Tried some dipper casting today. I was melting some alloy of unknown hardness to get some bullets to test in my SAECO LEAD HARDNESS TESTER. I use a small RCBS cast iron pot over a single burner propane stove to blend small batches. I have a single cav IDEAL #452460 to cast TEST bullets as the SAECO tester is set up for .308cal, .358cal & .452cal. It also requires a flat point. I usually cast 10-12 bullets & mark them as to date & alloy ID.
This time after I was finished I decided to try a bit of ladle casting for some serious shooting. I didn't need any more .45acp bullets, so I drug out an old single cav IDEAL mold that had been frozen to its T/C handles since I bought it for cheap at a gun show 40+yrs ago. I also used my new LYMAN Digital Thermometer to maintain a temp of about 725 degrees.
Boy Howdy! I thought casting 10-12 bullets at a time was slow. Casting 50+ took time off my life I can't spare anymore. However out of the 58 #429251's that I cast, I ended up with 56 perfect gems. And to top it off, the "frozen" screw fell out after about 40 bullets. Just screwed it back in & kept on casting. Almost every bullet fell straight out without a tap of the old mold mallet. And the molds screws came free after the session too.
But it was kinda fun to see how the "Dippers" do it. All I can say is THANK THE GOOD LORD for bottom pour pots.
Long time Caster/Reloader, Getting back into it after almost 10yrs. Life Member NRA 40+yrs, Life S.A.S.S. #375. Does this mean a description of me as a fumble-fingered knuckle-draggin' baboon. I also drool in my sleep. I firmly believe that true happiness is a warm gun. Did I mention how much I HATE auto-correct on this blasted tablet.
