Is it worth it to cast bullets?

[beeser]

I recently acquired a Lee melter and an RCBS Lube-A-Matic and thought about casting some .45 ACP 185 grain SWC bullets for the first time but have a hard time making sense of the economics. I pay about 8 cents for lubed bullets now and I figure it will cost about 6 cents to cast a bullet based on the lead alone. It doesn't seem to make sense to cast or am I missing something?

[Master_Mechanic]

Most of the time as casters we get into the hobby to "save" money, which once the addiction kicks in, never seems to pan out. For alot of us we cast because we enjoy it plus we can generally cast better shooting boolits than are available comercially, also can adjust alloys or boolit styles to better suit our needs.

[knobster]

Being able to cast your own is its own reward. Sure, you could pay someone else to make or fix every single thing around you. Or, you could take matters into your own hands. Some things may not seem worth the effort but there is a wee bit of pride when you see shelves groaning under the weight of all the bullets you made yourself. Or the brake pads you installed on the car. Or the workbench you assembled. Or... etc ad infinitum.

[NoZombies]

Part of it depends on your cost of lead. You should be getting about 35 to the lb for a 185 grain bullet. Based on your $.06 cost projection, it sounds like you're paying in excess of $2 a pound for lead.

It takes some scrounging, but lead can be had in most areas for around $1 per lb. With that being the case, your lead costs just dropped in half, making it about $.03 per bullet in lead cost. An additional $.01 per bullet for lube, and you're at half the cost of the commercial bullets you were buying, but with the benefit of being able to fine tune your alloy and lube. Commercial lubes generally suck, and commercial cast bullets are almost always too hard for the best accuracy.

IF you're counting your time into the cost factor, then you should probably walk away early. I count it as a hobby. I shoot enough (or used to, and hope to again soon) to easily justify the upfront costs of casting and reloading. If I only shot a few thousand rounds a year on average, I might reconsider.

The good news is, if you try it and don't like it, you can sell off the equipment, and have enough money to buy a bunch of those commercial cast bullets.

[USAFrox]

One other thing to note: oftentimes those hard cast lead bullets you buy from wherever are cast out of super hard lead. They do that to avoid those bullets being damaged during shipping and handling. The main problem with this is that super hard lead bullets don't obturate well in the bore, thereby sealing it. Without sealing the bore well, they can lead your barrel because of gas cutting around a non-obturated bullet. Bullets you cast yourself can be sized appropriately to your barrel (which you can slug yourself to find out how big YOUR barrel is). This creates a better fit, and that can not only lead to less leading, but to better accuracy.

Long story short - there's a lot more involved than simple economics, when you build your own.

[NoAngel]

More often than many veteran casters will want to admit; No it's not ALWAYS worth it.
I have found that many of the things I worked hard on were just not worth the end result.

That being said, YES casting is generally WELL worth the effort if you're willing to put in the effort to do it right.

[Moonie]

If you are wanting to do it for the money savings (and are serious, not just telling a SO that) you really should not do it. You will not save money, you will buy expensive custom molds because you believe it will be perfect for your <insert firearm of choice here>. Casting is very rewarding if you aren't just looking to save money, because you won't. Like reloading, you might be able to shoot more for the same money, but you won't save money.

[Bigslug]

If you fight the addiction these guys are talking about and treat it as an economic measure by limiting yourself to what you "NEED", preferably run with a 4+ cavity mold, don't fret overly about your time, and scrounge your materials you CAN save money. I'm shooting mostly scrounged range lead and scrounged range brass in my primary handgun calibers, so am basically paying for primers and powder, plus a little bit of propane and current.

For most of us, it's about greater control of the variables.

[cheese1566]

I couldn't do it if I didn't scounge my wheel weights from the local garages. Yes, there is a cost associated with processing them, but I gained enough lead to offset my equip and costs. I didn't add my labor as I have free time and no money...!
if I had to buy lead, I would do it.
I was able to stock pile a few thousand pounds over a few years. I "paid" a case of Coke and cookies when I picked up from each garage. Cheap enough since I hauled off about 200 pounds of weights every other month and cost only $30. I stopped when others started asking for them and I figured I had enough for personal use. No need to be greedy or selfish or make a $ when others in the sport could use it too.

[Garyshome]

I paid around $1.00 Lb/lead =$.03/ea

[RobS]

I believe it's worth it to cast my own because I can match a home grown boolit to match exactly my shooting needs even to the point of designing my own mold for everyone of the firearms I own. Accuracy is great and as many others have said it's a hobby.

[white eagle]

If your only thoughts are to save money by casting yes you are missing something.

[mold maker]

I bought extra primers and powder when they were still cheap.
Collected and ingot-ed tons of lead when it was free or at least cheap. I've bought moulds over 50+ years, and am loading for less than the current cost of primers.
There are several guns I wouldn't get to shoot at all, except for the casting and loading.
If I were to start out today I doubt I could afford it.
If dollar savings is your only incentive, forget it.

[MT Gianni]

You already have the most expensive tools for the operation.

[Shiloh]

Boy, it sure is to me.

I got into it to be self sufficient. I HAVE boolits. When reloading components where scarce, us casters where still shooting.
The other advantage is that you can fit you cast boolits to YOUR firearms.

SHiloh

[Springfield]

I was buying all my cowboy shooting bullets from a a local bsiness. He had good prices and was close, so no shipping. He decided he could make more money be becoming a day trader in stocks, and closed his business.That's when I decided to start casting my own. I have more time than money, but little of either. I already fix my own cars and repair my own house, so why not cast my own bullets? I already reload. I now cast for myself, my wife, and somewhat my 2 kids. Just for fun I have loaded up some .22 long rifle in Blackpowder for them for next months California State BP Championship. Was it worth it in time to load those .22? Not hardly, I spend over an hour/box of 50 and had to buy a custom mould. But they don't sell them anymore, so the fun of it is way worth it.

