Can sombody help me justify casting?

[Wee Hooker]

Ok, let me start off by saying I "get" making your own stuff is cool. I've built my own boats, fishing rods, carved plugs, poured my own rubber worms and still tie near every fly I fish. Admittedly it's all fun but none of it has realized the savings projected when I started. ( Most paid me back about 67 cents and hour too)
That said, several years ago, I helped out a friend who needed cash and had a box of casting gear and lead that he never touched. Included was 100# of lead ingots, an electric melting pot, some lube and a Lyman sizer. I'm now looking at this stuff and thinking I should put it to use and make some pistol bullets in .38, 9mm and or 45acp.
However, the more I look at getting started the more expensive it gets to get out of the gate. I still need molds and handles, sizing dies, handles, hardness testers..... Not to mention that replacing that lead in a lead free wheel weight world is likely going to run $2lb. ( That's $18-$28/500 heads for most handgun calibers by my math. i.e already at 60%+ the cost of commercial cast delivered to m door. )
So, I get I'll donate my time in the name of fun, but I'm still having trouble figuring out how a $400 investment + high lead costs are going to save me money. Is it that much fun? Am I overlooking something?
Talk me into it. (p.s.Liers welcome

 

[colt_saa]

I cast to get projectiles that can not be found any other way.

These are for the 500.

The little guy on the left is 450 grains while the sledgehammer on the right is 725 grains

​

Remember these are half an inch across

 

[Biggfoot44]

You just gottsa cast your own IF :

1. You have source of free or nearly free wheelweights.

2. You have intrest in shooting shooting bullet designs/sizings that are highly out of the mainstream, and are not available commercially.

3. You have an intrest in its own right of experementing with casting beyond mere shooting, or reloading generally.

 

[Fishslayer]

You just gottsa cast your own IF :

1. You have source of free or nearly free wheelweights.

2. You have intrest in shooting shooting bullet designs/sizings that are highly out of the mainstream, and are not available commercially.

3. You have an intrest in its own right of experementing with casting beyond mere shooting, or reloading generally.

4. You live in a state that throws a half dozen new ammo restrictions/taxes/fees a year against the wall in an attempt to price shooting out of the range of the non elite.

I have 400+ lbs of lead/alloys stockpiled & I don't even cast my own... yet.

 

[Bob T]

It's time vs money. Buy bulk lead when it goes on sale and your boolit costs go down (way down). Most vendors will ship via flat rate.

As mentioned above if you can develop a source of free or low cost lead then the boolit costs next to nothing.

Casting, sizing/lubing takes time.

It's also a lot of fun.

Everything has trade-offs.

 

[varmint243]

castboolits dot gunloads dot com
will help get you started
read the stickies some before you start asking questions

 

[garbler]

I cast for one reason only and that is to shoot a more perfect bullet. Of course nothing is free and the equipment, not to mention learning curve to turn out consistent top grade bullets, is not always real costly but takes some time to track down. Good molds built on a good design, a quality lubricator and sizer if needed are just the beginning. I shoot black powder cartridges at distance and poor quality bullets can instantly ruin your day. If you have good quality lead in quantity and a need for something better than off the shelf by all means drop the keel off that sailboat you built and shoot it

Good luck

 

[101Voodoo]

Sounds like you've got enough to get started, other than a mold. Don't worry about a hardness tester yet. A thermometer would be handy though.

Does your Lyman have a die/top punch in it now? Any of your friends cast? You might be able to borrow a mold.

If not, buy a used Lyman mold & handles off ebay and give it a shot. If you don't like it, you can recoup most of the cost of the mold. If it were me I'd start with a 158gr .38 RN or SWC and go from there.

Variety and quality are the best things about casting your own, followed by cost savings. You can often find lead for $1-1.25 a pound shipped to your door. My favorite is ISO lead.

 

[Mike SC Hunter]

I cast because 1 I'll never run out of bullets
2 I'll never have to buy or depend on others for bullets
3. I can shoot more cheaper
4 It fun!

 

[gregintenn]

The 100 pounds of lead ingots would be enough motivation for me.

 

[Oldshot]

Not to rehash what others have already said, but just a few things to think about: If there are any gun shows still allowed in NE, you'd be surprised how much casting equipment is available. No one is jumping up & down to buy the stuff, so you might be able to get some good buys. Figure out what type & caliber bullet you shoot the most and search for 2 or 4 cavity molds w/handles at the GS, near-by gun clubs (post a wanted to buy flyer) or E-Bay. RCBS, Lyman, Lee are the most available brands & if not abused used molds are fine. Also these companies will re-hab them if needed for a small fee. When you run out of your lead stash, try reclaimed range lead to mix with commercial ingots or wheel weights. Finally, bullet casting is a part of our sport and casting keeps the garage or basement warm in winter.

