Worth casting your own bullets ?

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TightGroup

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Hi,

Shortages in everything related to ammo...

Is it worth it to cast your own bullets. I am looking at pistols rounds, mostly .356 (9MM), .357 (Mag 38 SPL) and .45 ACP

.357 will be utilized in a Ruger SP 101 and a Henry rifle.

I have seen many vids on casting, but I feel that these vids do not tell the entire story. I am concerned on how to coat or lube, weight and diameter of cast bullets. Any comments will be well appreciated.

Tks
 
Casting is another hobby all by itself. Plated Campro bullets are cost effective. purchase of cast bullet are around.
Source bullet lead alloyed right can be a PITA. Cost; melt pot, molds, sizer machine, dies, lube sticks, time involved.
You can buy lots of bullets for that cost. How many thousands and thousands of bullets per year do you shoot, do the math.
Or do you just want to do something new for fun, regardless of cost?
After decades of shooting I managed to resist the urge to cast. Used to shoot 3000 to 5000 rounds per year of 357, 38, and a few rifle with lead. Did buy a used Lyman bullet resizer to lube and size bullet myself. Better lube or proper sizing for best accuracy. Also bought lots of unisized lead bullets at gun shows or relubed and resized auction crap I got.
 
I guess the big factor is how do you value your time? Like so much DIY, if you look at how much you save and how much time you spend, you find you're working for way less than minimum wage.

Of course, this assumes that you can just hop in the car and go pick up something comparable to what you are making.

I like being able to control my product, I like being able to shoot unusual calibers. I am sitting on almost 400kg of soft lead and wheel weights, picked up at way less than current rates. I have no family obligations on my time. It is totally worth it, to me. Your equation may look very different.
 
There are several options for lube, lee alox tumble, powder coat, pan lube, or traditional lube sizer. Diameter; lee makes in expensive sizers in many calibers or lube sizer.
If you shoot a lot it is definitely worth casting your own.
 
It is getting harder to get wheelweights, which is/was the primary source of cheap lead, they are still around though, just harder to come by. THe tooling is up to you and how comfortable you are in using the various methods. I got into it originally with a Lee mould, a 10lb Lee bottom pour, a Lyman lubesizer, couple of ingot moulds. I liked doing it, it worked for what I wanted it to do at the time. Then I got interested in Schuetzen rifles and comps, which req'd a lot of lead. I'd spend 5-6 days a week practicing at 50-100 rds a day and 2 days a month casting all afternoon & evening for 3-4 mos every year, I picked up a Lyman 20lb pot for that. At that time, 30 yrs ago, it was practical to go buy 35lb pure lead ingots and 1 lb tin sticks as I was casting 1/20 bullets, not real sure if it is now in looking at lead & tin pricing, then again too, jacketed bullets are getting up there. I had one gun that casting let me shoot enough rounds to save enough to pay for all the reloading equipt I'd ever bought, and, if I hadn't started casting, never would have been able to shoot the Schuetzenfest and meet the people I met, or learn about cast loads for the rest of my guns. It's a double edged sword in its own right. I've got 4-5 guns I have backup cast loads for if I can't get other components when I want them, I have suitable moulds for .22, 7mm and 30 cal. Only hangup might be having enough primers down the road, but, that can be worked around too.
 
I cast but I am not sure I recommend it. Finding wheelweights can be hard. Digging bullets out of a berm can be harder. Melting the material and casting in bars takes time. Then casting takes time. Sizing and powder coating takes time. The equipment costs a bit as well. Once you are all set up you can make bullets that are extremely inexpensive in materials, but it takes time. As others stated it is best to think of it as a hobby. Some people knit a sweater while listening to a show I cast bullets.
 
With most store-bought bullets costing between 9 cents to 15 cents each, for pistol, count on at lrast $6.00-$8.00 for just bullets per box of 50. Add in 8 cents to 10 cents per primer, add in another $4.00 per 50. This is just reloading cartridges by you, plus cases cost & powder.

The biggest way to reduce costs is to cast your own bullets. Casting equipment, molds, sizers, etc is akin to reloading presses. If you amortize the one~time startup costs over, say two years of casting & reloading, you should break even over factory ammo.

Sure, obtaining lead can be challenging, but you don’t have to use wheel-weights exclusively. Many indoor ranges allow the collection of backstop lead, & most metal recycling business collect & re-sell lead for casting. Sometimes you can buy already made ingots for $1.00-$3.00 a pound. Plus here in this forum there are many casters & lead smelters that could give you a hand up on buying & sourcing lead. All you gotta do is ask or post an ad in the EE for ammo….
 
TightGroup said:
Hi,

Shortages in everything related to ammo...

Is it worth it to cast your own bullets. I am looking at pistols rounds, mostly .356 (9MM), .357 (Mag 38 SPL) and .45 ACP

.357 will be utilized in a Ruger SP 101 and a Henry rifle.

I have seen many vids on casting, but I feel that these vids do not tell the entire story. I am concerned on how to coat or lube, weight and diameter of cast bullets. Any comments will be well appreciated.

Tks
Click to expand...

This is what it breaks down to.

If you shoot more than most people, optimisticly over 500 rounds per year, YES.

That being said, setting up for cast has expenses to consider as well. Moulds, handles, heat source, melting pot etc.

I used to cast bullets using an aluminum pot on a Coleman stove, that used liquid fuel and needed to be pumped up. Controlling temps was difficult but doable. Then the molten mix was dipped out of the pot with a ladle, with one enclosed end that has a spout to fit the top hole of the mould.

If you want to go the electric melting pot route, it can be relatively reasonable or very expensive.

Lee melting pots are the cheapest and do the job reasonably well. It goes up from there.

Most LGS sell bulk cast lead bullets from Canadian casters at reasonable prices. If I were shooting less than a thousand rounds of handgun ammo per year, I wouldn't bother with gathering all of the perephenalia and just purchase the 500 count boxes they usually come in.

You also need a SAFE ENVIRONMENT to cast. I know a fellow that does it from his apartment balcony. He has a small electric Lee pot.

There is at least one manufacturer in the banner supporters at the top of the page that will sell you bulk cast bullets.

If you contact the manufacturer, the more you order, the cheaper it gets.
 
As someone who has all the casting stuff but has yet to actually cast (though I have done a bunch of processing of lead... have almost 70 lbs of clean lead in ingots right now), I'll chime in and say that you should also consider the calibre you want to cast for. Disregarding equipment, all casting should get you a high % of savings but for 357 or 9mm (or maybe even 45, haven't really looked into that because I don't own one) the absolute numbers are so low that it might not be worth it unless you shoot a huge amount. Now, if you are doing something like 500 S&W Mag where the cheap plated bullets ran me about $0.50-$0.60/each a couple years ago (can't remember what the exact price worked out to be) and a cast bullet works out to $0.10-0.15/each the absolute savings can add up pretty fast.
 
Anyone who shoots big bore rifles can save a lot from casting. I have started buying lead alloys from lead retailers, wheel weights are mostly steel or zinc now.

Independence and security of supply is the biggest reason I cast.
 
I have been casting for many years. It is a dirty / time consuming activity, so I only cast what I can not buy easily.
By easily I mean buy locally , as shipping is costly. Unless you shoot a lot it is not worth the investment or time.
However you may like a new activity and/or shoot enough to make it worthwhile. Mostly up to you. A good source
of lead is another issue. I obtained large quantities of "REAL LEAD" wheel balance weights long before they were
changed to another metal. So find a good sourse of lead first. Now I cast as little as possible. Just those I can not buy
locally.
 
I found I enjoyed casting a lot more when gang moulds became more affordable, starting with the Lee 6 cavity’s, then custom Lee 6 cavity’s thru the “cast boolits” website. Now several people offer affordable custom moulds made on CNC machines.
 
check bullseye. They usually have a good selection of affordable campro bullets. They still ship bullets free if it is over $200. But I don't know if they'll ship to middle of nowhere for free.

Most major area are still somewhat ok for supplies but with sh!t selections. It is the smaller towns and remote areas that has been hit hard. Expect to pay at least $10 for a sleeve of primer. Powder price is up like 20% - 50% depending on the retailer. Bullets for the most part remain about the same. At least for campro.

If you can get the lead and have the space for it, go for it. You will need new load data and have to work with a new ballistic profile.
 
Most has been covered above, but I'll put in my $.02. When I first started shooting a S&W 586 in the early 80's, I avoided casting, mostly because of the way one old shooter explained what was involved. What turned me was an article by Dean Grennell, and old time shooter and writer. He wrote an article in a shooting magazine about simplifying casting. One way he talked about was using LEE Tumble Lube cast bullets. Another subject he explained was whether or not it was always absolutely a must to size cast bullets or not. I was hooked.

Much debate and difference in opinion and experience has been shared by shooters more seasoned than me, for sure. I keep my casting as simple as possible. I use tumble lube type moulds when appropriate, use Lee Alox lube right from the bottle, use LEE bottom pour electric melting pots. I enjoy casting. Lubing is as simple as putting the cast bullets in a plastic container, tumbling a few times to distribute the lube. Rifle bullets I mostly gas check and size in one operation in LEE bullet sizer dies.

Gathering casting material is getting harder all the time. I have enough wheel weights and printing lead to last me until last call. Do some reading on the subject. That will keep you occupied, plus offer much insight into the rabbit hole of casting your own bullets. Enjoy!!
 
I just started casting myself. I didn't decide to do it to save money, as much as I just enjoy learning and trying new things. It's just my nature however I'm sure it's not for everyone. So far I'm enjoying the learning curve although it can be frustrating at times as well. I can easily send 300 rounds downrange just for fun with each range visit and I try to go at least once a week so I figure if I cast my own bullets I might save some of the cost, but you have to consider the cost of buying what you need to start out. I'd shoot more often if work didn't get in the way.
 
If it's to save money (unless you shoot many thousands of rounds per year) - no.

If it's to obtain the unobtainable - yes.

If it's to not be dependent on others - yes

If it's something that will bring you more satisfaction than frustration - yes
 
As others have said casting is a hobby unto itself. For me, l like making things with my own hands, and it’s something different than most people around here do, plus it sort of save some money(l hope) and l can shoot a lot more. It’s a personal satisfaction thing, dependant on your personality.
 
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