Molds and loads

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reddog81 said:
a pound of lead should cost about $1 to $1.50. There's 7000 grains in a pound. You'll get 56 124 grain bullets from a pound. If you paid $1 per pound that's $.017 per bullet. If you pay $1.50 per pound and use 158 grain bullets you're at $.034. You'll have to add some cost for lube or PC but it's minimal. The setup for applying lube is $100+.

A big problem at this point is finding the lead. Many sources have dried up as wheels weights have went from lead to zinc or steel. I've still been able to find a couple hundred pounds just about every year or every other year for the last few years.
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that’s cheap! and I like lead boolots
 
I use about every mould out there. Never ladle cast always bottom pour. Yes, unfortunately the bullets very seldom for come out what is marked on the mould, but most of the time work just fine. Now that I am old I buy my lead back in day looking for wheel weights was fun now not so much. I also buy bullets, but when I have time try to cast my own. Also keep records it helps.

F2E0A880-11F6-424B-8CB0-BC3224A34E71.jpeg
 
reddog81 said:
A big problem at this point is finding the lead. Many sources have dried up as wheels weights have went from lead to zinc or steel. I've still been able to find a couple hundred pounds just about every year or every other year for the last few years.
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Because it's probably been 10 years since I cast a bullet, I'm curious. Is type metal (linotype) still available? It seems like it was a little more expensive when I was casting my own, but it sure made for some good bullets, and all by itself - I didn't have to add anything to it.:thumbup:
 
.308 Norma said:
Because it's probably been 10 years since I cast a bullet, I'm curious. Is type metal (linotype) still available? It seems like it was a little more expensive when I was casting my own, but it sure made for some good bullets, and all by itself - I didn't have to add anything to it.:thumbup:
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Rotometals sells it all but it's not cheap.
 
.308 Norma said:
Because it's probably been 10 years since I cast a bullet, I'm curious. Is type metal (linotype) still available? It seems like it was a little more expensive when I was casting my own, but it sure made for some good bullets, and all by itself - I didn't have to add anything to it.:thumbup:
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I found about 450 lbs. a few years back and bought it. 150 lbs was from a guy in Kansas City. I had the guy hold onto it for a few months until I was going down there for a trip. I found another 300 lbs locally just after that and bought it also because the opportunity arises so infrequently. I think I paid $2.00 to $2.50 per lbsfor it. It's out there but its even harder to find than wheels weights.
 
reddog81 said:
That's not a bad price. Once you take into consideration the up-front cost of equipment, difficulty of finding lead, time it takes to cast bullets, time it takes to prep bullets for loading it makes sense for most people to just buy their bullets.
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I’m buying lots of stuff now, once part at a time, and when I retire, I’ll have the latest and great 19th century reloading and boolots making gear
 
reddog81 said:
That's not a bad price. Once you take into consideration the up-front cost of equipment, difficulty of finding lead, time it takes to cast bullets, time it takes to prep bullets for loading it makes sense for most people to just buy their bullets.
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That a good price for store bullets, Missouri Bullets they are great people to deal with.
 
.308 Norma said:
Because it's probably been 10 years since I cast a bullet, I'm curious. Is type metal (linotype) still available? It seems like it was a little more expensive when I was casting my own, but it sure made for some good bullets, and all by itself - I didn't have to add anything to it.:thumbup:
Click to expand...

Never used it because it's to hard; I use 1 to 30 for pistol bullets and Lyman #2 for rifle.
 
AJC1 said:
. . . Do the load manuals account for the added weight?
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Yes, because they're written by people who know the added weight doesn't matter enough to notice.

Alloy (hardness) of the bullet, and lead fouling of the bore both make more difference in pressure than a few grains of lube, check, or coating, and that doesn't make the manual either.
 
Walkalong said:
Used to pay much less than that for commercial cast bullets at gun shows, those were the days, and I still had to watch my pennies.
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I miss real gun shows, hours and hours looking at parts and books and gear! Talking with the old timers that are not there to sell anything but show off ( you guy know them ) !
 
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