.25 Mold
Getting setup to mold DAQ slugs so I thought I’d look for a mold to use in my .25 LW barrel also.
How do you think these would do cast from pure lead (or pretty close to it)?
http://www.midwayusa.com/eproductpage.exe/showproduct?saleitemid=106910
If you know where to find any more molds or sizers I’d appreciate a link. The RCBS is expensive.
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Midway has good lead but you can find pure lead on EBay for a lot cheaper.
Found lead at midway. Pure or alloyed. Not cheap though.
http://www.midwayusa.com/browse/BrowseProducts.aspx?brandId=2052
The best temp for casting will depend on the mold. You’re in the ball park though. I’ve seen as low as 780 and as high as 925 work. You really just have to experiment to see how hot the mold wants to be and what temp lead it likes. The other thing is that I’ll bet no two lead pot thermometers read the same after a few cycles!
You can melt pellets and such no problem. You won’t be getting pure lead though and you won’t really know whats been alloyed. If they were soft pellets, it might work fine. Almost all of the dirt and debris you can’t shake off will either burn off or float for scooping away. Just don’t toss dirty and especially not wet or moist stuff into a pot that is already hot. Think popping grease on steroids!
I appreciate that offer LMTSS. One reason to love the TAG. I got 50+ pounds of lead on the way though and I don’t think I can shoot enough to get rid of that much. Hand on to them and if I can come up with some good bullet molds in .22 – .25 and what not I will do some casting for you with it.
When I clean out my silent pellet trap I have been saving The spent pellets. You want em?
If they don’t have any nasty stuff like rocks ground in, I dont see why not. Fluxing will get some of the contaminants out.
Can pellets that have been used be melted down, and recycled back to pellets again?
Damn right Jerry. That is a high priced mold for the measly .25 ACP round. I’m not going to get that. I’d really like to find something else but I’ve spent hours searching for something .251 or a sizer, no bueno.
As for lead, I had no luck searching for Junketeer Jerry but I did find some lead on ebay. 50+ lbs. of fluxed ingot for $56 to my door. The claim is, they are poured from lead sheet flashing or flooring or something (no wheel weights or pipe).
What temperature do you find pours best with pure lead? 850-900 I’ve read?
I’m looking for a mold for a 400+ grain hollow point that will drop .458-.459″ from pure lead. I’m also looking for a .25 mold at 50-60 grains that will drop .251-.252″. (I assume that is optimal for the LW barrels).
I’d prefer not to have to buy sizing dies and run them through that too, but I will if I have to, I suppose.
No luck at locating molds that suit me.
Yeah, that’s the rub with casting, start up costs are significant! I can tell you that I’ve looked around for .25 molds that are suitable and I’ve not seen many either. I saw the .25 ACP mold and decided that I was not going to pay that for a mold that I would have to take a chance on being any good for Condors. It might be great but I have molds for my .25s that work and I was only considering the .25 ACP for the boy’s business…I didn’t see enough business to ever come close to paying for it…
Maybe there is someone out there making a mold cheaper? As far as the lead goes, try Junkateer Jerry (no, it’s not me) on EBay. His lead has always been first rate and delivery prompt. I’m sure there are cheaper sources out there but the first time you get a pot full of zinc or antimony or some other crap that makes you throw away a bunch of work, you’ll wish you bought good lead from a reputable source!
Yeah man, lead won’t be as much a problem as the molds. Thanks.
Are you checking online? Here’s a link to a large http://www.breskin.com/forsale/ballastlead.html
I just bought an electric melting pot, ingot mold, dipper, thermometer, flux and lube. Gotta find a shirtload of cheap pure lead somewhere.
I’m looking for a mold for a 400+ grain hollow point that will drop .458-.459″ from pure lead. I’m also looking for a .25 mold at 50-60 grains that will drop .251-.252″. (I assume that is optimal for the LW barrels).
I’d prefer not to have to buy sizing dies and run them through that too, but I will if I have to, I suppose.
No luck at locating molds that suit me.
You’ll want to use pure lead for the airgun. Wheel weights have tin and antimony to harden the metal which is great for firearms.
In firearms the hardened lead helps prevent small amounts of melted/ vaporized lead being deposited in barrel when the hot powder gases burn. Also, firearm barrels have a faster twist rate to the rifling than airguns and when driven at velocities above 1,000 fps, harder lead (or a copper jacket) helps keep the bullet from “stripping” metal.
The reason airguns have a slower rate of twist to the rifling is because much of the projectile’s stability is provided by the high-drag pellet skirt. Without that skirt, the airgun will have to spin that slug pretty smartly to keep it going straight and not tumble. That may be a challenge given the lower velocities typical in airguns, especially since the barrels are not designed to spin the projectile as fast.
It’s a messy and hazardous process to get the lead from a battery.
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Try decommissioned ships. My dad procured over 300lbs of lead for free in pure ingot form from a decommissioned submarine back in the 90s.