Using Already Made Cast Boolits

[xvigauge]

Does anyone here order and purchase cast boolits form a bullet maker instead of casting your own? I may be way off base here, but it seems to me that it would be an easier and less expensive way to go. There are lots of bullet makers, mostly one man operations, on the net that sell most any type of cast boolit one would want. I say if one has the place to make them, the tools and the supplies, then go for it. It seems like a great hobby. I may even get into casting my own boolits someday, but for now, I am just getting into reloading with cast boolits for my center fire rifles after 50 years of reloading jacketed bullets. So for now, buying them ready made is a lot less expensive and more convenient for me. I also live in an apartment and just don't have a place to cast lead.
xvigauge

[454PB]

I normally don't buy cast boolits, but the few times that I have, I had no major complaints. The most important factor is to know what diameter will work, which is done by slugging the barrel. Sizing a commercially cast boolit down is easily done, but making them bigger is not.

That said, you can get into basic casting for one caliber for somewhere around $125, so money is not a major obstacle. If your life style will not allow casting, there's lots of good commercially cast boolits available.

[kryogen]

kind of defeats the purpose, plus you have to buy bigger and size, or be absolutely sure that they are the proper size. Commercial casters usually do not sell all mold shapes, depends what you want.

[tazman]

The practicality of casting your own depends on how much you shoot/reload and how much your lead supplies cost. As was previously stated, you can get started with a minimal kit relatively cheaply.
Most purchased cast boolits cost 6-7 cents a piece plus shipping. If you can get your lead for $1 a pound or less your boolits will cost about 2 cents apiece or less. Saving 5 cents a shot adds up quickly if you shoot much.
I shoot about 200 rounds or so a week. It didn't take long to pay for my casting equipment.

[leebuilder]

The first boolit is the most expencive.
i buy .375 boolits from Bullet Barn never shoot them enough to get a mould they work very well and you cant beat the price.

[TXGunNut]

It depends on what you're trying to do. I tried to buy cast boolits for a black powder cartridge rifle awhile back, up until then I'd been happily buying cast and swaged boolits for quite some time. I couldn't buy a decent boolit for that rifle so I invested in a casting setup. Still haven't gotten that rifle to work but have had many successful cast boolits projects since then. Casting doesn't require a lot of room initially but it's nice to have a good work area and storage space for equipment and supplies.

[dh2]

if it was only to cast 9mm or ones that common I would most likely not cast my own, the advantages of casting my self are more for rifles I like a boolit for my 444Marlin a soft 20 to 1 with a gas check 250 gr HP sized .432. not hard for me to cast but where would I buy such a thing? my rifle likes them and most commercial cast bullets in 44 cal. are sized .430 leaving a lot of lead in my barrel. It may be just me I like to have control of every thing start to finish, May be that is why I have a rifle setting on the work bench that is just pieces been setting there for two years now.

[shooter93]

I use both. I cast a fair amount and I do at times buy them. Sometimes work is so busy....not lately though, lol.....that I buy them or if I'm going to be shooting an extreme amount and don't have the time I'll buy them. I also use jacketed bullets in rifles quite a bit.

[gloob]

I buy most of my pistol bullets, yeah. It's simple math. If I buy 500 180 grains, that's 13 lbs of lead. At 40 dollars, that's 3.00 a lb.

Lead alloy in similar quantities goes for 2.00/lb on fleabay. The markup seems reasonable to me.

If I got cheaper/free-er lead alloy, or if I were a higher volume shooter, I would probably cast more. As it is, I cast pistol bullets mostly when my bullets shoot better. And I like being able to melt down commercial bullets that don't work and damaged pulldowns.

[bdecker9]

I can run my 9mm for 2$ a box/ 50. Buying bullets easily puts it at least 8$. Bigger bullets cost way more and figure in the trigger pulls and it gets exponentially out of control for my wallet any way. Buy cast bullets, maybe from someone on here for a test ... wow

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

Does anyone here order and purchase cast boolits form a bullet maker instead of casting your own? I may be way off base here, but it seems to me that it would be an easier and less expensive way to go. There are lots of bullet makers, mostly one man operations, on the net that sell most any type of cast boolit one would want. I say if one has the place to make them, the tools and the supplies, then go for it. It seems like a great hobby. I may even get into casting my own boolits someday, but for now, I am just getting into reloading with cast boolits for my center fire rifles after 50 years of reloading jacketed bullets. So for now, buying them ready made is a lot less expensive and more convenient for me. I also live in an apartment and just don't have a place to cast lead.
xvigauge
This is a great question, the answer is that casting is a whole entire hobby onto itself. It takes some time and some room...if you have both, it's a great companion to a person's reloading and shooting hobbies.