[Rockwell]

I've been casting for years, mainly for the satisfaction of doing it myself. If there were a practical way to make my own smokeless powder, primers, and brass, I'd do that too. That said, I don't think I've "saved" a dime, but I would cast and reload even if I couldn't shoot.

[twc1964]

I started casting as it was a logical progression of my hobbies of reloading and shooting. I get a good feeling knowing that the boolits that i use to tear the x ring out of a target were made by the hands of your truly. There is a learning curve to be sure but its worth it to me. I do save money because i pay little for my lee molds and get good deals on my lead. Sure, there is the up front costs but there usually is with any endeavor thats worth while. Theres also the simple fact of my enjoyment of just doing it...my 02 cents for ya.

[upnorthwis]

I suppose I am one of the lucky one's on cost of lead. I squirreled away tons of wheel weights back when they were giving them away and only wanted their buckets back. Being retired I consider my time to be free. Although my electric bill goes up $3 per month when I've done some casting. I'm on split rate electric. 6 cents/kwh on weekends, holidays, and evenings. But the best part is Tayloring each load to it's specific need.

[Tatume]

A lot depends on your needs. Right now I'm buying commercial bullets because I'm shooting 300 every weekend, and simply don't have time to cast them for myself. If I had more time I would shoot more, not cast.

Would I hunt with commercial cast bullets? No way. I'll cast my own super-accurate bullets for hunting. But for the time being it is worthwhile for me to buy commercial cast bullets.

[Buck Neck It]

Should you even have to ask that question after the last two year ammo shortage?

The commie-pinko scum will be right back in our faces as soon as they regroup.

[williamwaco]

I recently acquired a Lee melter and an RCBS Lube-A-Matic and thought about casting some .45 ACP 185 grain SWC bullets for the first time but have a hard time making sense of the economics. I pay about 8 cents for lubed bullets now and I figure it will cost about 6 cents to cast a bullet based on the lead alone. It doesn't seem to make sense to cast or am I missing something?

If you are paying 6 cents each for the lead you need to find another source.

I pay about one dollar per pound for nice smelted and carefully fluxed ingots delivered to my front door. That is two and a quarter cents each for 160 grain bullets.


AND:

I have had very unhappy results with commercial cast bullets.
I would cast my own if they cost a penny more.

[bangerjim]

I do not do this to save money. it is fun and relaxing.

Your cost of lead is extremely high! That is your problem. I acquired commercial cast & lubed boolits several years ago (just to try them) and was not happy with the performance and leading. I have since melted them down to what I want and powder coated them.

Still, I love to shoot 45LC's and around me, factory loads run well over a buck a round! I can do them for less than 10 cents, not counting the brass because I recover all of it.

I cast 9,30,38,40,45 in many weights and find I can cast, powder coat, load, and shoot for less than commercial rounds cost. The key is your lead cost. I average 90 cents/pound for pure and all the alloys (including Sn and Sb) at local yards.

One big reason to roll your own is you have total control over kick-back and performance. I load extremely light plinking loads all the way up to full factory-like loads.

You will have to make your own decision on casting your own, For me and thousands of others on here, it is fun, relaxing, and saves money.

Enjoy whatever path you take to make your own!

bangerjim

[dondiego]

Ask that question on a jacketed bullet site. I think that these guys might be biased!

[Ickisrulz]

Only you can determine what is right for you. How much do you shoot? How much free time do you have and how do you want to spend it? How much free money do you have and how do you want to spend that? Casting and reloading is not for everyone. But for those that shoot a lot and have some free time they want to devote to this hobby, it can be reward and cost saving. You don't need to have 5 custom molds for each gun or a lot of other things that other guys have. It can be simple and relatively cheap.

[zanemoseley]

I just got into casting and reloading. I bought a lee pot, RCBS mold & handles, and a stainless cart to use. With miscellaneous stuff my total was probably $325 plus $50 for a 120 bucket of COWW. The 45-200-SWC bullets I would have bought would have been about $.12 each, I have only $.017 and got 2888 of them from the bucket. I saved almost $300 on this batch alone which paid for almost all of my start up costs right off the bat.

[Ickisrulz]

Only you can determine what is right for you. How much do you shoot? How much free time do you have and how do you want to spend it? How much free money do you have and how do you want to spend that? Casting and reloading is not for everyone. But for those that shoot a lot and have some free time they want to devote to this hobby, it can be rewarding and cost saving. You don't need to have 5 custom molds for each gun or a lot of other things that other guys have. It can be simple and relatively cheap.

[MGnoob]

I recently acquired a Lee melter and an RCBS Lube-A-Matic and thought about casting some .45 ACP 185 grain SWC bullets for the first time but have a hard time making sense of the economics. I pay about 8 cents for lubed bullets now and I figure it will cost about 6 cents to cast a bullet based on the lead alone. It doesn't seem to make sense to cast or am I missing something?

Your math or calculation must be off, Then you have to figue if there are none to buy it isn't even about saving money.
The last 2 year buying anything had been difficult.Also i won't buy anything if it isn't the cheap price available, not the "cheapest stuff" but the best price for quality components.

That said. my entire loaded rounds cost $.06 for 9mm, .08 for $.45, and $.10 for .223.
Then you have top figure in time and equipment. I love doing it(most of the time) so that is worth money to me.
Then your equipment costs have to recouped over some kind of period of time.In my case i went all out on equipment so i could make stuff faster than most.

so after one year instead of buying ammo my equipment was paid for, and now i can produce the lowest priced ammo for the rest of my life.It's only worth it if you shoot. Will you save money? Not really if you shoot more than you would have, but now i can shoot as much as i want for less than it cost me to occasionally shoot before. Now i shoot as much as i want as often as i want without even thinking about ammo, Add that i just got into full auto shooting and that my friend is priceless.

