Bullet Casting Components & Suppliers

TexasMac's Web Site

Last update (partial): 2001

As you read the following material please understand that the majority
of the information presented was researched in the mid 1990's and
some, not all, was updated around 2001. Therefore, I have no doubt
that there are new suppliers not mentioned and some listed companies
no longer in business, especially among the rather dynamic ranks of
cast bullet suppliers. Also, many companies have added Internet Web
Sites, which I have not subsequently researched and documented.
After reading the material I suggest you take some time and search the
Web using one of the fine “search engines” such as Google or Yahoo.

Contents:
§        Introduction
§        Background Information
§        Casting Alloys and Bullet Hardness
§        Bullet Lubricants
§        Paper-Patched Bullets
§        Gas Checks and Over-Powder Wads
§        Casting Equipment Manufacturers and Suppliers
§        Mould Manufacturers
§        Characteristics of Casting Materials and Alloys
§        Sources of Casting Metals and Alloys
§        Sources of Gas Checks, Wads, Wad Punches
§        Bullet Lubricant Suppliers
§        Sources of beeswax
§        Homemade Lube Formulas and Notes
§        Affiliated Associations
§        Books, Periodicals, Reference Material

Introduction:
First, a short comment on abbreviations, since the subject of this
primer is cast bullets I will use the abbreviations CB or CBs to mean
cast bullet or cast bullets throughout the text.

Already an avid reloader for many years, around 1990 I made the
switched from jacketed bullets to commercial CBs to reduce reloading
costs for several calibers of handguns and black powder cartridge
rifles. I’d been toying with the idea of casting my own bullets for
some time when a large quantity of casting alloy became available at a
very low price. After hauling the stuff home I decided to become
familiar with the basics of bullet casting before purchasing the
necessary equipment. This primer is a result of my research and
reflects some of my experiences and knowledge gained from actually
casting bullets. Just be aware that some of the data may be “dated”
as companies go out of business, move, add or remove products from
the market. Although I have cast thousands of bullets, I do not
consider myself an expert on the subject. Most of the following
information has been obtained from sources much more knowledgeable
than I.

As with most technical processes one must first acquire a fundamental
understanding of the terminology and techniques employed. Bullet
casting is no exception. I’d read several reference books and manuals
on the subject. The literature provided valuable advice and guidelines
on the casting process. What it lacked was a comprehensive reference
on sources of equipment, components, and raw materials. To ensure I
was well informed prior to buying the necessary equipment and
supplies, I decided to further research the industry and the casting
process. I have found no better way to fully understand a subject then
to document it in writing. Since there’s plenty of excellent
information available covering the step-by-step processes of bullet
casting, I will not cover the details of the actual casting process here,
but have included comments and discussions to explain some of the
basic fundamentals and concerns.

Included is an extensive list of casting and related equipment sources
including casting moulds, casting alloys, and bullet lubricants. I will
not address the entire reloading process and associated components,
but have included a list of manufacturers of gas checks, over-powder
wads, and wad punches. The list is short for suppliers of over-powder
wads and wad punches, and sources may be hard to identify for the
novice bullet caster. Also included is a section discussing bullet
lubricants and a list of lead alloy characteristics to use as a reference
when buying or mixing casting alloys.

It’s to your benefit to further research and read all you can find on the
subject prior to purchasing equipment. You are likely reading this
because you are new to bullet casting. I therefore recommend
starting with basic, lower-priced, “standard” equipment. For many
decades excellent bullets were made with a cast iron pot over an open
fire, a hand ladle, and a simple mould. Don’t make the costly mistake
of buying expensive equipment before you have a better idea of the
level of commitment you are prepared to make.

Should you desire to extend you knowledge on casting bullets, there
are many fine books, pamphlets and periodicals available that cover
the subject in various levels of detail. See the section on Books,
Periodicals, Reference Material. For those interested in casting bullets
for black powder cartridge rifle (BPCR) shooting, I’ve listed several
books and periodicals that I highly recommend.

Regardless of your specific area of interest, consider joining the Cast
Bullet Association, Inc. (CBA). The CBA is a worldwide organization of
approximately 2000 shooters who cast and shoot their own lead alloy
bullets for hunting and target shooting. The CBA publishes a semi-
monthly journal called The Fouling Shot that is filled with articles on
casting techniques, loads for CBs, and experiments with CBs. It also
contains advertisements that will hook you up with custom mould
makers and others who supply products for the CB shooter. See the
section on Affiliated Associations.

Once you’ve grasped the basic process and fundamentals, there’s no
substitute for first-hand experience. I assure you there is absolutely
no way to acquire the knowledge and experience without actually
jumping into the casting process and making the many mistakes we
have all made as novices of this hobby. Just remember, you are
working with a high temperature molten metal. Imagine having your
casting pot full of 800 degree lead alloy explode, while standing
over it, because you were not paying attention, or failed to follow
good safety practices and somehow allowed moisture to get into the
lead alloy. Bullet casting can be a safe and very enjoyable experience
as long as you take the necessary precautions and use common sense.
Safety is priority
number one.

As you read further you’ll quickly come to the realization that it’s
certainly not an exact science and leaves plenty of room for
experimentation. I hope the information will save you time locating
sources of equipment and supplies, and shed some light on the role
played by specific components in producing a CB. But my real ulterior
motive is to interest newcomers to the hobby by making it a little
easier to understand and less intimidating to those not familiar with
the process. If you’d like to add another very enjoyable dimension to
the sport of reloading and shooting, customize your loads and save
some money to boot, bullet casting is for you. I hope you find the time
reading this primer to be well spent.

Background Information:
Let’s discuss hard CBs or “hard cast” a little. If you’re a hunter, paper
target shooter, metal silhouette shooters, or just “plinking” at tin
cans, accuracy is the one common requirement. The rifle and
cartridge combination is expected to perform accurately over
relatively long distances. One way to reduce the external conditions
that affect accuracy (wind, temperature, gravitational pull, etc.) is to
speed up the bullet. Thereby allowing less time for the external
conditions to change the bullet path. But with CBs, higher velocities
might increase lead fouling in the bore, commonly referred to as bore
leading or leading. Leading has a negative affect on accuracy. One of
the most common remedies to reduce leading is to make the bullets
harder. But leading concerns is not the reason most CB suppliers
prefer selling hard cast bullets.

CB companies ship their product through various delivery services.
Since harder bullets are less prone to damage they can be dumped
together in a heavy-duty cardboard shipping box, saving the additional
costs of separating each bullet in special plastic shipping containers.
Shipping concerns is also one reason a hard bullet lubricant is used by
most manufacturers. Harder bullets are also easier to cast with fewer
rejects, thereby further reducing manufacturing costs. And the lead
alloy used in hard bullets can be less expensive if it comes from a
foundry using reclaimed materials rather than virgin metals. Therefore
the bottom line is that hard CBs reduce manufacturing costs, which
directly results in a price saving to you.

These comments are not intended to discourage you from using
commercial CBs. All the CB suppliers I have purchased from make
excellent bullets, and hard CBs are perfectly adequate for most
general shooting requirements. But, for various reasons, commercial
CBs may not fit your shooting requirements, and will certainly cost you
more than casting your own. And don’t forget shipping charges,
which, considering the weight of lead, can add a significant
cost.

If you purchase CBs, uniformity and hardness are areas you should
consider checking to determine the type and quality of bullets you
receive. If you're satisfied with commercial hard CBs and the thought
of further complicating the reloading process is not your idea of fun,
then by all means don't consider casting. If you plan on casting,
several techniques can be used to control the hardness and reduce
bore leading, just one of the many advantages of casting your own.

Can a bullet be too hard? The quick answer is yes. So what are the
trade offs? Although hard cast may work fine for paper target
shooting, hunters have additional requirements leading to a
compromise in hardness, or the need for special processing. To
efficiently kill game the bullet must penetrate deeply and sufficiently
expand while retaining most of its weight. If the bullet is too brittle it
may fracture or breakup prematurely upon impact when striking a
bone or other hard material. If too soft, it could expand prematurely
and fail to penetrate sufficiently. This presents a significant challenge
for the hunter who is striving for maximum velocities resulting in
increased leading unless very hard bullets or other techniques are
used. Also, metal silhouette shooters would be at a distinct
disadvantage if the bullet shattered or bounced off on impact and
failed to transfer sufficient energy to knock over the silhouette.
Making the decision to cast your own bullets opens up several options
you can take advantage of. One option is to make softer bullets,
which may be better suited for your needs.

Earlier I mentioned that higher velocities might accelerate bore
leading. The key word here is might. I believe that the main cause of
bore leading is dimensional mismatches between the bullet and the
bore. Bullets should be sized to measure .001” to .002” over groove
diameter. If smaller, leading will result due to hot gases and vaporized
lead leaking past the side of the projectile, unless the bullet base
quickly and fully expands (obturates or “bumps up”) and seals the
bore. The hot vaporized lead either condenses on the bore or is
smeared on the bore by the projectile, or both. One solution is to
increasing bore pressures, which will bump up a bullet faster and
reduce leading.

