Newby on the block... well, to casting anyways.

[Insanity]

Matt (Insanity) should be by shortly...
I think this exact pellet is one of the samples of pellets that he casts... if so, they work great in my .25 guns.

Yes I sent some of them off to you aside from I think one new mold I have all usable in. 25 for a air gun. Also if you need lead I can probably hook you up with some.

[Firewalker]

As far as lead furnaces go, I have had several over the years and have gravitated back to the "Drip-O-Matic" that you bought, Bill.

I did buy a new 20# LEE bottom pour this past fall and I really like the way it pours but if I were dipping, any of the pots would work and I would absolutely buy LEE over any of the others!

Here's why: I called LEE, Shirley answered, I told her I need to buy a heating element for my 35 year old 10# pot. She got my info and I got a heating element in the mail.

RCBS heating element? Not from RCBS! You have to go to another vendor even though I was quoted $88 from them plus shipping, it never materialized! I got an after market one and promptly sold it after I fixed it. 2 years, 2 flippin years I got out of that $325 pot.

[Spacebus]

With casting pellets there are only a few commercial molds, all through NOE. Once you have one or two molds in 22 and 25 I don't see you incurring any more casting expenses, unless you start getting into big bore sluggers, but even then you only need a few molds per caliber. So far Ed has posted the molds I was going to suggest and I think you are off to a good start.

[Insanity]

As far as lead furnaces go, I have had several over the years and have gravitated back to the "Drip-O-Matic" that you bought, Bill.

I did buy a new 20# LEE bottom pour this past fall and I really like the way it pours but if I were dipping, any of the pots would work and I would absolutely buy LEE over any of the others!

Here's why: I called LEE, Shirley answered, I told her I need to buy a heating element for my 35 year old 10# pot. She got my info and I got a heating element in the mail.

RCBS heating element? Not from RCBS! You have to go to another vendor even though I was quoted $88 from them plus shipping, it never materialized! I got an after market one and promptly sold it after I fixed it. 2 years, 2 flippin years I got out of that $325 pot.

I just fired up my 20 pounder tonight for the first time and put the last 20 something pounds of my pig from rotometals through it.

[Wayne52]

This is the deal that I always went for prior to getting piles of free lead pipe  https://www.rotometals.com/cut-in-half-lead-pig-ingot-57-62-pounds-99-9-with-freight-included/
I still have an unopened split pig ingot (58lbs) I bought just before obtaining all the free lead pipe, I've got enough to last me for probably the rest of my life.
I've got a 10lb pot that I use only for casting 1lb ingots, I use a 4lb pot that I use for casting pellets and slugs from  using pressure pour method with lil dipper ladle

[EdinGa]

I have Lee 6 cavity handles on all of my NOE molds. Take my advice and fire up the drill press as soon as you get them. If you don't pin the handles, one will pop off right in the middle of a casting season. Ask me how I know. 

[Back_Roads]

 Looks like Bill has the basics covered, NOE was offering ingots of pure lead at a good price last time I got a mold, I got lead from NOE.

[avator]

Yessir....
Here is what I've bought so far...

https://www.ebay.com/itm/334204607563?

https://www.basspro.com/shop/en/lee-10-lb-lead-production-pot?hvarAID=shopping_googleproductextensions&ds_e=GOOGLE&ds_c=BPS%7CShopping%7CSmart%7CFishing%7CGeneral%7CNAud%7CNVol%7CNMT&gclsrc=ds

https://noebulletmolds.com/site/shop/bullet-moulds/251/250-27-rf-cc3-hunter-pellet/250-27-rf-cc3-4-cavity-hb-hunter-pellet/

[avator]

Next I'm going to look at Wayne's method that a few of you have referenced.

I also need to read up on what I need as far as things like Borax and wax (if needed).
I need to learn how to prep and clean.

I still want a hot plate and some way to monitor lead temps.

I think with what I have, as far as lead goes, and the items I have ordered I have enough to dip my toes in.
I'll make some of these .25 pellets and then have a look around for a .22 mould or 2.

[avator]

Would someone be so kind as to point me to a link to "Wayne's method" that y'all mentioned?

[Spacebus]

Would someone be so kind as to point me to a link to "Wayne's method" that y'all mentioned?

https://www.gatewaytoairguns.org/GTA/index.php?topic=179522.0

It's the first pinned post in the gate.

[Back_Roads]

 Full Lead Taco has some helpful videos on the NOE site.
https://noebulletmolds.com/site/full-lead-taco-quick-tips/

[avator]

Thanks guys.

[Back_Roads]

 Tips for recycling range scrap.

[avator]

JAMES... YOU'RE A GENIUS !!!

I never even gave it a thought...
Some of you might remember me talking about taking this place where we live when my buddy Killer went into the nursing home. You may also remember me talking about the Saturday turkey shoots that would have here every weekend.
Well guess what.... the birm they shot into is still here in it's undisturbed original bank. I am sure that shotguns were not the only thing that was fired into that birm because I personally saw folks shooting all sorts or pistols, rim and center fire ammo into it.
The other nice thing is that, here in lower Alabama, our dirt is sand... no rocks to speak of. I' think I'm going to grab me a bucket of that birm and sift though it.
I just might hit a gold mine of lead.

[Spacebus]

I have cast plenty of ammo with melted down reclaimed pellets from my traps. Seems to work just as well as the pure lead I got from Rotometals. My "range scrap" is about half pure lead and half CPHP. I'll probably get more pure lead from Roto in the future, will have to see how much lead is hiding in my various "soft" traps.

[avator]

Just made an offer on 20# of Lyman ingots.

[avator]

I'm kinda getting excited about doing this..
Now I'm thinking that I want to modify my shooting.
I've always just shot with a wood backstop or no back stop at all.
Now I think I need to come up with better ways to capture and reuse my pellets.

[triggertreat]

A little late to the party.  I would have recommended the 20lb pot for many reasons for gravity pouring.  I know Bob has done a mod to his 10lb pot spout like yours that may be of interest to you.  The details of the mod are buried somewhere on here.  He said the mod made a big difference in his pours.

[maraudinglizard]

I'm kinda getting excited about doing this..
Now I'm thinking that I want to modify my shooting.
I've always just shot with a wood backstop or no back stop at all.
Now I think I need to come up with better ways to capture and reuse my pellets.

Bill, I use a cardboard box about 12"x12",  2"x12" to fit in the box for a back stop, then in front of the board I pack old t-shirts, this will catch the pellets and make it easy to recover them when the trap is full. Just shake out the shirts and repack. The pellets come out clean and dry. What little shirt material is in the pellets will burn off. I use duct tape to patch it up. It's not heavy and easy to move around or travel with. It beats cleaning the dirt, duct seal, rubber mulch out of the pellets and the risk of nasty fumes and explosion from residual water in the pellets.