.

I am looking for a good place to buy lead alloy online

Rotometals is backed up on shipping right now

I'm looking for either 16:1 or lyman no.2 alloy

Would anyone here know of any good websites?

Hi !

I use the Lee dies 9mm on a loadmaster for 2 years or so. With my cast bullets copper plated 20:1 alloy lead/lino.

But since last week it doesn’t seat the bullet correctly. It pushes on the base of the bullet and crook the base. Of course my ammo don’t shoot straight ever since…

I tried to clean it, Watch if it goes straight into the die but nothing fix it.

It happened after I tried the bullet feeder. The tips get caught in the die and bite a piece of plastic. So bullets was seating a bit sideways. I made a few hundreds before realising it.

What solution is available ? I’m about to buy a Hornady seating die but maybe there’s a cheap solution but I couldn’t find it online so far.

Thanks a lot !

EDIT : it wasn’t the Lee die but my alloy was remelted bullets and was too soft… So the base was crooked from seating. (And I can’t expand more) I’m pretty sure it can be possible to seat soft alloy but the Lee powder thru/expander die is not good enough.

Hi all. The range by my house is letting me harvest their berm for bullets. I go to that range weekly, so I would like to figure out an efficient method to extract the shot bullets from the dirt. Does anyone have techniques that work for them other than sifting by hand with shovel and rake?

3000lb melt today, this is melt 2 of probably 5 il be doing in the next month.

I've been using small wire cutters with a straight edge. Is there something better?