Well
the weather is cooling down finally,
and with the falling leaves one’s
thoughts naturally turn to hunting, football, comfortable sweaters,
pumpkin pie, and bullet casting. It’s no secret casting is a lot more fun
when the temps are cool and crisp than when it’s hot and humid and the
sweat is running off you like a miniature version of Niagara Falls.
Some time
ago, I had picked a beautiful four cavity SAECO mold “chambered” for a 6mm
(.243) eighty-five grain bullet. I thought it would be fun to work up
some easy recoiling loads for my 6 TCU Contender. I figured I could use it
for half scale. Unfortunately, one pressing thing or another got in the
way of putting the new mold to work, but now I finally had a bit of time
to put the metal to the mold.
Producing
quality cast bullets takes a bit of care even in the best of
circumstances. You just can’t slop through the process if you want an
accurate bullet. It also seems to be one of those universal laws of nature
that larger diameter bullets are easier to cast than small diameter
bullets. Consequently, producing cast 6mm’s would be no walk in the
park. To successfully do so, you need three things.
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"It's hard to beat the
quality of SAECO molds." |
One - use
the best mold that you can buy. There are a number of people out there
that make good molds. However, SAECO makes a great mold. So what makes
them better? It’s simply because they’re made bigger and heavier than any
other mold in the general marketplace. Bigger and heavier means that once
up to the proper temperature, they’re not going to cool off as quickly the
way other molds often do when you have to stop casting in order to add
more lead to the pot, or when fluxing. In other words, with a heavy mold,
you can get right back to work without having to heat it up again.
SAECO
molds also have a heavier than normal sprue plate. This is especially
important when working with four cavity molds or with larger diameter
bullets. Heavy sprue plates won’t warp from heating and they simply do a
better job of cutting the sprue.
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"It's also hard to beat
the selection of 1 - 2 - 4 cavity SAECO molds" |
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The other
thing that I like about SAECO molds is the quality. I’ve had to send other
molds back because of defects, or more often, for repairs after extensive
use. However, I’ve never, ever had to send a SAECO mold back for whatever
reason. I’ve got a couple that I’ve been using for over twenty years, and
they keep on producing beautiful bullets time after time.
Two - you
need good, clean metal to cast good bullets - especially small diameter
bullets like 6mm’s. This may be one of those times where you might want to
invest in linotype. Lino typically contains 4% tin. Now there’s a myth
that says that tin is added to lead to give cast bullets strength, and
like all good myths, there’s an element of truth to it. Actually, while a
trace of tin will strengthen a cast bullet somewhat, it’s main advantage
is that it reduces the surface tension of the lead mixture and will cause
it to flow more freely. This is necessary to fill all the tiny nooks and
crannies of the mold far more completely. The main disadvantage of lino is
that it’s expensive and often hard to find. A good source of lino, tin,
and other casting metals is the Art Green Co. (310-274-1283) which has
been in the metals business for many, many years.
However,
if you have an inexpensive source of wheel-weights, it may be more
economical to just add additional tin to regular wheel-weights in order to
get the necessary reduction of surface tension for a exceptional mold
fill. Actually, it’s not even necessary to use the same amount of tin as
found in lino. 2.5% tin works very well to produce very shiny, crisply
defined cast bullets. Wheel-weights will already have about a half percent
of tin, so all you have to do is add 2% more. Tin can be obtained from
sources such as Art Green or in the form of bar solder which is available
at welding shops. Additionally, if you know someone who likes to prowl
the garage sales or flea markets, ask them to keep an eye out for you, as
bar solder some times can be found there for ridiculously low prices.
When
using wheel-weights, it’s absolutely necessary that they be fluxed
(cleaned) thoroughly. There are a number of home found materials out there
that have been traditionally used for this purpose. They range from Crisco
vegetable shortening to candle wax, or even bullet lube. However, they all
have a problem in that they produce a lot of greasy, flammable smoke. Most
folks will throw a match in the pot to ignite the fumes in order to
eliminate the oily smoke. However, the neighbors often get nervous when
they see flames inside my garage. For me, I consider those materials just
too messy to fool with.
One of
the very best fluxing materials around is Marvelux from Brownells. This is
a dry, white powder and there’s no smoke or fuss. After melting the
wheel-weights, remove the steel clips with a kitchen type slotted spoon
(bought mine in a flea market for 25 cents), and add about a half teaspoon
of Marvelux. Stir for about 30 seconds. You’ll see that the powder
converts to a black frothy liquid which will eventually become crusty.
However, the Marvelux will release the dirt and other junk trapped in the
melt and it will allow it to rise to the surface of the lead. Spoon off
the dross and the used Marvelux and repeat if your wheel-weights were
particularly dirty. Works good.
One last
bit of advice about your melt when casting small diameter bullets. Turn
the thermostat of your pot all the way up. Even when using a tin rich mix,
bullets sometimes won’t fill out properly at lower temps. Turning up the
juice really helps.
Third -
you need good a good lubrisizer. Fortunately, there’s a decent selection
of lubrisizers out there. Currently, I’ve been using the relatively new
Lyman Model 4500 with the insertable heating element. I have to say that
it is a very, very capable machine. Choosing the 4500 was a natural thing
for me as my very first lubrisizer was the venerable Lyman Model 45. I
must have sized and lubed at least a million or two bullets with that
thing, it gave me excellent service for at least 20 years. Even, now, it’s
still doing its thing putting in yeoman service for my good friend “Moose”
Edwards.
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"The Lyman 4500
is an seriously upgraded version of the old model 45 with the
ability to heat hard lubes". |
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The new
4500 is basically a substantially improved version of the Model 45. For
one, the base of the machine is much thicker for superior strength and
rigidity. The handle is also longer for better leverage, and has a easy
grip large plastic ball on the end versus the old bicycle handlebar type
grip found on the Model 45. The handle also appears to be made of
stainless, while the Model 45 used a fairly mild steel which was somewhat
prone to surface rust after a couple of seasons out in the garage.
Additionally, the handle linkage on the 4500 is also of substantially
heavier construction. Additionally, rather than being painted orange like
the Model 45, the 4500 has a very impressive powder coat finish in
non-traditional grey. If the 45 was a strong, reliable machine, the 4500
should provide at least four times the service.
However,
my very favorite feature of the 4500 is the optional heating element that
allows the use of “hard” bullet lubricants like Lyman’s Orange Magic. I
have to admit that of the various hard lubes that I’ve used, Orange Magic
has given me the most consistent results. Additionally, you never have to
worry about your bullet’s lube getting soft and runny after being seated
in the case and possibly contaminating the powder when your ammo is left
in the trunk of your car on a hot summer day. So, if you’re using heavy,
high velocity loads (Aren't we all?), this is the stuff you want to use.
The
heating element itself is a small metal tube a little larger than the
diameter of a pencil and around 3 inches long. The element is inserted
into the rear of the lubrisizers base and fixed in place with a set
screw. Plug in the electric cord and wait about 20 minutes for it to warm
the lubrisizer and the lube inside.
A quick word of
warning - don’t touch the heating element when it’s hot. When I say it
gets hot, I mean hot, but there’s no visible way to tell how hot it is at
any given moment. When you unplug it, give it plenty of time to cool off
before you handle it.
Next
month I’ll discuss loads and shooting results of the 6 TCU with cast
bullets.
Streamlight TL-2 LED
If you recall, in
last month’s column I outlined a short list of basic gear that an outdoors
type person should have on hand. Included in that list was a good
flashlight. When I say “good flashlight” I mean a GOOD flashlight, not that
$4.95 Wal-Mart special that you have in the junk drawer in the kitchen. I’m
talking about a flashlight that will be as reliable and as worry free as a
first quality reloading press.
OK, so what are the
qualities of a good flashlight?
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1.
Obviously, it should be able to produce a lot of light.
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2.
It should also be able to produce a lot of light for a long time.
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3.
It should be lightweight to carry, so hauling it around isn’t a problem.
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4.
It should be compact in size so it doesn’t take up a lot of space.
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5.
It should have a spring clip to give you some carry options.
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6.
It should have some means of preventing the light from rolling on an inclined
surface.
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7.
The light source should last a long time.
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8.
Lastly, it should be rugged and be able to take the knocks and wet of the
outdoors.
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"The
bulb in the Steamlight TL2 LED (right) will last a lifetime" |
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There are
other characteristics of course, but these are the ones that I consider to be
the most important to an outdoors person.
For a hunter,
camper, etc., a compact flash light is one of the most important safety items
you can carry. When coming back from a session in a tree stand after dusk,
seeing conditions can be pretty dim under the trees or perhaps darkness may
have already fallen before you can get all the way back to camp or your car. A
good flash light will show the way and keep you from tripping over something
in the dark and falling - possibly injuring yourself. By the way, clip the
flashlight to the bill of your hat to free up both hands while you’re climbing
out of the tree stand, and use it to illuminate your hand and foot
holds. People get injured all the time climbing down from a stand because they
couldn’t see properly. If you’re in an unfamiliar area and you get lost in the
darkness, (Hey, it happens to even forest rangers.) a flashlight makes an
excellent emergency signal. There’s a ton of uses for a good flashlight
outdoors. It’s kind of like having a good pocket knife like the Gerber Freeman
Folder I wrote about last month. Once you have one, you wonder how you ever
got along without it.
