Bullet casters check in

[mikld]

Yep, looks like a bunch of old pharts cast their boolits. I guess the kids today shoot jacketed bullets in their Wonder Nines...

I've got several books on casting and my main source of info is often Castboolits.com Cast Boolits

 

[tndrfttom]

I seem to fit in with a lot of the other casters - I'm 68 and started casting around 1968 or 69. I had a couple of older mentors who were casting for old rifles that needed custom made ammunition to get them to perform well - 25-20 Single shot, 32-40, 38-55 and 45-70. I was working in a gas station while going to school and got free lead wheel weights and had friends that were in the trades and would scarf up lead from plumbers and roofers. Working with molten lead seemed perfectly normal since I used to help my grand dad pour lead joints in cast iron pipe (much to my mom's consternation).

I shot NRA Bullseye for a long time and cast my .38 and .45 match bullets in Hensley & Gibbs moulds. Then came PPC, IPSC, bowling pins and Cowboy Action Shooting. I cast for all of these except when I had access to cowboy bullets from an area bullet maker. His bullets were excellent and very reasonably priced when bought in quantity and he delivered to the range. Oh, I also bought some hollow base .38 wadcutters for the 50 yard stage of bullseye for use in my Model 52.

My serious competition days are over but still pump out a lot of 9mm, 38 and 45 cast bullets for practice which made me appreciate the less expensive aluminum 6 cavity moulds that Lee makes. The majority of my moulds are Ideal/Lyman with some Ohaus/RCBS. These are in sizes like 30 Luger, 30 Mauser, 32-20, 38 S&W, 38-55, 44-40 and 45-70. Most of my casting for rifle is split between 30 calibers like 30-30, 30-06 and 30-40 and the 45-70. There is some .303 and 8mm too as well as round balls and .58 Minies but in small quantities. I've never had much success with cast bullets smaller than 30 caliber so I've stayed away from .22, .25 and 7mm calibers.

I'm not seeing any of the younger folks in my area get involved in bullet casting and lead is getting harder to find for free or at low prices. Luckily I've got enough lead for the foreseeable future plus a dwindling supply of "type metal" that I was given when the local paper changed their printing process years ago.

 

[moosedog]

I guess it's just a sign of the times. There are numerous more offerings in ammo today than ever before and buying on line is something we didn't have back in the days before computers. Although you could buy military surplus back then, today it's much easier to order in bulk any type imaginable.
Still, I enjoy it as a separate extension of the shooting hobby.

 

[loc n load]

Casting

66 here, and started casting in 75, I started because cast bullets were hard to find back then, long before the advent of on line shopping. I was influenced by articles written by Skeeter Skelton with photo’s of his cast bullets that he shot in his revolvers. I have dozens of moulds and cast bullets for all my handguns and a couple of rifles. After reading this thread, looks like the majority of us started around the same time. I know a lot of younger shooters, most of them do not reload, let alone cast bullets. Snowing here now, will be firing up the lead pots before long. Usually get a deer or two in the freezer before I take time to start casting.

 

[DWalt]

I had a brief fling at bullet casting many years ago, but found I didn't enjoy it. Since then, I have bought my cast bullets elsewhere. I once had an employee who had a side business casting .38 wadcutters, and I bought a lot of those from him. I still shoot .38 wadcutters more than any other type.

 

[trapper9260]

I first started to cast fishing sinkers when I was a kid ,my dad taught me how to cast them, in the late 80's I took up boolit casting on my own . then stop for awhile and then started again in about 2003. Been casting since . I am 59 . I been reloading for longer time.not only center fire ,but shotgun that was longer.

 

[10mm_Shooter]

I guess I'm a youngster at 57, I cast .32 sw, 32-20, .38/357, 10, 41 and 44

 

[Mike SC Hunter]

Now I try to cast my years supply between the end of deer season Jan 1st. And the begging of turkey season March 20th. This time the weather is cool. I've really enjoyed making shot. When it went to $45/25 lb bag. I had to have some relief. After the shot is run through a sizer sifter I put in my vibratory tumbler with a squirt of graphite. After about 20 minutes it comes out looking like factory shot. On the dove field or the skeet field I can't tell the difference.

 

[Mike SC Hunter]

I first started to cast fishing sinkers when I was a kid ,my dad taught me how to cast them, in the late 80's I took up boolit casting on my own . then stop for awhile and then started again in about 2003. Been casting since . I am 59 . I been reloading for longer time.not only center fire ,but shotgun that was longer.

Your post reminded me of the first time I cast as a teenager. We would take a pencil and drive it in the ground making holes. We melted scrap lead in an old soup can on a Coleman stove. We would pour the lead into the holes in the ground and let it harden. After pulling it out of the ground we would cut into 1" lengths with side cutters. Then we would partially split it with an old knife and a hammer. We used these homemade "sinkers" on our bush lines and trot lines.

 

[Luke Duke]

50 years old here. I used to cast all the time. But lately Ive been finding such cheap bullets on Gun Broker I haven't found it worth the time. When Obama was President and supplies were hard to come buy I casted all my bullets from .32 to 30-06. I still have 150lbs of Linotype. 60lbs WW and a bunch of lead and tin. Save that stuff in case Trump don't get elected again!

 

[fredj338]

I know a few guys in their early 50s casting but I think its an older guys hobby. I have been going since I was 20, about 43y now. Its like therapy.

 

[sw282]

l'm over 21 and have cast since the beginning of IHMSA handgun silhouettes began in the 70s.. lf it weren't for casting l couldn't afford to shoot... My current Silly wett Fun gun is a 629 Magnum Hunter approaching 20THOUSAND rounds. That's a lot of LEAD... With some handgun bullets near a DOLLAR apiece l cant afford NOT to cast.
Started PCing my boolits a couple yrs back... Almost as clean as shooting JKTD

 

[max503]

I too started with the Lee loader and a mallet. Still got it. Still load for the Hornet, but now I shoot cast boolits and load on the press.

 

[old tanker]

Seventy and casting since I was fifteen. I started with a single cavity Lee C309-170F for my .30-30. At the time a Lyman mould far exceeded my meager budget. Luckily it turned out to be a very accurate bullet and since then I have accumulated a fair collection of moulds.

These days I find myself casting mostly the oddball stuff. Bullets for the Snider, heeled bullets for .41 Colt, or long-range bullets for the .45-70. The high volume blasting bullets I now buy from commercial casters

 

[trapper9260]

Your post reminded me of the first time I cast as a teenager. We would take a pencil and drive it in the ground making holes. We melted scrap lead in an old soup can on a Coleman stove. We would pour the lead into the holes in the ground and let it harden. After pulling it out of the ground we would cut into 1" lengths with side cutters. Then we would partially split it with an old knife and a hammer. We used these homemade "sinkers" on our bush lines and trot lines.

My dad had work in the foundry and what he taught us was we would have a box of sand and damp it and then take a stick and make like a funnel in the sand and take newspaper and make it into a cone and put it in the holes in the sand and then like you did with a coleman stove we did had a cast pot to melt the lead and had a cast iron ladle and use that to pour the lead in the holes and when hard and cool we would then use a drill to make the holes to put our line in to tie off. We use to fish on shore and piers when we went would do some salt water fishing we need the sinkers and also for the duck decoys for when we did some duck hunting. Thank you for bring back the good times then.

 

[gwpercle]

Seventy and casting since I was fifteen. I started with a single cavity Lee C309-170F for my .30-30. At the time a Lyman mould far exceeded my meager budget. Luckily it turned out to be a very accurate bullet and since then I have accumulated a fair collection of moulds.

These days I find myself casting mostly the oddball stuff. Bullets for the Snider, heeled bullets for .41 Colt, or long-range bullets for the .45-70. The high volume blasting bullets I now buy from commercial casters

Most people don't realize how expensive a Lyman mould was back then and when you were in high school...you didn't have much disposable income . Every one of my first moulds were 1 cavity Lyman or Herter's and I only had one set of handles because that was all I could afford .
When Lee came out with $9.99 mould with handles attached... I was ecstatic !!! Finally a mould I could afford ... I bought more Lee moulds than the law should allow simply because I could !
And then the 2-cavity moulds came out...Oh Happy Day !
Gary

 

[AZ2VET]

I am 51, decided to start reloading mid 2014 and after a few months of YouTube research I bought the LCT kit and other stuff. I knew about reloading but did not know anyone that did it plus I was busy with working and did not have much free time anyway. I retired in 2013 at 45 and started shooting more so I figured I could save some money if I made my own. Lost everything 2Jan15 due to housefire and had to start over.
A couple years ago I picked up the Lee 1oz slug mold and 10# pot to turn the Federal #8 shot 100 count shells from wally world into cheap slugs. I had bought a bunch of bullets from Bayou Bullets and have plenty left but with the advent of powder coating I have recently got my hands on a couple of used Lee molds and have practiced with some cast bullets I was given using powder from Smokes over at CastBoolits. I only have about 60 pounds of lead and wheel weights that I was given but have a source for more when he comes across it. I now need to get a couple of the Lee sizers.
I have a nephew (25ish) I have been trying to get into reloading/casting with me but something else is always more important.

 

[Patrick L]

I cast, and I'm a relative baby at 53. Been doing it since my early 20s. I also cast a lot for rifle, that makes for some cheap, accurate shooting. I even compete in NRA Highpower shooting cast boolits in either my Springfield or the .223 bolt gun I cobbed together and I can give the AR boys a run for their money at our reduced course. By the way, we casters proudly call our projectiles "boolits." A bullet is some jacketed concoction. You should check out the Cast Boolits forum.

That said, I'm one of the few casters I know. Most would rather just buy them I guess.

 

[Burley]

I'm 63, been casting for 3 years. Really haven't casted in a couple of years, still loading from the stock pile. Don't tell my son I have a stock pile of casted boolets cause I'm going to get him into it when he gets home from the USMC.

 

[Engineer1911]

Started casting in 1974 for 30-06, then moved onto 38/357, 44, 45 ACP, 9 MM, 40, and 45-70. I'll turn 72 in December. I've bought jacketed bullets for rifle matches but at 90°+ F who wants to shoot in the sun?

When the Georgia winter monsoons start, I cast 38 and 45 acp until the metal coffee cans are full. Then it's time for the Lyman 450 sizer. I have too much bulk lube to mess with powder coating. After I throated the 45 ACP barrels correctly, the leading stopped.

My powder and components inventory is lifetime at my age.