Author Topic: Home rolled  (Read 26159 times)

Sunkist

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Re: Home rolled
« Reply #15 on: April 22, 2011, 09:39:10 PM »
Hi everyone,
I've been reloading for about 20 years. I started reloading for my S&W 686 .357 Mag. Shortly after, I bought a S&W 4006 and I've been loading 40's ever since. Then came .45 Long Colt followed by 357 Sig and .308 Win and lately I added .45-70 Govt. for a Marlin 1895 and then, because I'm a glutton for punishment, I started loading and shooting long range Black Powder cartridge for a model 1885 Win. High-Wall.


It got so I couldn't keep buying Raniers, good bullets by the way, and I started casting for all the above except the .308. Every now and then I buy some fairly inexpensive hard cast bullets from Missouri Bullet Co. for all the guns (except the 308).


After a while it seemed like the reloading became as much fun as the shooting. I think most reloaders have some of the old "mad scientist" in them as they keep looking for that perfect  round for their favorite gun. It keeps me away from the mind numbing crap on the boob-tube at least.


Good shooting!

Offline Angryvikingman

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Re: Home rolled
« Reply #16 on: April 22, 2011, 11:17:21 PM »
I always heard that Lee and RCBS were the best reloaders. I've never tried casting bullets, but I'm sure it'd be fun. You can find lead at tire stores, as they collect the lead weights used to balance car tires. IDK if they'd sell it or give it away, but you can always ask.

Offline DeeDubya

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Re: Home rolled
« Reply #17 on: June 13, 2011, 03:50:54 PM »
I always heard that Lee and RCBS were the best reloaders. I've never tried casting bullets, but I'm sure it'd be fun. You can find lead at tire stores, as they collect the lead weights used to balance car tires. IDK if they'd sell it or give it away, but you can always ask.
I my experience, lead is most easily obtained from plumbers. The lead roof flashings and toilet flanges were plentiful. Some still use them. When the plumber sets the toilet bowl he will saw off the excess lead and usually keeps it. This is nearly pure lead (best for muzzle loaders) but can be mixed with lin-o-type to make a #2 hardness for handgun and rifle. Always cast in a well ventilated area and wear gloves or wash your hands often.  :smiley:
DW
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Offline GhostWarrior

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Re: Home rolled
« Reply #18 on: June 13, 2011, 04:27:34 PM »
     Seems like somewhere I read that tire weights were to brittle to use to cast bullets, something about having tin or something mixed in? And boy howdy! I would add a leather apron or chaps and a welders shirt to those gloves that DeeDubya just mentioned. If you spill any molten lead and it splashes you don't want to be where it lands I guarantee mia ya cher! Been there, done that, never again
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Offline DeeDubya

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Re: Home rolled
« Reply #19 on: June 14, 2011, 07:37:48 AM »
Some people like wheel weights. They claim to be close to the #2 formula hardness. I feel that there could be to much variation in the casting metals used. Tin and antimony are good for the mix. Tin adds the hardness and makes casting much easier. Casting pure lead for muzzle loaders is difficult. Hard to get a wrinkle free bullet.
I've collected lead from jobsites over the years and have over 300 lbs in 1 lb lyman ingots. Don't know if Ill ever get back into casting though.
DW
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Offline GhostWarrior

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Re: Home rolled
« Reply #20 on: June 14, 2011, 08:13:06 AM »
ah good, Like I said I heard or read that, I used them in the past back when a friend and I cast our own .38 and .357 in his kitchen, All we had was an old heavy cooking pot to melt the lead in and a ladle to pour it in the forms. Some fun.
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Offline ZG47

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Re: Home rolled
« Reply #21 on: June 22, 2011, 07:37:44 PM »
Linotype alloy was designed for high speed industrial casting of type. I worked for a printer quite some time back and once had to pick up an order from the last outfit in town to run a Linotype machine.
They worked pretty fast but the serif type came out perfect, as it should have. If you want perfect bullets every time, I would say that Linotype alloy is a good thing to have.
A good shot at close range beats a 'hit' at a longer range.

duke

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Re: Home rolled
« Reply #22 on: August 05, 2011, 12:59:25 PM »
I just ordered a CZ75B.  This is my first 9mm and first reloading auto ammo.  From what i've read lead and wadcutters are not so good in this auto.  I'm looking for a good load combination, case, powder and jacketed bullet for accurate target shooting.  Also at a decent price.  Magtech seems to have good pricing on cases and bullets.  Any other good combo's you all can recommend?  Tks

Offline GhostWarrior

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Re: Home rolled
« Reply #23 on: August 05, 2011, 01:20:29 PM »
Hello duke
         Welcome to the original home of CZForum and CZForum.com. We hope you enjoy your membership with us and stay for a long time, We are all here to help one another, learn from each other, and make friends, We are International so you could meet some really intresting folks.

         As to your post, I would say from personal experience the wad cutters are not a good idea, certainly not reliable enough that I would use any in my CZ's even if I was still making my own. I think the same applies to lead round nose also. But unfortunately that's as far as I can go in trying to help. I have done my own or any reloading in years. But we do have a couple folks here you have and still do, and I'm sure as soon as they see this post they will be of great help.