[gwpercle]

If you have to ask that question, then the answer is NO.
I do it because it's my hobby, I enjoy doing it, it's satisfying and therapeutic....and I don't like golf.

Writers have to write, singers have to sing, musicians have to play music and casters have to...you guessed it ...cast boolits.
Gary

[Love Life]

Thanks to Xtreme plated bullets, I have really been slacking on casting the majority of my pistol bullets.

[MGnoob]

Thanks to Xtreme plated bullets, I have really been slacking on casting the majority of my pistol bullets.

Very true, when first reloading i when through 10,000s of plated and various jacket style.
It was kindof nice to be able to buy and load reasonable priced plated projectiles..
I would feel really spoiled now. that i have scrounge the lead, smelted to ingot,casted,culled,plated,sized so many now. It defiantly adds alot of steps to the reloading process that already has alot of steps as is.

[7Acres]

Having the capability to make Boolits and not being dependent on market availability and pricing is worth something too. Plus if you shoot into a lead trap your initial price per boolit is reduced every time you harvest from the trap.

[fredj338]

If I have to pay much more than $1.50/# for lead, I am buying bulk bullets instead of casting, not worth my time & effort & wasting my lead that I use for specialty bullets I can't buy. Time is also a factor but it doesn't take long with a 4-6cav mold to make 1000 bullets. Hobby or not, time is still valuable to many of us.

[Vulcan Bob]

Is it worth it, well that depends on the individual and what they want from it. For myself I enjoy the whole process but above all is this. I get the bullet I want, the alloy I want and the lube I want when I want it. Being independent from a commercial source of bullets is very nice too. No waiting for a week or two or months to get what I want or need. For me yes it is worth it.

[big bore 99]

Only speaking on my own. It's worth it. I scrounge all my lead. I shoot a couple 45-70's a few times a week, so the cost would be restrictive. I'm retired and never was much for golf or tv. I enjoy working with the variables and keeping records of my results. For me it is well worth it in many ways.

[MT Chambers]

When you cast, you have control over bullet design, size, consistancy, type of lube, hardness, etc. I scrounge alot of lead for free, but can buy it for 25cents to 40 cents/lb. around here, so it's a no brainer for the amount that I shoot, almost daily.

[sthwestvictoria]

Like alot of other posters I feel it is the difference between being a consumer and shooter or developing mastery over all facets of my shooting.

[USAFrox]

A lot of people have made the extremely important point that in a crunch where you can't find bullets for love or money, if you cast your own, you can still shoot. During this last crunch where all of the ammo shelves were bare at every store, I never had to slack off on my shooting, because I had components and could cast my own bullets. That right there is priceless.

[trixter]

OOOOOOOOOOO! OOOOOOOOO! I know I know this one, call on me, call on me! (Hand up waving frantically)


YES

NOTHING ELSE TO SAY.

[RED333]

Ya dadburn right it is worth it, as in
"Hey yall look what I did" to all my friends, people I meet at jobs and my family.
Then you get into shooting a cast boolit that you made,
powder coated that you did and make it go at 2500 + FPS.(still working on this)
Now that is something.

[Dave C.]

Beeser, You will be better off buying good quality bullets and spending the time saved on shooting matches and training.
When you are Distinguished and shooting 2600 and more then you will have time to cast boolits.

Dave C.

[ChipEckardt]

You can make a home made strainer and get free lead at a lot of ranges. Just ask permission and make sure you pile the dirt afterwards back up on the backstop.

chip

[rhill]

I save a little money, but it is mainly an extension of the shooting hobby. It is also nice to be self sufficient as possible and having a supply of boolits without depending on an outside source. When commercial boolits get scarce, I have plenty of home cast and can still keep shooting.

[beeser]

Beeser, You will be better off buying good quality bullets and spending the time saved on shooting matches and training.
When you are Distinguished and shooting 2600 and more then you will have time to cast boolits.

Dave C.

Just the advice I would expect from my friends over at the Bullseye-L Forum, and good advice too considering my current BE abilities. But the folks here made some good points about the benefits of casting your own bullets. I'm not a good enough shooter to realize most of those but considering that I have much of the equipment already it might be interesting to give casting a try. As mentioned before I have a Lee melter, some lead of unknown quality and an RCBS Lube-A-Matic. I realize that a mold is needed but what else without getting too carried away? The bullet that I would like is a .45 ACP, 185 grain SWC.

[Bullshop]

What is worth? Is one hour of time worth the same to the local burger flipper that it is to Donald Trump? All folks value their time differently. What is your hourly income? For many folks their time is worth more than what they can produce casting.
Say you can make 100 boolits in one hour and those boolits are worth $12.00. If your hourly wage is $25.00 maybe it wont seem worth it.
For some folks buying from a reputable source will always seem a better value for their time.
I can suggest a reputable source if you need one!

[Yodogsandman]

When guys are complaining about the cost of factory ammo, I feel kinda sheepish having to ask how much it costs. Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha........

Can't find any? Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha.......

.22's? Who cares! Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha.......

OOOHH, my sides hurt now!

[Love Life]

I have my moulds and a big pile of lead, but when I can have 1,000 shiny 45 acp projectiles on my doorstep for less than $100 then that is what I do. I just don't have the time to cast and coat right now.

[beeser]

I have my moulds and a big pile of lead, but when I can have 1,000 shiny 45 acp projectiles on my doorstep for less than $100 then that is what I do. I just don't have the time to cast and coat right now.
This is what makes the most sense to me based on what I know now but having a lot of the casting equipment already it might at least be interesting to give it a try. I'm always like to learn something new.

[Beagle333]

It's worth it to me. It isn't cost efficient, the way I do it... but it is worth it. :cool:

[Gtek]

Hopefully not sounding like a Grouchy Ol', but why do WE need to convince you? If your chosen weapon shoots those too hard, probably does not fit right bullet to your satisfaction, buy them. If you do not feel you should "spend" the time making them, buy them. If you think they are cheaper in your situation, buy them. If it does nothing for you to melt, pour, load, shoot, please buy them. There are people that make an income from individuals like yourself, help them. Go ask the guy in the mirror what he wants/needs to do.

[Love Life]

This is what makes the most sense to me based on what I know now but having a lot of the casting equipment already it might at least be interesting to give it a try. I'm always like to learn something new.


I would give it a try if I were you and had the equipment. It is very fun and I find casting enjoyable.

While I do have time to cast 30 caliber rifle bullets right now, I just don't need that many. 100 at a time will do the trick.

For my pistol shooting, I just don't have the time to devote. Rest assured though, once I get the time that I will be a casting fool and probably cast up several thousand of my 3 favorite pistol boolits so I don't find myself in this predicament again.

[waco]

It's not about cost for me. I enjoy time at the casting and reloading bench. But yes, it is worth it to me. I can produce a much better product to fit my needs than I can buy.

[500MAG]

Money wise? No. Enjoyment wise? Absolutely!

[GhostHawk]

As far as what is needed to start, not a lot. Some means of melting the lead and getting it into a mold.
A mold, perhaps a sizer of some sort. (Lee push through are under 20$

A lot of molds do vary in size somewhat depending on alloy, temp, condition of the mold, etc.

For .45acp you want a mold a thousandths or 2 larger than the groove size (Determined normally by "slugging" the barrel, there is a sticky)

For .45acp you probably don't need gas checks. Get into high velocity rifle casting and you will want gas checks and a sizer to crimp them on. (Which also true's the bullet to round, and maybe brings it down a thousandth or 2 for size depending on the situation.

The question is, do you enjoy hand loading? Learning more about the process?
Spending time where you have your hand loading equipment set up?
Casting is just one more area with which to spend that time in that area.

I have recently added a small lee dipper pot so that I can cast in the same general area as I do the rest of my reloading.
It happens to be close to my computer, so I often put on a utube video or an old John Wayne movie while I am casting, sizing, lubing, resizing, full length sizing my cases, flaring necks, measuring powder, and setting boolits and crimping.

It is just more of the kind of stuff people like to do.

But if you don't like to do that, by all means don't bother.

Personally I get 37 .312 185gr boolits from a pound of range lead that I paid a few more than a dollar per pound for.
Add a gas check for 3 cents each and I have boolits at my cost around a nickle each. I don't count the power or time spent, that is IMO living off the interest.

Everyone has hobbies, things we like to do that probably cost us over time a small fortune. But if it is something we like to do, it is worth it.
Mine lets me shoot more, and gets me interested in shooting more often. That is something I really enjoy.
Knowing that I melted the lead, cast the boolit, added the gas check, sized, lubed, and loaded it into a clean cartridge over my choice of powder = priceless.

Your mileage may vary.

[dragon813gt]

No, it's not worth it. Now go buy your bullets. That means more lead for me.

[TXGunNut]

Worth it? Calculator would probably say "no" but I'm more interested in what my rifles and pistols have to say. My initial foray into casting was a $500 investment because I couldn't find suitable boolits for a $300 Sharps.

[claudesapp]

I'm still in my earning years, so on a per hour basis it is not worth it financially. I don't do it to save money, and I'm not saving money by buying all these danged moulds here, but the reason I do it is because I enjoy it. It is my downtime, put on some music, and enjoy a hobby I can take with me into all the years to come. I just came back in from the garage and loaded 50 rounds of 45 Colt, took me about 15 minutes, I'm relaxed and now I can wash up and spend some good time playing with my 6 year old. It is all part of living a good life to me, I'm not counting the pennies I'm counting the good time spent. It is also the core of some really good friendships I have made with other gun cranks like me.

[Lead Fred]

You cant buy the boolits I make, thats why I make them

[CENTEX BILL]

I find myself buying common size handgun bullets in bulk since the price is not that much more than doing it myself. Now when it comes to casting rifle bullets with gas checks, that is a different matter. There are few vendors that do rifle bullets in the weights and design that I like to shoot.

Essentially, buy the common sizes when you can at a reasonable cost and then concentrate on casting the unusual calibers where you can maximized your savings and expand your shooting experiences.

Centex Bill

[retread]

I have tried the "hard cast" and experienced leading. With my alloy, no leading. But he main thing for me is the simple fact that I love doing it.

[GabbyM]

Is it really worth it to spend a good portion of our lives aspiring to shoot small groups on paper?
After all. What's the point in it all? We could be playing golf. Knocking balls across the grass. Growing flowers in widow boxes.
Or work from sunup to sunset then dream of work in our sleep.

Our sport is a luxury we indulge ourselves in. Like Art and fine food. Something to be enjoyed while we are alive and active in this wonderful world.

In other words. If you have five children at home under the age of twelve. You may or may not have time in your life to cast boolits. But you are still OK.

[country gent]

There are several reasons to cast your own bullets other than cost, savings, or economics. First is that you can use a bullet style thst isnt available otherwise. Some bullets molds are available but finding them cast sized and lubed is almost imposible. I ounce found some 225 grn 45 cal ( sized .4525) full wadcutters I bought a couple 1000 at the time. My 625 and 1911 loved them and they literally threw bowling pins off the table with solid hits. The company went out of buisness and I never found any more, though I have seen the mould listed. Second you have the benifit of varing hardness of the alloy to get expansion obtration from the bullet. Third you can vary lubricants for the powder / load / velocity. With Black powder most alox or hard lubes arnt that good, Nasa SPG, DGL and a couple others are made to work with Black Powder. With older rifles bores may be oversized or vary in dimensions and a softer bullet will seal these better. Fourth it is a relaxing way to spend an afternoon sitting casting and experimenting. I ussually invite a couple friends to cast with me around my big pot and we cast chat about things and when weve had enough we go to the local resturant for lunch. Pistol bullets I normally buy when I can get what I want. BPCR bullets are harder to find and also more expensive when you do find them around .40 - .50 cents each. What I usually recomend is test purchased bullets find what works then find the mould for that bullet.

