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View Full Version : Saving Money or Look before you leap



milprileb
06-10-2011, 08:48 AM
Some great ideas from you guys and here is how some of those fail to
save money for new guys coming on board. No offense to those who had luck finding bargains but for most of this, situational discovery of bargains is not a plan. Here I go:

a. Ingot molds: use a cast iron corn stick mold. Great and for months
hitting thrift shops, found none. Wasted time and gasoline costs. Found
brand new one $11 delivered at Walmart six miles away.

b. Dutch Oven for smelting: Same thing: found none but in antiques shops
and they wanted 50 bucks and not size I wanted and often was missing top.
Yes Harbor Freight is selling ones for 38 bucks but quality is suspect and tops don't fit. Spent time and money chasing this dutch oven. Found at Walmart off the shelf , Lodge made USA quality for $50.

I present these examples as unless you hit a Good Will store at the right moment or something and chance upon what you want..... you can spend some huge amounts of time and money chasing stuff that is cheaper and better to get from outlets that sell things retail.

Is it worth time and money to find a old iron for 3 bucks if it takes me a few weeks and a tank of gas. A iron that may have a short in it and cause a fire when I use it on a plate under my lubri sizer machine ... or is it better to spend
30 bucks using my C&R discount at Midway or Grafs and buy the Lyman heater and then install a 8 buck dimmer switch? Is 38 bucks cheaper than what I would have spent in gas and time looking for that 3 dollar bargain iron.

Do the math: Deliberate hunts for things you need can be cheaper if you do not
chase around blindly searching thrift stores, Good Will, Salvation Army etc etc etc.

False Economy Thinking is COSTLY.

white eagle
06-10-2011, 09:05 AM
if your lookin to save money first then NO do not attempt this
however if you care about what you shoot or how it preforms on
game or take pride in the fact you did it your self then by all means join in
for the singular purpose of cost savings at first no ....but it evens out

Jim Flinchbaugh
06-10-2011, 10:23 AM
It works that way with many things in life. A few years ago, I wanted to build a game cart.
I trolled the "green malls" around here for 3 months waiting for a bicycle with suitable wheels to show up.
On a whim, I stopped at store that services bikes.
30 bucks for 2 new wheels, with spokes and tires. I spent more on gas running to the dumpsters than that. Doh! [smilie=b:

runfiverun
06-10-2011, 12:54 PM
yep...
i just bought what i needed and am still using it i don't even remember what the cooker or dutch ovens cost.
the ingot molds from rcbs and lyman are used along with the one i made from angle iron.
i had no clue that corn bread molds existed either.. or didn't care, i wanted ingot molds for my lead.
i ended up with stars because i wanted to lube boolits faster, simply because i needed more of them to keep up with demand.
maybe i shoulda waited till i had a computer to find all this stuff out.

fredj338
06-10-2011, 01:16 PM
A very good point. Many times in many ways, we'll all spend dollars to save nickels. It's why I buy quality tools more than **** tools. The time & effort is often just not worth it. Also why I do not drive around scrounging lead, just not worth the gas & time.

dverna
06-10-2011, 01:26 PM
For some people it is just an excuse to "bargain hunt". Relieves the boredom of retirement I guess.

I agree with the OP. In most cases, doing things on the cheap is not cost effective for me. If I "stumble" onto something, that is a bonus. Searching for "buys" with dedicated trips is a waste of time and money. Use of the Internet and cell phone makes a lot of "shopping" unnecessary.

Don

frkelly74
06-10-2011, 01:33 PM
I found a nice stainless pot at goodwill for $2.50. now I have to get a bigger heat source.

theperfessor
06-10-2011, 01:37 PM
I "repurpose" a lot of shop stuff, build or improve a lot of gun/casting/loading stuff, and of course have all sorts of oddball materials left over from previous jobs that I reuse. I've bought cornbread molds for ingots at flea markets and molds for bullets at yard sales. But I don't go looking specifically for things like that instead of buying what I need when I need it. If SWMBO wants to walk around at a flea market just for fun, great. If there is nothing worth buying, fine, I've come home empty handed a lot, but never disappointed.

As another poster pointed out, the gas and time involved often makes a "bargain" a more expensive option than simply buying a good quality product one time and enjoying the use of it for a long time.

