AJC1
Member
My 357 cost is about .27 each. The shelf price is about a dollar each. I can shoot the volume I want, if I was buying factory I wouldn't shoot. One box isn't worth the range trip. Three boxes is plenty.
oooh yeah! .357 cases ate like gold! I find .38 special does the job for range tripsMy 357 cost is about .27 each. The shelf price is about a dollar each. I can shoot the volume I want, if I was buying factory I wouldn't shoot. One box isn't worth the range trip. Three boxes is plenty.
The cost of a 357 is almost exactly the same as 38 except a few grains of powder. I'm not currently amused by 38 so I don't bother. I do use the cases for 38-44 loading of bullets that don't work in 357 cases...oooh yeah! .357 cases ate like gold! I find .38 special does the job for range trips
I never had a source and just get mine from rmr. 120lbs to your door 1.65 a pound. Still way cheaper than any other bullet.I agree I haven't found a reliable source of local lead.
Kinda wondering how folks afford to shoot much or the bigger bores with the cost of factory ammo.
As @cfullgraf said, I too make shooting loads that either aren’t common, like many of my .38 and .44 Spl loads, or aren’t commonly recognized and loaded like the .41 Special (One of my new favorites) or wadcutters for a bunch of handguns, 180 gr .35 Remington, Barnes TTSX loads for Ca hunting in .257 Roberts or 6.5x55, etc.When I got into reloading, I could load 38 Special wadcutters for less per round than 22 LR. But those days are long gone.
It has been decades since I calculated cost per round of my reloads vs factory but I know the reloads are lower cost than factory.
I enjoy reloading as a hobby so my time is valueless which keeps my out of pocket costs low.
Finally, alot of the ammunition I load is not available commercially. My reloads tend to not be at maximum levels or use bullets not normally used by factory loaders or commercial reloaders.
Anyway, reloading is a way to extend your shooting dollars. If you get hung up on treating production costs as a business, you might as well keep buying factory ammunition. You will never be able to justify your time on a monetary basis.
I'm sad to say my sources are drying up fast. I work at a very large , busy auto repair shop and get zero lead wheel weights or anything else. I used to get buckets full for free. I've clipped battery terminals off cars going to scrap and scratched up a little here and there but nothing worth talking about. Only place I get local lead anymore is from a roofer I know and a guy that fixes medical imaging equipment , sometimes the medical equipment guy pulls through with a lot of pure soft lead and it's free. Not very often but nice when I can get itI never had a source and just get mine from rmr. 120lbs to your door 1.65 a pound. Still way cheaper than any other bullet.
That'll cut my bullet cost in half. I may have to keep a lookout here and over at castboolits for the equipment.
I've never used a thermometer for casting and my toaster oven was free on the side of the road... by far the most expensive thing is a quality mold. A good two cavity brass or steel will be much easier to learn on because of thermal stability. As you get more experience that same trait makes much more consistent bullets. I highly suggest you order some samples from noe until you find that perfect bullet, then buy the mold... advice I wish I was given.To get started you can pick up the following:
- Lee 20 pound bottom pour pot
- Lead thermometer
- cheap hotplate from walmart
- Mold and handles of your choice. I would pick a 6 cavity Lee in the 44 mag profile of your choice, not gas checked
Then you need to lube and size or coat. Coating is most forgiving when it comes to loading without a gas check. I use some powder sold by Smoke on the castboolits forum and a convection toaster oven I bought at goodwill.
Get a job. Stay in school.Dang, did I misfigure. I figured 20 grains of powder for load. Guess not ready for physics.
Get a job. Stay in school
I've never used a thermometer for casting and my toaster oven was free on the side of the road... by far the most expensive thing is a quality mold. A good two cavity brass or steel will be much easier to learn on because of thermal stability. As you get more experience that same trait makes much more consistent bullets. I highly suggest you order some samples from noe until you find that perfect bullet, then buy the mold... advice I wish I was given.
Geez!You are a fool, that makes me mad. I posted that as tongue in cheek and will not throw anyone under the bus. My calculations were correct but I was not going to say that bluntly. I consider the folks who questioned good folk. I hate to guess but I'd bet I have a better job and more school than you but that doesn't matter. This post was fun until you showed your complete ignorance.
I find by hand cutting each sprue I get thermal feedback superior to what a guage can tell me. It's like a tire pressure number vs how the tires feel on track in the corners.Personally, I find a thermometer to be extremely helpful.
The steel molds are usually good. There is a steady trade in two cavity Lyman and Ideal molds on castboolits as guys upgrade to higher capacity options. Not a bad idea to start there as well.
lol! Sometimes too much instrumentation is a deficit. New cars have so many (literal) bells and whistles they become distractions. Low tire warning went off the other morning and I about went off the road trying to figure out what the bing-bonger and little flashing red triangle thingy was all about.I find by hand cutting each sprue I get thermal feedback superior to what a guage can tell me. It's like a tire pressure number vs how the tires feel on track in the corners.