Another method is to use a softer alloy. 1,440 X BHN = chamber
pressure, is a well-known “rule-of-thumb” formula which defines the
minimum chamber pressure required for bumping up bullets of a given
hardness. BHN (Brinell Hardness Number) is discussed later in the
section on bullet hardness. Conversely, if the bullet diameter is
correct, increasing velocities may cause leading due to inadequate
lead hardness. If the bullet is too soft, friction between the bullet and
bore will cause leading, especially with poor or insufficient
lubrication.

Leading close to the breech and progressing down the bore could be
caused by several problems: the bullet does not fit properly, the lead
alloy is too hard or too soft, the lubricant is inadequate, or a
combination of problems. Leading close to the muzzle is a sign the
bullet lubricant is not adequate for the pressure and velocity
conditions, or is not of sufficient amount to lubricate the entire bore.
A bullet significantly oversized to an extent that the lube grooves are
badly deformed will run out of lube quickly and lead the muzzle portion
of the bore. Gas checks, and over-powder wads are used to help in
sealing the bore. Bullet lubricants (discussed later) may also help.
Their effectiveness is limited if the CB alloy is incorrect or the bullet is
not dimensionally correct.

Casting Alloys and Bullet Hardness:
Common bullet casting materials are pure lead; alloys of tin and lead,
or of tin, antimony, and lead. The common methods of hardening
bullets are: increasing the percentage of antimony, which results in a
harder bullet but also increases the “brittleness”, and two types of
heat treatments. The two common heat treatment techniques
consists of quenching the hot bullet in cool water as it is dropped from
the mould, or heating the bullets in an oven for an hour or so at
elevated temperatures, then quenching in water. Either technique is
used with low-antimony alloy to yield much harder bullets without the
increase in brittleness associated with higher concentrations of
antimony.

Depending on the type of alloy and processing, the hardness of a CB
can change in either direction over time. Bullets with high tin-to-
antimony content will age-soften significantly over many months, even
if further hardened using a heating technique. To stop or slow down
softening, manufacturers adhere to a “rule-of-thumb” of limiting the
tin content to no more than the percentage of antimony. High
antimony CBs can be annealed or tempered (heated and cooled slowly)
to reduce their hardness. But given enough time the bullet will
eventually revert back to its original hardness. If you cast your own
bullets, cold storage in your home freezer is one trick used to virtually
eliminate age-softening or age-hardening.

Contrary to popular belief tin is not added to harden lead alloy.
Although increasing the tin content does slightly increase the alloy
hardness, its main function is to improve the “castability” (sometimes
referred to as fluidity, flowability, or pourability) of the molten metal.
Concentration of at least 2% improves the alloy flow characteristics
and allows it to fill all corners and grooves of the mould. Tin is
expensive, so manufacturers generally use no more than necessary.
Castability is not a concern with swaged bullets (refer to section on
paper-patch bullets). Therefore the extruded lead alloy wire used in
the swaging process normally does not contain tin.

BHN stands for the Brinell Hardness Number (incorrectly spelled
Brinnell by some). BHN is a measure of the hardness of a metal or
alloy at ambient temperature. Pure lead has a BHN of 4 to 5. The
hardest CBs have a BHN in the range of 22 to 25, and can be made
even harder using heat treatment techniques. Pure copper has a BHN
of 40. Widely used on castings and forgings, the Brinell test method
applies a predetermined test force to a carbide ball of fixed diameter,
which is held for a predetermined time and then removed. The
diameter of the indentation width is measured and used in a formula
to convert the measurement to a Brinell hardness number.

For those interested in measuring or verifying the hardness of CBs,
Redding/SAECO, a manufacturer of reloading equipment, sells a bullet
hardness gage based on a “relative” scale commonly referred to as the
SAECO scale. The SAECO scale is from 0 to 10, where 0 to 1 is equal
to a BHN of 4 to 5 (pure lead) and 10 is equal to a BHN of 22
(linotype). More recently, Lee Precision, Inc. introduced a very
reasonably priced lead hardness testing kit using a simple six-step
process and a standard single-stage reloading press. The SAECO gage
and Lee Precision kit can be purchased where reloading and shooting
supplies are sold. Lead Bullets Technology (LBT), HCR 62 Box 145,
Moyie Springs, ID 83845, http://www.lbtmoulds.com/, makes an
excellent bullet hardness gage based directly on the Brinell scale. The
LBT gage measures BHN hardness over a range of 5 to 40. Jim
Cornaggia, www.castingstuff.com, sells an excellent lead hardness
tester, which can also be converted to test case and case neck
concentricity, neck thickness, and bullet run out.

Linotype alloy, a mixture of approximately 4% tin, 12% antimony and
84% lead, originated in the printing industry in the 1880’s. It was used
in Linotype brand linecaster printing machines as a reusable alloy for
casting single-line units of metal type. Because linotype was readily
available, prior to more recent advances in printing technology, it
became the alloy of choice for hard CBs and the standard against
which the hardest CBs were measured. It was therefore chosen as the
reference for the top-end of the SAECO scale. Linotype measures
around 22 on the BHN scale.

A reference on common lead alloys mixtures and hardness can be
found under the heading Characteristics of Bullet Casting Materials and
Alloys. I’ve also included a listing of many suppliers of pure lead, lead
alloys, casting lead additives under the heading Sources of Casting
Metals and Alloys.

Bullet Lubricants:
Unless you’re shooting paper-patched bullets (discussed later), bullet
lubricants are required with CBs to achieve reasonable accuracy.
Numerous commercial lubes are available, and homemade recipes are
published for the bullet caster to experiment with. You should find the
following discussion on lubricants to be interesting, especially the
comments and recipes on homemade lubricants found under the
heading Homemade Lube Formulas and Notes. I also included a list
of lube suppliers under the heading Bullet Lubricant Suppliers.

When a CB cartridge is fired in a firearm the bullet lubricant is
expected to serve several roles. It should help in sealing the bore to
reduce gas blow-by, prevent vaporized lead from adhering to the bore,
lubricate the bore to reduce the effects of friction, and reduce the
negative effects on accuracy caused by accumulated fouling. It should
be of adequate consistency to stay in the bullet lube grooves and not
create a sticky mess during shipping, handling and reloading, but soft
enough to do its job. Earlier I discussed leading caused by incorrect
bullet dimensions or hardness, which starts close to the breech and
progresses down the bore. Leading starting close to the muzzle is a
sure sign that the lubricant is failing. The bullet may not hold
sufficient lube or the ingredients may not be adequate for the job, or
of the correct consistency. Due to differing requirements, bullet lubes
for CBs are roughly grouped into two categories: lubes for smokeless
powder shooters and lubes for black powder users.

The smokeless powder shooter is usually striving for high velocities and
therefore is highly dependent on good bullet lubricants. CBs fired at
high pressures and high velocities, devoid of the proper lube, would
cause significant leading. Since smokeless powder is very clean
burning and leaves relatively little fouling in the bore, leading is the
main contributor to reduced accuracy. There is more than one school
of thought on the cause of leading.

One “smokeless experts” definition of the role of bullet lubricants:
“Bullet lubricants are really not a lubricant in the sense of a bearing
lube. The lube prevents vaporized lead from tinning or sticking to the
steel barrel. The properties of the lube therefore must be opposite
that of a tinning flux. It also must help seal the projectile to the
barrel either as a solid or a semi-solid under heat and pressure.”
Another “smokeless expert” disagrees with the above definition. He
says, if the bullet fits tightly from the instant it begins forward motion
until it exits the muzzle then, “bore leading is caused from nothing
other than friction between the bore and bullet. Severe and rapid
heat from friction against the bore melts the skin of the bullet surface,
smearing it directly onto the bore." Therefore the correct lubricant is
one that simply eliminates or reduces friction. I tend to agree with
the latter definition, but both of these experts may be correct in that
leading may be caused by a combination of effects.

Leading is also a concern to black powder muzzleloaders or cartridge
shooters, but less so due to the inherent lower pressures and
velocities. Black powder shooters have an additional factor to contend
with. Black powder residue fouls the bore much more than smokeless
powders. The fouling is formed from a combination of residues from
the burning powder, bullet material, and lubricant. A buildup of hard
fouling deforms bullets and leads to poor accuracy. Therefore lubes
for black powder are also designed to keep the fouling soft.

An old trick of black powder shooters is to blow in the barrel after
each shot. This introduces moisture into the fouling, thereby keeping
it soft between shots. Soft fouling has less of an effect on accuracy.
For this reason black powder lubes tend to be much softer than lubes
for smokeless cartridges. There are numerous formulas for black
powder lube. An ideal lube should include ingredients to keep the lube
soft, but also ingredients to lubricate the bore and reduce leading
caused by friction and heat.

Conventional bullet lubricants are generally available in three forms --
hard lubes, soft lubes, or as a liquid. Also available are several so-
called “high-tech” bullet coatings/lubricants. These are usually
molybdenum disulfide (“moly” or MoS2) based lubricants, and have
recently captured the interest of bullet manufacturers and reloaders.
If you desire to make your own “homemade” lube, there are many
recipes available.