Pieter C. Voss
06-10-2011, 02:43 PM
I am on the lookout for a wood handled slotted spoon for pot skimming every time I go to Good Will--about once a week as that is where I buy almost all my clothes. Lest you think I'm a shabby dresser I can tell you that my wardrobe includes an Armani suit, silk Hawaiian shirts, Brooks Brothers trousers and most recently, a pair of London-made custom dress shoes that were probably only worn a few times. I will say that the two stores I frequent are in an affluent area. But no wood handled spoon yet--I do have a plastic handled one that works fine. Guess I'll have to visit Wal-Mart on of these days.

buck1
06-10-2011, 02:53 PM
To go and find a certain thing can be tough. However I have a list in my head. I always seem to find something I can use.

birdadly
06-10-2011, 04:14 PM
I'm just getting into reloading and soon to be casting, and am lucky enough that my newish girlfriend likes to go to garage sales, as do I. It gives us something to do together; she has things she's looking for as do I now. Sure we spend gas money, but it's nice to do it together and we both have fun.

But yes, if someone is in a rush to get doing something, then by all means, online or nearby stores are the way to go. I like to take things slow unless a great opportunity comes walking by :) -Brad

milprileb
06-10-2011, 06:29 PM
Well, I only wanted to point out the $$$ involved in blind hunts as the casting
stuff is not always out there to be "Found" as was the dutch oven for me and the
corn stick molds. However, if hitting places that have used stuff is recreation... the hunt
and other things are on the agenda to find or you just like the hunt, then all the power to you.

I go to gun shows but I certainly do not take a shopping cart but if I spy something, I will grab it. I consider it entertainment and since I don't hit bars and movies and that sort of thing, a gun show is money well spent.

In closing: I am into casting as it allows me to shoot more for less money. Time to cast is just a hobby so the meter is not running on whether its cost effective. Casting is cost effective to allow me to shoot more. So I soak up every bit of knowledge you guys post and use it to address how I go about upgrading and making casting pay off in greater dividends.

Again thanks.

kooldecker
06-10-2011, 10:26 PM
I think it all comes down to ingenuity and resourcefulness to be honest. How many people here started out with stuff they scrounged? i mean to be honest.......a mold and a lee sizer ( sometimes not even that) are all you really need to purchase. I think the best purchase i ever made for this hobby was my computer! without that i would never have found this place!

Gunfixer
06-10-2011, 11:22 PM
On another note, look at whats there at garage/estate sales. I bought 3 boat props for $5 ea and sold them to the "prop shop" as cores for $20 ea. Also bought several propane heaters that I used the guts of to make my bluing tank burners. Think outside the smelt.

WILCO
06-11-2011, 12:00 AM
False Economy Thinking is COSTLY.

It goes right back to planning and having a budget. I started small and added as I went. Learned early on not everything is where it could be, and some places have everything all the time for a price. Fail fast and move forward.

Lizard333
06-11-2011, 08:00 AM
I think it has to do with how much of a rush you are in. If you need all your stuff now, than you are probly going to pay for it. If you can afford to be to patient, and find stuff on sale, or at a garage sale over a period of time, then you will save money.

Canuck Bob
06-11-2011, 11:43 AM
I'm also a new comer who has asked a lot of advice and taken the time to really consider cost.

Traplines of garage sales, junk stores, tire shops, and the city dump are not possible for me. Work and family responsibilites make it impossible and the success rate doesn't warrant the gas locally. I did try. I'm forced to trade some time for money. The pleasant surprise was that sometimes it was cheaper.

My idea of the worst pitfall for newcomers. The first and maybe most important skill in casting is bullet fit. With a proper slug and good measurements I then asked what I needed to meet my needs. Within a day or two I KNEW what would work for mold and sizing almost 100% of the time, what might work, and what wouldn't work for my specific rifle. That is money in the bank!

cabezaverde
06-11-2011, 11:57 AM
I am on the lookout for a wood handled slotted spoon for pot skimming every time I go to Good But no wood handled spoon yet--I do have a plastic handled one that works fine. Guess I'll have to visit Wal-Mart on of these days.

If you are buying new, get an ice fishing skimmer. Long handle and plenty of capacity with big drain holes.

Edit - sorry you said pot skimming. I was thinking smelting skimmer.

milprileb
06-11-2011, 02:28 PM
Think outside the smelt

This should be a T shirt !

captaint
06-11-2011, 02:55 PM
mil - Love your idea. Ken should read this and get some printed up with the CB logo. I'd buy one!! Back to the original subject, I'm not a shopper. Never have been. I'm a hunter. I decide what I need and go get it. I know lots of folks love to shop, my wife is one of them. I respect this. It's a good trait. Do what works for you. I've gotten a couple of things and lots of pewter at the second hand store. I bought the Star because it sizes nose first and that just made more sense to me. This boolit casting is the most facinating "hobby" I've ever been involved with. It encompasses so many things and sooner or later we will save money. Just yesterday, I cast up 21 lbs of 2 different boolits. What would it have cost to buy them?? Not only that, I now know whenever I want to load ammo and shoot those revolvers, I don't have to depend on anybody. Load up what I want and enjoy.
All the good guys here have been unbelieveably helpful and I'm very greatful.

