Do you cast your own bullets?

Do you cast your own bullets?

  • Yes

    Votes: 124 59.0%

  • No

    Votes: 35 16.7%

  • Will eventually or planning on doing so

    Votes: 51 24.3%
  • Total voters
    210
Started about 28 years ago and now have about 25 various molds from the .30 cals to .715 round ball for shotgun. Its' the only way most can shoot hundreds of the bigger bore stuff on a monthly basis...for very cheap.
 
Casting bullets wont save you much money if you factor in the time you spend, if your going to recycle scrap lead odds are you will spend a day melting it into ingots...so you will need to make some sort of large melter... then if you shoot with any regularity I normally spend another day casting up thousands of bullets 5000-10000 this normally can hold me for a couple months... once you have these all casted up then you have to size them up and lube them... another day at least

So your looking to make 10000 its going to take you about 3 -4 days of 8hrs a day
and to do that with some equipment that going to be manual will cost in the neighbour hood of $2000 not to mention paying for scrap lead.

I tried to cheap out on equiptment and it didnt work well your going to need good stuff if your going to do this on any regular basis and make more then 100-500 bullets at a time.
 
timberhunter said:
I have dies and moulds for over 50 different bullets and calibers. Its started out as hobby and is now a side business for me.
Casting is a must if you want to shoot lots in my opinion.
Click to expand...

Let me give a plug for Timberhunter and his bullets. I have at least 100 molds and use them for the peculiar calibers that I shoot but I also buy bulk bullets from Marc when I am shooting guns they are applicable to. It saves me several hours of casting to buy a bulk box of cast bullets from him and I think they are relatively cheap when compared to the time and nuisance of casting at home. Quality is excellent.

cheers mooncoon
 
I like the idea of casting my own bullets but I'm a little disappointed about the limitations on velocity that casting has. What is the upper limit on cast lead bullets as a whole (any size or setup)? Has anyone tried copper plating their bullets?
 
Currently working on Paper Patching .30 cal. cast bullets for that magical 3000fps, with acceptable accuracy. I'm trying a few new twists as PP has not worked out in the past, as far as accuracy goes.
 
Getting set up to cast now, but I'm having a really hard time finding lead or wheel weights in the Edmonton area. Somebody seems to have all the tire shops I've visited signed up to buy their old weights. I've talked to scrap metal dealers, and they want to buy, but mostly not to sell, except at ridiculous prices (by ridiculous I mean that the cast bullets alone. would end up costing about the same as factory loaded ammo).

Ah well, sooner or later something will come along.

I've cast aluminum, so I'm sure lead will be more fun, as the handling temperatures are lower.
 
Well I am not on the money saving bandwagon yet.

Like a fool, I thought I would save money by reloading, but I think I am a few years away from that still, assuming that I stop buying any more firearms this instant.
 
The value scales higher and higher the more ammo you do. For just 1000 regular pistol rounds, might not be worth it. For 5000, hey. . .it's suddenly looking very appealing. Time has to be written off as "hobby time" to keep value.

For some less common firearms, casting will be wayyyy cheaper and give better results.
 
I don't buy into the "factor in your time" argument against the price savings of casting bullets. You could just as easily be sitting down watching TV yet nobody factors that as a cost. If you like to shoot casting will save plenty of money and provide you with much enjoyment. Try it out with some inexpensive Lee equipment and see what you think. It's not like your deciding to buy a house. If you don't like the experience just sell the gear knowing you have answered your question to your satisfaction for little cost and effort.
 
joebanana said:
I don't buy into the "factor in your time" argument against the price savings of casting bullets. You could just as easily be sitting down watching TV yet nobody factors that as a cost. If you like to shoot casting will save plenty of money and provide you with much enjoyment. Try it out with some inexpensive Lee equipment and see what you think. It's not like your deciding to buy a house. If you don't like the experience just sell the gear knowing you have answered your question to your satisfaction for little cost and effort.
Click to expand...

Very sensible answer. Alot of people talk about time as money, but they forget about the time spent following their hobby.
 
I've always thought that I have more time than money.... that is why I reload...

I recently started reloading for 9mm. The biggest reason for this is that I am finding it hard to find Lead (non plated) ammunition for my 9mm. All of the indoor ranges around here require Lead bullets under 1000fps.

I get my bullets from Cactus plains ammunition in Gull Lake SK. $60.00 per 1000 125gr LRN..... Total cost for me to reload 1000 rnds is just under $120..... I shoot approx 250rnds of 9mm per week. I currently have about 3000 loaded rnds stock piled, and the componets for 2000 more.

I have thought through the whole "to cast or not to cast" dilemma, I don't feel that I reload enough to justify the expense of setting myself up for casting. According to my figures I would need to spend about $2500 just for set up, then I still have to source some lead.

A friend of mine works at a scrap dealer and 1lb of lead is going to cost me $1.25...... so 1000 9mm @125 gr is going to cost me $22.50 for the lead alone, a savings of $38.50.

So to my math I would have to reload 80,000 bullets to pay for the equipment..... let alone the power to run the equipment........

At my current level of shooting that would be 26yrs before I break even.......

I just don't feel it is cost effective.

Just my opinion........
 
I love casting, it is a hobby unto itself. Not sure where you came up with 2500.00 to start casting. How I started was a 6 cavity tumble lube lee .45acp for 45.00 (they are now about 55.00), a 10 pound bottom pour lee melter for 50.00 (they are now about 80.00) and a push thru sizer for 15.00 (now about 20.00). I already had gloves, a rcbs single stage press to push the bullets thru the sizer die, a face shield, a bucket with water in it and a bench with a fan on it. I invested in a 20.00 cast iron pot to melt the wheel weights on the BBQ and poured the lead into a 15.00 lee mold. Can't think of anything else I bought to get started, so for me it was basically was about the same cost as buying 2 boxes of cast pistol bullets and from then on it was free. As I acquired more firearms I would add to the mold collection and presently I have about 80 different molds. Try shooting a .455 Webley at 65.00 for 50, it wont take you long to figure out you need to cast to keep the costs low. I taught my son how to shoot with a basic 30-30, kept the power level down to about 3/4 (so he didn't flinch) and cast my own bullets for it and he could shoot all day at the range for the price of 1 box of ammo from crappy tire.

As far as speed for cast bullets, I have no problem shooting my 30-06 at 2400 fps with cast bullets that have been heat treated.

One of the biggest draw backs now to casting your own is finding a source of lead. A lot of the big tire stores have been told from on high not to sell to anyone, only licensed scrap dealers. There are still some that will sell you out the back door for cash and others you can horse trade with. I have amassed a huge stock pile of lead because I think in the next decade lead will be outlawed for us shooters like it is in Europe. Until that happens I will cast thank you.
 
tigrr said:
Well as a comparison a box of 50 factory 45acp is $18 - $32.
My 45acp reloads cost $2.92 a box of 50.
My reloaded 9mm is $2.02 a box of 50.
The 38 and 357 are in the same price range.
I reload 45-70 and 30-30. Haven't calculated them yet.
I have 12 different bullet molds.

I cast 5000+ 45acp bullet per year, 3000 - 38 & 357s, 2000 9mm, 300 45-70 and 300 30-30s. The bullet mold paid for in the first 1000 bullets. The 20 lb lead melting pot is paid for in the first 5000 bullets.
Just protect yourself from the smoke and dust coming off the lead pot and wash your hands when finished. I make bullets on a breezy day (5 km wind) outside under an umbella. Fill 6 cavity mold, turn and drop them into a 3/4 full pail of water on the ground beside me.
Yes its a hobby and yes I enjoy saving money!
Click to expand...

Wow. that's cheap for .45 ACP. Ever consider doing it for someone else? I'd gladly pay you double your cost!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom