Sweet Spot Tips For The Lee 4 - 20 Melter And New Lee 457 500 R Mold

[@badpete3497]

New caster here excellent common sense advice. Great channel.

[@terencethomas281]

You my friend are an asset to new casters, thank you for what you do!

[@smedoz]

Tad far as I am concerned u are the premiere shooting channel. Thanks years of entertainment and education.

[@bubbacrabb]

You're a wealth of knowledge my friend. I'm deeply sorry I havent been on KZbin much because of work because of current events. I've honestly never been so happy to sit thru ads and hope they're monetizing your stuff.

[@mwilkinson5474]

Thanks FC45 for all of the lessons that aided my casting and loading sessions. This lesson solved a few problems that I was experiencing. Thought I needed a PID but I believe that your tips will help me make much better bullets in the future. Hope for more of your insightful tips in the future.

[@FortuneCookie45LC]

M Wilkinson - We have to keep in mind that the essentials of bullet casting have remained the same since the days when buffalo hunters casted their bullets for the next days hunt over open buffalo chip fires. We have all the technological improvements all the way to automated casting machines that crank out product by the binfull, but it's still melt the lead or lead alloy and pour it into a mold at the proper temperature and drop the bullets. Have a great day, Steve

[@biggerbehindthetrigger2814]

I'm getting back into the .458 bullets again. I decided to get a 458 SOCOM upper for my AR platform. I like that platform now. I went 30+ years without owning one. Now I am getting a nice collection of different uppers. It reminds me of the Thompson Contender with the ease of changing uppers. I still want to get back into the Contenders. My dad loved them. He had barrels from 17 Remington to 45-70. He had quite a nice collection of barrels.

[@Magisktification]

You have a wealth of information for someone like me starting handloading!

[@wessamazzo8856]

I enjoy whatching your videos. You are a very knowledgeable man.

[@nekoluther1404]

Thanks for all your vids u got me casting and reloading

[@andy79z28]

I always enjoy your videos - I always pick up a good pointer or 2.

[@wambsganz8]

That's why I like Cast Iron. Once that puppy gets up to Temp, you can cast all day long for sure for sure.

[@gunnareriksen8756]

Nice work professor. I like it!!!.

[@stinger4583]

Thank you. Good info. I have a 1885 High wall in 4570 and I cast my bullets.

[@FortuneCookie45LC]

Stinger45 - Another fine John Moses Browning innovation that started it all - that's a mighty fine shootin' iron you have there...one for the ages. Continued good shootin' to ya, Steve

[@bososz]

Use a ingot mold under your pot to catch the drippings. Once it's full you can dump it back into the pot. I also cast a pretty fast pace so I dump my spru's into the pot right away. I also use welders gloves and cut the spru by hand.

[@nickjm37fordel1]

Thanks Steve, those are great tips.

[@mikeholt7319]

I used Lee molds for years and I found that if i used four or five different molds and rotated them they never got to hot cast very good bullets. just my two cent's worth.

[@glisa43]

Yes only if you cast bigger bullets like around .405 grain or heavier, but when I cast smaller ones the mold is hard to get hot enough for beginning too many wrinkled bullets.

[@garythesnail1181]

I feel like the lee mold seems to get beat up easy but it casts a nice bullet

[@harrywhite4181]

Thanks for your videos.great help.

[@celticdude4686]

Thanks for the tips Steve. Stay safe.

[@TartanJack]

So many thanks for all the vids. I've smoked molds and honestly seen no difference when not smoked. Temperature of lead and mold is everything as you so well demonstrate here. Adding a PID to my 4-20 has made a big difference for me. But I still have to carefully manage my mold temp.

[@FortuneCookie45LC]

Jack Waddell - If not for Cast Boolits already being around, you and I would start up a casting club...Have a great day, Steve

[@TartanJack]

@@FortuneCookie45LC Early in learning to cast I had pins drop out of a Lee mold so I sent it back for repair. They chastised me for not smoking the mold per their instructions. Of course later I learned that I had simply so overheated the mold the alignment pins could fall from the expanded mold. But still, even though they were hard on me, they are one terrific company that forever has earned my respect.

[@6Sally5]

Great vid as usual! Thanks FC. BTW...I recognized that mixing glass slab from my days as a chairside dental tech!

[@FortuneCookie45LC]

Alan Bycroft - Those things are no doubt fit for museums as I understand... Best to ya, Steve

[@peteralexben]

there is a good thing at frosted bullets ,they are very good ,and a lube and powder coat will stick better, but slow the work

[@thebigkahuna2753]

Hi FC, good advice as always. The 500gr mould is the exact same one that I use for my reloads for my beloved Henry, and I don't smoke it either. The projectiles are always of a consistent quality because I use an infra-red hand held thermometer to monitor the mould and alloy temperature. However, I have been letting the mould air cool if gets too hot, but in future, I will be using your sponge tip, because here in Queensland, Australia, if I'm pouring in summer, it takes forever for the mould to cool, even a few degrees. I don't powder coat, but I gas check and lube every one. Once again thanks for the post and tips.