 

[Mike SC Hunter]

There's also a lot of satisfaction in killing a deer with a bullet that you made.

 

[Leslie Sapp]

It's not really a money saving occupation, but you do end up shooting more for the same money.

One of the great things about reloading and casting is that you eventually get an attitude of "I fear no caliber".
In other words, you can buy any obscure or obsolete caliber you wish, and shoot it as much as you want.

Often, you can buy a gun in a weird caliber for hundreds of dollars less than the some of the more popular ones go for, simply because the factory ammo is expensive or hard to get.

 

[27 Man]

i shoot several different handgun calibers and started reloading over 40 years ago. In an effort to get a bullet that was of the quality and hardness that I wanted, I took up casting. Shooting and reloading are my favorite hobbies. Casting is not. Dealing with the heat, molten lead, sizing and lubing is just a pain for me. I have 4 five gallon buckets of Linotype and wheel weights squirreled away that I will use when it becomes prohibitive to secure them from commercial sources. There are some great bullets being produced out there now. I plan to use them as long as I can.

 

[Wee Hooker]

Thanks for the insightful responses.
I've been off doing some research tonight as this is (already) becoming an itch I know I'm going to have to try scratching soon. From what I can figure out, I'm about $60 away from being able to assemble all this stuff into some shootable bullets. So I'm going to pick up a 6 cavity .358 SWC mold and a lube sizing die and do a test case for the one caliber.
By spring I figure I'll either get luke warm on the whole thing and sell it all off or (more likely) start NOT saving any money by entering into another addictive hobby.

 

[planojack]

I've been casting for more than 50 years. I've invested a few bucks that amortized over the years amount to near nothing. I can cast a bullet for most anything that shoots. I love old military rifles and can load reasonable loads that are a pleasure to shoot. Over that time, I've averaged more than 2,000 rounds a year. Calculate that in store bought ammo and think of the cost. Currently, I've about given up on 22LR ammo. I can shoot 38's cheaper.

 

[fredj338]

Not gonna talk you into or out of casting. It really comes down to cost if alloy & time. If I have to pay more than $1.50/# I'm only going to cast specialty bullets, I'll buy my plinkers.
Time is best handled by buying better equip, reloading or casting. The Lee 6cav molds can be quite good & once heated, you can do about 800-900/hr. A Lee bottom pour pot is like $70, so mold, handles, pot, less than $130, about 1500 comm cast bullets. More exp molds are better, but best to start with the Lee.
Then you have to decide size & lube or coat & size. If you are gonna lube & size, only the magma/star will do. At 1200 + bullets per hour, the only way to size & lube. If you are going to coat, you can use the cheap lee bullet sizer in your reloading press. All you need is a cheap conv toaster oven, some hi-tek or powder coat & you are making "plated" bullets pretty darn cheap.
So I can cast, coat & size 1000 bullets in about 90min of actual hands on time. If I get the alloy free by scrounging, I'm shooting bullets for less than 1/2c each, regardless of size/caliber. It's another hobby & if you don't like it, don't do it, you won't enjoy the time. I do enjoy casting, more so than reloading. Brings out the mad scientist in me. I also like the idea I am self sufficient, at least for all my handgun calibers. If I can get lead, I can make bullets & keep shooting. Lots of lead ww in most states. Get it, stack it deep, it's not gonna last.

 

[robertrwalsh]

It is not cost effective to cast your own unless you want something that just ins't easily available on the open market. I think the last bullets I cast myself were for a .442 Webley. I had to have the mold made.

 

[johngalt]

I don't cast, but from what I've read there are some other things to consider:

Do you have a suitable location? Melting lead gives off toxic fumes. You must either do it outside or have a hood. My dad knew a guy who poisoned himself and died who was casting in his basement.

Waste disposal. I think the waste is considered hazardous, you can't just put it in the trash.

Like I said, I don't cast, so I don't know how hard it is to solve them.

 

[bigsteve113]

1. I enjoy casting! 2. Since I have plenty of free scrounged cases and I use free WW lead from friends at tire shops I can load a box of .44 Magnum, .45 ACP, .40 S&W, .357 Magnum.... for less than $3.00/box of 50 (cost of powder and primers)! 3. I was completely unaffected by the last ammunition "panic"!

That's enough justification for me!