2015 BS and Chat Thread!

[ellis93]

I can build 45 acp 230 gr fmj for about .20$. Well worth the investment for me since I shoot quite a bit.

I cast my own projectiles so that only gets cheaper for me. Only thing is the time and finding the lead. This last year I've did really well finding Linotype and pure lead. I bought about 7 or 800 pounds of printing press type for about .50$ a Lb. Turned around and sold nearly half that for 1$ a pound. Basically I got around 400lb for free. The pure lead I get at the scrap yard here in the form of old roof vents. I melt those down in a nasty old pot I built out of garbage.
It's epic

[ellis93]

Since I'm talking about it.
Look at that ugly mother.

Burning so lead

Productive

One of my newer versions that I sold to a guy off a gun forum

[diesel freak01]

Looks good Elis. I just use a cast iron skillet on a propane burner.

And I haven't driven it too much. I drove it home from the dealer Thursday and that's it. Will be hauling the little tractor home soon so we will see. It will get up and move pretty well. I would love to see what efi would do to it but that won't happen until the warranty is out on this one.

[peobryant]

My mom went and traded the 06 in last week. Finally got the truck she ordered in November. It's really nice, just about every option. Mega cab ton single wheel with the Aisin and the air ride. Boy it rides nice and smooth. Will be nice to haul the tractor this summer.

That truck is absolutely gorgeous. I've driven a few 4th gens and they are extremely nice, I'd love to daily drive one.

[DMan1198]

I raced an older srt8 jeep today. Apparently my setup makes em dead even. We were going around a corner, so I backed out before because I didn't want to risk piling into her jeep. She was cute too

[diesel freak01]

She is making it extremely hard on me. I want one like that now but have been trying to refrain from it and run my work truck until it's out of compliance. This makes me wanna order one now!

[DMan1198]

I say give it a few months until efi live goes to full release rather than just the pre release that's out now

[txs]

Ellis, what brand of mold you favor? I picked up some rockchuckers awhile back and been accumulating various dies, but haven't gotten any molds yet. I do have a couple hundred pounds of lead on hand.

[ellis93]

I've a bunch of Lee molds that I use the most.....because they're cheap. I'm fixing to be buying a few brass NOE molds for .223 to just try them.....plus Lee doesn't have what I want.
When I started fooling with casting bullets there were a lot of Lyman recommendations,problem with those (to me) are they are cast iron and the upkeep sucks. You can't oil them cuase you will have to clean it then cast about 50 times before you ever throw a good bullet. With the aluminum Lee mold,you have almost no worries. Lube the spruce plate,cast two times to warm the mold and your GTG. Only down side is you can over heat them and warp the mold body....so I've been told,never experienced it. I tend to try to cast two different size bullets and alternate between the two to keep the mold temps down while keeping myself busy. It also helps to have a damp,folded rag layen flat near by to help cool the molds some.

I'm hoping the hype I've had thrown my way about the brass molds pans out. Those bastards are high. At 92$ for just the mold halves and another 35$ for handles....that's 4X what the Lee stuff cost,with out the Lee lifetime warranty.

[ellis93]

If I misunderstood the question and it was from pot to ingots....whatever will hold it and not stick. And of course will fit in my casting pot.

[cmann250]

Anyone commute to work? It looks like I'll have a 60 mile drive to work this summer. The old power joke is not a stellar commuter by any means and I figured I'd use $24 of fuel daily, assuming a $3.00 average price.

Putting miles on something does not bother me, but I'm not liking the fact of losing $12 before I get to work and $12 on my way home. What it boils down to is I either get a $3 raise or I lose money compared to last summer.

Makes the 5 mile drive to work look all the sweeter. Yay climbing the corporate ladder.

[txs]

bullet molds were what I was askin about. The transmission case molds were tool steel, if they start out cold it takes a few casts before they get a good case, the seams don't fill well where the die pieces butt up against each other when they cold. Could you preheat the iron molds in the oven to about 450 and then cast? Also how many bullets works well in a mold, I would think the single bullet molds would be very time consuming.

[meby]

Anyone commute to work? It looks like I'll have a 60 mile drive to work this summer. The old power joke is not a stellar commuter by any means and I figured I'd use $24 of fuel daily, assuming a $3.00 average price.

Putting miles on something does not bother me, but I'm not liking the fact of losing $12 before I get to work and $12 on my way home. What it boils down to is I either get a $3 raise or I lose money compared to last summer.

Makes the 5 mile drive to work look all the sweeter. Yay climbing the corporate ladder.

Three words. Jetta Tdi manual

[RumbleFish]

For a 30mile ride anything with a 4cyl and a stick would do

[ellis93]

bullet molds were what I was askin about. The transmission case molds were tool steel, if they start out cold it takes a few casts before they get a good case, the seams don't fill well where the die pieces butt up against each other when they cold. Could you preheat the iron molds in the oven to about 450 and then cast? Also how many bullets works well in a mold, I would think the single bullet molds would be very time consuming.

Some folks use hot plates to warm the mold before they cast,me....I stick the mold over the pot while its melting lead. All I have now are 2 hole molds and once you get in a rythem/develop a technique,you can knock out a few hundred projectiles in a hour or so. The NOE molds I'm getting will be 4 cavity molds. Lee sells them 1,2,4,and 6 cavity I think.