Casting cores.

[Donna]

I resisted casting my core but large diameter wire for .45 and .458 calibers combined with my wire supplier raising prices are forcing me to rethink casting my own cores. Over on the cast bullet forum the consensus for furnaces was that both the Lee and Lyman were not worth the money while the RCBS was good and Magma was the Cadillac. So, I figure the Magma 40 lb. furnace is the way to go. What are your thoughts on the subject?

Donna

[talon]

Donna,
  Hope you are fine after your stint having your back problem corrected.
 For your purposes, I think the 20#RCBS would be the way to go. You will be hand dipping to the slug molds ( unless you can figure out a way to bottom pour into them), and will need a break every 15 minutes or so, which is time to add more lead to the pot. So a 20# pot is all you need. Remember, it takes more kwh to heat 40#, which isn't necessary if your production rate doesn't call for high volume usage.
  Be sure to locate an inexpensive source of scrap lead in your immediate area before getting any pot. While wheelweights are hard to find in some areas, lead is much more difficult. Those folks over on the bullet casting forum know what they are talking about concerning smelting ( reducing dirty scrap to clean billets) outdoors, but if you live in a populated neighborhood, there will be complaints. It sometimes smells (and is) foul.
Finally, casting is the way to go for .45 cores. Hobby swagers just can't make wire with less trouble and expense than casting at that diameter.

[Clint Starke]

Donna:

Check you email, I just sent you some information.

C.S.

[Cat Whisperer]

I have several moulds used for casting cores.  Most are complete.  Most have an adjustable plug in the bottom to regulate the length of the core.

I ASSUME that it would be normal to cast one core for one bullet.

But I wonder, since it's a pain to cast so many, how easy it would be to make a mould that could be cut into several cores.

Is the length of the core that critical?  That is to ask, how does one regulate the weight of the core when cutting lead wire?  It it an easy or arduous task?

Just thinking of making a mould, perhaps several inches long, multiple cavities; IF it would offer an advantage.

[Donna]

I guess you could make a very long core and cut it into smaller lengths for cores.

No the length of a core is not critical at all. Weather the core is cut from wire or cast you just get it a few grains over the weight you are after. Then you put the cast or cut wire into the “core swage die” to bring it to the proper weight and diameter. Then the proper weight and diameter core will fit into the jacket cup to go into the “core seating die” and so on.

The task of cutting lead wire for cores is an easy one, in one day I’ll have a thousand pieces cut and put through the core swage die while I’m watching TV.

Clint--I never got the email. Resend it but to my PM this time.

Back problem is still a problem.

Donna

[Leftoverdj]

There is, or used to be, a core mould on the market for casting about 6 three inch long cores at a go. The mould was simply a series of holes drilled and reamed through a block and fitted with ejector pins to pop the cores back out the top. I doubt it would fit under any bottom pour furnace.

Such a mould would be best served with a cast iron dutch oven (Harbor Freight, c. $15), a spouted ladle of at least a pound capacity (www.theantimonyman.com), and a propane burner of the type known as a turkey fryer, c. $30 at any lawn and garden department.

That rig would be best set up outdoors or in a well ventilated garage, but it would be capable of producing several hundred pounds of cores in a day.

[Cat Whisperer]

Welllllll.  I've often recognized that when I come up with what I think is a good idea, that someone else has done it long before.

Did the 3" x 6 ea. mould work?

It seems to me that it is the simplist mould to make - cylinder straight through.

So what diameters are needed?

[Leftoverdj]

I dunno, Tim. Never used one, never even seen one. Just saw them advertised and noted them as an interesting idea. You'd want pretty good leverage on the ejector pins and a camming sprue plate like Lee uses on their 6 cavities would speed things up. I'm pretty sure the originals were bench mounted rather than hand held.

[talon]

Donna, recommend you acquire a Corbin CM-3 core mold, or one like it. Before I started making wire I used this type of mold extensively and highly recommend it. Cast your cores to +1 or 2 grains more than you need if you are using a jacketed bullet set, or +5 or 7 grains more if you are going LSWC style. Cutting core lengths in half or thirds to get what you need is inefficient.  Remember, unlike wire, cast cores have voids, and cutting one in liner "1/2" could make one side lighter than you can use. When you go to swage it you can tell... you don't have to weigh to find out. A like possibility exists in a single cast core, of course, but if you cast 1 or 2 grains 'heavy' you can correct for this possibility 99.99% of the time.

[Drilling Man]

I have a couple (or more?) core moulds that are ajustable, and cast 6 (i think) cores at a time.  I also have the RCBS 20 pound furnace, but how many cores are you going to need? Thousands??

  It's NOT just turn the darn thing on, and then start useing it, the mould has to be the "right" temp, as does the lead and everything else.  You need to use PURE lead too.  Usually you have to have the lead hotter than needed to keep the mould up to temp, EXPECIALLY since you keep dumping cold lead into the furnace.

  I also have an old dutch oven, and it works pretty good.  I heat mine with a one burner outdoor stove like is sold to deep fry a turkey. I have a 20 pound propane bottle hooked to it, and i use it in my shop that's well ventilated.  I cast 1,600 pounds of lead with it last winter alone!  :>)

  I think i need more info to recommend what way may best way to go for you.  Do you have the extra $$ for the furnace, or are you trying to get by cheaper?   Do you have plenty of room for a propane stove, or something around that will already work??  Do you plan to be doing this for income, or just do it for a hobby, and trying to save a few bucks along the way??

  I've done plenty of it both ways, so maybe? i can help??  Feel free to PM me if you like.

  BTW, i have the "bad back" too!!!!!!!!

  Drilling Man

[Donna]

the core size would be the same as for the wire:

.430
.390
.365
.340
.312
.275
.247
.218
.185
.170
.125

but when I get to the point of ordering it I'll go through Richard for the adjustable core molds. It is only, money wise, worth doing it for the big calibers.

Donna

[Lead pot]

Donna.
I pick up old bullet moulds at gun shows. I use a 6 cavity .38 sp. wad cutter mould that I drilled out to .399 diameter 1.450 deep. that is a good core for my .40 cal rifle. I have $10. in it for mould and handles.
 .451 six cavity mould for the .458.

Kurt

[Donna]

Thanks Kurt, I'll look around next time I'm at a gun show.

Donna

[Cat Whisperer]

...  I pick up old bullet moulds at gun shows. I use a 6 cavity ....   Kurt

Two other potential sources:  odd-deisgn moulds on e-bay and you can get UNCUT 6 cavity moulds from Lee Precision.  Aluminum is easy to machine.

Moulds are where you find them.  Look.

[Robert]

You might have already thought of this but.....for instance ...for swagging .358 bullets, my little book said to use 30 caliber wire.  I don't have any yet and I don't have a core mold, but I have two molds for 30 cal bullets, a 178 gr and a 200 gr.  I tried the 178 gr with my short jackets and it worked really well, came out to about 192 grs.  Now I just need to get the right length jackets.  I figure I can adjust the weight and length by either snipping a little off..or adding a little snip in the bottom of the jacket.  Just add and snip and weigh until I get the right weight and run it through.  Hey I really like this swagging stuff..what fun.  I am very much on the way to making my own bullets for hot loads in my 35 Whelen.

[Cat Whisperer]

FWIW, this is the Lyman 44 S which is .394 inside diameter: