Just wondering ???

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GP100man

New member
If shooters knew that they would have instant succes casting & shooting lead boolit how many would start tomorrow ????

Do they fear leading the barrel or failure ????

For example , myself , I cast boolits that were mediocure & would go down the barrel for a long time then $$ titened up & I got more serious `bout using lead exclusively for my shooting needs.

After gettin serious `bout castin for my handguns I bought better moulds & furnaces & sizers(wish I`d done it from the get go)& can hold my own with my ammo now all the way up to hunting ammo pressures !!

I`m starting with rifle now & finding casting boolits for rifles is very different !!!Balancing the alloys is much more critical !!!

This little story started over 27 yrs ago !! Wish I`d had the patience then that I`m taking now with castin !!
 
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dahermit

New member
I started casting for handguns in the middle sixties because even with hand loading, I realized I could shoot a whole lot more because of limited disposable income. Lyman molds (No RCBS or Lee molds were made back then), and simple Lee hand tools were my only options and I produced and shot 9MM and .44 Magnum loads with no problems that I can remember. As soon as I could afford it, I began to add to my tools, wore out several of the one-at-a-time primer thumb press Lee priming tools (basically a Prime All without a primer tray), a second-hand Herters "C" press, and used RCBS dies. Thank you Lee for having those inexpensive tools I could afford to start with.

I observed that Lyman molds were greatly improved when RCBS entered the molds for cast bullets with their better quality molds. Lyman did not seem to be interested in improving their molds (thinner sprue plates, poor external finish), until a few years after RCBS cut into their market.
 
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TXGunNut

New member
I honestly don't now what kept me from casting for the first 25 years of my reloading career. Probably just didn't know anybody who did it or didn't care to try. I only got into it because I bought a rifle that I felt had great potential but I couldn't buy a decent boolit for it. My first casts were better than anything I had bought so I consider that an instant success. I still haven't figured out the optimal boolit & load for that rifle but I've had varying degrees of success in several other cast boolit projects.
I think it's an endeavour that requires dedication and is probably not recommended for the casual reloader just as reloading isn't always a good idea for the casual shooter.
 
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GP100man

New member
TGN

I think it's an endeavour that requires dedication and is probably not recommended for the casual reloader just as reloading isn't always a good idea for the casual shooter.

I agree whole heartedly with this statement !!!


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reloader28

New member
I think people fear the leaded barrel cause they have heard the horror stories from people that dont know what they are doing. They think that if the bullet dont come with a copper jacket and from a store it aint worth screwing with. Its a piece of antique junk that dont perform.

I aint been at it as long as you guys, but I'm learning. I've been reloading around 10 years and casting for about 5, tho seriously for only the last 2 or maybe 3 years. Now, almost all my guns are jacket free and shoot cast bullets only. If it dont shoot my own bullets, it RARELY gets shot anymore.

I think that people just dont understand that with some work and a little knowledge and patience you can make bullets that will rival the most expencive ammo on the markets. I will admit that you are limited in rifle speeds which will limit your long range shooting in certain calibers. BUT, we are hunters and part of the thrill is to sneak closer to your game. I shot my first cast bullet deer last year (and am hooked) and have been waiting impatiently for this year. We set up elk camp this weekend and have been tuning up my 44mag rifle since I got my tag.:):)

Any fool can grab a reloading book and get sub inch @ 100. If you cant, something is seriously wrong or you aint done your homework. But to cast your own bullets that shoot excellent and performs great too, to me that is what hunting and shooting is all about.:D
 
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Hog Buster

New member
I’ve been casting bullets for about 50 years. Started when I became a competitor in Bullseye. Main reason is because it was a way to make cheap, accurate pistol loads in the days when money was tight. Loaded .38 and .45 wad cutters, thousands of them, for about $1.00 to $1.25 for 50. Cheap enough for me to shoot for years.

While I cast for both rifles and pistols most of it is for pistols now. I no longer shoot competitively so my round count is way down.

I bought good molds and a good furnace when I started and still have most of them. Lord knows how many bullets, sinkers, jig heads, decoy weights and such I’ve cast. Even if a bit time consuming I always enjoyed casting, and still do.

God knows what some of the alloys I’ve cast were, but never had a case of leading. Of course all my barrels were slugged and bullets sized correctly.

There’s so much BS here on the internet about reloading and casting that I feel that a lot of those interested are frightened off. Of course we now live in the age of instant gratification and for many reloading and casting just ain’t fast enough. They have to have a press that’ll turn out rounds like a machine gun, so casting bullets is way too slow.

Some will learn, some will never learn, some will blow body parts off, but a few will do it right and enjoy it for a lifetime.
 
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jimbob86

Moderator
I shot some factory lead ammo out of my .45 ACP ....... once.

I don't like cleaning guns, and shooting lead makes cleaning much more of a chore.
 
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studman5578

New member
I'm an infant compared to the rest of you guys, loading for 2 years and casting for 2 (months!), I'm casting like no tomorrow and I haven't looked back! I've cast about 5,000 boolits so far and am still working! I know some of my loading buddies are either afraid of the lead or haven't looked into the cost feasibility of it. I love it because it has greatly reduced the cost of the most expensive loading component and I can finally begin to appreciably stockpile EVERYTHING!!!! muahahahahaha!!!!!
 
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dahermit

New member
I'm an infant compared to the rest of you guys, loading for 2 years and casting for 2 (months!), I'm casting like no tomorrow and I haven't looked back! I've cast about 5,000 boolits so far and am still working! I know some of my loading buddies are either afraid of the lead or haven't looked into the cost feasibility of it. I love it because it has greatly reduced the cost of the most expensive loading component and I can finally begin to appreciably stockpile EVERYTHING!!!! muahahahahaha!!!!!
Click to expand...
And there will be bullet casters for as long as there are lead-based wheel weights, wheel weight pliers and parking lots.
 
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