[shoot-n-lead]

Is casting worth the time?

That is a personal and subjective question that only you can answer.

I have asked myself the same...and I answered YES. YMMV

[facetious]

For me reloading and casting got to be a hobby at first so I could shoot more but I think what really got me hooked was what I call the fiddle factor. There are so many things that you can try that you could never do other wise. It is no different than guys that like to tie flies. Thy may not catch any more fish than you but it gives them a reason to go see if the flies thy make them selves work better then the ones you get at the store.

[olafhardt]

I bought a 500S&W Handi rifle for the express purpose of developing a quiet, subsonic load that will hit hard. Since It can use the Lee 501 muzzle loading stuff I can really try out stuff. I was not looking forward to casting and am still kind of ambivalent about it. But I have a personal drive to do research just for the heck of it.

[Catshooter]

One important point to remember is independence. Casting your own cuts the cord to bullet makers.

Thus, every time a new freshly cast boolit hits the casting pad, somewhere a liberal feels a little shock of fear. That alone makes it worth it to me.


Cat

[bobthenailer]

For me at least YES ! you have to get your alloy at the price the scrap dealer is paying or slightly higher or possibly barter for some or even better for free !
I dont usually sell boolets but i do sell some to a perhaps 1 friend and 2 relatives on occasion ,and what i have sold over the years have more than paid for my equipment about 2 to 3K per year.

[dh2]

If it was only about things like .38 Spl. , 9mm , and 45 auto I would most likely not be in to casting my own boolits. they are easy to buy cast bullets for. and I do shoot many commercial cast bullets.
But casting my own there is options to work with .375, 9.3mm. and many boolit weights for common calibers that I can not just order from midway, and if I want to improve things like a .30 cal. boolit that is .310 not the normal .308 no problem , just change the sizer die.
It may not be for every one but it is for me

[Dave C.]

The mould is about all you need to add to your equipment. Be warned you will buy a lot more if you stick with it. Always do what gives you the most pleasure.

Dave C.

[waco]

One important point to remember is independence. Casting your own cuts the cord to bullet makers.

Thus, every time a new freshly cast boolit hits the casting pad, somewhere a liberal feels a little shock of fear. That alone makes it worth it to me.


Cat

Preach it brother....

[Handloader109]

One important point to remember is independence. Casting your own cuts the cord to bullet makers.
:-) :-)
Thus, every time a new freshly cast boolit hits the casting pad, somewhere a liberal feels a little shock fear. That alone makes it worth it to me.


Cat
Wow, I couldn't say it any better than this. Similarly the reason I built an AR from an 80% lower. Because I could and government has no record of it. Besides it is a fun thing to do, I love casting.

[kungfustyle]

This political fun that we are in got me into casting. I was happy buying lead from Missouri and Bayou boolits... Then you couldn't find any, none zero zilch. Much less for a 8mm Mauser. If I want to make 400 8mm and then 300 429's for my 44 mag and some food for my 30/30 I can and I don't have to factor in shipping or buying an extra 400 that I wont need till next summer. Try buying a gas check boolit, you might as well buy jacketed. So yes, get the pot and start the stream. Let the good times roll.
About the only rounds that are not cost effective are the 7.62x54. 7.62x39 and the 22LR. But I still load those because I can, except the 22. Wish I could find a way to do those too.

[Digital Dan]

There's a bunch of reasons that casting bullets is worthwhile other than cost. I think most have been covered, but for me it opens the avenue to special purpose loads and outside the box shooting. You can't buy subsonic .30-30 ammo, or feed a BP bench gun with over the counter bullets. It is also a good alternative to wasting jacketed bullets for case forming or running old CF guns that may have never been loaded with jacketed bullets such as the .25-20 SS, or the odd Sharps rifle here and there.

If your only reference is saving money, well, yes you can, but you won't.

[BNE]

It ain't about the money!
1) It's about doing it yourself
2) It's the thrill of the hunt for Lead, Antimony, and Tin. (Beeswax, carnuba wax.....)
3) It's the fun of smelting
4) It's the fun and comraderie of this site.
5) It's just fun that ends with a shooting session.

Welcome to the forumn.

[RogerDat]

Just the advice I would expect from my friends over at the Bullseye-L Forum, and good advice too considering my current BE abilities. But the folks here made some good points about the benefits of casting your own bullets. I'm not a good enough shooter to realize most of those but considering that I have much of the equipment already it might be interesting to give casting a try. As mentioned before I have a Lee melter, some lead of unknown quality and an RCBS Lube-A-Matic. I realize that a mold is needed but what else without getting too carried away? The bullet that I would like is a .45 ACP, 185 grain SWC.

Mold and ladle would be required along with some lead. Lee has a 200 grain SWC 2 cavity for $25 or $53 for 6 cavity plus I think $17 for handles.

You might just buy ready to use ingots from folks on the forum for approx. $1 a pound OR ....

You may decide to purchase a used or new propane fish/turkey fryer ($10 - $50) which makes sense if you go for any bulk lead such as scrap yard or WW's from a tire store. Cast iron dutch oven (HF $26) or possibly cut down propane tank for a smelting pot. Face shield and/or safety glasses, some welding gloves, maybe a welding apron should come in at less than $75 assuming you have to purchase it all. Might want a slotted spoon or two, and a couple of soup ladles from the thrift store for stirring in flux and making ingots, some used muffin tins to use as ingot molds. Less than $10.