Let’s talk
about the Streamlight TL-2 LED. First, to avoid any confusion, I have to point
out that there are two TL-2s models made by Streamlight. One (TL-2) uses a
high pressure Xenon bulb. The one covered here (TL-2 LED) uses a light
emitting diode instead. Both have unique advantages, but my preference is the
LED model.
Streamlight
has been making high quality flashlights for over 30 years. In other words, it
is not a no name, fly by night type outfit. Quite the contrary, it has
established an excellent reputation over that time, and supplies police, fire,
and other emergency departments all over the world. It also has a “No Excuses”
warrantee on all of its products. If you break it, they’ll fix it or replace
it. It’s that simple. However, abuse, (Like using your flashlight for a hammer
- don’t snicker. I’ve seen it.) is not covered.
Let’s talk
about how well the TL-2 LED meets the criteria that an outdoors flashlight
should meet.
1. Lots of Light. I was amazed how much light is being pumped out of
this compact package. Thanks to its super hi-flux Luxeon LED, there’s 42
lumens there for you to command - and it is impressive. There’s a central,
very bright “hot” spot in the center of the beam with a circle of more diffuse
light around it. The hot spot easily goes out 100 feet. The color of the light
also appears to have very pale blue tint, which seemed to make things stand
out in the darkness even better. I found that this light pattern (due to
Streamlight’s advanced reflector design) to be very useful as it gave me the
benefit of a long range spot light, and wide angle illumination
simultaneously. Very nice.
By the way,
the Luxeon Star LED is THE most advanced on the market and is rated at one
full Watt. It is approximately 10 times brighter than a standard high
intensity LED. Additionally, the Luxeon Star LED will last for 100,000 hours
and is also fully covered by the lifetime warrantee. You may have noticed that
many other warrantees always exempt a flashlight’s bulb which can be expensive
to replace when they burn out. Just as a quick note - 100,000 hours equals
over 11.4 years of operation. This is why I prefer the LED model. I’m never,
ever going to have to replace the light source in this flashlight.
2.
Lasts a long time. With a regular flashlight, as soon as you turn it
on, two things start to happen. The power in the batteries decline and
consequently, the light output starts to diminish immediately as well. You
don’t see it right away, but it’s definitely happening. On the other hand, the
TL-2 LED uses electronic circuitry to regulate the power and light output so
that you’ll get 1.75 hours of the full 42 lumens that the unit is capable of
producing. Think of it. Even though battery power has declined during that
period, light output hasn’t. Nifty. After the initial hour and three quarters,
you’ll still get another two full two hours of useable light. Thinking of
buying a cheap, promotional LED flashlight? I guarantee it won’t have power
regulation.
3.
Lightweight and Compact. The TL-2 weighs 4.7 ounces and is 5.25”
long. At the reflector head, it’s 1.25” wide. Very easy to carry.
4.
Spring Clip. The spring clip is handy for attaching the light to a
belt, jacket breast pocket, or the brim of your baseball hat. The clip is
detachable by taking out a Phillip's head screw. When you remove the clip you
could attach the TL-2 LED to a firearm if you’re in need of a tactical
flashlight. There are lots of aftermarket mounting rings available to do so.
Additionally, there’s also available a very nice optional pouch made of
ballistic nylon to put on your belt if you so choose.
5.
Anti Roll. This is handy because it allows you to put the light down
on an uneven or inclined surface when you need both hands to do a job like
changing a tire at night. The outside rim of the reflector head has three flat
spots machined into its diameter which effectively prevents the light from
rolling around.
6.
Rugged. The TL-2 has a machined, aluminum body, and is NOT
made from flimsy stamped aluminum as found on promotional lights. The interior
as well as the exterior is also hard coat anodized to provide protection from
battery leakage. “O” rings also insure that the unit is highly water
resistant. The exterior of the body also sports several rows of very
prominent, raised ridges to insure a good grip. The light is activated for
continuous illumination by screwing down the rear cap, or for intermittent
use, by pressing a rubber covered pressure switch on the rear. The reflector
cover is tough polycarbonate. A lanyard is also provided. This is a handy
feature to insure you don’t drop the light out of a tree stand.
A safety note
- this little flashlight is so powerful that besides putting out a tremendous
amount of illumination, the light emitting diode is also putting out a lot of
heat. Consequently, while it’s switched on, don’t put the flashlight face down
on a flammable surface. You don’t want to start a camp fire inside your tent.
Needless to
say, I really like this light. It’s very powerful and long lasting, compact
enough to easily carry in a jacket pocket, and tough enough to get really beat
up outdoors and still work every time. That’s a heck of a combination that
will serve you very, very well. Streamlight products are available from a wide
variety of sources on the internet and from local retailers.
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