I bought (and traded for) thousands of cast boolits from Glenhills cast bullets before I started casting 5 years ago. He doesn't live that far from me, many times we'd meet at a gunshow for a large boolit order. He offered a great product at a great price...plus he was also looking for something that I had to offer in a trade.

[opos]

I don't cast...the lung doctor has absolutely forbidden it because of my physical condition...I shoot outdoors most of the time and if indoors I shoot with a mask on...I have enough serious issues to keep me from casting but that keeps me buying cast...I buy from Missouri Bullet Co or locally from a local caster...Missouri has a new "high tech" coating that is supposed to be the really hot deal and I'm going there soon with a sample order...I wish I could have started to cast and have it be a part of my hobby but I just do the "next right thing" for me. Got no complaints with precast...I do load fairly light in the handgun calibers I shoot and buy the softer lead projectiles (The "cowboy series" at Missouri is a 12 hardness and I really like it).

[Blackwater]

The OP has his point of view, and there ARE some pretty darn good cast bullets out there IF your gun is the right size for them. However, he's in REAL deep doo doo messin' around with cast, 'cause if he does it very long, and keeps reading and getting informed here, he's darn near sure to become a caster. When a guy can get the kind of results I know some of us are getting, and can't get that with bought bullets .... well, it doesn't exactly take a genius to figure out that there's more to casting than JUST saving $$$. But boys, let's be gentle with him. Let's ease him into it so it's not too big a shock to the system. So very much to learn. If we make him anxious, it might scare him off if things don't go right his first time, and that'd be a dang shame. Sounds like a nice guy. He just needs a little educating, and if he hangs around here very long, he'll get just that.

[jonp]

I've bought cast from several companies like Missouri and Hunters Supply. It's how I got interested in casting my own and lead me to this board. It is a good way to try out a design or weight before buying a mold. The downside is that the manu's seem to think all boolits need to be 18 BHN and small to work but they have to please everyone so a middle ground needs to be met I guess

[jonp]

The practicality of casting your own depends on how much you shoot/reload and how much your lead supplies cost. As was previously stated, you can get started with a minimal kit relatively cheaply.
Most purchased cast boolits cost 6-7 cents a piece plus shipping. If you can get your lead for $1 a pound or less your boolits will cost about 2 cents apiece or less. Saving 5 cents a shot adds up quickly if you shoot much.
I shoot about 200 rounds or so a week. It didn't take long to pay for my casting equipment.

Me too on the 200 a week. BTW: I tried the 358145 WC every way from sunday. Different alloys, lubes, sizing, powder and charge and could not quite get the leading to go away from the beginning of the rifling. Switched to a 358140 SWC over 3gr of Promo and POOF! Very, very little leading. Funny how that happens and from what I've read its the first SW 15 that would not shoot a WC

[JWFilips]

When I first started shooting pistol a friend he introduced me to Hard Cast bullet shooting & that started the addiction. I did order many thousand of these hard BHN18 pills from a few great suppliers such as Carl at CB Bullets Jerry at Carolina Cast Bullets and also Penn Bullets.
These folks are all Great people to deal with I still have quite an inventory. However once I became a member here I realized the proper way to shoot cast "Boolits" was soft and fat And everything in my pistol shooting improved! Some of the folks above could give me fat but not soft... I do know Jerry could give me both so he stayed on my vender / suppliers list for the bullets I had no moulds for.

But Now I have started shooting my old Marlin 336's with cast I'm making good use of those fat n'hard bullets I thought I would never use again....great when it all works out

[rockrat]

The lighter 38's, I have started just buying, as the time involved just doesn't justify casting/sizing. It takes just as much time to do the lighter boolits as the heavier ones. Over 158gr, I cast my own, as the price climbs pretty quickly on bought boolits. Bought some 160gr 45's to try. Mainly because Lee doesn't make the 160gr rnfp in a 6 cav. I can do 38's for about $4.00 box using bought boolits. If I cast my own, probably around $3.00 a box, maybe a bit less. More like a 38+p.

[Cd662]

I think it really depends on your goals. I've done some casting as supplemental stuff but most of my bullets are commercially purchased. You have to hunt around. Some places want to charge kind of insane prices. I understand people need to keep the lights on, but I personally won't pay the same price for lead as I would for a copper plated or a jacketed bullet. There are some places that have really affordable and high quality cast bullets. For plinking and casual application, you don't need all perfect bullets.

[Jayhawkhuntclub]

Nothing wrong with buying cast boolits from someone else. I did that for years. But while casting your own is a lot of work, that's part of the fun. It's like growing a garden or hunting. It's the whole process that is the hobby (for me at least). If I actually had to pay for lead, I might rethink things. But I have never paid a penny for boolit casting lead. Also, living in an apartment would be an excellent reason to buy pre-poured and simply reload. Regardless of the route you take just be responsible in your actions and do what you like.:Fire:

[Bob Busetti]

The last 2 times I bought cast bullets were from an estate sales. Couldn't pass up them up at give away prices.

[BrianL]

I buy bulk 9mm from a casting company because they size my bullets to .358 which is what my old pistols like. They also work great in my 38's. I have only bought rifle bullets twice. Once for 30 carbine and one lot of cowboy 30-30 just to get me by while my casting area was being refurbed. They shot ok.

[bangerjim]

Used to buy com-cast boolits but once I got into really casting and then in the past 2 years powder coating, it is too much work to strip all the greasy lube off the boolits so I can PC them.

Besides for the cost of a couple hundred, I can buy the mold and make as many as I want!

Com-cast is for people living where they cannot run a casting pot and all the smells & smoke related to it.

Only boolits I now buy are FMJ's for my 223 full loads.

banger-j

[fredj338]

The biggest drawback to casting is getting cheap alloy. Much like reloading, you can spend as much or as little as you like to produce bullets. Get cheap or free alloy, doesn't take long to pay for a good casting/sizing setup.
Lee BP pot, 6cav mold & Lee push thru sizer, about $120? That isn't even 2k bullets. If you want coated, buy a $50 pizza oven & some hi-tek. I scrounge most of my alloy, but even at $1/#, 1000 coated 200/45 cost me $37-$38! Compare to buying them at $100, yeah, worth the 3-4hrs to make them if you shoot a lot.

[ascast]

xvigauge - As a small time commercial caster, I think your on the right track. Buying lets you try out a whole bunch of different styles, hardness etc. When ( if ) you ever find one that is really what you want, you can get a mold and duplicate.

[BrianL]

It is sometimes just a matter of time and the value and demand that we put upon it. I cast all of my rifle bullets but at $26 for 500 9mm sized to my bore, ready to load it is a no-brainer to buy.

[ioon44]

I buy some commercial boolits from a local commercial caster un lubed un sized and lube or HI-TEK coat then size to fit my guns, also I cast a lot of my own depending on what boolit I want or how many I will need.

[Janoosh]

+1 BrianL.
I cast for my milsurps and 45/70 Rolling Block. I buy for my 38/357 lever and single shot rifle because the boolits available from MBC are reasonable and work. I also buy 31/32 ish pistol boolits for 30/31ish milsurp plinkers.
I find myself shooting them faster than I can cast them.

[Eddie2002]

I bought two 500 boxes of cast boolits for my .380 ACP last year at a gun show. They are 115 grain and work well enough over 2.4 grains of Greendot. The price was right and they make a good target round for shooting at the range. Otherwise I cast for my rifles and muzzle loaders.

[MT Chambers]

As a Canadian cast bullet supplier, I try to cast bullets in diff. alloys and diameters to match the customers specs, I don't believe in those extra-hard cast, bevel base bullets, I also find that most makers use simple, easy to drop designs, which benefit the caster not the purchaser. I make and sell what I use including molds from the best makers esp. LBT, Accurate, Saeco, NOE, Hoch, etc.....So yes, you can buy anything in the way of cast bullets, in most cases they will be as good as you can cast yourself, maybe without the pride that "you made them yourself".

[Three44s]

Plinker quality com-cast can be a bargin but once you move larger bore sizes+gas checked+custom sized ........ you are way in over your head in cost.

I started with a little casting equipment ...... did not cast much .... bought the hard little pills with the hard lube that falls out all too easily ...... but economics and this web site ended all of that!

And those inexpensive plinkers you can buy ......... ? Well, get yourself a Lee six cavity tumble lube mold and lube with a liquid alox product and blaze away with them as cast .... I don't bother to size them just for plinkers.


