Should I Start Casting?

[clearcut]

I love casting my own as it is very satisfying,as far as for rifle I cast for 30-30 and 30-06 some times I load gallery loads with 5 gr. pistol powder and just lee lube or powder coat gas check and push them out at 2460 fps. with no leading at all.Just like powder and primers you will find lead,roofers, wrecking yards ,plumbers, scrappers ,x-ray stuff,diving weights, ranges,junk stores even yard sale fishing weights.When your friends know your looking for lead it will start to come to you.

CC

 

[mr wack]

Well I look at it this way, when you get into reloading and you have constructed your first "perfect round " you get a huge sense of pride and achievement when it scoots off down range.
That's a great feeling knowing you made that baby from scratch, but have you ?.
Now when you CAST and reload that baby you really have made it from scatch, now that's a true feeling of satisfaction,,,,,,.

Spend as much or as little you want, Coleman camping stove, spoon , cast iron pan, and a mold is all that's needed , basically... or spend a little on a electric melter, ( I went from a Coleman to a Lee pot when I started).

Troll scrap yards, tire stores or buy ready made alloy,whatever..

Tis grand to have a coffee can full of your favourite bullets knowing you made those bad boys with your own hands.

Have at it and have fun ,,,, my 2 cents worth,,,,

 

[gwpercle]

WonderDavid,
The unvarnished truth is you're not going to save a dime.
Once you get started , you just might enjoy the heck out of it and then you're addicted. I started casting and reloading in 1967, you might think I would have everything I need by now....nosirree bob, I'm still buying moulds, sizers, bigger pots, lubricators...it just doesn't stop. Right now I'm trying to get a custom 4 cavity mould from NOE for a gas checked 9mm luger bullet. Do I NEED it...heck no, but I don't have one, so here we go.
Actually it is a fun hobby, I enjoy doing it, I love taking scrap and making beautiful , useful bullets from it. It's just satisfying .
And being the master of your own bullet supply has a satisfying feeling. I'm not dependant on whatever the store chooses to sell or not sell....I make whatever I want, and I like that feeling.
Gary

 

[Schwing]

Saving money is why I started. Loving it is why I keep doing it. I also powder coat my magnum and 9mm bullets.

After having done it for a few years, it is more about the satisfaction I get from the hobby than the savings but you will ave money casting.

 

[Ledhore]

Most of the naysayers are those who dont cast. Everyone I know who casts wouldnt dream of giving it up. You dont need very
hard lead unless you're planning on rifle velocites over 2500 fps or so. Under that bullet fit is the key to success. I mine lead from range berms using a sifter. 900 plus pounds last year. you can start pretty cheap and expand if you like it. Castboolits website contains everything you need to know.

 

[CraigC]

Most of the naysayers are those who dont cast.

Doesn't that kinda go without saying???

 

[stubbicatt]

When casting remember that size matters! So long as your slugs are at least .001" larger than bore diameter, and you use an appropriate lube, you will be in clover. For me shooting cast bullets is far more enjoyable than jacketed, with the exception of the bottleneck more modern cartridges. Don't be taken in by the "harder is better" crowd, as I get by in pistol and revolvers with a 30-1 alloy just fine with no visible leading in the bore.

Where one really begins to have fun is loading the 19th century big bore rifle cartridges with home cast bullets. With a properly set up chamber, one never has to resize cases, simply dispense proper charge of black powder, wad, compress, thumb seat bullet, and off to the races one goes. Heck, I don't even need to size my 45-70 bullets, just dip in melted lube, let cool, wipe off the bullet base, insert bullet, wipe off any excess lube from outside of case and put in box. The absence of working the brass combined with low black powder pressures, and brass lasts indefinitely.

As far as handgun bullets goes, a 4 cavity mould, a bottom pour furnace, and an hour of your time and you have enough bullets to last a long while. I have futzed about with sizers, lubes etc., and offer the suggestion not to skimp on your lube sizer. I bought an old Star and find that with my home made lube it works better than anything else I have tried.

I know I am getting pretty old now, but truly I do not see any merit in the non-cast bullet friendly chamberings. Anything I need to do I can do well with 19th to early 20th century chamberings and old guns.

Lead fumes are toxic so be sure to use adequate ventilation, and keep your melt at as low temperature as you can while getting good fill. --Tin helps.

 

[TexNAss]

My stance- It totally depends on what you are shooting and the prices you are paying for ammo.

When I got the 454Casull in a Rossi '92 lever- only one place here has 454 ammo- $88AU for a box of 20. Over $4 bucks a boom. Ouch!

I couldn't get any .452" bullets locally. Mail ordering projectiles (with freight) made it a bit over $1.20per bullet plus powder plus primers. Hmm better- but still a bit high. So casting looked to be much cheaper.

$60 for a Lee 300grain 2bullet mould, $10 for some bullet lube, a stolen frypan (there's some cool stuff under your sink- just don't let the wife see ya sneaking downstairs with that old frypan from a few years back!) and another $60 for 8lbs of lead. I made my first 150odd for less than a dollar a bullet. Wahoo.

Fast forward a couple of years later- 25grains of powder, a cast bullet, and a primer is now working out the same price as my reloads in the 223 costs per shot.

