Bullet casting is the process of creating bullets by melting lead or other metal alloys, pouring it into bullet moulds, allowing it to cool and solidify, and then removing the bullets from the moulds. It’s a useful skill for gun enthusiasts who want to load their own ammunition or save money by reusing/recycling spent bullets. If you’re new to bullet casting, this beginner’s guide will help you understand the basic process of casting bullets.
Equipment you will need for bullet casting
Before you start bullet casting, you’ll need some basic equipment. This includes:
- A melting pot: This is where you’ll melt the lead or alloy.
- A bullet mold: This is what you’ll pour the molten lead or alloy into to create the bullet.
- Safety equipment: You’ll need gloves, safety glasses, and a respirator to protect yourself from lead fumes and splatters.
Bullet Casting Process
- Preparing the lead or alloy: Before you start casting, you’ll need to prepare the lead or alloy. You can use scrap lead from tire weights, fishing weights, or plumbing fixtures, or you can buy lead ingots or alloys from a supplier. If you’re using scrap lead, you’ll need to remove any impurities by melting it, fluxing, and then skimming off the dross. After you have removed impurities and skimmed the dross, you can pour your alloy into ingot moulds to create ready-to-cast lead ingots.
- Heating the melting pot: Once your lead or alloy is ready, you’ll need to heat up the melting pot. Most melting pots have temperature controls that allow you to set the temperature to the melting point of your lead or alloy. Typical casting temperatures for lead alloys range from about 700-750 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Adding the lead or alloy: As the melting pot heats up and your ingots start to melt, you can continue to add more of your lead ingots until the casting pot is full. Be careful not to overfill the pot, as this can cause spills and splatters.
- Preheating the mold: While the lead alloy is melting, you can preheat the bullet mould by placing it onto a simple electric hot plate. The goal temperature for the mould blocks would be 375-400ish degrees Fahrenheit. This will aid in achieving good bullets sooner.
- Pouring the lead or alloy: Once the mould blocks and lead alloy are both up to proper temperatures, you can begin to pour the lead alloy into the mould. Some people prefer to use a casting ladle while others prefer to use a bottom pour casting pot. Whichever pouring method you choose to use, be sure to pour consistently. You will want to make sure to leave enough sprue on top of the mould to be used as a reservoir for the bullet to suck from while it cools. This helps the bullets to have proper fillout and achieve a good square bullet base.
- Removing the bullets: Once the lead alloy has solidified, you can remove the bullets from the mould by first cutting the sprue using something to hit against the striking area of the sprue plate. We recommend using the Mould Mallet from NOE. After the sprue is cut, you can open the mould up and lightly tap the hinge pin of the mould handles with the mould mallet to gently release the bullets from the mould. Avoid striking the mould blocks themselves.
- Cooling the bullets: Some people prefer to drop their hot/freshly cast bullets into a bucket or pan of water to quench the bullets and give them additional hardness. Others prefer to drop them onto a towel-covered pan to let the air cool. If you are casting hollow points or want to keep your bullets soft, the latter would be the recommended method of cooling.
Your next steps would be to size the bullets and lube them with a traditional waxy type lube or powder coat them and size them with a push-through sizing die like the NOE bushing push through size die. After that, the bullets are ready to be loaded into the brass casings.
Bullet casting can be a fun and rewarding hobby that can save you money and give you more control over your ammunition. With the right equipment and a little practice, you can become a skilled bullet caster and enjoy the satisfaction of creating your own ammunition.