Rate of Production?

[PigFarmer]

Hey guys, I'm new to this forum, and reloading in general.  I haven't started reloading yet, but am planning on getting some equipment and starting in the next month or two.  I want to start reloading for two reasons, one as a fun hobby and two so I can shoot more.  I have been reading and watching some of the videos about bullet casting and it seems like something I might want to try.  However the process seems rather time consuming.  My question for you seasoned casters how much time would you say you have in 100 bullets, including melting down WW, casting, and lubing/sizing bullets?

Thanks,

Chris

[r1kk1]

You won't want to do all this is one day. When learning reloading take your time and when skills improve, you can speed up your process. With cast bullets sized and lubed already on the bench, I can load a hundred fairly fast. Haven't put a time to it. It's a hobby. That is rewarding in itself.

Do things in stages. Nothing wrong with learning to cast later down the road. Learn the basics, watch the videos here, and read as much on the subject as you can.

take care,

r1kk1

[br549]

Have never sat down and tried to put a time to it since it is all separate operations. Since WW are so hard to find I melt down range pick up bullets and don't melt down till I have a 5 gal. bucket full. Melting that down is 4-5 hrs (done outside so if the wind is strong it takes longer) and yields 200# or so of ingots.

Last time I cast bullets I ended up with about 15# of 200gr 45ACP LSWC bullets. That's approximately 525 bullets and I think I was at it 3-4 hrs. After casting I store them in Folgers coffee cans for use when needed.

When I get ready to load I only size and lube what I am going to load in one sitting. The last time it was 200 rounds and I probably spent 3 hrs or so.

Time could be reduced greatly by casting more bullets at one time or loading more at one sitting since I can't leave everything set up and setup/breakdown takes quite a bit of time.

[mdr8088]

This Tuesday I set everything up and plugged in my 20lb pot about 10am.  I cast 30lbs of 00 buck and 208 Lee 1oz drivekey slugs.  I finished about 3pm. I did the slugs in an hour and a half.  That's using a ladle to fill the mold. I smelt in my pot, so I didn't get the bottom poor.  I was afraid I'd get it clogged up.  The slugs are one at a time.  I have a 6 cavity for my 9mm and can cast a couple thousand in a few hours.  Once you get a feel casting you get into a rhythm and it can fly.  There is a lot of time in smelting, casting, lubing, sizing, relubeing if your doing the Lee thing, brass prep, loading, etc.  r1kk1 is right, it helps to break it up.  I put a lot of time into making bullets, if you add up the time I'm not sure if you'd save money for some calibers.  9mm and .223 is pretty cheap.  I save money yeah, but if you add up your time.   Other calibers are more worth the effort.  In my situation I got the time, not the money.  It's a lot of fun, and addicting.  The more I learn the more I know I don't know.  

[SKS50]

In general I break mine up into several different secessions.  One day I'll spend a few hours to most of the day depending on how much lead I'm working with sorting by type and melting it down to ingots.

On the days that I plan on casting bullets I start early in the morning,I do most of my casting in the late fall and winter months when it's cooler and rainy.  I load my Lee 20 lb. pot up with the alloy of the day and while thats melting I prep my molds I'm planning on casting with that day and put them on the hot plate to heat up. 

When my alloy is up to temp I flux it with sawdust and begin casting till the pot is about 3/4 used up,I take my break while the next batch of alloy is melting.  Most all my molds are two cavity and it's a bit slower but I cast up about 500 bullets per secession and it doesn't take long to pile up enough bullets to last the year.

As far as lubing bullets go I tumble lube or ranch dip many of my bullet and use Lee push through sizers to apply gas checks and do any sizing thats needed.  Doesn't take long to lube up a couple hundred bullets when you TL them and there ready the next day.  Applying gas checks and ranch dipping bullets is a bit slower but  it's cheap and since reloading is my hobby you can knock out lots of bullets in just a few hours each week.  I don't watch much TV or play video game and I make good use of the cooler and nastier parts of the year when you can't really do much else outside.  It's a rare occasion that I cast any during the late spring and summer months. 