Hard lubes (usually a paraffin and beeswax mix), which work fine in
smokeless reloading, were originally developed for use in commercial
lubricator/sizers (lubrisizer) that utilize a heating element. Hard lube
allows the commercial manufacturer to handle and ship bullets without
concerns of damage. They melt at higher temperatures than soft lubes
and require heating of the lubrisizer so the lube will flow into the
bullet lube grooves. The lube then quickly cools to room temperature
to a hard non-sticky consistency. Low-cost heaters are now available
to home reloaders who want to take advantages of hard lubes. They
attach to lubricator/lubrisizer sold by reloading equipment suppliers.

Lube manufacturers employ several methods to control the melting
temperature of hard lubes. One method is to vary the percentage of
paraffin in the mix; the higher the percentage of paraffin, the higher
the melting temperature. Another method uses jojoba oil. Jojoba oil
(actually a liquid wax that is well known in the cosmetic industry) is a
“secret” ingredient in several commercial bullet lubes. Varying the
amount of jojoba oil will change the consistency or melting
temperature of the lube.

Several soft lube mixtures are available. Some are an Alox* and
beeswax mix. Others use ingredients that are proprietary to the
manufacturer. They work easily through a lubrisizer or can be applied
using “pan lubing” (discussed later). Soft lubes are sticky and normally
require special packaging of the lubed bullets until ready for loading.
One trick to reduce “stickyness” is to dust the bullets with a dry mica
lubricant available from reloading suppliers. Liquid lubes (usually Alox*-
based) are poured on a batch of bullets. The bullets are then tumbled
or shaken together sufficiently long enough to ensure good coverage,
then allowed to dry (usually overnight) to a soft, varnish-like finish.

Molybdenum disulfide based coatings are sold through several
companies. KG Products has sold moly coatings for over 40 years for
industrial and military applications. They also sell kits for bullet
coating. KG provides “private labeled” product to Midway and others.
Precision Bullets sells CBs with a special black polymer-based dry
lubricant coating that reportedly seals the bullets to reduce harmful
gasses and leading up to 2000 fps (likely a moly- based product). NECO
sells a moly and carnauba wax coating/lubricating process for both
jacketed and CBs that reportedly eliminates barrel leading,
significantly reduces bore fouling, and even increases the ballistic
coefficients of bullets. Midway sells a moly application kit and Moly
Bore Prep (KG private label). Ms. Moly sells an aerosol spray moly
coating (also sold through Cabela’s and Sinclair International). Cabela’s
also sells “Bullet Slide” moly lube in paste form. Green Bay Bullets
sells a MoS2-based lube in stick form. Lyman’s high-temperature Super
Moly and Black Powder Gold stick bullet lubes contain moly. Lyman
also sells moly kits for tumblers, moly spray, and moly bore cream.
Lee Shaver Gunsmith offers a moly-based lube in stick form. Moly-Bore
offers web-based ordering of dry moly powder lubricant kits. Moly
“application kits” are also available from other distributors and mail
order retailers. MoS2 sprays in aerosol cans are available at well-
stocked hardware stores, some parts stores, and W.W. Grainger
catalog order (part #5E202)

* See comments under Alox Corporation found under the heading Bullet
Lubricant Suppliers.

Paper-Patched Bullets:
And finally, this primer would not be complete without a few
comments on paper-patched bullets. If you saw the movie Quigley
Down Under, you may remember the opening scene where Matthew
Quigley (Tom Selleck) is filling his cartridge belt. If not, I’ll bet you
remember the later scene where Matthew describes his Sharps rifle,
the cartridge, and then proceeds to amaze you with his shooting
ability. Looking closely, you will notice the white paper wrapped
around the bullet. These are paper-patched bullets. If properly
applied the lubricated paper serves a similar purpose as the wax-based
lubricant used with conventional hard CBs. By the way, Matthew
describes the cartridge as a “45 caliber 110 grain metal cartridge”
using a 540 grain paper-patched bullet. Actually it's a 2 &7/8” brass
cartridge filled with 110 grains of black powder behind a .45 caliber,
540 grain bullet. This cartridge is commonly referred to
as a .45-110 Sharps Straight.

Mark Hilliard points out in his book, The Making and Loading of Paper
Patch Bullets, “It has been estimated that 6 to 24 million buffalo were
killed in the 1870’s hide business. The majority of the hunters used
single shot 40, 45 and 50 caliber paper-patch bullets.” Paper-patched
bullets offer a couple of advantages over CBs with lube grooves. They
usually have a higher ballistic coefficient (less air friction), but more
importantly provide a means for the hunter to shoot soft lead (usually
pure lead) bullets at high velocities. The soft bullet will expand or
“mushroom”, resulting in a larger wound channel. The major
drawback, causing most CB shooters to loose interest in paper patching,
is the work-intensive paper wrapping and reloading process.

If you plan on shooting several rounds before cleaning the barrel,
paper-patched black powder cartridges lack sufficient lube to keep the
powder fouling soft unless an additional “grease cookie” is used
between the bullet and powder. A “grease cookie” is simply a layer of
bullet lubricant “sandwiched” between two thin layers of non-lube-
absorbing material (wax paper is ideal), which ensures the lubricant
does not migrate into the powder and does not stick to the base of the
bullet. The use of a grease cookie further complicates the reloading
process. Without the cookie frequent cleaning (usually between each
shot) is required for competitive “match” accuracy. But this is not an
issue in typical hunting situations where the rifle shoots better than
the hunter can hold on target, and one or two shots is the norm.
Another drawback is in the bullet-seating step where special dies are
required to keep from damaging the soft bullet nose.

Paper patching can be used with cast or swaged bullets. Although
grooveless or smooth-sided soft CBs can certainly be used, most paper-
patched bullets are swaged. Swaged bullets can be made by starting
with cast, soft lead cores, but are typically made from extruded pure
lead wire “swaged” or pressed under high pressure in a swaging press.
Home swaging equipment is available, but is more expensive than
casting equipment. Also, pure lead wire is more expensive then used
wheel weights or other sources of lead alloys used in casting. Since
swaged bullets are not the subject of this primer, paper-patched
bullets will not be discussed further. If paper-patched bullets interest
you, another book, The Paper Jacket by Paul Matthews, is considered
by many as “the bible on paper patching”. There is also plenty of
information on the Web.

Gas Checks and Over-Powder Wads:
Gas checks and wads are generally used with CBs to increase accuracy
at higher pressures, temperatures, and velocities. Depending on the
bullet alloy, gas checks can also provide a benefit as low velocities.
Gas checks are copper, copper alloy, or gilded metal cups, which are
crimped on or otherwise attached to the base or heal of hard CBs
designed with a “gas check shank”. They are meant to stay tightly
attached to the bullet through out its flight down range. Gas check
bullets are thought to provide two key advantages over “plain-base”
bullets. Bore leading is reduced and distortion or erosion of the base
of the bullet is eliminated, both resulting in increased accuracy.

To date no one has hard scientific evidence on how gas checks actually
work. They may seal the base of the bullet from high-pressure gas
blow-by and subsequent vaporization of the lead; or act as a scrapper,
removing lead deposited from the sides of the bullet and/or from the
previous shot. One can argue that gas cutting takes place prior to the
bullet entering the bore and, although the bullet base is protected by
the gas check, the side of the bullet is not protected and is susceptible
to gas cutting. Therefore, the main benefit of gas checks is the lead
scraping function.

Regardless of the process, there is plenty of evidence that gas checks,
if installed correctly, do reduce bore leading and enhance accuracy. I
personally believe that even if an ideal CB (correct dimensions,
hardness, and lube) is loaded perfectly to match the firearm, gas
checks are still required to minimize bore leading at high velocities. I
also believe that gas checks are beneficial due to the many, many
variables and trade offs associated with reloading CBs. They minimize
the effects of accuracy robbing mismatches in the reloading process.
Gas checks are installed during the resizing and lubing process using
the same tool that “resizes” and/or applies lubricant to the CB. The
tool is commonly referred to as a lubrisizer.

Wads may also reduce gas blow-by but are primarily used to protect the
bullet base from the effects of high-pressure gases. A wad is simply a
relatively thin layer of material inserted between the powder and
bullet to protect the bullet base and possibly help in reducing gas blow-
by. They can be purchased for various calibers and in a variety of
thicknesses, or made from common materials. Most of the commercial
wads currently available are cut from a vegetable fiber material.
Hand gasket punches, available from many sources, or custom made
reloading press punches can easily cut out wads from thin soft metals,
cardboard tablet backing, milk cartons, thin plastics, and similar
materials. The wad is placed over the powder prior to inserting the
CB, hence the term “over-powder wad”. If the bullet base is cleaned
prior to reloading, the wad will properly separate from the bullet as
soon as it exists the bore and will not affect the bullet flight or
accuracy. See the list of sources under the heading Sources of Gas
Checks, Wads, and Wad Punches.

Casting Equipment Manufacturers and Suppliers:
The equipment from most of the following manufacturers is available
through local retailers, catalog retailers, and national full-line
distributors of firearms, reloading and shooting supplies.

Ballisti-Cast, Box 383, Parshall, ND 58770, Ph: (701) 862-3324
Comments: One of only two manufacturers of automatic bullet casting
machines in the USA. These are use by commercial reloaders. The
other is Magma Engineering Co. Manufactures two levels of hand
casting machines, one fully automatic high-volume casting machine,
and an automatic luber/sizer with M-A Systems collator. Machines are
supplied with Hensley & Gibbs moulds, although most other moulds can
be adapted.

Bullet Metals, P.O. Box 1238, 340 N. Lenzner Ave., Sierra Vista, AZ
85636 Ph: (520) 458-5321, Fax: (520) 458-9125
Comments: Supplier of brass, lead casting supplies, casting
thermometers, fluxes, pots, ladles, lead and lead alloys. Owner is
William Ferguson who is a metallurgist and has been selling lead and
lead alloys for many years. Bought the casting portion of Leading Edge
Tool Service (LETS) in 1993.

Lead Bullets Technology (LBT), HCR 62 Box 145, Moyie Springs, ID 83845
http://www.leverguns.com/lbt/index.htm
Comments: Owner Veral Smith sells, among moulds and other casting
supplies, a nice casting alloy hardness tester that measured the true
Brinell Hardness Number (BHN). Veral is also the author of a fine book
on bullet casting called Jacketed Performance with Cast Bullets.

Lee Precision Inc., 4275 Hwy. U, Hartford, WI 53027
Ph: (414) 673-3075 Fax: (414) 673-9273
Comments: A well-known low-cost manufacturer of casting equipment,
moulds, bullet lubricants, and reloading equipment.

Lyman Products Corporation, 475 Smith Street, Middletown, CT 06457
Ph: (800) 225-9626, (203) 349-3421
Comments: A well-known manufacturer of casting equipment, moulds,
bullet lubricants, and reloading equipment. Also supplies small
selection of CBs for BPCR and cowboy action shooting. Also sells a
fixed wattage lubricator heater (may be able to vary wattage using a
light dimmer). Note: Lyman & RCBS top punches & sizer dies or bullet
sizer/lubricator/Lube-A-Matic are interchangeable.

M-A Systems, Inc., P.O. Box 1143 Chouteau, Oklahoma 74337
Ph: (918) 479-6378, Fax: (918) 479-6665
Comments: Make's bullet collators that are used by Magma Engineering
Co. and Ballisti-Cast on their automatic bullet lubing and sizing
machines. Also makes collators for other applications.

Magma Engineering Co., P.O. Box 161, Queen Creek, AZ 85242
Ph: (602) 987-9008, Fax: (602) 987-0148
Comments: Manufacturer of a manually operated high-volume (500 -
800 bullets per hour) casting machine for the person that wishes to
move up a step from hand casting. Magma is also one of only two
manufacturers of automatic very high-volume bullet casting machines
for the commercial caster. The other one is Ballisti-Cast. In addition
Magma manufactures moulds, lubing machines, bullet lube, and
associated supplies. In late 1997 Magma purchased the Star
Lubricator ReSizer product line from Star Machine Works of San Diego,
CA and now manufactures and sells the Magma Star brand hand bullet
luber and resizer. The Magma Star is considered by some to be the
best unit in the industry. The Magma Star does not provide an easy
method to attach gas checks, but will resize the bullet after the gas
check is installed. Sizer and lubricator dies for Magma Stars are also
available through Robert Stillwell, 421 Judith Ann Dr., Schertz, TX
78154, Ph: (210) 658-0112.
Note: The Star Machine Works company name and the reloading tool
business were sold to Bill Cunningham, who operates and owns the Star
Machine Works, located in Pioneer, CA. Magma Engineering Co. and
Star Machine Works have a cooperative effort to keep customers
served, and refer to each other.

Midway, 5875 W. Van Horn Tavern Rd., Columbia, MO 65203
Ph: (800) 243-3220, Fax: (314) 446-1018
Comments: Full-line wholesale distributor and catalog retailer of
casting, reloading, and shooting supplies. Listed here since they also
sell a thermostatically controlled lubricator heater.

Rapine Bullet Mould Mfg. Co., 9503 Landis Lane, East Greenville, PA
18041 Ph: (215) 679-5413, Fax: (215) 679-6442
Comments: Sells casting equipment including a stainless steel variable
wattage casting pot. Also sells aluminum alloy moulds in either single
or double cavity and loading dies for hundreds of obsolete, antique and
wildcat calibers. Moulds come complete with handles.

RCBS, (a division of Blount, Inc.), 605 Oro Dam Blvd., Oroville, CA
95965 Ph: (800) 533-5000
Comments: A well-known manufacturer of casting equipment, moulds,
bullet lubricants, and reloading equipment. Note: Lyman & RCBS top
punches & sizer dies or bullet sizer/lubricator/Lube-A-Matic are
interchangeable.

Redding/SAECO, 1089 Starr Rd, Cortland, NY 13045
Ph: (607) 753-3331, Fax: (607) 756-8445
Comments: A well-known manufacturer of casting equipment, moulds,
bullet lubricants, and reloading equipment. Also sells a casting alloy
hardness tester based on a “relative” hardness scale (does not
measure the true Brinell Hardness Number). See Lead Bullet
Technology for another casting alloy hardness tester. Note: SAECO top
punches & sizer dies work only in SAECO lubrisizers.

Star Machine Works (See Magma Engineering Co.)

Mould Manufacturers:

Accurate Bullet Co., 159 Creek Road, Glen Mills, PA 19342
Ph: (610) 399-6584
Comments: CBs, moulds, brass, casting alloys, lube and other reloading
supplies.

Ballard Rifle & Cartridge LLC, 113W Yellowstone, Cody WY
Ph: (307) 587-4914
Comments: Late 1999 Ron Long’s business (Long’s Locks) merged with
Ballard. Ron manufactures bullet moulds, BPCR barrels and sights.
Ballard’s main business is BPC rifles and cartridges. Steve Garbe is
President of Ballard.

Barnett’s (Jerry R. Barnett), 1262 Thompson, Emporia, KS 66801-6072
Ph: (316) 342-6034 days, (316) 342-7257 nights
Comments: Custom lathe bored out of cold roll steel; single cavity,
base pour, plain base.

Colorado Shooter’s Supply, P.O. Box 132, 1163 W. Paradise Way,
Fruita, CO 81521, Ph: (970) 858-9191
Comments: Owner Dave Farmer makes' Hoch custom lathe bored
moulds. He is the only mould manufacturer of nose pour rifle moulds
for BPCR. Made of meehanite (cast iron or extruded iron).

Hensley & Gibbs, P.O. Box 10, Murphy, OR 97533, Ph: (503) 862-2341
Comments: Multiple-cavity (2, 4 or 6 cavity), mostly for handguns and .
45-70. Come with handles. Supplies moulds to Ballisti-Cast (one of
only two manufacturers of automatic bullet casting machines in the
USA)

Hoch Custom Bullet Moulds
Comments: See Colorado Shooter’s Supply above.

Lead Bullets Technology (LBT), HCR 62 Box 145, Moyie Springs, ID
83845, http://www.leverguns.com/lbt/index.htm
Comments: Owner Veral Smith manufactures top of the line moulds
and other casting supplies. The moulds are considered by many to be
the best available. Veral is also the author of a fine book on bullet
casting called Jacketed Performance with Cast Bullets.

Lee Precision Inc., 4275 Hwy. U, Hartford, WI 53027
Ph: (414) 673-3075, Fax: (414) 673-9273
Comments: Moulds and casting supplies are available through local
retailers, catalog retailers, and national full-line distributors of
firearms, reloading and shooting supplies. Moulds are milled from
aluminum blocks. Also sells bullet lubricants.

Long’s Locks (Ron Long), See Ballard Rifle & Cartridge LLC

Lyman Products Corp., 475 Smith St., Middletown, CT 06457
Ph: (860) 632-2020, Fax: (860) 632-1699
Comments: A well-known manufacturer of casting equipment, moulds,
bullet lubricants, and reloading equipment. Also supplies small
selection of CBs for BPCR, cowboy action shooting, and muzzleloading.
Moulds and casting supplies are available through local retailers,
catalog retailers, and national full-line distributors of firearms,
reloading and shooting supplies. Moulds are milled from cold-rolled
steel blocks.

Magma Engineering Co., P.O. Box 161, Queen Creek, AZ 85242
Ph: (602) 987-9008, Fax: (602) 987-0148
Comments: Manufacturer of automated bullet casting machines,
moulds, lubing machines, bullet lube, Star brand hand bullet luber and
resizer, and associated supplies. Magma is one of only two
manufacturers of automatic bullet casting machines in the USA. The
other one is Ballisti-Cast. Magma supplies their machines with their
own moulds, but other moulds can be adapted such as
Saeco, Lyman, RCBS, NEI and Hensley & Gibbs.