In either case it is like having staples in the pantry. You know what you have, what it can provide in terms of meeting future needs. Is that worth it? If you pursue a "cost saving" model you can save money on stocking that pantry by purchasing quantities when you find a good deal and not paying too much for equipment. Must control lead addiction! Also need to consider if "doing for yourself" has value. But like any hobby you can take the costs as high as you desire by going after specialty items or pushing the craft to it's technical limits. Or going for higher production efficiency. Pair of 6 cavity molds and a 40 lb. bottom pour pot will speed production but cost more.

Some folks have a $200 table saw, some folks have a $2000 table saw both have it for the same "hobby" of making stuff out of wood. Casting is not much different.

Me I like looking at a full pantry of stuff I have put up, and knowing I have the supplies on hand to meet future needs. Not much different than canning tomatoes from the garden. Just feels good. Might feel good if that pantry was full of store bought canned goods but not the same.

[nixpap]

Component

Number
Cost


Powder (lbs)

1
$ 28.00


Powder Charge (gr)

3.00


Primer

1000
$ 40.00


Case


$ 0


Bullet


$0





Cost / round
$
0.052


Cost / 50
$
2.6


Cost / 1000
$
52



This is a close ball park for my 38/357 target loads. free lead with oil change.cheap heat source.free or trade brass.

[btroj]

If you have to ask the question then it probably isn't right for you.
I don't cast to save money, I cast because I enjoy it. I enjoy doing for myself, I enjoy making things, I take pride in doing everything I can to make my own ammo.

Some here do cast bullets to save money. Many of us do it because we aren't capable of not doing it. Why would I buy what I can make for myself?

It isn't about saving money, it is a state of mind.

[garym1a2]

If I had to buy my lead at $2/lb its not worth it. Even at $1/lb it means my time is worth nothing. But if you try you can get free sources of lead and than its worth it. I never save money reloading though, as reloading just means I shoot 5 times too much.

I recently acquired a Lee melter and an RCBS Lube-A-Matic and thought about casting some .45 ACP 185 grain SWC bullets for the first time but have a hard time making sense of the economics. I pay about 8 cents for lubed bullets now and I figure it will cost about 6 cents to cast a bullet based on the lead alone. It doesn't seem to make sense to cast or am I missing something?

[1Shirt]

Regardless of cost, much of the factor of casting for long time casters is the satisfaction of producing your own projectiles. Just my opinion!
1Shirt!

[Janoosh]

I cast and buy. I cast for ALL my milsurps as ammo for them is expensive and I'm chee.....frugal. 7.7 and 6.5 Jap are at least $1 per round. When I cast for these it's @.10 per. But... for plinking rounds, 32 swc or 38 rn, I buy as I can't keep up with my usage otherwise. It's the best of both worlds.

[Bonz]

IMHO, "to me", its less expensive to buy copper plated bullets than to cast lead bullets. I don't have access to free lead, I buy #2 Lyman from Rotometals @ $3+ a pound. The kool things about casting, "to me" : creating hp bullets or custom bullets that you can't buy, casting dead soft cores to feed BTSniper swaging dies and of course having the ability, after the dreaded "shtf" occurrence, of making my own bullets from lead that I find when scrounging around.

[robg]

my wife bought me my 1st mold thought i might like to make my own to go with my reloading .now i shoot my boolits only, excpt in my.223. havent saved any money yet .:bigsmyl2:

[dakotashooter2]

As many have indicated it's really about flexability. Most commercial casting companies stick to specific molds and recipies for their lead and lube. They need to manufacture a bullet that will work safely in all guns of that caliber and be easy to package and ship.. And they do work, except accuracy may not be that great and leading can often be a big problem. By casting our own we can often fine tune them to get maximum performance out of our bullets. My first attempt with cast bullets was with commercial cast. It took me a couple years but I finally figured out that they were way to hard for most of my shooting, undersized and that the lube was way to hard. They leaded my guns terribly. After a couple of years of casting I was able to pretty much eliminate leading. Like many others I have a pretty good stash of free or cheap lead and have a couple sources that I can continue to draw from cheaply. I have also had several molds hollow pointed which helped to improve their accuracy.

[jwber]

I enjoy casting for the most part (well when it's going good anyways). I just throw on some tunes and next thing I know I got a pile o bullets.

I shoot around 1000 rounds of 9mm a month so I do factor in the money "saved". Right now I'm buying lead for right at a dollar a pound delivered for range scrape an about .10-.20 more for COWW.

I was able to pick up approx 100 pounds of raw range scrap the past couple of months. Going to get myself a turkey fryer, dutch oven and smelt my own. This time around I won't "save" any money but the next time my equipment will have been paid for already. The range I was grabbing it from didn't mind (was just picking off surface). I hope to get a membership there next year and will be able to pick up considerably more. I figure if I can pick up a ton of range scrap (2/3 of my current alloy) I can get down to $.01 for 9mm including the propane and COWW that I add.

[tazman]

For me casting is more than worth it.
The cheapest 9mm ammo I can buy costs roughly 30 cents a round and doesn't shoot particularly well in my pistols. My hand loads on the other hand, are much more accurate and cost significantly less.
I have purchased a number of molds to try out. When It doesn't work well, I sell it, usually for most or all of what I paid for it. Often the wonderful members on this site will send or trade me some boolits from a particular mold to try out before I purchase the mold(thanks again people, you're great).
Buying commercial cast costs me at least 7 cents a round. I get my scrap lead currently for 50 cents a pound making my boolits 1 cent or less a round.
In the last 9 months I have fired at least 9000 rounds downrange. That's a savings of $450 just in boolit cost. That more than paid for my reloading setup.
My 9mm loads cost about 6 cents a round. That's a savings of 24 cents a round. That's a savings of over $2000 so far this year.
By reloading I can shoot enough to make great improvements in my shooting skill as well as the enjoyment involved in both casting, reloading, and shooting.
This is a wonderful sport and hobby.