         Welcome again to the Forum.
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Offline DeeDubya

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Re: Home rolled
« Reply #24 on: August 05, 2011, 01:39:57 PM »
I just ordered a CZ75B.  This is my first 9mm and first reloading auto ammo.  From what i've read lead and wadcutters are not so good in this auto.  I'm looking for a good load combination, case, powder and jacketed bullet for accurate target shooting.  Also at a decent price.  Magtech seems to have good pricing on cases and bullets.  Any other good combo's you all can recommend?  Tks
Good choice. The 75B is very forgiving with different loads. Which press do you have? I'd first get a good reloading manual and study a bit. Lyman IMO is unbiased and one of the best. Bullets are the most expensive component. I shoot a lot of the plated bullets, mostly Rainier but there are some good ones and much cheaper than jacketed. And, they can be very accurate. Powder is not a big issue just because 9mm doesen't burn much. For 9mm they will all be on the fast burning end of the scale, so you get a lot of loads from a pound. Brass is not a big concern in 9mm as long as you trim them to equal OAL. Starline is always a good choice. Regular small pistol primers, not magnum. You will have "loads" of fun.
DW
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Offline GhostWarrior

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Re: Home rolled
« Reply #25 on: August 05, 2011, 02:14:37 PM »
OK  DeeDubya,
           I can't believe you just said that! Loads of fun, indeed. I thought I was supposed to be the one with the bad jokes and you and b5 and AVM were supposed to be the sober sided founts of wisdom? What am I paying you for if you are going to take over the stand up routines? Oh wait I forgot I'm not paying you, well then that's different then inan't Brain? *Narf!*

         So, back to the realm of reality, you use leaded round nose in your CZ 75 for plinking and you don't have any problems with it? I allways found that when I used those the ramp or the mag would shave a sliver of lead from the side of the projectile as it chambered the round. And wad cutters simply never chambered because they almost all ways got stuck going up the ramp or on the mag edge. Didn't matter if they were the truncated cone or the flat to the casing ones.

     I'm guessing that it was possibly a matter of having the ramp polished, and that would have made them work or at least work better? For that matter I had trouble with hollow points, semi-jacketed or other wise.
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Offline DeeDubya

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Re: Home rolled
« Reply #26 on: August 05, 2011, 02:29:19 PM »
The plated bullets have enough copper on them to feed well. Any cast round nose bullets would have to be hard and yes a highly polished ramp would help as well would a seasoned barrel. I've never tried cast truncated.
DW
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Offline GhostWarrior

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Re: Home rolled
« Reply #27 on: August 05, 2011, 03:35:15 PM »
OK thanks for clearing that up. I really need to find some time and more to the point money to work on my ballistics charts for the forum, and using reloads is one of the things I want to test. Guess I'll need two pistols same make and model maybe year and have the ramp on one polished and the other as is and see how they compare.
If at first you don't succeed, then Skydiving is not your sport.

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Offline DeeDubya

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Re: Home rolled
« Reply #28 on: August 05, 2011, 03:50:23 PM »
"Anyone" traveling to Texas this week is advised to keep his ammo in the shade!  :cool:
 
 

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DW
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"You can easily judge the character of a man by how he treats those who can do nothing for him."
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duke

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Re: Home rolled
« Reply #29 on: August 05, 2011, 04:17:02 PM »
Thanks for the nice welcome.  I just joined the forum.  Have been out of reloading and shooting for a while (seems being self employed is not conducive to having any time off to do anything).  :cry: Anyway my future son-in-law is an armored guard and I just bought him a reloading kit for his 9mm for his birthday.  Stupid me, now I got the bug!  Ordered a new pistol and will be setting up a reloader as well.  Leaning towards the Hornaday progressive.  I started out reloading when I was poor years ago with a lee hand loader for 357 mags.  Still have it.  it worked so well, slow but well.   Then I progressed to RCBS's single stage and loaded 30/30, 38's and 357's for years.   I also shot skeet and reloaded tons of shotshells for that.  I'm anxious to get set up for my CZ, so any help from you experts is appreciated!


I just ordered a CZ75B.  This is my first 9mm and first reloading auto ammo.  From what i've read lead and wadcutters are not so good in this auto.  I'm looking for a good load combination, case, powder and jacketed bullet for accurate target shooting.  Also at a decent price.  Magtech seems to have good pricing on cases and bullets.  Any other good combo's you all can recommend?  Tks
Good choice. The 75B is very forgiving with different loads. Which press do you have? I'd first get a good reloading manual and study a bit. Lyman IMO is unbiased and one of the best. Bullets are the most expensive component. I shoot a lot of the plated bullets, mostly Rainier but there are some good ones and much cheaper than jacketed. And, they can be very accurate. Powder is not a big issue just because 9mm doesen't burn much. For 9mm they will all be on the fast burning end of the scale, so you get a lot of loads from a pound. Brass is not a big concern in 9mm as long as you trim them to equal OAL. Starline is always a good choice. Regular small pistol primers, not magnum. You will have "loads" of fun.