Three 44s

[BrianL]

I am a dipper and do not find the 6 cavity molds to be conducive to my style of casting so I generally will run 2 or 3 double cavity molds for a couple of hours at a time. Figuring a rate of about 150 bullets an hour it takes me 3 1/2 hours to cast the bullets, another hour to lube, another hour to size if necessary. The cost of the lead, electricity, inhaling the fumes.........etc. That is 5 1/2 hours for 500 9mm bullets that I can buy for $26. I do no longer have the 'I made it myself' syndrome with pistol bullets. Rifle bullets are another matter. So nope, but you can have at it, to each their own.

[BruceB]

I generally will run 2 or 3 double cavity molds for a couple of hours at a time. Figuring a rate of about 150 bullets an hour it takes me 3 1/2 hours to cast the bullets,

I don't recall ever buying a cast bullet, in about fifty years of handloading.

For my own casting, ONE two-cavity mould yields 400-500 good bullets per hour. Buying 'em just doesn't make sense for me.

[BrianL]

I don't recall ever buying a cast bullet, in about fifty years of handloading.

For my own casting, ONE two-cavity mould yields 400-500 good bullets per hour. Buying 'em just doesn't make sense for me.

I would like to observe your technique. That figures out to about 4 pours per minute.. I assume that you are not dipping

[gloob]

I can order 1500 bullets in 5 minutes, tops! And I know guys that can order 10,000+ in the same amount of time!

I don't size my pistol bullets, and I tumble lube a batch in just a few minutes. But I still can't beat the cost and time efficiency of buying cast pistol bullets. When I hit the free lead lottery, I might cast all my plain base pistol bullets. As long as the price is right, I buy what works and make only what I need.

I'm experimenting with some commercial 9mm bullets, now, to try to wean myself totally off of home cast pistol bullets.

[fredj338]

I am a dipper and do not find the 6 cavity molds to be conducive to my style of casting so I generally will run 2 or 3 double cavity molds for a couple of hours at a time. Figuring a rate of about 150 bullets an hour it takes me 3 1/2 hours to cast the bullets, another hour to lube, another hour to size if necessary. The cost of the lead, electricity, inhaling the fumes.........etc. That is 5 1/2 hours for 500 9mm bullets that I can buy for $26. I do no longer have the 'I made it myself' syndrome with pistol bullets. Rifle bullets are another matter. So nope, but you can have at it, to each their own.
As with anything, time value is negated by buying better gear. Casting with a 2cav mold by hand takes along time to do even 500 bullets. Using a 5-6cav, things move a lot faster. Not unlike reloading on a progressive press vs ss press.
Bottom pour pot, 5-6 cav mold, I can cast 600-700/hr once the pot is up to temp (3 pours a min). An hour to size & lube on the star, so 3hrs for 1200-1400 bullets, not a bad deal if the alloy is free.[smilie=s:

[spfd1903]

A few years ago, I purchased a lot of good quality boolits from SNS. Ordered and loaded 9 x 19, .38 Special, .40 S & W, and their 115 grain M1 Carbine by the 500 lots. I am not sure which year I went wrong, but now I fritter away my time sorting wheel weights, driving around looking for beeswax, chopping up bars of Ivory soap, and creating a hazmat zone smelting roofing lead with globs of tar attached. Some how I am surrounded by dozens of molds, a hardness tester, numerous sizing dies, a hot plate....... I don't know if I can stop.

[gwpercle]

The reason I started casting was in 1967 the only way to get cast boolits was do it your-self. The gunshop sold J-words and soft swaged lead but no hard cast . They did sell Lyman moulds. After reading Elmer Keith and Skeeter Skelton thoughts on reloading and shooting , you bought a mould and made up some SWC's like they touted.
After getting into casting I found I really enjoyed it, like therapy. I don't play golf or tennis, a few hours spent turning out shiney silver orbs of destruction is very enjoyable and satisfying. To me it's fun!
Gary

[Janoosh]

+1gwpercle. I find it very relaxing using a single cavity mold, either 30 or45 cal, and casting, or trying to, one perfect boolit at a time. Just taking my time.
I just find it easier to buy the 38/357 boolits bulk, and they aren't my target loads.

[Love Life]

I buy from vendors for limited use bullets. Examples would be to have some for load testing or specific bullet types like the ones I use in my webley.