[NavyVet1959]

Once I factor in beer consumption while I'm smelting or casting, I'm not so sure that it is all that cheaper than buying commercial bullets, but it's a lot more fun that way. Have to factor in probably at least the cost of a 6-pack into a smelting or casting session. Probably the same for a reloading session. But then again, if I'm cooking gumbo, there's a 6-pack cost that has to be added to it also. :)

But then again, drinking beer and doing something that causes the wife to avoid being around you is PRICELESS.

[olafhardt]

You are asking the wrong question. If you consider reloading and casting a hobby like needle work or a religion like church or an addiction like crack which are some of our various opinions, then the question becomes "Because it provides me with free brass isn't shooting really worth it."

[khmer6]

You're paying too much for lead

[rosst]

Should you even have to ask that question after the last two year ammo shortage?

The commie-pinko scum will be right back in our faces as soon as they regroup.

lookn from far away i thought it was the capitalist system at work with your ammo shortage ie. creating a shortage to charge more . .. .

in commie pinko countries like Russia ammo was free for training back in the day

please correct me if lookn from afar i have made a mistake . . .. R

[Catshooter]

Many of us do it because we aren't capable of not doing it.
It isn't about saving money, it is a state of mind.

That made me laugh out loud, but only 'cause it's true! :)


Cat

[trixter]

I believe; if we get right down to it, it is an absolute ADDICTION. I don't think anyone can explain the full dynamics of it, I just know that I cannot quit.

[dakotashooter2]

Let me get this right... You can buy ready to load lead bullets and pre-made cartridges ?????????????????

[tazman]

Let me get this right... You can buy ready to load lead bullets and pre-made cartridges ?????????????????

Just a rumor. Mythological beast like the unicorn.

[rjh245]

Well I started casting as a someone who wanted to shoot for cheaper, or I am just cheap. I got free lead from a bullet stop, I used a old white gas camping stove and a 8 inch iron skillet that I bought for less than 5 bucks at a yard sale. I got muffin tins for free that had been used for melting crayons with the kids when they were younger. I already had safety gear for other tools and jobs. So other than the cost of a 20 Lee mold and a dipper I was ready to go.
I melt the lead from range scrap, then i scoop and save the bullet jackets. That scrap pays for my fuel and my gas driving to the local public range to collect the bullets. I can load 45 ACP for less then 60 Dollars per 1K.
I still keep a few thousand 9mm, 45acp, and 45 Colt commercial bullets around just in case I don't have time for casting.
I enjoying reloading and casting as much as I enjoy shooting.

[zanemoseley]

Some more food for thought, while I was at the range today I picked up about 7 pounds of lead in 10-15 minutes, enough make about 220 cast .45 bullets worth about $30 delivered, not bad. Plus it feels like a scavenger hunt lol. Don't do it if you don't enjoy it.

[jsizemore]

It is absolutely not worth it. Sell your stuff to some fool and let them cast your boolits. It costs me 1.2 cents to cast, size, and lube a 200gr swc for my 45acp.

[KCSO]

Good golly NO!!!!! I'll bet if I sold all my casting stuff I would have enough money to buy ammo till the dy I died. But it sure is fun especially when you shoot a possible or kill your deer with ammo you made from basicly nothing. If I had it to do all over again, I would!!!!

[David2011]

All of the above are benefits. I find casting to be mind-clearing theraputic fun as well. It adds to self-sufficiency, allows me to shoot however much I want during shortages (requires pre-planning in the powder and primer departments) and lets me suit the boolit to the task at hand. Like many on the site, I started when wheelweights were free and it really was cheaper. I believe I cast a better boolit than most of the commercial ones available made of who-knows-what alloy. Mine are certainly "prettier" and that's satisfying.

David

[dondiego]

Boolit casting has literally cost me thousands of dollars what with all of the different firearms and other equipment I had to buy!

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

Let me get this right... You can buy ready to load lead bullets and pre-made cartridges ?????????????????

That is downright funny.

[Smoke4320]

You save so much money buying molds, sizers, ect that soon it costs almost nothing especially if you recycle the lead

[shoot-n-lead]

You can do a lot better on lead purchase...$2.00lb is too much.

I have accumulated lead over years...have actually bought most of it...and my bullet cost is slightly over .01, each.

Still, as others have said, it is worth it to be able to make what you want, when you want it and for what it will teach you about your guns and shooting.

[fredj338]

What is worth? Is one hour of time worth the same to the local burger flipper that it is to Donald Trump? All folks value their time differently. What is your hourly income? For many folks their time is worth more than what they can produce casting.
Say you can make 100 boolits in one hour and those boolits are worth $12.00. If your hourly wage is $25.00 maybe it wont seem worth it.
For some folks buying from a reputable source will always seem a better value for their time.
I can suggest a reputable source if you need one!
But consider you need $12 net, so you need to work 45min @ $25 to get the $12. Done right, most of us can do way more than 100 per hour.

[fredj338]

IMHO, "to me", its less expensive to buy copper plated bullets than to cast lead bullets. I don't have access to free lead, I buy #2 Lyman from Rotometals @ $3+ a pound. The kool things about casting, "to me" : creating hp bullets or custom bullets that you can't buy, casting dead soft cores to feed BTSniper swaging dies and of course having the ability, after the dreaded "shtf" occurrence, of making my own bullets from lead that I find when scrounging around.

Your problem is you are buying from about the most expensive place you can & buying more expensive alloy than needed for most applications. There are a couple good sellers here, about $1.20/# delivered for clip ww, all you need for anything upto 1200fps. Water drop that for higher vel. With powder coating or HT, it's like shooting plated.

[flint45]

I never have to buy lead I look for it and find it people know I use it and give it to me all the time I have bought lead twice in forty years of casting , But the real reason I cast is so I can get the Boolits the way Iwant them.Hardness ,diametar,etc.plus I love getting custom molds. Shooting my Boolits is fun.

[shoot-n-lead]

You can get a pair of clip pliers and go to the Walmart parking lot until Christmas Eve night...get all of the wheel weights you want...for free.

