Old And Out Of Touch

[Char-Gar]

With time, culture and thinking changes. When I retired ten years ago, I didn't understand what the younger folks were about and why went about doing things in the way they did. I have noted this phenomena in a number of areas of life.

I have noted that many shooters are concerned about dirty powder and lube smoke. Yes, my guns and hands get dirty and yes my lube smokes a bit, but neither were worth 2 second of my time to worry about. I just didn't care. I cleaned my guns, and washed my hands. I was concentrating at my target and never really noticed the lube smoke.

I am truly getting old and out of touch. I just give no thought, not concern to the issues that seems to get under the skin of the younger set. I suppose all of this should matter to me, but it just doesn't.

[tazman]

Char-Gar if it only effects you I see no reason to worry about it or others opinions. If it effects others, then a little consideration may be in order.

I don't normally shoot in an area where what I shoot will effect anyone else. Even when I shoot indoors at ranges, I pick a spot away from others and make sure the exhaust fans are running.
If the range is terribly crowded, I either shoot plated boolits, coated boolits, or wait for space to open up.
I know that my cast boolits, lubed the way they are, smoke more than many are used to so I don't make people breathe the smoke from it.
Smoke from tumble lubed boolits will quickly fill an indoor range if the exhaust isn't running.

As far as what other things young people are doing, I basically ignore them and do things the ways I have always done them.

[Wayne Smith]

We are raising a generation of overly sensitive people - who honestly believe that meat comes in cellophane covered packages in the grocery store and has no idea of it's real source. Thus getting one's hands dirty is a problem for them. Grow up on the farm, mud and chicken blood on your hands and gutting and skinning deer and we don't mind it. When your mother complains when you get mud on her floor, when getting sweaty and dirty is not nice - well, you see where this is going.

[Char-Gar]

Char-Gar if it only effects you I see no reason to worry about it or others opinions. If it effects others, then a little consideration may be in order.

I don't normally shoot in an area where what I shoot will effect anyone else. Even when I shoot indoors at ranges, I pick a spot away from others and make sure the exhaust fans are running.
If the range is terribly crowded, I either shoot plated boolits, coated boolits, or wait for space to open up.
I know that my cast boolits, lubed the way they are, smoke more than many are used to so I don't make people breathe the smoke from it.
Smoke from tumble lubed boolits will quickly fill an indoor range if the exhaust isn't running.

As far as what other things young people are doing, I basically ignore them and do things the ways I have always done them.

I try not to shoot with lots of folks around. There is bound to be a fool or two in the bunch and a fool with a loaded gun, makes me real nervous.

[Big Boomer]

This thread kinda' touched on something that happened to me a couple of months back. Arrived at the gun range and did my shooting with a couple of bolt rifles, an AR, and some handguns. Got through and picked up my brass carefully … don't like to lose brass though I have gobs of brass. Was ready to leave when an older fellow who was competing in a rimfire match that was going on at the same range I was on but they were shooting out of windows from an enclosed building. I had gotten into my car to leave and he came up to me and asked, "Can I help you?" I answered, "Do what?" He said, "Well, I saw you just walking around and wondered if you needed any help?" This guy, even though not young any more, had no idea what I was doing, picking up my brass for reloading. He had probably never reloaded a round of ammo and shot only rimfire stuff. And he was wondering if he could help me! I told him that no, I did not need his help. He genuinely looked puzzled. His lack of understanding, not mine. Big Boomer

[tazman]

I try not to shoot with lots of folks around. There is bound to be a fool or two in the bunch and a fool with a loaded gun, makes me real nervous.

I shoot at a range that is membership only(and any guests) but with a large membership(over 1400 last count). Due to that, you never know who is shooting next to you. At the indoor range and when the bench rest range is crowded, I tend to watch people for a while before I start.
The club has rules about safety and most are very careful. That said, you only have to look around the range to see where somebody wasn't doing it right. Holes in places there shouldn't be holes.

[Tom W.]

At times I'll shoot at an indoor range at the LGS, and police any brass that's near me that someone else doesn't want. What I can use I will, the rest goes into a bucket. Most of it is new brass, because there doesn't seem to be a lot of people around here who cast or handload. It seems that everyone's loads smoke pretty bad, handloads or not. The are in the process of replacing the ventilation system and putting in new lighting, so I suspect the range fees will go up a bit. I've never had anyone complain about my loads being too smokey or dirty except for myself. Its part of the hobby. I'm not going to get a can of powder that is less smokey if my load is good and I have a lot of that powder at the house.....Now, I'm not being mean, nor do I fire black powder or Pyrodex inside a building, and if I'm at the outdoor range, I'll check the wind and get a bench downwind of the others. as of late I've been going to the Sheriff's Office Training Range and shooting there. There is one active duty Lt. that is the "official" RO, and three other reserve officers that watch over us like hawks. That's a good thing, as they don't want anyone pointing a loaded firearm anywhere but downrange. Now that I've been going there on a regular basis, they know me, and know I'm not a loony in spite of what my wife says.....

[tazman]

Wives can be like that. Whenever I fill out 4473, I tell them that it is only my wife who thinks I'm crazy.
I have had people comment on how smoky my loads were but since the ventilation was working well they didn't try to stop me from shooting.
Bullseye and tumble lubed boolits put out quite a bit of smoke.

[jimb16]

The smoke is one of the reasons that I now powder coat most of my cast bullets. I've shot lubed bullets for so many years that it seems only natural to do it. My lubricator/sizer is feeling pretty lonely these days. I shot a batch of lubed bullets yesterday and realized just how much "smoke" they do make. Oh well! I was the only one on the range, so I didn't really care.

[tazman]

I had one of those days last week.
I shot some plated for a while and then switched to lubed and I could really tell the difference.
Nobody else there to comment about it.
I haven't purchased any factory cast boolits for several years. Does hard lube smoke as much as softer lube does?

[RU shooter]

I shoot my flint lock a lot and heck my 38 and 45 acp aren't smokey at all . Seriously though I've never worried if any of my handgun ammo was dirty and or smokey .long as the powder is doing its job and the lube doing the same I'm good , But I shoot by myself never anyone else around .

[Thumbcocker]

Wanted:

Student organization seeking cause to be indignant about. Respond to …...

[LenH]

I belong to a shooting club that is exclusively out doors except for an airgun range in the old club house. I also shoot bullseye matches and have never considered
the smoke aspect of a cast bullet.
I have shot .22 Bullseye matches indoors for years and at the end of the season we would have a match with what ever you wanted to shoot and most were revolvers
with cast bullets and that range was almost foggy at the end of a string, the ventilation in that indoor range was lacking but I can see the concern in that situation.

[owejia]

Like the smell of burning gun powder not of the lube. Black powder and smokeless. Also like the smell of heavy equipment diesel smoke and fresh moved dirt. Am I weird or what?

[Tom W.]

What's the other option?

[tazman]

Like the smell of burning gun powder not of the lube. Black powder and smokeless. Also like the smell of heavy equipment diesel smoke and fresh moved dirt. Am I weird or what?

I like that as well with the exception of the diesel.

[DerekP Houston]

I'm from that younger generation mentioned, but the dirt and smoke don't bother me. As much fun as the PC and Hitek colors are...tumble lubing a bunch of wadcutters is faster and easier =). I'm more worried with results on target than if my hands got a little dirty. I've only had one range complain about my reloads, and that was from a liability standpoint not a "smoky or dirty" loads issue.

[toallmy]

In 35-40 years of shooting I have never seen a inside shooting range unless you count shooting out of a shed , so I don't mind the smoke . But I have learned to not shoot cast boolits over a white pickup truck .:)

[MostlyLeverGuns]

Could it be modern marketing, dirt is BAD, clean is GOOD. Maybe? Some dirt is good, fouling shots, immune systems. Lot of stuff to sell that didn't exist 50 years ago, I do remember. Every cartridge case must sparkle, an errant grain of powder residue is cause for screams of anguish. I actually cast bullets using the Kitchen Cook Stove when I was 14. How did I survive. Much of the CLEAN whatever is based on MARKETING and indoctrination. BE AFRAID, YOU COULD DIE! WE KNOW WHAT IS BEST, GIVE ME YOUR DOLLARS and I will fix that. If your lube smoke intrudes on another it may be a problem, if it bothers you, fix it, if you like the results on target or game, leave it. Think about that 'GROSS' black powder, all that sulfur and lead, EEWWW. Did I get that right? I think I will go sleep on the Dirt and scout for elk.