[@FortuneCookie45LC]

Hail to Queensland, Australia - the windward side of the continent where all that great surfing is..!! And the history of the Coral Sea, Port Moresby..!! Indeed, when I'm water quenching my bullets, that sponge is on the same left hand side of my casting bench, where I can just dip the sponge into the same water to use for mold cooling - really handy. You've got lots of people in your area, and here's hoping your people keep that COVID nastiness under control... Best to ya, Steve

[@biggerbehindthetrigger2814]

I have never had to smoke my molds. They all have worked perfectly.

[@jimdunkle4823]

I just casted and pc some lee 405 gr for my 45-70 can't wait to try them!! thanks for the video

[@rickRN77]

I rotate different calibers at once if my molds are too hot and slow to solidify fast. Keeps my going right in that sweet spot

[@miketreen7403]

That bullet looks like a good choice for.458 SOCOM loads also 👍🏻

[@FortuneCookie45LC]

Mike Treen - You bet - and if cast hard with linotype - those would be devastating against incoming vehicles for sure... Have a great day, Steve

[@swnorcraft7971]

At 1:45 , notice the air pockets at the sprue nib. You need to slow the pour.......too much lead too fast... If you weigh those bullets, you will find high SD's. I know from my own experience with that same equipment. Frankford Arsenal Drop Out spray......Far superior to smoking the mold. I have done both and I found smoking to be tedious and obsolete. I have taken a new Lee mold and sprayed with Drop Out and was casting good bullets in minutes. Cast bullets can be weighed and sorted if precision accuracy is desired. Most will not notice a wide variation in accuracy from a grain or two difference in bullet weight. I get into a rhythm when casting and use a short time on the wet rag each pour to keep the mold at a consistent temperature. I drop the bullets onto a folded towel in a cake pan that is propped up at one end. The bullets fall on the towel and roll down to collect in the bottom corner of the pan. When they get deep, I dump them onto a 1/4" hardware cloth screen and shake out any stray sprue pieces. Thanks for sharing.

[@mattlord2906]

I thought the frosty bullets would hold the powder coating better. Being a painter for 30 years giving a surface tooth usually applies for allowing adhesion of almost all coatings

[@GunFunZS]

I think they do. IMO it also helps to bake long enough, but not too long.

[@mattlord2906]

Hey, I haven't seen you around for a while, it appears I got unsubscribed. I am over in Federway WA working in Kirkland close to ground zero of this bullshit pandemic. Stay safe

[@pacman10182]

@@GunFunZS youtube thinks your content is made for kids, I cant comment

[@GunFunZS]

@@pacman10182 ugh. I specifically made sure that comments are enabled they constantly change their rules. Most of my videos were posted when kid safe meant no violence, nudity or cussing. That's all my videos. When they changed the rules to no wrongthink, I changed to the new settings. It may be that i missed retroactively applying the setting to all my old vids, but more likely Yt is just shadow blocking comments to hassle us away subtly.

[@GunFunZS]

@@pacman10182 i will fiddle with the settings now.

[@greglaroche1753]

Those double 500 grain moulds sure run through my lead fast. Mine casts great boolits, but does heat up fast.

[@scfcan5886]

Fortune cookie a reloading encyclopedia. You just covered alloy/mold temperature so well for beginners. I smoke the molds and they just fall off

[@bobspence2440]

Very good video FC , you don't see much teaching on how to control the temp of the mold and Alloy , thanks for this..I have done much the same as you have here , this system works well.. I hope to see some more .45-70 load development and testing in the future.. Also what velocity do you like to shoot these 500's at in the .45-70?.. 1250 fps to 1350 fps is what I'm trying for now with H4198 powder , I cast and shoot the Lee .459-500-3R bullet , a plain base - getting good results with it but the testing goes on and on!.. Thanks much!

[@4d4Spl]

I've never smoked a mold. To keep things going, I preheat my ingots on the Lyman shelf and knock sprews directly back into the pot. I only stop when starving or sleepy.. lol

[@Commonwealthcollector]

Looks like some great casting! Have you ever had a lyman mould that the sprue would stick to the sprue plate? I have one that every pour sticks and I have to tap the hinge pin with the mould upside down for it to drop. Not sure if it might be temp related or typical break in?

[@joehadfield6308]

you are so knowledgable and interesting to watch, thank you for the videos, i cant get a straight answer on how to make these loads or find data can you give me an idea of how to make 7/8 oz lee load using new primed fiocchi hull fiocchi primer, i have 12 gauge cork 1/8 in nitro cards, 1/4 in felt wads claybuster sw-250 slug wad and red dot powder. i was thinking 19 grain red dot, a cork nitro card, a felt 1/4" wad, another 1/8 cork nitro card then the sw250 wad with lee 7/8 oz slug and crimp on friends mec?

[@nickjm37fordel1]

Lots of good stuff Steve. How are you holding up with all that is going on ?

