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

[avator]

I haven't bought pellets or slugs for a long time so I just stick with pure lead because it works fantastic in my airguns and muzzle loaders.

Exactly what I been saying... I've got a few things to test for myself. I'll find which works best for me and that is what I'll use and how I'll do it.
All these suggestions and methods are great, without them I wouldn't even know where to begin. But at the end of the day I'm still going to do what works for me, until it don't.
If what I do hit's the little spot that I aim at 35yds out then my goal has been reached.
As for dirty barrels, ain't that why they make barrel cleaning kits?

[avator]

And BTW... it looks like I'll be able to start getting some of those results tomorrow. All my tracking shows that everything I need to start dropping pellets is still on track to deliver tomorrow.
I got batteries in my digital calipers, scale and chronograph. Got my pencil sharpened and my log journal  at the shooting bench and today I'll get my pellet trap fixed up and a stack of targets printed.
Let's Go !!

[Hoosier Daddy]

Nice Bill, it is rather soothing to cast... I find myself loosing track of time.

Thanks to all for the helpful links and posts.

[avator]

Yeah it is...
Even just smelting down all this lead yesterday was an enjoyable adventure.

[Spacebus]

Soft lead pretty much negates having to clean barrels too, the only time I clean a barrel is when it's new or I bought it on ebay, Crosman pellets are terrible on barrels because they're loaded
with antimony.  Even the JSB's have a small amount of antimony in them so if I happen to use them in my trap I take them out and trash them before melting all the pure lead stuff.

I guess I dont have any problems with CPHP's or JSB's and use both to cast slugs and pellets from all the time.

"Crosman pellets are terrible on barrels" is a pretty broad statement with no supporting evidence.

I would say borax is a good idea if you are recovering lead from the outdoors, but as you said, wax will reduce oxidized things back into the melt and leave some dross. Most of my lead has some oxide, so I use borax and scoop everything off the top.

[Wayne52]

I've been seriously thinking about building another black powder gun for turkey, or maybe even buying one, casting buckshot for turkey would be a perfect combo for
a long smooth bore and casting would be fun also, I've got a boatload of ingots I bought by mistake that would work good in it.  In the last few months I've been
casting a lot of .22 wad cutters and it's probably cast as many as any other single mold that I have, they're perfect in all my vintage pistols too, I'm sure they'd work
perfect in many of the vintage Crosman rifles as well (especially something like the 101's).


These are awesome in my Crosman 362

[avator]

I still have some of those that you sent to me Wayne.

No wait... those I have might be .25... I'll have to look today.

[Wayne52]

Bill it won't be long and you won't have to worry about using up 22 and above pellets because all you'll need now is lead, I do highly recommend the pressure
pour method though it is really nice for filling out those tiny cavities good.  Bob Sterne has good luck casting his pellets/slugs with his modified bottom pour also.
I never really got into the bottom pour myself but for ease of casting it's probably nice.  Aluminum molds are much easier on the wrist but the brass ones give
a nice finish.

[avator]

As y'all may have guessed by now, I sold a gun to fund this new phase of my airgunning experience. It's my ultimate goal to "cut the cord" on all pellet purchases save the .20 cal. for the 3 Streaks.
That said, I would also like to cull my guns to the ones that shoot my chosen pellet in each caliber.
Since 2013 I have experienced about 300 airguns. After selling/trading we have around 100 of them around here. Most in shooting condition, some needing some TLC and some needing complete resurrection.
It's pretty obvious I'm not going to get 100 guns shooting the same pellet in their respective calibers. So to that end, save for a few special guns, I plan on doing some serious culling. Those funds will afford me the molds for .177 and .22.
Nobody need 100+ airguns.... well, at least I don't.
In .25 I have 2 PCP guns and a gas ram... I think I'm good there.
.177 and .22 are the ones I need to weed out. I also have a buttload of pistols... mostly C02. I'm sure I can cut those down to 4 or 5.

[avator]

Bill it won't be long and you won't have to worry about using up 22 and above pellets because all you'll need now is lead, I do highly recommend the pressure
pour method though it is really nice for filling out those tiny cavities good.  Bob Sterne has good luck casting his pellets/slugs with his modified bottom pour also.
I never really got into the bottom pour myself but for ease of casting it's probably nice.  Aluminum molds are much easier on the wrist but the brass ones give
a nice finish.

Yeah Wayne... I got some learning to do.
As I said in my previous post... I'll be looking for my .22 mold next, soon as I sell another gun to fund it. At this point I have alot of .22 ammo on hand so I'll be spending time refining my casting in .25 only. I have even more pellets on hand in .177 so that will be third in line.

[Back_Roads]

 Think I am 20 guns short of 100, my cut off point maybe
Took me less than 4 years to reach the 1000 club at NOE, so be warned, but I do have molds in all my calibers, .177, .22 .25 .30 .357, and .50, just waiting on a .20 and BBT in .177.
 They do shoot in a good majority of my guns, and casting slugs is way cheaper to experiment with than a tin of such, from a manufacture.

[avator]

James... I have absolutely no use for anything bigger than .25. And truth be known, I probably don't even need the .25. But I love that "smack factor".   
So I can avoid investing in those larger caliber molds.
Ultimate goal would be 1 mold in each of the 3 calibers and guns that shoot them well... anything else will be novelty or moved on outta here.

[Hoosier Daddy]

Don't you have a lever action Seneca?

[avator]

Don't you have a lever action Seneca?

Nope. sold it... and that is the one and only gun I sold that I truly miss.

[avator]

That gun went to Will Piatt for a full treatment on it's way out of the country to it's new owner.
It was the Sam Yang .25 Sumatra carbine. If I'm not mistaken, it was from before Seneca got involved.

[Hoosier Daddy]

Don't you have a lever action Seneca?

Nope. sold it... and that is the one and only gun I sold that I truly miss.

Now that you are getting into casting, might be a good time to pick up another.
 Much cheaper to feed.

I find myself looking for a 909 again. 

[avator]

Don't you have a lever action Seneca?

Nope. sold it... and that is the one and only gun I sold that I truly miss.

Now that you are getting into casting, might be a good time to pick up another.
 Much cheaper to feed.

I find myself looking for a 909 again. 

Nope, nope, nope... all in and all done. 

[Nvreloader]

One of these days NOE will put those 17/20 cal molds on the site,
I have over $500 just waiting to push the button...............
if I live long enough...

Tia,
Don

[avator]

One of these days NOE will put those 17/20 cal molds on the site,
I have over $500 just waiting to push the button...............
if I live long enough...

Tia,
Don

yeah, those 2 are the least important to me. We don't shoot the 3 Dans much and the .177 is usually cheap and easy to find. Most of my .177 shoot the 10.5 domes well... and I have a truckload of those.
I went to the bar/mancave this morning and scraped up enough junk pellets to make 3 more muffins.
I know I have enough in the totes down in the barn that came from the old shop when we moved to probably make a couple more. And I still have my compartment containers to go through.

[Firewalker]

100+ air guns? WOW! I feel like I'm drowning with the few I have, three are already boxed up for sale but the market for them is soft right now so I may wait until they are no longer for sale commercially.