[fredj338]

It is perspective. I hate cleaning my guns, just hate it. So yeah, shooting sludgy lubed bullets was always irritating. With coated I can clean a lot less often. Smoke, sure not an issue outdoors w/ a little breeze but indoors or heaven forbid at night with a weapon light, yeah get back to me on that one. Been a cast bullet shooter for 40y, I can still embrace progress.

[David2011]

I'm most likely younger than you having retired late last year but definitely not young. When I explained my rapid fire situation and posed a question a few years ago on this forum looking to reduce smoke I was mostly met with comments like "I could care less how much it smokes as long as the bore stays clean." I got a few really nasty responses for asking the question.

Dirty powder never bothered me. Loaded ammo that's sticky from lube and has to be cleaned before using it is a slight bother but cleans up pretty easily. I've rolled around in the floor working under my share of cars and been greasy up to my elbows so not afraid of "a little dirt." When I load cast boolits into ammo I have come to appreciate powder coated boolits because they keep me cleaner, the loading dies stay cleaner and the action of semi-autos stay cleaner through a match. Lube smoke isn't an issue if I'm shooting a single shot or repeaters slowly. Ammo that doesn't have to be cleaned after loading is pure luxury as is not having lead residue embedded in my fingers.

The flip side is, in a worst case scenario, shooting a match looking into the sun with the face of the targets in their own shadows and with little or no wind. When I've been practicing and shooting a lot I can shoot 4 to 6 rounds per second on closely spaced targets which are frequently in clusters of four. That's a lot of rounds (and smoke) in a very short time. When the sun backlights that smoke the targets are completely obscured. THAT is when smoke is troublesome. I have actually had to pause a string of fire so I could see the targets again. That costs places in a match.

Shooting powder coated boolits not only reduces the smoke to almost nothing but also keeps the gun clean enough through a two day, high round count match so I don't have to clean it in a hotel room. Using powder coated boolits with the same charge of the same powder shows that almost all of the fouling was from the lube.

Shooting cast through my Contender in .44 Mag the old 2400 leaves a lot of powder residue and it's certainly not from a lack of pressure. If it bothers me I can fire a round or two of .44 Special with the same boolit and lube but Winchester 231 and it's clean as a whistle; no need for further cleaning. No idea if the mag load smokes; always too busy recovering from the recoil of a 255 grain boolit at 1600 fps.

It's not about sensitivity for me; it's about better scores at matches.

[tinsnips]

Char-Gar I agree have the very same line of thought you do. There are just to many drama queens now days!

[lancem]

I remember a time when cleaning cases meant wiping them with a rag before reloading them.. Now steel pins and all that ****, my black cases shot every bit as good a shiny brass one. So yeah I know what you mean, lucky for me I have my own range and don't have to put up with anyone's ****.

[Char-Gar]

Char-Gar I agree have the very same line of thought you do. There are just to many drama queens now days!

Oh, I definitely out of step with the times, as many of the prior posts will attest. I find the reasoning quite interesting.

[Iron Whittler]

Have not loaded any BP loads in my 500 mag yet. I bet it'll smoke 'um out. I am fortunate to own my own 100 yd. range. Any complainers don't get invited back. :Fire:

[Hardcast416taylor]

I grew intolerant of the dolts and their `I already knew that` attitude at the gun club I used to belong to. I have my own private range in an old gravel pit on my place and I have benches and targets and hangers from 25 yards out to 200 yds. I am selective who I allow to use my range. I am my own best customer for using it. Now with my health fading South rapidly my range sits unused for 3 years now. At least I didn`t have any `Ya-Hoos` making trouble for me here.Robert

[bedbugbilly]

Char-Gar - I'm with you . . . . sorry, but those things such as smoke and grit and grime don't bother me. I've shot BP all of my life . . . only got in to new fangled cartridges the last ten years or so. I too, prefer to shoot alone when possible so smoke isn't nor has it ever been an issue. And shooting everything from full size cannons and mortars to rifled musket and revolver has produced lots of smoke . . . and I crave the odor of the "holy black" . . . and have never had an issue with the clean up afterwards. The same with smokeless.