[r1kk1]

I too cast in the winter and very cool days. I use cast iron pots that hold 50 lbs of metal at a shot. Using various gang moulds, my buddy and I use BruceB speed casting technique. When we cast, I have two turkey burners, the first pot is fluxed and ready to rock and the second is melting lead down to be ready. We have done 200 lbs in a day easily. You won't believe how many bullets are produced with two guys doing speed casting. Hellava workout too. I smelt lead on other days to remove clips or whatever. Roswell ladles hold enough material for the multiple cavities.

take care,

r1kk1

[PigFarmer]

Thanks guys!  This forum is full of great information.  I think for right now I will focus on getting started reloading, then maybe next winter I'll take on bullet casting.  Thanks again for the information.

[NicNac]

Thanks guys!  This forum is full of great information.  I think for right now I will focus on getting started reloading, then maybe next winter I'll take on bullet casting.  Thanks again for the information.

Stock up on supplies and Lead/wheel weights in the mean while. They could become as good as Gold. 

[Cowboy T]

Just about all of us first learned how to reload, and then we took on casting later.  You have time.  Use it to study as much as you can.

For later, if you find that wheel weight alloy's hard to source locally, turns out eBay's not a bad source of wheel weight alloy.  Expect to pay about a buck/lb.  Even at that price, it's well worth it.  Pick up some every once a month or so, in order to get a good stash.

Which rounds are you looking to reload?

[PigFarmer]

CowboyT, I am going to start out loading .357 and .44 magnum.  I would like to get a .44 mag 200 grain XTP load for my 4" Taurus Tracker and a 300 grain XTP load for my Rossi M92 for white tail hunting.  Also a good mild .357 target load for the pair of Taurus 605 2" that my wife and I carry.  Latter I will start reloading .40 S&W.  I plan on starting out with a Lee classic Turrent press, hopefully as soon I get my tax check.  BTW I found your website two and you have some very informative videos.  I haven't checked into the local supply of lead yet, but I'll keep ebay in mind, thanks. 

[Ammosmith]

Hey guys, I'm new to this forum, and reloading in general.  I haven't started reloading yet, but am planning on getting some equipment and starting in the next month or two.  I want to start reloading for two reasons, one as a fun hobby and two so I can shoot more.  I have been reading and watching some of the videos about bullet casting and it seems like something I might want to try.  However the process seems rather time consuming.  My question for you seasoned casters how much time would you say you have in 100 bullets, including melting down WW, casting, and lubing/sizing bullets?

Thanks,

Chris

Depends. I can cast a ton of bullets...and I mean tons of them...but...if I rush and only want to see a pile of bullets I end up rejecting about 2/3 of the production. With a two cavity mold..once at optimum temperature...say my 429421 mold...  I'm guessing about 250 bullets cast pr hour. It's not easy sitting over a furnace and my neck for some reason always gets stiff. So I want a 90% good bullet rate. I can get a 95-97% when using a single cavity mold and a ladle. I want good bullets so I cast them as good as I can.

[Cowboy T]

Here's one example of what can be done with, say, .38 Special.  Some months back, I cast about 6,000 boolits in a day.  Including wait time for restocking the pot and melting the alloy, it took about 10-11 hours.  Actual work time for me was about 5 hrs.  This is with Lee's 358-105-SWC, six-cavity mould.  Boolit rejection rate was maybe half a percent.  For .44 Magnum or .45 Colt (200gr boolits), I can do about 400 an hour with a less than 1% rejection rate.  Again, this is with a six-cavity mould. 

The trick is to keep the alloy temperature up there, say, about 700 to 750 degrees.  For the 255gr boolit, it's about 300 or so an hour.  That six-cavity mould also really helps out, not just because it's a six-cavity, but also because of the neat wooden handle and cam-action for the sprue plate.  There's no way I could achieve that output with a standard 2-cavity model.