[@Roland-bv7fx]

How do you keep your bullet molds always clean and shiny? Mine are all black or stained. What am I doing wrong?

[@BrianClarkpharmd]

I have a question. I was working with a 500 magnum mold 440 grain. I tested the bnh and it was 16.6. they are hitek coated ( I checked brinell hardness before coating the bullets). My question is I check the pressures for the load (h110 powder) and it's around 45000 psi. The Lee hardness chart lists bnh 16.6 strength of 22,000 psi if I recall...will this bullet work for this load?

[@FortuneCookie45LC]

BC - That should work with the gas check applied - it's not for leading prevention, but for the bullet holding the rifling for best performance...only testing will reveal. If you don't get the accuracy expected, then a harder alloy like pure Linotype would be indicated - BHN 22. If that doesn't work out, then the answer is to go with jacketed bullets. We are assuming that your bullets are being sized to .501" and that fits your gun (if revolver = cylinder throats of .500" ; if rifle, your groove diameter is .500"). Good shootin' to ya, Steve

[@glisa43]

The only time it is good to smoke the molds is when you cast smaller bullets when gravity doesn't help much.

[@nicholascarver1]

New video!

[@joehadfield6308]

K cast 179 slugs, tried to push through barrel with wooden dowel, too tight going to have to cut the petals in half and remove every other one

[@Rick-uu4iu]

Looks like you’re using a Lee mold. I just recently bought a Johnston and Dow, Eras Gone, Lee two cavity mold for my 1858 Uberti black powder revolver and carbine. I love casting my own bullets. However, the mold is advertised as casting a 217 grain conical bullet. After casting a couple hundred bullets, I started weighing them. I found that one cavity produced an average weight of .221-.224 while the other cavity produced a heavier bullet .225-.227. A +/- of .006. Nothing close to .217 bu I know that could be the lead I was using. I don’t mind the extra weight but I do mind the variance of the two cavities. Have you ever experienced this with Lee molds? Disappointed ☹️

[@robertmurphy3014]

Depending on the alloy you are using, the weight can be different. More lead, vs more tin and antimony, can mean less or more weight. I believe I learned on this channel, the softer the bullet, the heavier it may be, due to having more lead, which is more dense than Tin and Antimony.

[@Rick-uu4iu]

Robert Murphy Thanks for your reply. I thought that. I think I read somewhere that I need softer led for black powder guns. I’m not sure how soft it has to be. I also read on a forum not to use wheel weights for casting conicals for my black powder revolver...too much tin and too hard. Got a lot to learn 😊

[@angelicasanchez7259]

what range do you go to. hope to see out their to pick your brain on some tip and tricks.

[@FortuneCookie45LC]

Angelica Sanchez - Once at the Chabot Range, I ran into a KZbin viewer when I was shooting my 8mm Mauser. And he also was shooting a Mauser. I was shooting my cast bullet handloads and was lamenting at the 1 foot high the POI at 100 yards. With a look of genuine disgust at my not knowing the solution, he said, " Why don't you just sight picture off the hood of the front sight?" In never occurred to me to take such an imaginative sight picture, but he was definitely offended as if every Mauser owner would have known that. Have a great day, Steve

[@roostershooter76]

What do they drop at? My Marlins all require .460 diameter bullets. Thanks

[@FortuneCookie45LC]

roostershooter76 - I have almost all of Lee's 6 cavs, and a whole drawer full of their 2 cav molds. Also, molds by RCBS, SAECO, Lyman and NOE. All the molds drop bullets at rated or slightly larger than rated until now. This Lee 457 500 - F mold drops the bullets at .456"..!! This is not acceptable and would have been tragic before our powder coating days, as in those days, nothing could be done short of sending the mold back to Lee...all that you hear about shimming the mold to get bigger bullets is unaceptable - we should not have to do any of that. However, with powder coating, and I've already done that...doing a healthy coating (a bit more than usual), after the PC, I get the bullets at .459" so that actually, no sizing is needed. But since I installed gas checks, the Lee 457" sizer opened up to .460" worked very well to install the gas checks (you see, my Marlins need those .460"s as well). Have a great day, Steve

[@critter9a]

do you use gas checks on these or just powder coating?

[@FortuneCookie45LC]

critter9a - After PC, if the bullets shoot well without the GCs, all the better. But if necessary, the GCs will be used. Good shootin' to ya, Steve

[@critter9a]

@@FortuneCookie45LC I have been trying to find a lee mould for 308 150 gr without gas checks with not much luck and not breaking the bank for it

[@fredchenze8676]

You keep saying "the right temperature " but don't mention what the right temp is please tell me

[@robaldridge6505]

thats a darn good bullet, I shoot them barefoot w/ black powder or with an aluminum G/C for smokeless and high pressure loading, NO critter will walk away from a well placed one of them...

[@mattlord2906]

$35 for 45/70 Walmart price for 20 rounds.

[@GunFunZS]

Yep. Old heavy bullet cartridges really want cast bullets.