If you want to load your own ammunition, there are essential components and tools you need to accomplish the mission. You need powder, primers, and bullets, and a means to load them into an assembled cartridge. But there are times when you will want or need to simplify your supply chain, and the easiest way to do that is by making your own bullets. But when it comes to bullet casting, there are a few tools you will need to get the job done safely and efficiently. I have been making my own projectiles for 20 years, and I made plenty of gear mistakes before I succeeded. Learn from my mistakes and read on to learn about the essential tools for bullet casting.
The Why of Bullet Casting
Bullet Casting: The Essentials
With any list, there will always be some variation when you decide on the specifics of your bullet-casting goal. Are you making bullets for a muzzleloader or a cartridge gun? Will you be using black powder or modern smokeless powders? High velocity or low velocity. Your exact equipment, lube, and even lead additives will vary. The absolute material essentials are lead, any hardening metals you want to put in, and a well-ventilated workspace. Leaving that aside, here is what you will need and what to look out for when making a buying decision.
Melting Pots
Lead has a melting point of 628 degrees F. That is low by metal standards, but it is not possible or safe to use your stove for the job! You will need a melting pot. At the bare minimum, a small camping pot can be used over a campfire. I started bullet casting for muzzleloading guns, and this is an easy and historically accurate way to do it! But it is physically taxing and less safe than being in a more controlled environment with an electric melting pot.
Electric pots have adjustable heat settings to reach the desired heat levels. Some electric pots heat a pound of lead and require the user to dip into it using a ladle. More expensive pots hold several pounds of lead and can dispense to the waiting bullet molds by actuating a lever or button. What you choose will depend on how often you want to shoot or load. The larger gravity-fed models are more expensive, but it is easy to do a run of a hundred rounds or more. My Lee Lead Pot requires ladle pouring, and it is easy to pick up the pace as well, but the extra step of spooning out lead and then dumping it into the mold can consume just enough time to harden the lead in the label for a bad pour if your heat setting is not high enough.
Ladles
No matter what model of melting pot you choose, a ladle is essential equipment. No, not necessarily a soup ladle per se. A deep spoon could suffice for small runs, but some form of ladle with a cornered rim to allow easy pouring is best. Dedicated lead ladles are the safest option as they often come with pour holes or cornered rims, and their handles are wooden to keep your hands from being burned by exposed steel.
The ladle’s purpose is twofold. You can use it to pour lead into your mold and to skim dross. “Dross” is slang for impurities. Once lead has been fluxed and purified, impurities will rise as a film at the top. Skim it off like a layer of fat on cold soup.
Bullet Molds (and Handles)
For casting, we need a mold. Molds are available from several makers, including Lee, Saeco, and Lyman, among many others. Most are scissorlike and require handles. Once opened, the bullet block is open, and you can see the cavities where the bullets will form. On top is a hinged sprue plate where the molten lead is poured when the mold is closed. Some molds are made of billet steel, while others use aluminum. Some come with handles, and some are sold separately.
Steel block molds tend to heat up more slowly, but once heated, they pour consistent bullets with few imperfections. Aluminum blocks do not rust and heat up more quickly, so there are fewer imperfect trial runs. On the other hand, aluminum molds can become too hot and hold molten lead for longer than desired during a long, continuous run, which can slow down the casting process overall.
Other things to look for in a bullet mold include the caliber, grain weight, and type of bullet you desire, as well as the number and character of lubrication grooves in the finished bullet. Black powder requires large, generous lube grooves for the best accuracy. Smokeless shooters can get away with small grooves or tumble lube bullets that lack distinct grooves altogether.
Bullet Sizers
The diameter of the bullet listed on the mold’s factory box is only a nominal number. Because of the expansion and contraction of the mold, lead, and any lead additives, it is common for bullets to drop large. You will know it is too large when you load it into a case and find that the finished ammunition will not fit in your firearm. When casting my first bullets for my first metallic round, I made such a mistake. My .38 Special bullets came out .360 inches in diameter, while the .38 uses a nominal .357-.358 inch round. Slugging your bore will remove most of the guesswork of working out the real diameter of the bullet you need, but no matter what, a sizing die is a necessity for cartridge bullet casting. Sizing dies fit into your reloading press like any loading die. Bullets are pressed through it, and they are swaged down to the correct diameter. Some makers of sizing die also have functions to lube the bullets on the way.
Lube
The subject of bullet lube is a thesis topic in itself, but if you are in the bullet casting game, you will probably need lubrication. Lube prevents the bore from fouling out quickly and prevents leading in the bore. Without it, accuracy declines quickly. Your range session shortens, and your maintenance time lengthens. There are many different types of lubrication you can buy or make yourself. There is also no shortage of preparation methods. For small runs, you can get away with scraping lube into the lube grooves of your bullets.
For larger runs, pan lubing is more practical. This is done by melting lubrication in a pan and placing the base of your bullet first. When the lube hardens, pluck the bullets out. Some bullets, especially those with smaller lube grooves, lend themselves well to tumble lubrication. That involves tumbling the finished bullets in a jar with a small amount of liquid lubrication. Further still, some handloaders powder-coat their bullets, which is an alternative to the traditional methods.
Fluxing Agents
Lead is seldom pure when you find it. Whether you are using range scrap, tire shop wheel weights, or buying bulk ingots, it will need to be purified. Dirt and unwanted agents will need to be removed. Once you melt your lead in your pot, you will need to add a fluxing agent to start your run. Add it, give it a few minutes, and you will see dirt, oxide, and other matter bubble up on a previously pristine surface. From there, you will skim it out with your ladle. There are several companies selling fluxing agents. All of them are good, but this is one of the items I prefer to skimp on, and you can, too. The old-school fluxing agent for lead is paraffin wax. It is cheap, readily available via candles, and effective. I add a thumbnail-sized piece for every run, and it works like a charm.
Protective Gear
Last but certainly not least is protective gear. Casting your own bullets can be quite safe, but there are a few needed steps and needed equipment you should never skimp on. Lacking protective gear is how I learned that, and it was learned the hard way. First, you always want to cast in a well-ventilated area, preferably outside. If you can have a fan blowing, that is even better. You also want to be away from water or rain, if at all possible. You also want to protect your skin from the molten lead and the metal parts of the mold and ladle that tend to heat up with use. It would not be paranoid at all to only cast while wearing long pants and a long-sleeve shirt. At the bare minimum, a good pair of gloves is your best bet.
Personal protective equipment should be the third item you buy, behind your mold and pot. I got away without using gloves for some time and learned firsthand that molten lead tends to pop when exposed to water. Some of that lead popped onto my hand and gave me permanent scars. Don’t be like me!
Bullet Casting: Give It a Pour
Reloading your own ammo is not a one-size-fits-all exercise, and neither is bullet casting. Part of bullet casting is finding what fits you. Although dealing with molten lead and a potential laundry list of accouterments can be intimidating, bullet casting can be done safely and with a minimalist mindset, but there are essential tools of the trade you can’t skip wholesale.
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