[zomby woof]

No. Better have lots of lead and time on your hands. Better off buying bullets or loaded rounds. Not for me though. just giving you good advice.

[Shiloh]

In a word. YES!!
I shoot free boolits. I size them for a specific barrel, and load to suit a specific purpose.

Shiloh

[Digital Dan]

Unique guns require unique bullets. I have several of the former and feed them with cast bullets. Otherwise they would not be shot...ever.

[RogerDat]

.....

But then again, drinking beer and doing something that causes the wife to avoid being around you is PRICELESS.

I generally find even one beer and some chili will keep most females away within a couple of hours, only downside is having to drink beer and eat chili of breakfast if I want to have the day for my own uses by 10:00 am.

I save money because reloading is cheaper than a whole lot of other activities that also require equipment and materials.

[lightman]

Everyone else has summed it up pretty well. If you start casting and you cast and load in lots of , say 500, your payback will come quicker than you think. Always be on the lookout for a good lead source. Consider used equipment. Also consider the satisfaction of shooting you own cast bullets. Theres more to this hobby than just saving a little money.

[Phlier]

Guess it all depends on your particular situation.

My son and I shoot a total of 1,000 9mm rounds per week. Considering that 60 bucks per thousand projectiles is about the cheapest I've found, and that my cast boolits cost me around 13 bucks per thousand, then yes... even when considering the investment in casting equipment, I am saving a very substantial amount of money by casting.

But to a lot of guys, casting isn't about just saving money, it's a very fun hobby. Being able to combine a hobby and saving money to boot is just win/win!

To answer the question of "is it worth it to cast boolits?", that's something only you can answer for yourself.

[flyingrhino]

My average cost is .033 per boolit. I thinks it is more than worth it if you are going to shoot any kind of volume. Sure, you will have a few hundred $ in equipment but if I were saving .05 per bullet I would pay for $300 worth of casting equipment in 6000 rounds. For me that's only a few months shooting.

[robg]

Compare shooting to golf ,its cheaper more satisfaction and a walk with a gun is a good walk .golf a walk spoiled .I doubt if any shooter wants to play golf ?or am I mistaken?

[Ola]

I would have nevvvvvver thought of it when I was buying all the equipment, but I think I have actually saved some money so far.
I shoot a certain amount of ammo every year:

1) If I had shot the cheapest factory ammo, it would have cost me almost 3000 euros / year.
2) If I had shot the cheapest factory bullets, it would have cost me at least 1200 euros / year. (I would not have used those, I need certain quality level to do what I do so in reality "factory bullet" option would be little bit more expensive. But that is the bottom line.)
3) With my own cast bullets it costs me about 700 euros / year.

I've been shooting lead about 10 years now, so you do the math.

Personally I'm starting to think my equipment is already paid for :)

[NavyVet1959]

Compare shooting to golf ,its cheaper more satisfaction and a walk with a gun is a good walk .golf a walk spoiled .I doubt if any shooter wants to play golf ?or am I mistaken?


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OU9Z_G3L_Ac

[robg]

Now that's golf I would play

[NavyVet1959]

Now that's golf I would play

Good for the initial drive, but subsequent shots would be very high trajectory short range shots that could get tricky due to wind and hang time. I'm thinking that it would have potential for reloaders though. You create a set of different power reloads so that you have a different range with each reload. For the final putting, maybe something like the power of a .22LR blank. I don't think an AR15 would be appropriate for the game though. I think a single shot rifle would be more appropriate.

[JohnH]

Is it worth it to cast boolits? No. Does that stop me? No.

[Digital Dan]

Phfffft. Couple days ago I cast 277 bullets of .458" and .375" diameter, 530 and 350 grains respectively. Were I to purchase the .45s of lead they would cost around .25 ea excluding shipping. The .375's aren't widely available in lead so the jacketed version would run .50 + per unit, plus shipping. Commercial cast, never met one I liked. Jacketed has a place but they are way expensive these days. Is it worth it seems a silly question to me.

And yeah, I do small bore too. Bullets for the Hornet cost about a penny each and the lion's share of that is the gas check.

Cast bullets shoot pretty well too. 100 yards offhand with a .38-55 w/ Lord Black

http://i.imgur.com/8TpPpqx.jpg?1

[DanishM1Garand]

Back when I could buy 500 cast and lubricated bullets for 16.99, (2006) no it wasn't worth my time. Now those same 500 bullets are 45.99. Yep it's worth it. Ohio was shotgun slugs only for long guns when I started casting slugs. Loaded slugs are over a buck a round for cheap stuff. The good ones are even more. I hope my heresy is excused here. :oops:

At a buck or more per round practice got expensive fast. I started casting slugs and buckshot. Now that I have scrounged a half ton of lead and the cost of cast bullets in 9mm or .357 are out of whack I'm casting them too.

[Walstr]

One other thing to note: oftentimes those hard cast lead bullets you buy from wherever are cast out of super hard lead. They do that to avoid those bullets being damaged during shipping and handling. The main problem with this is that super hard lead bullets don't obturate well in the bore, thereby sealing it. Without sealing the bore well, they can lead your barrel because of gas cutting around a non-obturated bullet. Bullets you cast yourself can be sized appropriately to your barrel (which you can slug yourself to find out how big YOUR barrel is). This creates a better fit, and that can not only lead to less leading, but to better accuracy.

Long story short - there's a lot more involved than simple economics, when you build your own.

Greetings USAFrox; At the risk of hijacking your thread, I'm compelled to comment on your use of "obturate". IMHO when the lead projectile is .001"-.002" larger dia. than groove dia., it will seal; lead, pure copper, or brass for that matter. I abide by the notion that hard or soft, a lead boolit will seal just fine if the correct dia. Gas cutting is certainly a factor with too narrow a lead boolit design.

Merry Christmas.