Are there really this many casters

[JSH]

I am not whining, complaining or bixxxing. I have been around here for several years. I have worked with several different cartridges that I would have ignored if I were not casting. ( thanks I think Ken)
With that being said, I could usually do my reading, studying and measuring of the bore and come up with a mold or molds that would shoot pretty good to excellent as long as I put my time in. I have bought 90% of my molds on this board from some very gracious members.
I am afraid that time has come and gone. I have been paciently waiting and searching for a few. I see molds snatched up here by the droves. Sold with in hours if not minutes. Now I have a fair size stable of various calibers in long guns and hand guns. A rough off the top of my head around 10-12 calibers. I have around 25-30 molds.
I have decided it will be impossible for me to acquire the couple I am looking for before they are grabbed up.
I suppose I could get involved in a group buy, but the last time I did that the mold was so far out I honestly had forgotten about it and had swapped or sold the gun. I know I am not the only one here that has done that.
Most of what I am looking for can be bought new. I would just as soon keep the money in the "family" so to speak.
Are there really that many more folks casting today than 10-14 years ago? I mean with the lead issues and all. I have gotten around eight folks into casting, only one of them still cast. All of them still shoot cast and were happy with what they made. All of them had plenty of alloy and a lot in reserve. There excuse was they didn't have time or it wasn't worth the hassle. Some of these folks would go through 10-15 k a year. They were shooters and not bsr's.
If there are this many casting GREAT. Lord knows the traffic through here is huge compared to a lot of sites of various interest.
My major thinking honestly is a lot of this stuff is being sold by well intentioned individuals and bought by hoarders or folks selling them else where for a profit.
There I said it. Kick me to the curb, throw tomatoes at me or scold me. I have said my peace.
One thing more. This type of activity is not just limited to here.
Jeff

[Finarfin]

I love it when someone volunteers to have me throw tomatoes at them.

I do think more people are buying the stuff, not sure they're using it, but they probably aren't reselling it for profit.

You can get any mold you want from accurate. They aren't hollow point. You can get it modified.

[Garyshome]

I'm new to casting. About 1 year or so. I don't even bother trying to buy anything here any more. There are other forums where I can still buy stuff before someone else does. I bought all my molds new.

[jmort]

I just checked and there are around 850 people online right now with over 350 members. I just buy Lee Precision and Accurate molds. Really no waiting.

[btroj]

What is a hoarder of moulds? Someone who owns one they haven't used in years?
I am so tired of the "poor pitiful me, I can't get what I want because of evil hoarders" garbage.

You joined in 2005 it seems, how many new members here since then? Ever think they might want moulds too?

There is competition, get over it.

[rockshooter]

what are you looking for? I have, probably like most casters, a bunch of unused molds stored in a cupboard.
Loren

[JSH]

I am all for accurate molds. Going against everything I have said and am looking for 6mm and 22 molds. Last I checked he didn't make anything smaller than a 30. Lol which is what smart folks should do any way.
Know I can cuss ya Ken aka "the bastid" :-).
Actually I came to the conclusion that mass produced molds were made for the masses anyway. Though one does get lucky and get a good one on occasion. A custom can sure save a lot of work or at least that has been my finding.
Jeff

[dragon813gt]

Why do people get upset when they can't buy what they want, when they want. What did you guys do before the Internet? I've used it since high school(mid 90s) so I've always been able to use it for purchases. It seems like people have forgotten that you cant always get what you want. I honestly don't know what I would do if it wasn't for sites like GunBroker. Having to visit every shop around to try and find that one rife in a limited production caliber must have taken years. It took me five minutes this afternoon thanks to GunBroker ;)

[stephenj]

My guess is the biggest reason so many molds get snatched up so fast is for one very simple reason.
We have for the most part a very good group of members .. who when they offer something for se it is usualy priced where it should be ...
Then figure in the fact everyone here has the same hobby it is no suprise when
Items offered for sale to a large public at what is most often a reasonable price ... if not a deal
That said item sells quickly .

I have had very good luck posting in the want to buy section when there is something specific i want

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

We are in the golden age of boolit mold manufacturing, as once said by Gear. Besides the fact, we can get any vintage mold we want old or NOS on Fleabay if we are patient and have loose purse strings. You can get a functional and quite nice 2 cavity mold with handles for $16 from one of Lee's vendors. We can custom design and have custom made a boolit mold to your own personal specs...if you know them. We have some experts designing boolit styles then Honchoing group buys for those of us who can't design them...and they do it for free, for the love of the hobby... which are made by talented "boolit shooting" machinists. Sometimes there is a wait, but as time ticks by some of these wait times are disappearing.

AND YOU ARE SAD THAT BOOLITS MOLDS SELL FAST ON THE USED MARKET ON THIS FORUM ???

WHAT EVER


PS, I forgot to mention those manufacturers who have been making production quality molds for decades, many are proven designs that function outstandingly.

[str8shot426]

I started casting last year on a whim. Come across my first mold used at a gun show, picked it up cheap. It was all over after that. Only bought new since then.

[swheeler]

Why do people get upset when they can't buy what they want, when they want. What did you guys do before the Internet? I've used it since high school(mid 90s) so I've always been able to use it for purchases. It seems like people have forgotten that you cant always get what you want. I honestly don't know what I would do if it wasn't for sites like GunBroker. Having to visit every shop around to try and find that one rife in a limited production caliber must have taken years. It took me five minutes this afternoon thanks to GunBroker ;)

Take your Herters catalog, a piece of paper and write down the description and price, put cash in the envelope and mail it to Waseca, minn. then wait.;) A different time

[JSH]

Not up set at all boys. Just find it amusing that 10-15 years ago you couldn't give molds away?
As to my 2005 date, I think that may have been when ken and willy got together?
What I want when I want.......... Nope just saying what I see.
Throw the 'maters, I am not sniveling.
My last post on this topic as I will not start anything. If I did, someone feel free to zap it.
Jeff

[GLL]

I just checked and there are around 850 people online right now with over 350 members. That is a lot of action. I doubt there is any firearm board with that number online right now. I just buy Lee Precision and Accurate molds. Really no waiting.

John:

Just out of curiosity I checked the S&W Forum a minute ago and there were 5,087 online !
When you consider the specialized nature of the CastBoolit Forum I guess our 850 has them beat though ! :)

Jerry

[Socal147]

"I have decided it will be impossible for me to acquire the couple I am looking for before they are grabbed up."

I am very happy with the ones I have received from Mountain Molds. I am sure you could get what you need ........

[Geppetto]

John:

Just out of curiosity I checked the S&W Forum a minute ago and there were 5,087 online !
When you consider the specialized nature of the CastBoolit Forum I guess our 850 has them beat though ! :)

Jerry

I did the same thing, but went to AR15.com, 11,517 online....I like being one of the few and proud prowling around on castboolits

[jhalcott]

I belong to several gun clubs and I'm one of a few that casts. I've shown others how easy reloading AND casting is, a few I have taught, still cast. Many YOUNGER people do not have the time or patience for casting. When I was working(60 hour weeks!) I had little time for casting. I did, how ever, have the money to buy what I NEEDED.

[pretzelxx]

Well, I'm glad a crapload of people are casting. I think it's a great hobby, and teaches younger shooters patience! And self sustaining life. It's something some Americans need to relearn...

[Trinidad Bill]

The threat of "taking it away" I believe has driven a lot of the current behavior. I do not cast, yet I lurk and have purchased moulds for others to cast for me. I have a source of lead and eventually will cast as I strive to find different bullet solutions to my shooting habits and problems. Add baby boomers with lots of spare time and money to the internet knowledge pool... well you have what we have good, bad, or ugly. Personally, I love it! I shoot more and build more now than I ever did.

and... I am glad you guys are around!