NEI Handtools, Inc., 51583 Columbia River Hwy., Scappoose, OR 97056
Ph: (503) 543-6776, Fax: (503) 543-6799
Comments: Aluminum and meehanite (cast-iron) mould in single,
double or four cavities. Offers nose-pour moulds. Also make's hand
tools for the sporting industries.

Old West Bullet Moulds, C/O Ken Chapman, P.O. Box 519, Flora Vista,
NM 87415. Ph: No number in literature.
Comments: All moulds made of brass with a steel sprue cut-off plate.

Paul Jones Moulds, 4901 Telegraph Road, Los Angeles, CA 90022
Ph: (213) 262-1510
Comments: Cast-iron single cavity, lathe bored, moulds.

Pioneer Products, 254 Brookville-Johnsville Rd., Brookville, OH 45309
Ph: (937) 833-2865
Comments: Owner Fred Leeth. Sells cast-iron and aluminum moulds
(special order).

Rapine Bullet Mould Mfg. Co., 9503 Landis Lane, East Greenville, PA
18041 Ph: (215) 679-5413, Fax: (215) 679-6442
Comments: Aluminum alloy moulds in either single or double cavity.
Comes complete with handles. Also offers loading dies for hundreds of
obsolete, antique and wildcat caliber’s. Also sells casting equipment
including a stainless steel variable wattage casting pot.

RCBS, (a division of Blount, Inc.), 605 Oro Dam Blvd., Oroville, CA
95965 Ph: (800) 533-5000
Comments: Moulds and casting supplies are available through local
retailers, catalog retailers, and national full-line distributors of
firearms, reloading and shooting supplies. Moulds are milled from cast-
iron blocks with lifetime warranty. Also sells bullet lubricants.

Redding/SAECO, 1089 Starr Rd, Cortland, NY 13045
Ph: (607) 753-3331, Fax: (607) 756-8445
Comments: Moulds and casting supplies are available through local
retailers, catalog retailers, and national full-line distributors of
firearms, reloading and shooting supplies. Moulds are made from
“Copper alloyed pearlitic” cast-iron. Also sells a casting alloy hardness
tester based on a “relative” hardness scale (does not measure the true
Brinell Hardness Number).

Steve Brooks, P.O. Box 105, Big Timber, MT 59011
Ph: (406) 932-5114
Comments: Maker of Tru-Bore bullet single cavity, lathe boring, cast-
iron moulds.

Characteristics of Casting Materials and Alloys:

Composition/mixture (%) See notes below          Brinell Hardness        Shrinkage (relative
tin (Sn):antimony(Sb):lead (Pb)                          Number (BHN)            to linotype) (b)

0:0:100            Pure lead                                          5 (a,d)                           -.002”
2.5:0:97.5        1 part tin to 40 parts lead                  8.5 (e)                               ?
0.5:4:95.5        Wheel weights - See note below       9 (c,d,e)                           -.001”
3:0:97              1 part tin to 30 parts lead                  9 (e)                                  ?
5:0:95              1 part tin to 20 parts lead                  10 (a,e)                           -.0015”
6:0:94              1 part tin to 16 parts lead                  11 (e)                                 ?
9:0:91              1 part tin to 10 parts lead                  11.5 (d,e)                           ?
3:2.5:94.5        Electrotype                                       12                                      ?
5:5:90              Lyman #2 alloy - See note below      15 (a,d,e)                         -.0005”
2:6:92              1 part lead to 1 part linotype             15 (e)                                 ?
2:6:92              Taracorp’s magnum alloy                 15 (e)                                 ?
2:6:92              “DB” alloy                                       16 (c)                                 ?
2:6:92              Taracorp’s magnum alloy                 16 to 17 (a)                         ?
2:7:91              Used by National Bullet Co.              18                                      ?
2:7.5:90.5        Used by Ballistic Advantage              18                                      ?
3:8:89               “SB” alloy                                       19 (c)                                 ?
4:12:84            Linotype                                           22 (c,e)                              ?
5:10:85            Linotype                                           22 (a)                                 ?
3:11:86            Linotype                                           22 (d)                                 ?
5:12:83            Linotype                                            ? (b)                                .0000”
6:14:80            Stereotype                                         23 (e)                                 ?
9:19:72            Monotype                                          28 (e)                                 ?

a) From the Redding catalog, b) Hensley and Gibbs mould brochure, c) Action Bullets Inc.
casting alloys, d) Lyman Cast Bullet Handbook, e) Lyman #47 Reloading Handbook

Notes:
- Tin (Sn) does make lead a little harder but its main function is to give it “fluidity”, i.e.,
it
allows the alloy to flow properly and fill all corners and grooves of the mould.
- Antimony (Sb) greatly increases the hardness of the tin/lead mixture.
- Depending on the manufacturer, wheel weights will vary in composition, and in
hardness from BHN of 8 to 13.
- Lyman #2 alloy formulas (also known as Ideal #2 alloy): 9 lb. of wheel weights and 1 lb.
Of 50/50 solder (50% tin - 50% lead); or 4 lb. of pure lead, 5 lb. of wheel weights, and 1
lb. of
50/50 solder.
- Most lead alloys contain less than 1% of trace elements of one or more of the following:
copper, zinc, iron, and arsenic.

Sources of Casting Metals and Alloys:
As previously noted, one source of low-cost casting lead alloy is used
wheel weights. I called several “gas stations” in my hometown. Most
were willing to give away or sell their used wheel weights for a
nominal price. The large tire chain stores usually ship it back to their
main warehouse and, due to internal policies, would not give away or
sell their wheel weights. Another source of alloying material is 50/50
solder (50% tin/50% lead). Dealers of hardware and plumbing supplies
usually keep some on hand. I found if I bought at least 20 to 25 1-lb
rolls from a plumbing supply house I could get up to a 45% discount
from the single roll price. Due to the discounted price I paid less for
the tin content then buying pure tin bars through the mail, and the
lead came as a bonus.

Local gun and reloading shops will usually keep a supply of lead ingots.
Plumbing supply houses may also be a source of pure lead ingots. A
local plumbing supplier ordered lead ingots slightly cheaper then I
could mail order from the closest lead foundry. One plumbing supplier
had ¼” lead sheets in 4-ft. by 20-ft. rolls and would cut off what you
needed. Another excellent source of pure lead is X-ray shielding
companies. These can be found in or close to large cities, and will sell
scrap pure lead at very attractive prices. If you’re fortunate to live
close to a lead foundry you have a cheap and ready source, but may
have to purchase a minimum amount. Some foundries will also ship
smaller quantities, i.e., 50 to 100 lbs. Note, the UPS rates are much
higher for packages over 50 lbs. And don’t forget metal scrap yards.
Ask for scrap sheet lead from old x-ray equipment. Spend some time
on the phone checking out local companies. You’ll be surprised at the
wide range of prices and
number of sources.

Accurate Bullet Co., 159 Creek Road, Glen Mills, PA 19342
Ph: (610) 399-6584
Comments: CBs, moulds, brass, casting alloys, lube and other reloading
supplies.

Action Bullets Inc., 1811 West 13th Avenue, Denver, Colorado 80204
Ph: (303) 595-9636, Fax: (303) 595-4413
Comments: Sells casting metals and alloys. Also sells CBs for handguns
and black powder, and bullet lubricants.

Art (Arthur) S. Green, M. A., 485 South Robertson Blvd., Beverly Hills,
CA 90211, Ph: (310) 274-1283 (work), (213) 651-0675 (residence)
Comments: Supplier of casting metals and information on casting.

Bullet Metals, P.O. Box 1238, 340 N. Lenzner Ave., Sierra Vista, AZ
85636 Ph: (520) 458-5321, Fax: (520) 458-1421
Comments: Supplier of brass, lead casting supplies, lead, tin, linotype,
and antimony. Owner is William (Bill) Ferguson who is a metallurgist
and has been selling brass, lead, and lead alloys for many years.
Bought the casting portion of Leading Edge Tool Service (LETS) in 1993.

The BulletWorks, Breckenridge, TX
Ph: (254) 559-155, Email: mitch5@kroo.com
Comments: Sells lead alloys

C. J. Ballistics, Inc., P. O. Box 132, Acme, WA 98220
Ph: (206) 595-5001, Fax: (206) 595-6023
Comments: Sells casting alloys. Also supplies cast pistol and rifle
bullets and CBs for black powder.

Douglas Lead, 2519 Winnequah, Dallas, TX, Ph: (214) 637-0843
Comments: Business is radiation shielding products and services. Will
sell scrap pure sheet lead. Located at Loop 12 and Interstate 30,
about 8 miles west of Dallas

GAR, 590 McBride Ave., West Paterson, NJ 07424
Ph: (201) 754-1114, (201) 742-2897
Comments: Sells bullet casting metal, fluxes, casting thermometers,
bullet lubes, general reloading supplies, and bullet moulds from Lyman
and SAECO.

Holt Precision, 3206 Main St. #103, Rowlette, TX 75088, Ph: (214) 475-
4176
Comments: Sells tin ingots and lead sheets.