I have cast for close to 55 years . . . have done it over everything from a wood fire to a gasoline plumber's pot to a gas hot plate to a electric melter . . . not high tech . . . and all of my boolits have cast and shot just fine.

But . . . the young ones have been brought up with all the fancy technology . . . and I'm not knocking that. It is what it is in their "generation" so a lot of things are foreign to them.

I was brought up on a farm . . . getting dirty was part of that life and working hard taught many life lessons. I have mucked out stalls, dug post holes one after another for hours in the hot sun and taken care of livestock . . whose needs came before ours. Dirt is not foreign to me nor many others who have had such backgrounds . . . that was part of "my" generation.

And let's face it . . . our generation had it better than the previous ones . . . especially that of our parents who survived during the Great Depression . . . can you imagine what the present generation would do or sound like if they had it like our parents did?

I'm not making fun of the "kids" . . . I'm truly not. But I'll tell you one thing . . . the first time I see a "crying room or a comfort room" at a range where the young'uns can go to hug teddy bears and drink hot chocolate because things didn't go their way, I'm going to hang up my SAA and Winchester . . . and I'm going to find a good shovel and start to dig my final resting place as I don't want to be around if things get to that point. :-) What can I say? I know I'm "old".

[Pumpkin]

Char-Gar; I agree with you 100%; my dob is 7-4-1935. Keep up the good work. Respectfully,
Pumpkin

[500Linebaughbuck]

Char-Gar, i am with you.

what is this shooting range stuff?

i shoot on my own ground. always have, always will. i have shot bp and smokeless, jacketed and cast. i was an laborman and operator in construction. everything was dirty, including me. dirt doesn't bother me. what does bother me is a "snowflake". "oooooh thats soooo dirty. i got to go to sip my soy banana chocolate raspberry cranapple coffee. i just be here, call me when you need me. opps, i did a politically correct thing, i'm sorry i didn't mention your gender.... the conversation would end with ooo because a spade shovel would end the guy, violently. dang spade shovel, you are politically incorrect. :lol::lol::lol:

[dverna]

If I could shoot lube free bullets I would. I like the concept of PC bullets but I like the speed of using a Star a lot more, so I live with a bit of smoke. Big Deal!

As to "dirty" powder, I don't see many issues with what I shoot. Anyway, that is what case cleaners are for. And I would clean all my brass anyway as I want to get the dirt from range pick ups off the cases.

It would be stupid NOT to use cleaner bullets and powders if there were no downsides. If I could PC and size over 1000 bullets an hour, in one square foot of space I would PC all my pistol bullets. That is the bulk of my metallic cartridge shooting.

[mozeppa]

i really hate it when my toe nails are longer than 1-1/2 MM.

[Tom W.]

Char-Gar, i am with you.

what is this shooting range stuff?

i shoot on my own ground. always have, always will. i have shot bp and smokeless, jacketed and cast. i was an laborman and operator in construction. everything was dirty, including me. dirt doesn't bother me. what does bother me is a "snowflake". "oooooh thats soooo dirty. i got to go to sip my soy banana chocolate raspberry cranapple coffee. i just be here, call me when you need me. opps, i did a politically correct thing, i'm sorry i didn't mention your gender.... the conversation would end with ooo because a spade shovel would end the guy, violently. dang spade shovel, you are politically incorrect. :lol::lol::lol:


Be careful about calling a spade a spade. You might make someone go into his "hug a stuffed animal" mode......

[500Linebaughbuck]

Be careful about calling a spade a spade. You might make someone go into his "hug a stuffed animal" mode......

well, being politically incorrect, the spade has a friend(back-hoe) that will do anything he needs. digging a hole and filling it up, for instance. :lol::lol::lol:

[JoeJames]

With time, culture and thinking changes. When I retired ten years ago, I didn't understand what the younger folks were about and why went about doing things in the way they did. I have noted this phenomena in a number of areas of life.

