Fired up the pots

Rally

NC Minnesota
Fired up the pots yesterday and today to get some NOE 360-180-WFN cast for my Marlin 1894 in .357. We are thawing now and it is a mess outside, but really can't complain. It's above freezing in the day and freezing during the night, so it is a good thing with all the snow we have. I just open the shop door, roll my casting stand over by the door, put the dog pillows in the sun and get to it. Cast HP's yesterday and DP's today, but got cut a little sooner than I wanted to today because I had to change the oil in the wifes van. My old dog enjoyed laying in the sun, and being mostly out of the way.
8852
8853
About 35 lbs. of HP's.
8854
28 lbs of DP's. Should load about half of the .357's I bought last week.
 

Spindrift

Well-Known Member
Now, that is a nice pile of bullets! My casting area has also thawed enough to get started, casting season is on.
 

Brad

Benevolent Overlord and site owner
Staff member
someone is going to get a sore arm lubing and sizing bullets this week.

And mighty nice looking scale.
 
I as well have that same mold in solid version. It turns my 1894c into a real thumper on hogs. I really like that mold as it drops bullets like rain drops. Great mold.
 

Rally

NC Minnesota
Had 1 1/2 pots left of alloy after the wife diverted me to her projects yesterday so cast the rest in DP's.
8889
Ended up with a few more DP's than HP's. Got them all sized and lubed last night and today and the wife diverted me again, but she's buying me dinner tonight at the casino(prime rib buffet).
8890
My arm didn't fall off Brad, but you know what they say about beaver trappers, they have a size 4 hat and a size 46 chest!
If the thaw continues like it has, I may get a chance to do a run of the 360-160-WFN next.
 

fiver

Well-Known Member
19 lbs off the top of my head is like 500 180gr bullets.
that's 10 tubes, about one lube stick, and 15 minutes of handle pumping on the Star.
 

Rally

NC Minnesota
Lamar,
There is @1100 DP’s and 1400 HP’s in the buckets. The DP ‘s weigh 176 gr and the HP’s are 174, I think. It’s been awhile since I weighed the HP’s. Refilled the Star three times with Ben’s Red (+ BW), started full ended with about half. I’m not home now or I’d go weigh some.

Brad,
I use that scale a lot, to weigh outgoing packages, to determine cheapest freight. It’s been a good scale. That’s my “Shipping Dept.” pictured. Lol
 

fiver

Well-Known Member
not too far off then for the whole pile... LOL.
it sure makes you appreciate the Star sizers when you want to get that many done in one afternoon.
 

Rally

NC Minnesota
Yep, love that Star. Nose first works real well with the WFN series. I got both my press (.38 Spl.) and my sizer from my LGS. By pure luck mainly. At the time I was pretty happy with mostly RCBS equipment, still am. The LGS owner and his son are both good friends. Walked into the shop one day while enroute to checking traps. The shop had a wood desk with four chairs facing the front of the desk where us frequent fliers used to sit and solve all the worlds problems. When I got there, the press was sitting on the desk and the local crew had all taken a crack at getting the press to rotate, to no avail. I asked what was with the press and the owner, Russ, said it was jammed and the first $65.00 bought it! I gave him the $65.00, lifted the primer tube follower and rotated the shell plate, no problems! For those that don't know, the Star has a rubber end on the primer tube follower/weight that stops the shellplate from rotating when it is empty of primers. I'd loaded on one before and knew what the problem was. It's been a running joke between us ever since. I offered to give it back to him on the spot, but he said a deal is a deal. Now every time we deal on something he says he's adding ten bucks for the press I ripped him off for. LOL A couple years later I walk into the shop and the sizer is sitting on the floor next to his desk. First thing I noticed. He grins and says $45.00, and of course I went home with it and a bunch of .38 brass. Truth be told, he was probably just tired of them laying around in the way and knew I was .38 crazy. He does the gun show circuit and buys estates. The sizer came from an estate sale and was the only piece of reloading equipment there. Maybe somebody anticipating getting into bullet casting or something. Convenient it had a .358 die in it too.
 

Bad Ass Wallace

New Member
Coming into winter here in Australia but not getting the cold temps of our state side cousins. I've been casting a few times a week for the last 5 weeks, made approx. 8,000 bullets, used 250lbs of alloy, 3 x 20 lb gas cylinders, 7 lube sticks. The big 50/90 650gn bullets really use up lead with only 11 to the lb and muzzleloaders 58cal minnies . . . . .

5R8I0TW.jpg


y7wVnki.jpg
 

Brad

Benevolent Overlord and site owner
Staff member
Great, now I have to drive the old man to the range.
Sigh
 

Pistolero

Well-Known Member
Especially when it is 1300 miles from where you are to the range. :)

Those big bruisers take up a lot of alloy, BAW. But 8000 is a LOT of shooting.
 
F

freebullet

Guest
As little range time as I've managed this year....

Brad needs to take me too!
 

dannyd

Well-Known Member
I casted couple a hundred of those on Sunday. Go the mold from someone on CB forum. Going to test them this weekend.