John Walters, 500 N. Avery, Moore, OK 73160, Ph: (405) 799-0376
Comments: Sells lead alloys and pure tin in one lb bars.

Meister Bullets Inc., 4112 E. Winslow Ave., Phoenix, AZ 85040-1742
Ph: (602) 470-1880, Fax: (602) 470-0494
Comments: 2:6:92 alloy ingots for hand casting. Also sells cast pistol
and .45-70 bullets.

Midway, 5875 W. Van Horn Tavern Rd., Columbia, MO 65203
Ph: (800) 243-3220, (800) 243-2506, Fax: (314) 446-1018
Comments: Sells 2:6:92 casting alloy ingots. Midway is a national
wholesale full-line distributor and catalog retailer of shooting and
reloading supplies.

MI-TE Bullets, 1396 Ave. K, Ellsworth, KS 67439
Ph: (785) 472-4575, Fax: (785) 472-5579
Comments: Sells casting alloys, limited cast pistol and 45cal rifle
bullets, and SPG lubricant.

NELCO (New England Lead Burning Company, Inc.), 4600 Homestead
Rd., Houston, TX 77028, Ph: (713) 675-3266
Comments: Business is radiation shielding products and services

Sources of Gas Checks, Wads, and Wad Punches:

Buffalo Arms Co., 99 Raven Ridge, Sandpoint, ID 83864
Ph: (208) 263-6953, Fax: (208) 265-2096, Web: http://www.
buffaloarms.com/
Comments: Supplier of casting and reloading and shooting products.
Main focus is on black powder and BPCR. Good supplier to order from
if into BPCR shooting or competition. Source of Fred Cornell wad
punches, John Walters’ and King vegetable fiber wads. Also sells the
Rand Elite shoulder recoil pad.

Fred Cornell Custom Shooting Accessories, RD #2-14 Stover Acres,
Sayre, PA 18840, Ph: (570) 888-9236
Comments: Makes precision wad punches that are threaded to fit
standard reloading presses. Also sells paper patch tail cutters and
special BPCR cartridge cases. Punches are also sold through Buffalo
Arms.

Gunpowder Enterprises, 4314 Dale Williamson Rd., Union, KY 41091
Ph/Fax: (859) 689-5100, Web: www.circlefly.com
Comments: Larry Smith, owner of Gunpowder Enterprises and Circle
Fly. Supplies Circle Fly brand over-powder pre-cut vegetable fiber
wads for various calibers and a variety of thicknesses.

Hornady Manufacturing Co., P.O. Box 1848, Grand Island, Nebraska,
68802-1848, Ph: (800) 338-3220, (308) 382-1390
Comments: Hornady is a full-line manufacturer of reloading
equipment, bullets, and cartridges. Gas checks for various calibers are
sold through retail stores, wholesale distributors, and catalog retailers
of reloading supplies.

John Walters, 500 N. Avery, Moore, OK 73160, Ph: (405) 799-0376
Comments: Sells Walter pre-cut vegetable fiber wads (any caliber, any
thickness). Also sold through Buffalo Arms. Also sells lead alloys and
pure
tin.

King Machine Service, P. O. Box 368, Kila, Montana 59920
Ph: (406) 755-5352
Comments: Owner John King is a custom BPCR gunsmith. He also sells
King wads and LDPE and Vegetable Fiber wad material in .03 and .060
thickness in caliber .38, .40, and .45. Also sold through Buffalo Arms.

RCBS, (a division of Blount, Inc.), 605 Oro Dam Blvd., Oroville, CA
95965 Ph: (800) 533-5000
Comments: A well-known manufacturer of casting equipment, moulds,
bullet lubricants, and reloading equipment. Gas checks for various
calibers are sold through retail stores, wholesale distributors, and
catalog retailers of reloading supplies.

Bullet Lubricant Suppliers:

Note: The following list includes manufacturers, distributors and mail
order retailers of bullet lubricants. Most full-line distributors and
retailers of shooting, reloading, and casting equipment also sell bullet
lubricants.

Action Bullets Inc., 1811 West 13th Avenue, Denver, Colorado 80204
Ph: (303) 595-9636, Fax: (303) 595-4413
Comments: Supplies Whiteman’s high temperature solid and hollow
stick lubricant (45% commercial beeswax, 45% Paraffin, 10% Action
Bullet Formula). Also sells pure lead, tin, linotype and casting alloys
plus CBs for handguns and black powder.

Alox Corporation, P.O. Box 517, Niagara Falls, NY 14303
Ph: (716) 282-1295, Fax: (716) 282-2289
Comments: Alox Corp. main business is in the production of commercial
rust preventatives. Alox produces Alox 2138F (solid) and Alox 606-55
(liquid), among other products. Several years ago the NRA
experimented with bullet lubricants and determined that a 50/50 mix
of Alox 2138F and pure beeswax made an excellent lubricant. This is
referred too as made “to the NRA formula”. Some consider it the best
high-velocity bullet lubricant available today (good up to 3000 fps).
Alox also sells Alox 606-55 that originated as and is still sold as
a protective metal surface coating or rust preventative. Alox 606-55
contains 55% Alox 606 (solid) and 45% mineral spirits. Alox 606-55,
sold by Lee Precision Inc. and Lyman Product Corp., is a liquid that
leaves a soft, varnish-like lubricating film on the bullet after drying.

American Bullet Co., (previously called the Accurate Bullet Co. 12/96),
159 Creek Road, Glen Mills, PA 19342, Ph: (610) 399-6584, Fax: ?
Comments: Specializes in bullets for black powder shooting. Supplies
bullet lube: SPG in sticks, Drop Kick Bullet Lube (DBL). Also supplies
paraffin or beeswax wad material, casting flux, and mould prep.

Brownells, Inc., 200 South Front Street, Montezuma, IO 50171
Ph: (515) 623-5401, Fax: (515) 623-3896
Comments: Catalog wholesale and retail sales of gunsmithing and
shooting supplies. Also sells Javelina brand “super lube” and NECO
moly (molybdenum disulfide based) dry powder lubricant kit.

Cabela’s, One Cabela Drive, Sidney, Nebraska 69160, Ph: (800) 237-
4444
Comments: Catalog retailer of casting, reloading, and shooting
supplies. Sells several brands of lubes including Bullet Slide (moly -
molybdenum disulfide based) and Ms. Moly aerosol moly spray, all
Lyman’s, and SPG.

GAR, 590 McBride Ave., West Paterson, NJ 07424
Ph: (201) 754-1114, (201) 742-2897
Comments: Sells bullet lubes (probably from a specialized lube
supplier). Also sells bullet moulds, bullet-casting metals, casting
thermometers, and general reloading supplies.

Green Bay Bullets, P.O. Box 10446, Green Bay, WI 54307
Ph: (414) 490-8986, Fax: (414) 490-9653
Comments: Sells a MoS2 -based (Molybdenum Disulfide) lube in 1² x 4²
solid sticks. Also sells hand cast pistol, rifle and black powder bullets.

Javelina Lube Products, P.O. Box 337, San Bernadino, CA 92402
Ph: (909) 350-9556
Comments: NRA formula of 50% Alox 2138F and 50% pure yellow
beeswax soft lube in solid or hollow sticks. Also sold through
Brownells’ gunsmithing
and shooting supply catalog and Mount Baldy Bullets, Inc.

KG Products, 537 Louis Dr., Newbury Park, CA 91320
Ph: (800) 348-9558, Fax: (805) 499-4372,
Web: www.kgproducts.net/bulkote.htm
Comments: KG Products, selling moly coatings for over 40 years for
industrial and military applications, offers coating and kits for bullet
coating. KG provides “private labeled” product to Midway and others.
Products are: Bullet Kote to moly coat bullets using a dipped or spray
process (can be baked for a harder coating); KG-7 powder to coat
bullets using vibrating impact techniques; KG-6 Moly Bore Prep using a
patch to apply to gun bores. Also available are a
Bullet Kote Pro Starter Kit and a “Pill Box” tumbler kit (to eliminate
having to dedicate a tumbler bowl for moly coating).

Knoell BPBL-3 (Douglas L. Knoell), 9737 McCardle Way, Santee, CA
92071
Ph: (619) 449-5189 (Mon. thru Fri. after 7:00 pm Pacific time)
Comments: BPBL-3 has been used by the ’98 Raton winner, and used
by the2nd place winners in ’96 and ’97.

Lee Precision Inc., 4275 Hwy. U, Hartford, WI 53027
Ph: (414) 673-3075, Fax: (414) 673-9273
Comment: 4 oz bottle of liquid Alox. NRA formula soft Alox beeswax
mix in hollow sticks.

Lee Shaver Gunsmith, 559 NW 7th Rd., Iantha, MO 64759
Ph: (417) 682-3330, Web Site: www.egunsmith.com
Comment: Black powder Moly Lube in stick or bulk form. Sells
services, supplies, and parts for black powder cartridge rifles. I spoke
with Lee on 7/9/99. He said that Lyman’s B-P moly lube had much
more moly and was messier then his. Also his produced better results.
Also sold by Mid-Kansas Cast Bullets.

