caster worth it?

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  • Last Post 23 November 2020
sergeant69 posted this 07 November 2020

have seen some good reviews on the Magma Cast Master. i have their luber/sizer which works great one day then is a cluster f%$@ the next.  i have been casting for years the "right" way with lee, lyman, noe etc molds but my hands are getting to the its not funny anymore stage. orthopedic guy says joints/knuckle are worn out, no buffering left between bones blah blah blah. one guy claimed his first outing with the cast master resulted in over 800 good bullets in an hour, no effort. its $1100, which in the shooting world isn't a deal breaker but still....! does the machine use existing molds? any opinions by users? thanks 

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delmarskid posted this 07 November 2020

A good friend of mine owned two and loved them Rick was a commercial caster. One machine was the big automated job the other was the crank operated out fit that he converted to automatic. I don't think they will take most molds as they come. He had high praise for Magna molds.

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Qc Pistolero posted this 07 November 2020

I have one and am satisfied.800/hour is possible but max only with small bullets,like 125gr 9mm.Even there  I'd rather say 700 to 750The bigger the bullet,the more time it takes to cool down..44 240gr will look more like 450/500 /hour.

The quality of the machine and of the molds is very good.I've had some Lyman,RCBS and Saeco molds modified by them to be used on the machine but if I had to do it again,I'd simply go with their molds.

The main advantages with the little machine are:

less fatigue using it than hand held molds

once the mold reached its optimum operating temp,it casts bullets of very constant quality because the molds are held closed to the same tension by the springs and it is easy to keep a regular beat with the machine.

The only suggestion I'd make to the manufacturer(Magma)would be to use the machine monted with the 90pound pot instead of the 40 pounder.

But still,it is a very good and well made product..

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sergeant69 posted this 12 November 2020

well, i'm on the list anyways. be a few months, but i'm not going anywheres. i hope.

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Qc Pistolero posted this 14 November 2020

I wish you to have as much fun with it as I do(I'm sure you will!).

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sergeant69 posted this 14 November 2020

 hope so. got about 300 lbs of WW and 100 lbs of lead waiting on it. in ingots

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sergeant69 posted this 17 November 2020

more questions......magma sells their own moulds for the caster or will modify the customers to fit. since their moulds are made in house for THAT machine, will they work better or will the modified be just as good?

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Qc Pistolero posted this 18 November 2020

Go for their molds,you won't regret it.

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sergeant69 posted this 22 November 2020

Qc Pistolero..........  i have been told by a master caster owner on another site that it will NOT be easier on my hands. personally, i don't see how it can't help but be easier on my knuckles, but i have never operated one. can you give me any further thoughts/opinions on this? thanks

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Qc Pistolero posted this 23 November 2020

OK let's compare.I hold the mold in my southpaw(I a righthander)and my fiberglass hammer in my right which also operates the valv of the pot.I rest the mold on the guide of my 20 pounder RCBS pot but as soon as the pour has hardened,I move the mold to an aluminium tray at the right of the pot and knock the sprue in the alu tray.I then move the mold a little further to my right to another tray that's padded to soften the fall of the relatively still soft bullets.I knock on the hinge of the mold to make the bullets fall,close the mold and get the mold back under the spout of the pot.Lots of hand moves here.

With the caster,my left hand is not used at all.I leave my right hand on the operating lever,operate the valv lever with my right index,tilt the handle halfway down so as to have the blocks of the mold under the airstream of the fan for 3 or 4 seconds then get the handle all the way down on the stopper to eject both the sprue and the bullets in a different tray(done automatically by the machine).

As you can see,the hands implication in the process is being down by aprox 65 to 70% with the caster.The mold blocks rely on spring force for being kept shut which is effortless to you and the pressure on the closed blocs is constant which is I believe a factor for accuracy.Besides,you don't have to support the weight of the blocks which,after 1000 or more bullets done begins to be tiresome.

I still like casting with molds but I must admit that with the handheld molds,I seldom make more than 1000 bullets while my normal run with the caster is always between 1300 and 2000 bullets with 1500 being the normal run.

 

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sergeant69 posted this 23 November 2020

exactly what i wanted to hear. i totally agree with the maximum pressure used to hold the mold handles closed during the pour. after just a few times my left hand is screaming. plus the weight of the mold, the lead in it, and the pounding on it (sprue cutter) by the mallet all contribute to the "fun". i have seen videos and see no way the master caster cannot help. but actual user input is always better. BTW if i could get 1000 rds by hand pouring and be ok i'd stay with that. not a chance. thanks

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