[gandydancer]

post a want to buy.

[jmort]

Boy was I wrong. Another dumb-a$$ observation by your's truly. I apparently don't get out much. Makes sense that black guns rule.

[geargnasher]

There's some things I'm hoarding, by golly, and particularly so these last few years: Lyman 45s. They haven't been made in years and were one of the best things going IMO. I about cried when I saw a NIB 45 in SS a few days ago, the price wasn't too bad considering it's collector value to a boolit addict, but I want to use it so I passed, hopefully a collector bought it and not someone who will throw away the box and proceed to trash the unit. JM Marlins, another thing they don't make anymore, and since nobody is making a decent levergun anymore except Henry and the Italians I'll buy all the decent Marlins I can afford. Accurate moulds. I want to be set with at least one good design in every caliber I'm likely to ever shoot before Tom hangs it up, which hopefully won't be for a few more years. LEAD. Yup, I've got a lot, but I shoot a lot too and the easy, free stuff is long gone. Tin. I've hoarded up every good deal I could find for years and have plenty of it for a very long time. Brass. Yup, I hoard brass. Even the stuff people don't value much right now, because one day even .40 S&W will be 25 cents a pop and right now people have drums of it and can't GIVE it away. .30-30 and .30-'06 used to be that way too, now it's getting more scarce and expensive. , don't get rid of anything I can afford to store, because it might just come in handy one day. Powder and primers. One can never have enough. I know I don't, and continue to buy every chance I get a halfway decent deal.

I could do this all night. Point is, I'm getting while the getting is good, like a lot of smart folks are. Like Btroj's sig line says, I'm a hoarder of all things shooting and reloading, no regrets. Good thing for everyone here that I'm not rich.

Gear

[fryboy]

gear ...amigo ... as much as i love you and also love the lyman #45's i'm not a collector and i have to admit that right now up front ( for those whom do not know ..i was the lucky one the casting gods smiled on that fateful day even tho others had opportunity before i did , eg; i didnt snag it up in mere seconds or minutes ) will i use it ? i dont know yet , for one it isnt here yet , the m.o. should either be there or soon will be , to me it is a piece of history , it's not my holy grail per say ( that would be a generation 1 #45 n.i.b. ) if/when it shows up i plan on giving it a lite coat of oil and taking a few pix ...and carefully placing it back in the box for the time being , it called my name is all i can say ,i'd love to try and figure out it's date of manufacture , there's ..something about it ( see that called my name comment ) it's final destiny ...i feel is beyond myself , was it worth a few weeks of lunch money ( the kitty i robbed ) to admire this treasure ? to me yes , it's a look back into the past when things were simpler and quality meant something , but i dont have to use it as i have a few already

as for casters and number of casters .. when i joined i knew some things ( actually thought i had joined long before i did - until i finally worked up the nerve to post and found i couldnt ) but have expanded my knowledge base by a whole bunch ( thanx amigos ! you guys rock !! ) i'm still,however, a student , and no matter how much i learn i'm just smart enough to know that for as long as i live i'll always be a student as there's always more that one can learn if they have a desire, i try to share when i can if i can ,especially when i think it may help, not everyone "gets " me, sometimes it seems i confuse some with a comment yet another "gets" it and it helps them - then i did good and managed to pay a small part back of what i have learned or know

yes i believe that there's even more casters than are just members of this website , as stated i was casting before i came here and should i leave unless death prevents me i shall continue to do so , with the "shortages" that happened many folks got into reloading, some serious and some just to be able to shoot , some wont stick it out and many will , they make their own path is all i can say, and yes i believe i'm qualified to state this as i do belong to a few other sites , intimately enough to see the growth spurts , with the same shortages also came the component aspect , casting allows one to make the projectiles ( is there a primer making forum somewhere i need to join ? it's looked like it a few times in recent years lolz ) to either the reloading or the casting there's a sense of pride that along with experience and accomplishment just can not be bought at any price

when i first started casting there wasnt internet forums and one was lucky if they could find some one to get a few pointers from , nope reading about it wasnt the same , but reading did do something however and it's something i sometimes urge those who are studying long on it before jumping in and that's to jump in !!! get yer feet wet !! it's one of the best moves you can make if you havent already done so ( i like to call it "practical application " :P )

[olafhardt]

OK, Noob Rooky goes into every gun store in town and can't find any 22's which he shoots by the gillions. He reads some old fort say he ain't worried cause he can load 38's as cheap as he can buy long rifles. So the noob, who is not going shoot a clunky revolver trades the Python grandad left him for a cool Glock. He then shoots a lot of cheap Eastern made ammo and decides to reload. Well Cool Elite on his favorite ninga forum tells him that you get what you pay for so get a blue money hole progressive press, some titanium dies, and one of those platinum molds because platnum does not corrode and has a very high melting point. He can sell granddad's 21 Winchester and buy this and have enough to get a nuclear top pour pot. Then he can go to this cool site Cast Boolits and ask what is a good load for a 9 mm. As a card carring useless old fart that spends hours pecking at this machine I see it happening.

[MaryB]

It would be interesting to see a breakdown of users posts for each forum. Would show for sure if we have a few who haunt S&S

[Jr.]

I'm a noob and a hoarder of sorts come from a place where if you don't own guns you're probably a stranger I bought up as much 22 as I could find before it ran out ( over to 20000 rounds) and love to shoot I have always reloaded all of my ammunition my dad brought me up to believe that nothing was free and if I wanted to take one of his firearms out I had to earn it generally a quick session of 50 to 100 rounds loaded to get the privilege of taking out a respected tool.
On my long ventures into long range shooting and creating good loads for my rifles as well as "stocking up" on as many components as I could find I found myself in a realm of extreme sticker shock so being one to say hell I'll just build it. I began searching online how to make you're own bullets I first found swaging which left me on a state of AWE and looking into that deeper lead me to some posts by a member BT Sniper and after recurring visits lead me to this forum where look through and see all of the creations and experience on here I had to give it a try so now begins the casting for my cowboy style guns (no cool blocks for me can't hold a candle in accuracy to anything) and this only reaffirms the way of life instilled where I was brought up (do all for yourself that you possibly can because dependence makes you a slave) I am one of the many that refuse the stigma placed on the younger generation and hope to carry on what has all but been lost.

Sorry for the rant just my take on the subject I am glad to be here and think that there are other young guys like me that just want to be able to do for ourselves and I've said for the last 5 years our current president is the best gun and munitions sells man on the planet

[fryboy]

It would be interesting to see a breakdown of users posts for each forum. Would show for sure if we have a few who haunt S&S


not possible miss mary , post made in the S&S do not count on post count, plus after a time they are deleted , they do show up on a profile for that little while however

[geargnasher]

Fryboy, I'm glad it was you who got that one, I was afraid to go back and look. Olafhardt covered it pretty well, lots of guys throwing cash at good reloading equipment and guns who will not appreciate what they have. I could just see someone buying that 45, breaking the handle the first time they crammed a water-dropped Linotype .40-cal through it, and throwing it away.

I hope that the casting community is still growing and will sustain a high number, it seems that many of those who discover how to pour their own add a new dimension to their hobby and learn to appreciate reloading even more. Casting takes an ammo assembler and starts them on the path to becoming a true handloader. Whether they stay on that path or not is anyone's guess, but a lot of people seem to be doing it. utoob and the internet in general has assisted the the growth, as well as shortages, so here we are!

Gear

[knobster]

Starting reloading a little over a year ago (right about when the shortages started - timing of the year award) and started reading about bullet casting soon after that. 6 months ago bought a Lee bottom-pour furnace and have been hooked since. Currently have 10 bullet molds and have no plans of slowing down. I'm not sure what I enjoy more: shooting, reloading or casting. At the end of the day, I see this hobby as life insurance if this administration succeeds in turning America into a 3rd world country.

[mikeym1a]

Yes, there really are that many 'new' members here. I joined last year, or was it the year before? I disremember. I know, but word. Anyway, I got into casting to feed my pistols 30 years ago when i was teaching my kids to shoot. The three of them went through a lot of ammo, and that doesn't count the .22s. After they grew up and left home, shooting wasn't that much fun. I got divorced, had to start life over. Had to pay off my little house. I finally reached retirement age, and took it. I'm trying to do 'fun' things now, and that includes shooting. And I restarted my boolit casting and loading. I buy molds here when I find one that I like, and I get some from fleabay, and some I buy new. Yes, there are new caster here, just getting started, and they buy stuff here, probably because they trust the people here to have good 'stuff'. I did buy a set of dies here, that I later resold. But, I only got from him what I paid for them, I think. Might have gotten less. They were for a project, that has yet to come to fruition. I'll get more when I need them, if I don't die first. Yeah, there is more of us around. There need to be, if we are to pass this great past-time to another generation. I like this site. It's like a huge dis-functional family, complete with the weird uncles. mikey :bigsmyl2:

[FredBuddy]

I'm 67 and have reloaded since 1968. I decided recently that I need to keep the brain cells challenged, so on finding this website, followed many people's advice, accumulated stuff from thrift stores, and finally smelted my first batch of wheel weights this fall.

Today, I tested a recommended load for an old lyman 3118 mold (notice the jargon) in a Winchester 94 30-30, since it warmed up and I could tolerate the deep snow, and the first group was thumbnail sized.

Yup, there are more casters.

Jump in any way you can.

[dbosman]

I hear you and feel your pain.
Post a WTB (want to buy) or ISO (in search of) thread. You may get a PM from someone who wasn't thinking of selling until you asked.

There are some molds that are classics that absolutely won't last long as they are no longer made and custom costs more than people are willing to pay for a what will amount to a single casting session. I have one like that and it's next owner is already in line. I'm in line to purchase a mold from someone who bought it because I didn't happen to have the cash on hand. He kindly offered it to me - after he casts a few thousand.



"I have decided it will be impossible for me to acquire the couple I am looking for before they are grabbed up."
.

[Finarfin]

I'm not an old fart, but did just finish shooting the last of my y2k stash. I always rotate my stock out.

I wish Tom made hp molds.

[MaryB]

When I can cast a bunch of boolits from 10 pounds of lead I got for $10 it is saving me a bundle on plinking ammo.

[EDG]

You need one or all of the following:

Time
Money
Luck

If you are unwilling to depend on the above you will never get much. That is the market.

I once found a wonderful Brooks mould by accident on an auction site for about 1/4 the price of a new one.
It took 30 seconds from looking to pushing buy.

I also spent 2 hours on a Saturday looking for a specific set of second hand dies.
I went through every link on 50 pages of a Google search. I found a set of dies for an old military rifle completely across the country on a benchrest club web site.

There are a few things I have looked for, for more than 30 years.

[Shiloh]

My interest in casting came from the desire to be self reliant and self sufficient.

Shiloh

[oldfart1956]

Well, I may come to regret this with supplies getting so fickle but I started 2 new casters/reloaders last year (2013) and already have 2 more I'm making time to teach in the coming weeks. With the 2 coming up we're starting from them casting their own boolits all the way thru sizing, lubing, loading and then shooting them in one weekend. I keep it simple, use all my equipment and supplies and the range next door. And yes, I know the "let them age for a week" rule. We'll work around that. I think I enjoy the teaching even more than the reloading/casting. Go figger? Audie...the Oldfart..