Liberty Shooting Supplies / Liberty Bullets, P.O. Box 357, Hillsboro, OR
97123 Ph: (503) 640-5518
Comments: Small 2-person company (Patrick and Victoria Gilbert)
using single-mould manual machines or hand casting pistol and rifle
bullets with emphasize
on quality. Also bullet lubes.

Lyman Products Corp., 475 Smith St., Middletown, CT 06457
Ph: (860) 632-2020, Fax: (860) 632-1699
Comment: Super Moly soft lube and Black Powder Gold moly
(molybdenum disulfide based) bullet lubes. Orange Magic hard lube -
Alox and Ideal soft lube, and a 4 oz bottle of liquid Alox. Hard and soft
lubes come in 1&1/4 oz. hollow sticks. Moly tumbler kits, moly spray,
and moly bore cream. Lyman also sells a fixed wattage lubricator
heater (may be able to vary wattage using a light dimmer),
sizer/lubricator, sizer dies, and top punches. Sizer dies and top
punches also fit RCBS lubricator.

Magma Engineering Co., P.O. Box 161, Queen Creek, AZ 85242
Ph: (602) 987-9008, Fax: (602) 987-0148
Comments: Manufacturer of solid, hard, wax-based bullet lube in red,
blue or green color. Also sells automated bullet casting machines,
moulds, lubing machines, Star brand hand bullet luber and resizer, and
associated supplies.

Mid-Kansas Cast Bullets, PO Box 455, Great Bend, Kansas 67530
Ph: (316) 792-4658, Fax: (316) 792-3373, Web: www.mkcb.com
Comments: Supplier of a wide variety of CBs for smokeless and BPCR,
and several lubes including SPG, Shaver’s Black Powder Moly, and 4
types of Thompson lubes.

Midway, 5875 W. Van Horn Tavern Rd., Columbia, MO 65203
Ph: (800) 243-3220, Fax: (314) 446-1018
Comments: Full-line wholesale distributor and catalog retailer of
casting, reloading, and shooting supplies. Sells several brands of lubes
including a moly powder application kit (this moly powder is the
cheapest I’ve found) and Moly Bore Prep. Reportedly sells Ms. Moly
brand aerosol moly spray. Also sells a thermostatically controlled
lubricator heater.

MI-TE Bullets, 1396 Ave. K, Ellsworth, KS 67439
Ph: (913) 472-4575, Fax: (913) 472-5579
Comments: Sells SPG lubricant, casting alloys, limited cast pistol and
45cal rifle bullets.

Moly-Bore
Ph: (888) 400-6659, Web: www.molybore.com
Comments: Moly (molybdenum disulfide based) dry powder lubricant
kits for bullets.

Montana Armory,
Ph: (406) 932-4353
Comments: Black powder cartridge lube (BPCL). Also sold by Montana
Precision Swaging (See cast/swaged bullet list).

Ms. Moly, Box 275, Burlington, WI 53105
Ph: (800) 264-4140, (909) 346-2304
Comments: Sells Ms. Moly (molybdenum disulfide based) spray
coating/lube in a 16 oz. aerosol can. Also sells a kit with two cans and
applicator hardware. Says they sell to Midway and Sinclair
International.

NECO (Nostalgia Enterprises Co.), 1316 67th St., Emeryville, CA 94608
Ph: (510) 450-0420, Fax: (510) 450-0421
Comments: Has a large supply of Taurak (old NEI Hawkeye) hard lube
in hollow or solid stick. Also sells a bullet molybdenum disulfide
(“moly” or MoS2) and carnauba wax coating/lubricating process that
can be used with jacketed or CBs. The lubricant is applied using a
cartridge tumbler employing hardened steel shot as a medium to
“impact plate” the moly coating onto the surface of cast or jacketed
bullets. NECO also sells barrel fire lapping kits; reloading components
and other lubricants.

Precision Bullets, 1922 C. West Pioneer Parkway, Arlington, TX 76013
Ph: (817) 469-8893
Comments: Listed here because they sell CBs with a special black
polymer-based dry lube, which reportedly will not burn off and the
bullets do not smoke when fired, or lead the barrel. The coating melts
at 2700 degrees. Precision claims that since the coating does not burn
off there are no lead vapors to be inhaled when the gun is fired. The
coating also eliminates any possibility of lead absorption through the
skin while handling the bullets. The coating material is not available
as a separate item and my guess is it’s a moly (molybdenum disulfide
based) lubricant coating.

RCBS, (a division of Blount, Inc.), 605 Oro Dam Blvd., Oroville, CA
95965 Ph: (800) 533-5000
Comment: Soft rifle and pistol lubes in stick form are a blend of Alox
and beeswax. Also makes the Lube-A-Matic-2 sizer/lubricator, sizer
dies, and top punches. Sizer dies and top punches also fit Lyman’s
lubricator.

Redding/SAECO, 1089 Starr Rd, Cortland, NY 13045
Ph: (607) 753-3331, Fax: (607) 756-8445
Comments: Gold soft pistol and rifle lube (no Alox). Traditional soft
rifle lube of Alox and beeswax mix. Green rifle and pistol lube slightly
harder than gold and traditional. All lubes are available in solid or
hollow sticks. Also sells a lubrisizer, sizing dies, top punch’s, SPG PS
Black Powder lube -- see comments under SPG Lubricants.

Rooster Laboratories, P.O. Box 412514, Kansas City, MO 64141
Ph: (816) 474-1622
Comments: Zambini Red hard (220°F) commercial, softer but still hard
HVR (220°F) high-velocity pistol and rifle lube solid or hollow sticks
that melt at 220°F; Rooster Jacket liquid pistol lube that dries to a
clear, hard waterproof film; other black powder and cartridge case
lubes; brass cartridge polish that sounds like the stuff that Midway
sells. Note, also sells a lube-sizer heater with adjustable thermostat
with lifetime warranty.

Sinclair International, Inc., 2330 Wayne Haven St., Fort Wayne,
Indiana, 46803 Ph: (291) 493-1858, Fax: (219) 493-2530
Comments: Reloading and shooting products for the precision shooter.
Reportedly sells Ms. Moly brand aerosol moly spray.

SPG Lubricants Inc., P.O. Box 761, Livingston, MT 59047
Ph/Fax: (406) 222-8416
Comments: SPG lube is primarily intended for black powder cartridge
shooting. It is the standard that other black powder lubes are
compared to. More matches have been won with SPG then any other
lube. It can be purchased from SPG directly or from Redding/SAECO,
Old Western Scrounger (full-line distributor), Montana Precision
Swaging, and Mount Baldy Bullets, Inc. (See cast/swaged bullet list).
Cast Performance Bullet Co. indicated that SPG tends to start leading
the bore around 1400 fps. Can also order the SPG Lubricants BP
Cartridge Reloading Primer by Mike Venturino and Steve Garbe.

Tamarack Products Inc., Box 625, Wauconda, IL 60084
Ph: (847) 526-9333, Fax: (847) 526-9353
Comments: Sells a lube consisting of 50% Alox 2138-F & 50% hi-temp
wax with melting points up to 200°F. Also sells the “NRA” formula of
50% alox 2138-F with 50% commercial A-1 beeswax. Available in
hollow sticks, solid sticks, 12 oz. tubs, and in bulk cans of 4 lbs. and 30
lbs.

Thompson Bullet Lube Co., P.O. Box 472343, Garland, TX 75047-2343
Ph: (972) 271-8063, Fax: (972) 840-6743
Comments: Line of hard stick lubes: Bear Lube Cold - 90°, Bear Lube
Heat - 110°, Blue Angle - 125°, Red Angel - 145°, and PS Black Powder
Cartridge Lube (Soft stick lube). Also sells a black-powder patch lube
and plans on offering prelubed patches for black powder shooters.
Owner is Dave Thompson. Also sold through Mount Baldy Bullets, Inc.,
(See cast/swaged
bullet list).

Western Bullet Co., PO Box 998, Missoula, MT 59806-0998
Web: http://missoula.bigsky.net/western/index.htm
Comments: Main business is cowboy revolver and rifle CBs. Also Sells
bullet lubes from Rooster Labs., Lyman, and SPG.

Sources of Beeswax:

Kevin Miller
Web: http://hometown.aol.com/kmiller170/myhomepage/business.
html
Comments: Click on the above address and send Kevin Miller an email
indicating how much you need. I believe he is a beekeeper since you
can also order honey. Click on the "send me an email" in the bottom
right hand portion of the AOL screen. His email is kmiller170@aol.com.

Dadant & Sons Inc., 51 South 2nd, Hamilton, Illinois, 62341.
Ph: (800) 637-7468, (214) 847-3324, Fax: (217) 847-3660,
Web: http://www.dadant.com/
Comments: Dadant is a well-known supplier of beekeeping products.
They also sell bulk beeswax. I could not find it in their web site, so I
called for prices and confirmed availability.