But am I actually saving money?

Nope- but I am shooting a hell of a lot more 454 ammo than I could afford to compared to if I was shooting "factory" stuff.

To put it into perspective- that box of factory ammo is about the same as I pay for 8lb of lead, plus about a 1/3 of a bottle of powder. More than a 150Kabooms with powder- compared to a mere 20shots.

And that makes it a worthwhile hobby for me. It does however force me to shoot it more, which is currently driving me broke whilst saving money.

Tex.
PS- if you get busted stealing that old frypan from under the sink- it'll cost more than just an apology, and a bunch of flowers.

 

[LUCKYDAWG13]

a box of 240gr XTP for a 44 magnum cost a round $23. for a 100 bullets
i see lead going for $80 for 68 LBS shipped 7000 gr in a pound =1983 bullets
just food for thought

 

[Arkansas Paul]

$60 for a Lee 300grain 2bullet mould, $10 for some bullet lube, a stolen frypan (there's some cool stuff under your sink- just don't let the wife see ya sneaking downstairs with that old frypan from a few years back!) and another $60 for 8lbs of lead. I made my first 150odd for less than a dollar a bullet. Wahoo.

WOW!
Things are sure expensive down under.

I'd have to find a new hobby.
When I cast for .45 Colt I have about $60 in 1,000 rounds. That's finished cartridges, not just projectiles.

Do y'all still use lead wheel weights on your tires in Australia? If so, are there strict regulations on disposing of them?

 

[WonderDavid!]

Thanks for all the info guys, sorry I haven't responded much but the fair is on and I show animals so I stayed busy this week. It seems that once I find lead casting is something I should start. I knew that when I started reloading that I wouldn't save money but rather shoot more, so it seems like the next logical step. Thanks again for all the help.

 

[stubbicatt]

I realize that it is old technology, and much knowledge is lost, so rediscovering it is part of the allure of casting. There is something almost magical, alchemical if you will, about hand casting, observing freshly cast bullets, and visiting them some days later as they "age harden."

Something timeless... I can almost see myself sitting around a prairie fire in 1888, hand pouring bullets for the next day's hunt.

Combine this with a single shot rifle... just magical. Careful aim, zen mind, perfect sight picture, and "boom!" Stinking could of sulfurous smoke obscures your target... as it clears, you have hit your mark. Such a lovely experience.

To me casting can be the gateway to the imagination And one is never too old to enjoy the moment of discovery, or to connect to imagination.

 

[Missionary]

Good morning
Without reading the previous3 pages YES ! Start casting your own and be free of hunting about and ordering projectiles that possible are not the right diameter nor hardness for your particular needs.

I have numerous 45-70rifles. The 1886 japs like .457. The rollers like .460.
The Trapdoors are from .461- .464.
Hardness... Hunting with a Trapdoor I use 40-1 (pure lead + tin). The 86's up to 1400 fps use 50-50 (50% WW - pure). Faster velocity use 75%-25% up to 1750 fps.

So all this is possible because I have been casting my own for a long time.
Also imagine all the old calibers I can shoot and enjoy due to my being able to make my own properly sized and mixed lead bullets !
Mike in Peru

 

[TexNAss]

WOW!
Things are sure expensive down under.

I'd have to find a new hobby.
When I cast for .45 Colt I have about $60 in 1,000 rounds. That's finished cartridges, not just projectiles.

Do y'all still use lead wheel weights on your tires in Australia? If so, are there strict regulations on disposing of them?

Prices depend on where on you live. If I lived in the lower half of Australia (near one of the big cities)- factory ammo is available for around $45 per 20 for the 454.

But, our government is protecting us so well- it's now impossible to get ammo shipped for us. /end rant/

We still have lead wheel weight in use- but the zinc/steel ones are becoming more common on the newer wheels.

There's no issues with disposing lead to scrap yards, or to individuals currently. I have spoken to a scrap yard operator last week and he now has my number- which hopefully may work out well.

Every tyre place (to date) that I've harassed around here, already has a few blokes that are swapping beer for lead.

Back on subject...

I enjoy reloading, and as someone else said, casting is just the next step to making the perfect cartridge.

Tex.

 

[ku4hx]

Most of the naysayers are those who dont cast. Everyone I know who casts wouldnt dream of giving it up.

Well, that's not exactly right. I started casting in 1970 and the amount of boolits I've cast and put down range since then is greater than most people will believe. When you cast and shoot even a thousand rounds a month, on a linear basis that works out to be over 500,000 boolits. I did take time out for a little flattop sailing and such as that so I'd guess It's more like 400,000. And the truth is, I'm just tired of the mess, the heat, the cleanup and etc..

I've built easily 90+% of the alloy I used from scratch and that meant a whole lot of fish fryer pots full of alloy. I've been burned more times that I can count, and have the scars to prove it. I've had a couple of visits from the tinsel fairy and that's just not fun.

At my age, and given I feel I've done my part to advance the boolit making obsession, I've switched almost completely to plated bullets for all handguns. Maybe not the big bore guns, but that's a slightly different situation.

Yeah, some of us have indeed retired for the process. I still have all the equipment and a ton of alloy. One day my kids and grand kids might be thankful it's still around even if I'm not.