Well... now I've done it...

[mckenziedrums]

Hi... I'm Tim... long time lurker first time poster... yada yada...

So I grew up in a household where my mom took away my BB gun at age 16 because she didn't like guns. Turns out I've since made up for that with my C&R license, reloading, and now getting into casting. Might as well do it all right?

In any case... I'd been kicking around the idea of getting into casting and lo and behold last week a guy posts on another forum I frequent that he's selling ~460lbs of wheel weights for $150. I'm not the best at math but that seemed like a good deal so I jumped on it. Then I may have stumbled over to Amazon and ordered a 20lb Lee pot and a thermometer... borrowed a couple ingot molds... and set about sorting and smelting it down.

Well now I've got about 200 little shiny ingots that look like they want to be something more. So I finally registered here and proceeded to buy a 6 cavity lee mold. Start big right? Read all about how to add a screw to it and learned that unless I have an extra box of matches I'd better find a better way to smoke it....

Ah ****... I need a way to size bullets... hmm... what's on Ebay... Oh look... Lyman 45 sizer with heater that's been adapted to fit and sizing dies... and free lube? Score! Oh wait... same guy has some Lee 2 cavity molds in calibers I shoot... $10 each? Sure why not...

Whoever said reloading your own was cheaper lied to me darnit!! ;)

Did I mention the wife and I are expecting our first any day now so I'm not even going to get a chance to play with all these new toys for quite some time.... *sigh* In any case, great site with tons of useful information. Don't have much to share because well so far all I've done is try to get dirty lead clean and stick it into easily stackable ingots that look a lot nicer on a shelf than a bunch of wheel weights. If someone from around Charlotte happens to have a suggestion for a scrap yard that might swap out my 200lbs of steel weights for lead that'd be fantastic!

[Bloodman14]

Welcome to the madness! There's no going back, now!

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

Whoever said reloading your own was cheaper lied to me darnit!! ;)

Welcome MC,
what you said has been repeated here many times and I disagree.

You bought capital equipment, it holds it's value well, you can always resell it.

SO, YES I WILL SAY, LOADING YOUR OWN IS CHEAPER...NO LIE !

and it's a handy thing to know when Obama starts talking about gun bans again.

[Bohica793]

Must....cast....more.....boolits.................

[Browningshooter]

Welcome aboard! This is the right place to learn!

[mckenziedrums]

Oh I kid... I've been reloading for just a couple years but learned early on that buying in bulk and having components always on hand kept the cost of shooting down past the initial investment. Heck with just 3 of the 8 calibers I shoot I was saving quite a bit while people were paying stupid money for factory ammo (45 acp, 45 colt, .223). It just hurts to gear up for another caliber or getting the pieces of the puzzle together to do the casting bit. Normally gear up over a longer period of time when when you find deals you have to jump on'em right? ;)

[gwpercle]

Welcome to the addiction Tim. Truth is you won't SAVE any money... but you will shoot more with the money you have and it is a most enjoyable and fun hobby. Some don't like casting but for some reason I find turniing a bucket of dirty grungy wheel weights, range lead and scrap lead into beautiful , shiney, lubed and sized boolits a soul satisfying endeaver. I started casting in 1967 and still enjoy it. Got two new moulds and can't wait till the weekend to fire up the pot. I love new moulds.
And it beats playing golf!
Gary

[mckenziedrums]

Yea... many of my shooting buddies drew the line at reloading... and even then it was only after some doing that they got hooked on that. Why bother getting into casting when you can buy perfectly cast bullets from guys like Lucky13 for $.10 each right?

As for me, I love learning new skills/hobbies and this seemed the next natural progression after reloading. For someone that's only been shooting for a few years I got in deep and quickly! Already found two dealerships nearby (one I used to work in sales at) promising me wheel weights so hopefully I can be self sufficient from a bullet standpoint before too much longer. Just a shame I won't be able to play with any of the new molds for a while as I learn the ropes of fatherhood. :) Hopefully the little bugger enjoys helping me when he gets a bit older!

[MOcaster]

Just wait until you get in to swaging. That was my next progression. Actually, I started casting to cast cores then started making real bullets. Maybe I shouldn't have mentioned swaging. It is a whole new level of fun. Or addiction, depending how you look at it.

[mozeppa]

just think!

yer SAVING MONEY !

huh?! whens that start?

[mckenziedrums]

Just wait until you get in to swaging. That was my next progression. Actually, I started casting to cast cores then started making real bullets. Maybe I shouldn't have mentioned swaging. It is a whole new level of fun. Or addiction, depending how you look at it.

Oh I've seen the gadget that makes lil .224 pills out of lead wire and 22lr cases... along with other things. Just haven't fallen that far yet. Besides, nothing wrong with a nekkid boolit! ;)

[Jack Stanley]

The good part is when you are working with that equipment your wife knows right where you are and isn't wondering where you might be . Just remember that after she comes in to snuggle for a minute to recheck the ammo you're working on .

Jack

[22 rifle]

when you finally get your 1st bullets cast and actually shoot them there's nothing like it!there's something extremly satisfying about shooting something that you made with your own hands.also congrats on the new arrival,children are a blessing from God.

[white eagle]

its a sickness far beyond anything you have seen so far

[John Allen]

This is only just the start. Wait till you get a cabinet just for all the molds you have. It is a really fast downward spiral.

[tward]

Casting and reloading are great ways to save money, and if you are really careful you might be able to avoid going bankrupt! Tim

[shoot-n-lead]

Tim, this is definitely an addiction...and welcome to it.

[mckenziedrums]

Well... Called JT today and ordered my first semi custom mold. All while rocking our one week old to sleep. Multi tasking!

[Rooster]

Nice job there Daddy-0!

[mckenziedrums]

I've smelted lead lighter than this fella.... 10 lbs 2 ounces!

[BNE]

Welcome to the addiction. I think smelting and mixxing the alloys is just as fun as casting. Nice looking boy. I hope he sleeps through the night soon!