bullet casting worth the work?

[Brutz]

Hi all, I am brand new to reloading and everything that comes with it. I inherited my grandfathers set and have done a lot of research and have figured out how it all works. I came across bullet casting and was curious as to if it really saves money or if it is just what some people prefer to do. If it saves money I am very interested in getting started. Any input and opinions help. Thanks in advance.

 

[jcwit]

Depends on how much money you have to spend on shooting. Also to some, casting is part of the hobby and enjoyable.

If you have a source of lead and spare time your bullets cost nothing expept the orginal start up for molds and pot, ect.

Do some searching about casting here and check what's said about casting on the cheap.

 

[rickomatic]

The cost savings will depend on how much equipment you have to buy, and how much you pay for raw materials. It will also depend on how much you shoot. If you shoot a lot, you'll save a lot.
The go to source, of course, for boolit (not a typo... for those in the know )casting is wheel weights. They are becoming harder to find. I've just recently started casting, and have discovered that a lot of tire shops either aren't allowed to give away or sell used weights, or already contract with scrap dealers. Now that lead commodity prices are down, you may have better luck. Also, let everyone you know that you want scrap lead. You'll be surprised how some will come to you if you let the word out.
Last, but certainly not the least, you MUST go to the CastBoolits website. There is more information there than you can believe. It's a veritible University of Boolit Casting.
The guys there are great too......almost as nice as the guys here...

 

[Brutz]

thanks for the advice.

 

[jcwit]

Another source, any indoor ranges near, join an outdoor club with a range and mine the lead if they let you.

 

[easyrider604]

How much do you value your time?

It takes me about 8 hours to cast, tumble lube, size and tumble lube again, 1,000 pcs. 158 grain LSWC .357 bullets.

My lead wheel weights cost about half a cent per bullet, not counting the gas and time to drive around to collect them, which can be considerable in my city.

Add casting and sizing equipment and mold depreciation to that cost (which would probably be 1/2 of a cent per bullet), I save about $60 per thousand bullets. That's like paying myself $7.50 per hour to cast bullets. But this is also my hobby that keeps me happy and sane. Psychiatrists are more expensive.

Is it worth my time? You betcha.

 

[lgbloader]

I second that, Easy R.

It's worth my time as well. I have a great buddy (Senior Mechanic Technition @ Goodyear) who drops off a bucket of wheel weights every friday so I can collect for the rain that I hope never comes.

Here is what I like most:
I get to mess around with molten metal, I get to relax and manufacture a component that I use on a regular basis, I save more money than I even realize because I never started to cast boolits to save money, I started casting because I wanted to see how good I could get at it and how good a round I could make with the boolits I cast. Maybe just another test on myself.

While I haven't been casting that long at all, I am seeing improvements on my casting technique and final product. I am also starting to find my go to recipe for each caliber / boolit type.

I enjoy it very much and crack myself up every time I fire a round and send a boolit down range knowing the rounds I am making are as close to free as I can get. I am starting to get this casting thing wired and it's a great feeling.

LGB.

 

[BHFG]

You may want to check out the Cast Boolits forum as well:

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/index.php

I'm just getting started reloading, but I've started stockpiling wheel weights and will make them into ingots until I'm ready to start casting.

Good Luck!!

 

[bullseye308]

Casting is a whole nother hobby unto itself. You can get into it real cheap or you can go whole hog for a buncha money. I went cheap and it works for me. Get the Lee 4# pot, couple of Lee 2 cav molds, Lee ladle, Lee sizer for the diameter you need(you need to slug your barrel to find out the size +.001"), use the Lee tumble lube that comes with the sizer and that's pretty ,much it. Total cost:
4# pot-33.99
2 cav mold-$20.59
Ladle-$4.39
Lee sizer-$16.19
Lee Reloader press & book-$30.59

If you don't have any equipment yet, I would suggest you get the Reloader press and manual to start with. It gives you a single stage press and a manual for the same price as either alone(close enough). If you have to size your boolets, you will need a single stage anyway. You may or may not have to size anything, you won't know till you slug your barrel and see what your as dropped size is after you cast.

If you can find wheel weights locally get all that you can get your hands on. You can put a listing on craigslist looking for lead as well. If nothing else, there is always evilbay at around 1.00/lb delivered which isn't bad if they are already in ingots. If you get straight WW's, you can use a turkey fryer and cast iron pot from harbor freight to melt them in and cast iron muffin pans from yard sales to make ingots. Coleman stoves work well also. You do not want to melt WW's in your casting pot.

Bottom line is that you can easily save a bunch of money if you shoot enough, and you can easily pay off your equipment in short order if you shoot enough. It will depend a lot on what calibers you load for. I load 9mm, 38, & 357 for the same cost, powder and primers, about 40.00/1000 rds. Save up and buy in bulk if possible and that goes down some. Hope this helped.

Those prices are from Graf & sons today.

 

[MMCSRET]

I started casting to cut costs, then I discovered the lost world!!!!!!!!!!!
I found myself haunting second hand shops, pawn shops, gun shops, yard sales, gun shows and always had my eyes open for bullet molds of any type used for cartridge guns. I have not delved into muzzle loaders yet because I am not satisfied that I have sufficiently explored cartridges. Over 50+ years I have a nice collection of molds, most obsolete, that I find very rewarding to work with. I retired 2 years ago and now have time to enjoy them and the equipment that goes with them even more. Good shooting!!!!!!!

 

[Bula]

Absolutely worth the effort. Depending on what you shoot, the ability to cast exactly what you want is a very 'liberating' feeling. Lead prices may be down but ammo prices sure aren't. For about the price of 3000 cast Keith .44's, I have a set up that can (and has) cast up to 3000 boolits in 3-4 hours. It may not be worth your time if you shoot 100 rounds a month, but if you shoot a 500 or 460 S&W (which i don't) it sure would be!

 

[RustyFN]

Like others said it depends on the equipment you buy and your free time. It's worth it to me. I get free wheel weights from two local tire shops. I pick them up on my way home from work. So far no extra time or money. I have spent around $250 for smelting and casting equipment. I cast 200 grain SWC 45 ACP. I figure after casting 3,000 bullets my equipment is paid for. I can load 45 ACP for $27 per 1,000. The best part is now all I have to do is add the price of a mold and I can load 9mm for $27 per 1,000. I'm planning on adding 9mm and 38 spcl this year.
Rusty

 

[R.Clem]

Everyone here is right, casting is a money saver, you can get really good accuracy, and even if you get really expensive equipment, it will pay for itself is a big hurry. the one thing I will add, is that if you have a firearm that has a different bore, is out dated as far as buying the ammunition for, you can have a mould made by one of the custom makers to produce the bullets for it, the cases can more than likely be made from some other case which is available today.
I cast for six different calibers, use a lot of WW, and have a blast throwing them down range for very little $.
My 45-70 is a large user of WW, at 545gr @. if you can find these to buy, $59 per 50. Home cast, about $4 per 50. Didn't take but one casting session to pay for the new mould and handles.
Indoor ranges will not allow the use of cast bullets in most areas, so they are for outdoor shooting only.
Also you should cast out of doors, keep the kids, pets and others away while you cast, no smoking, drinking eating, or putting your hands to your face, or extremities before a thourgh washing. I say these things as a reminder to all, I have had lead poisoning, still have a lead count which is probably greater by double of anyone on this forum, accept those who work in a smelter where lead is done. Casting is great fun and as was stated earlier, a hobby unto itself. Do it as safely as you can, and enjoy the end product, as you watch the guy next to you spend more on one round, than you spend on a whole box.
Good casting and good shooting!

 

[hershey]

i have the equiptment, but find that i'd rather pay for someone else to cast them, as stated 8 hours for 1000 boolits that i can buy for $54 and be done w/ it, that is not even minimum wage rates before you figure in the material.

now if it is something you enjoy, that is different altogether, i do collect wheel weights and re-melt them into ingots and keep up on what is going on in casting (i/e surf cast boolits.com) so that if the day comes when a person needs to cast, i can do it.

 

[snuffy]

Also you should cast out of doors, keep the kids, pets and others away while you cast, no smoking, drinking eating, or putting your hands to your face, or extremities before a thourgh washing. I say these things as a reminder to all, I have had lead poisoning, still have a lead count which is probably greater by double of anyone on this forum, accept those who work in a smelter where lead is done.

I cast INSIDE a closed room, my lead count is 5.0! The most important thing is to be clean. Washing hands and clothing, no eating, drinking, or smoking.

As for is it worth it? Unless you can value your free time in high $ amounts, it's really well worth it!

 

[jcwit]

10-4 snuffy. I've been casting since the 60's 70's. Sometimes inside, sometimes outside. I cast more now than I ever did before, get my blood tested every 6 months, not just for lead but for many other things because of other health issues. Anyway it runs around 6 to 8, thats very low and BTW in the summer I might even drink out of the hose.

At the temp that lead melts you do not get lead fumes, you get fumes but not lead, if you keep heating the lead up till it starts bubbling then you might get into trouble.

Like you say, keep clean, wash your hands, don't eat or drink, and don't pick your nose.

 

[RustyFN]

and BTW in the summer I might even drink out of the hose.

JC you live on the wild side.
Rusty

 

[qajaq59]

Casting, like loading, should be a relaxing hobby. If I looked at it as work I'd never do it. And money wise, yes it does save me quite a bit of cash. You don't need a 45 cent jacketed bullet to put a hole in a piece of paper, or a hog for that matter. Any old wheel weight does the job sufficiently.