Homemade Lube Formulas and Notes:
If you are considering experimenting with home made bullet lubes you
should have a copy of Ralph Schneider’s 28-page paper Cast Bullet
Lubricants, covering lube formulas and ingredients. Ralph’s thorough
research will help you avoid wasting time on recipes and formulas,
which do not work, and save you additional time researching the
subject. Send $3.00 to Ralph Schneider, S. 15200 County Rd. FF,
Eleva, WI 54738 or download his article via the internet for $5.00 at
http://www.hanned.com/~hanned/webc.cgi/~hanned/download.html.

Lubing tips:

- When applying lube in cold weather, keep bullets warm (about 70° -
85°F) so the lube can bond to the lead before it hardens. Bullets must
be clean and dry. Silicon, oil or grease on the surface will prevent the
lube from bonding.

- Try “pan lubing” using homemade lubes. Stand bullets in a shallow
pan and pore melted lube around then up to height of the lube
grooves. Put the pan in the oven for a few minutes at 200 degrees to
ensure the bullets and lube are at the same temperature. Allow lube
to harden, then turn pan upside down and the whole mess will come
out like a layer cake. Punch bullets out with thumb. Lubricant will
remain in grooves. See homemade lube formulas on following pages.

From the Hoch custom bullet moulds catalog:

- Buck Emmert’s Lube Formula (makes 1/2 lb. of lube)
1750 grains of processed beeswax*
1368 grains of Crisco shortening (White -- do not use butter flavor)
328 grains of Crisco oil (100% soybean) or Wesson vegetable oil

- Barry Darr’s Lube Formula - A great lube for pan lubing bullets.
See modified version below.
1 lb. paraffin, 1 lb. Vaseline, 2 tbsp. RCBS case lube (may also use STP)

From Barnett’s bullet mould catalog:

- Dean Miller Lube (Dean Miller of Miller Arms, Onge, SD)
1/2 lb. of beef tallow
1/2 lb. processed beeswax*
1 tbsp. of high sulfur cutting oil. The oil is used by plumbers, is black
in color and stinks.

- Modified Darr lube- Excellent results up to 1500 fps, and near 90°
temperature, with the only problem being that it melts in the sun or
hot weather.
4-1/2 oz. paraffin, 4-1/2 oz. Vaseline, 2 oz. (2 tbsp.) RCBS case lube
(can also use STP)

The following formula is from one of Paul A. Matthews’ book, How-To’s
for the Black Powder Cartridge Rifle Shooter. He says it gives
excellent results. Paul says “It will not melt in the sun, yet continues
to give good performance when freezing temperatures are in the single
digits. It is very soft and sticky and has a bad habit of sticking to your
fingers instead of the bullet when you seat the bullet in the cartridge
case. It also turns dark with exposure, but this in no way impairs its
effectiveness. For my money, despite these few minor faults, it is
one superb bullet lubricant for use in the black powder cartridge
rifle.” This lubricant works great in a lubrisizer. It is not suitable for
pan lubing. Probably the simplest way to make the lube is to mix an 8-
ounce batch in a microwave oven.
Basic recipe:
Yellow beeswax        2 parts (ounces avdp.)
Pure neatsfoot oil        1 part (fluid ounces)
Murphy’s Oil Soap        1 part (fluid ounces)
1.        Fully melt 4 ounces of beeswax in a Pyrex measuring cup.
2.        Thoroughly stir in 2 fluid ounces of pure neatsfoot oil until
there are no lumps. Do not use neatsfoot compound.
3.        Add 2 fluid ounces of Murphy’s Oil Soap and continue to stir
until all lumps are gone.
4.        Pour into container and allow to harden.
5.        For 8 lbs. of lubricant use 4 lbs. of beeswax, 1 qt. each of
Neetsfoot oil and Murphy’s Oil Soap.
Note: You may notice that as soon as the Murphy’s Oil Soap is added,
the mixture turns a light cream color. It may also boil up violently
when the soap is first added. This is caused by a chemical reaction of
caustic soda in the soap, an action known as saponification, which
significantly raises the melting point of the mixture and gives it a
smooth, soapy texture. There are several other recipes that use soap
such as Kirk’s Castile

*REMOVING IMPURITIES FROM RAW OR NATURAL BEESWAX:
Raw, natural or unprocessed beeswax has impurities in it such as rosin,
sugar (honey), dirt, bee parts, etc., which must be carefully removed
by straining and/or other methods. “Pure” beeswax, also referred to
as processed beeswax or food-grade beeswax, has rosin and other
impurities removed. Sometimes it is also referred to as commercial A-
1 beeswax. Pure beeswax is a mixture of about 80% true wax; the
balance is free fatty acids and alcohols.

Straining: Proper straining removes the majority of impurities. To
strain raw beeswax, melt it in a double boiler or in a pan of water and
pour it through fine woven cheesecloth type material or T-shirt
material (if not woven too tightly to prevent wax from passing
through).

Precipitation process: Additional impurities, too fine for straining to
eliminate, can be removed using a precipitation process. After
straining the natural beeswax, but before using it to make lube, melt it
in a pan of water (at least 20% water) with 2 tbsp. or so of vinegar per
quart of water. Stir, cover, and allow to cool slowly. The water
serves two purposes. It allows the wax to melt without getting too hot
and it floats the wax to allow most of the bee parts and crud to sink to
the bottom of the pan. After it cools, run a knife around the top
edges between the wax and pan.   If you then refrigerate the wax, it
will separate from the edge of the pan for easy removal. Remove and
scrape off the crud from the bottom of the cake. Repeat if necessary
to remove additional impurities.

Combining straining and precipitation: Another method is to combine
the straining and precipitation process. I prefer this method because
the precipitation process alone does not remove some of the impurities
that tend to float in the water or melted wax. Line the pan with the
straining cloth before adding water, vinegar and raw wax. Heat till
wax is melted. Slowly lift and remove the straining cloth, allowing the
water and hot wax solution to pass through it. Let the wax cool slowly
and follow the rest of the steps in the precipitation process above.

Affiliated Associations:

Cast Bullet Association, Inc., 203 E. 2nd Street, Muscatine, IA 52761-
4006
Ph: (309) 537-3662 (Ronald Klerk De Reus)
Web: http://www.castbulletassoc.org/
Comments: The CBA is a worldwide organization of approximately 2000
shooters who cast and shoot their own lead alloy bullets for hunting
and target shooting. They publish a semi-monthly journal called The
Fouling Shot. The CBA address and phone number will change as the
membership officer changes. It is usually his/her home address.
Ronald Klerk De Reus is the current Membership Officer.

Lead Industries Association Inc., 13 Main Street, Sparta New Jersey
07871 Ph: 1-800-922-LEAD, (973) 726-5323, Fax: (973) 726-4484
Contact: Jeff Miller

Books, Periodicals, Reference Material:

Jacketed Performance with Cast Bullets by Veral Smith.
Available through Lead Bullets Technology (LBT), HCR 62 Box 145,
Moyie Springs, ID 83845, http://www.leverguns.com/lbt/index.htm

Lyman Products Corp, 475 Smith St., Middlefield, CT 06457
Ph: (800) 225-9626
Comments: Cast Bullet Handbook, Reloading Handbook, Also available
through book suppliers and local firearm and reloading retailers.

BPCR Reference Material:

The Single Shot Exchange, 67 North Congress St., York, SC 29745
Ph: (803) 628-5326. Email: singleshotex@earthlink.net
Comments: The Single Shot Exchange magazine is a monthly journal
and emporium devoted to antique and classic firearms.

SPG Lubricants Inc., P.O. Box 761, Livingston, MT 59047
Ph/Fax: (406) 222-8416, www.blackpowderspg.com, spg@cody.wtp.net
Comments: SPG Lubricants BP Cartridge Reloading Primer by Mike
Venturino and Steve Garbe. Published by Cal Graf, P.O. Box 306, Big
Timber, MT 59011, and the Black Powder Cartridge News, published
four times per year with excellent articles on BPCR.

Wolf Publishing Co., 6471 Airpark Dr., Prescott, AZ 86301
Web: http://www.riflemagazine.com/
Comments: The following books by Paul A. Matthews: How-To’s for the
Black Powder Cartridge Rifle Shooter, Cast Bullets for the Black
Powder Cartridge Rifle, and Forty Years with the .45-70

Wolf Western Traders, 40 E. Works, #3F, Sheridan, WY 82801
Ph: (307) 674-5352
Comments: Loading Cartridges for the Original .45-70 Springfield Rifle
and Carbine, 2nd edition, by J. S. and Pat Wolf

Paper-Patched Bullet Reference Material:

Bruin Bullets, 3712 Main St., Box 410, Walworth, NY 14568
Ph: (315) 986-8811
Comments: The Making and Loading of Paper Patch Bullets by Mark
Hilliard. Mark is the owner of Bruin Bullets.

Wolf Publishing Co., 6471 Airpark Dr., Prescott, AZ 86301
Web: http://www.riflemagazine.com/
Comments: The Paper Jacket by Paul A. Matthews

Wishing you great shooting.
Wayne

Back to Articles Page

PRIMER ON BULLET CASTING COMPONENTS &
SUPPLIERS
By Wayne McLerran