Just don't ask me to go shopping. enjoy Mike

Land Owner
06-11-2011, 09:26 PM
You're shopping all wrong! A gal I work with Yard-Sale-scrounges every weekend. I give her a shopping list from time to time. She sees anything, calls me, I go check it out. Not much of my gas being burned. She picked up a ream of paper box of wax candles (~20 lbs) for $5.00, brought them to work on Monday and I reimbursed her. That's all the flux I am going to need. She's checking for a simple rifle rack now so I can rack rifles as I work up loads, check dimensions, and not have them leaning against the wall to sometimes fall down and bust the scope. I quid-pro-quo by giving her husband hunting opportunities on my land. He is very useful and helpful on work weekends, planting, food plotting, clearing line, dragging deer, locating free dirt and free lime, and a good person to know...both of them.

Blammer
06-12-2011, 09:46 AM
I'm the haphazard bargain buyer, I'll check out a few places as I'm doing other stuff, and if there's a deal I'll get it. I don't go looking for a deal.

grullaguy
06-12-2011, 10:11 AM
I am retired and love to ride my bicycle. I found a small steel pot, a mini muffin tin and and a stainless steel serving ladle at one second hand store. While I waited for my lead ladle to come in, I tried using the serving ladle to fill my molds. Got pretty good at using it too! Then I had to re-train myself with the proper lead ladle when it came in.
Although I have only been casting bullets for a short time, I have cast close to 2000 bullets with this setup. I would like a proper electric lead pot, but I don't feel at all rushed as my current setup works perfectly well.
My most recent bicycle quest was the search for pewter which also worked out great. My expenditure that day was $1.60.
I do all my melting on the side burner of my propane barbecue. I guess, not counting my molds, I have about $15 invested into bullet casting.

mdi
06-12-2011, 11:45 AM
To go and find a certain thing can be tough. However I have a list in my head. I always seem to find something I can use.
I think this is the "key" to Goodwill/thrift store shopping. It took me almost a year of searching, but I finally found an alum. corn bread pan. 'Course, I was only looking for an alum. pan most of the times I went looking, even though I tried to keep an eye out fo "casting equipment". Dutch oven? Fergit it. Cast Iron cookware in thrift shops is usually close to retail for new stuff, if you can find it. So, I think it's best to go "shopping" with a list, either mental or on paper...

XWrench3
06-12-2011, 12:40 PM
the "trick" is to be thinking ALL of the time about things you may be able to use for something other than its intended purpose. if you make special trips to hunt for specific items, then yes, it is going to be tough to come up with that specific item, and that exact moment. personally, i like to think of it as scrounging. in reality, it is probably a mindset from being way to close to broke most of my life. you also have to be willing to pick up something when you find it cheap, even if you have no imidiate use for it. obviosly, you would not buy something that you know you will never be able to find a use for it. but many, many things can be used for a multitude of things.

Olevern
06-12-2011, 01:56 PM
I agree that spending gas money (particularly these days/prices) to search for bargains is false economy. However, as a retired person with more time than money, I frequently go with my wife, who loves to attend town-wide yard sales and flea markets, I often find usable bargains. Just yesterday I found a 14" McCollough chain saw in exc. cond. at a yard sale marked at $40.00. Offered $25.00 after hearing it run, offer was accepted and I have a nice back up to my Stiehl.

We often go to a large outdoor flea marketwhere I have found bargains in reloading stuff, a mountain molds double cav. brass .453 300 grain mold for fifteen dollars, a lee single cav. .32 cal. mold for the 32 acp for three dollars, a Pacific metallic reloading press with three die stations for $30.00 and, just last week a large smelting skimmer spoon for three dollars.

This particular flea market usually has several tables with guns and I have found some bargains there in guns as well.

Do I drive to these places to look only for specific items....no, but I usually have a "want list" of items and will purchase other items I see that I can use when the opportunity presents.

As for the gas money, I chalk that off to entertainment,as well as the customary lunch or dinner out with my wife. Hate traditional "shopping" (unless it is at a gun shop or dirt bike/motorcycle shop) but rather enjoy spending the day with my wife searching bargains at flea markets and (organized) yard sales, by which I mean advertised town wide sales.

If I need something for reloading or casting....I buy it, but I don't pass up bargains as they present themselves.