[prs]

I do not know of another dedicated caster in my local community. None of my friends or associates cast and they think I an kinda nutty for doing so. The local post office clerk told me her husband has "casted some in the past" when I was shipping some samples to an online Pard. I do know some who cast fishing lure jig heads, but that is about it.

prs

[gwpercle]

There must be a lot of caster's and they seem to have deep pockets. For the longest time I tried to get any kind of steel mould for the 41 mag. I have a Lyman #410459, that I got years ago, but you must have more than 1 mould for your gun. I watched E-Bay and bid on every one that popped up. After Lyman stopped making them I figured if I wanted one I had better get it now. At one time Lyman made 6 different 41 cal moulds ...now not a one! People on E-bay would pay more for a used mould than what you can get a custom mould, that's insane. So I just ordered a new 2 cavity mould from Lee, $20.00 I can afford and it cast a nice boolit.
I guess two will have to do. Gary

[BruceB]

My interest in casting came from the desire to be self reliant and self sufficient.

Shiloh

Exactly.

When I started casting, I lived over 1000 miles from the nearest real "gun store" (it was in Edmonton, Alberta) and even there the supplies were spotty.

Add in the limited income of someone just getting going in life, and independence and self-reliance, as cited by Shiloh, were very important.

That was almost fifty years ago, and the same reasons hold true to this day.... at least for me.

[bhn22]

I am one of the buyers and sellers here. I also buy and sell on the web auction sites. If a newly acquired mold fails to please me for whatever reason, it goes down the road. I don't do this to make money, or to hoard molds, I do this to get what I want. I put great effort into it at times. Sometimes I sell things I really don't want to sell, simply because money is tight at times. I am busily acquiring nice molds whenever possible. Some molds I buy to have modified in one way or another, I have a 357429 that I bought here at Hollowpoint Molds right now in the midst of a conversion. The bottom line is: I check the S&S board first thing, everytime I log in. I check it before I leave. I often check it in the middle of a session. This is what is necessary to acquire the molds I want. I put forth the effort. I do not expect anybody to pass on a mold they want, simply because I may want it. I do not feel that anybody expects that from me either. Usually, we cheer each other on when somebody scores something neat. That is simply how the board works here, and everywhere else I've been. I hope this little tutorial helps you understand what is required to acquire molds on the boards, as this is my only motive for writing this. You are more than welcome to join in. Honestly, I miss out on more molds than I win.

[Leadmelter]

I have been on this board for a while and information shared here is incredible.
I restarted casting about three ago when the world went crazy. Since then I got a Miha mold or two, I picked up a couple on evilbay, and some for NOE.
To each his own and enjoy the hobby.
I am getting ready to retire in a few years, so casting and developing reduced loads is my new quest.
Thanks to everybody on the board for ideas and knowledge.
Leadmelter
MI

[Harter66]

Boy I learned a long time ago that if ya see something you want or need and you have cash (or can scrape it up) to buy then and there. Mind you I'm not throwing stone but there are a couple of folks here that buy a lot of stuff . 2 that come to mind also nearly as often litterally GIVE back at least 2-3x/yr. I'll admit it I've pounced on somethings when I had no idea where I'd get the money and a couple of times I've had to just let em' go but in not too long things turned around. I've bypassed several items only to come back and find them still up like the 28-168 sp I closed last night . Do i want the SP no I'd rather have the SIL or FP but I'm going to size it down to .278 or 9 so now its an fp.

I've loaded for 30yr or so but I've only cast for about 8 yr . Self reliance is part of it being able to see a cool factor rifle and buy it w/o knowing what cartridge it is chambered in and make it work out is just the butter cream frosting.

I think if you post a WTB you will get responces . It doesn't always work and sometimes you have to bump them up.

I guess the thing is that those $12 38s $18 357s and 45 Colts that drove me to casting are gone and they're even higher now. Hoarding ? No its just that after being here a while ''I still have 1200 LRP'' doesn't seem like a lot anymore,and the ooopps 1000 LPP magnums were used up in rifle loads . 5000 is just the minimun stock and 200 on hand used to be good to go, is now what I loaded last time for stock rotation. The likelyhood that I will leave this to my grands is higher than to my kids.