I have noted that many shooters are concerned about dirty powder and lube smoke. Yes, my guns and hands get dirty and yes my lube smokes a bit, but neither were worth 2 second of my time to worry about. I just didn't care. I cleaned my guns, and washed my hands. I was concentrating at my target and never really noticed the lube smoke.

I am truly getting old and out of touch. I just give no thought, not concern to the issues that seems to get under the skin of the younger set. I suppose all of this should matter to me, but it just doesn't.These days it's always something. I must have been living under a tub, but this is the first I've heard about the young'uns being upset about dirty powder and lube smoke. But I have not shot at an actual outdoor range in about 20 something years, and it was a local sheriff's dept. range. Only excitement I can recall was when some local reserves accidentally dropped a 16 gauge shell down into the forcing cone of a 12 gauge 870, and then wondered why the bolt wouldn't close on a 12 gauge buckshot round. I am content shooting on my place or over at one of my cousins.

[Char-Gar]

These days it's always something. I must have been living under a tub, but this is the first I've heard about the young'uns being upset about dirty powder and lube smoke. But I have not shot at an actual outdoor range in about 20 something years, and it was a local sheriff's dept. range. Only excitement I can recall was when some local reserves accidentally dropped a 16 gauge shell down into the forcing cone of a 12 gauge 870, and then wondered why the bolt wouldn't close on a 12 gauge buckshot round. I am content shooting on my place or over at one of my cousins.

Hang out on this board and you shall be enlightened on the subject at hand.

[Walks]

I usually go to an indoor range a few miles from my house. The 2 outdoor ranges in LOS ANGELES County are both more then 50 miles away thru the worst traffic you can imagine. Two hours to get there and 3 hours to get home, with only 3 hours to shoot. The vast majority of folks I see at the indoor range have no concept of reloading ammo. They seem to think it's too dangerous and that Handloaders frequently
Blow up their guns. They truly believe lead bullets will damage their guns. I've even had people move away from me at the range because they afraid I'll blow up a gun next to them.
They bring a case full of 3-4 handguns and proceed to shoot 20-30 rounds out of each one. There silhouette targets at 7yds look like a shotgun 12ga. 00 buck blast at 50ft.
They don't seem to notice my 2-4" groups shot one handed at 50ft.
They just bang away with no real attempt to practice proper shooting skills to get better.
I've even seen my discarded targets retrieved from the trash by other shooters.
These youngsters have no desire to learn or better their shooting abilities. They look on me as a strange old man who shoots old revolvers and ancient 1911's, an anachronism from the past, full of silly old fashioned ideas. With no place in the modern world.

[Petrol & Powder]

Wait ! I like the smell of diesel exhaust ! (does that make me weird ?)

I clean my guns and it's never a burden.

I occasionally get comments about smoke when shooting reloads. Inevitably those comments come from younger people. I gave up trying to explain it to idiots that don't really care what I say.

[tazman]

I am envious of you guys who have your own land with room to shoot. I could never afford the land when I was young and then when older, I had a sick wife to pay bills for.
I have a nice range within 40 miles that I can shoot indoors at anytime of the day as they allow shooting during the night on the indoor range.
The outdoor range usually isn't too busy unless there is an official practice or a match going on, which is most weekends.
Still, I get up there usually once a week. Just got up there today as a matter of fact.

[RED BEAR]

The smoke doesn't bother me i clean my guns after each shooting session. But if it bothers you and you can do something about it then by all means go for it. Why not ? I shoot at an outdoor range so smoke isn't a problem. I do have to really scrub my hands before I leave the range when we drive the wife's car. It has white interior and dirty guns would be the least of my worries if i messed that up as it is her pride and joy.

[Biggin]

I don't get as dirty as I used to but I too like the smell of diesel exhaust and fresh dirt. Of course I like the smell of cow **** too!! I guess I am weird!

[MostlyLeverGuns]

If you really are getting 'sludgey' smokey dirty weapons using cast bullets, there are many fixes. Less lube, different lube, different powders, different firearms lubricants. My 1911's are no dirtier shooting 155 and 200 grain lead SWC than my 9mm's shooting factory jacketed. Same number of rounds. I shoot maybe 50 rounds a week through about 5 different handguns and another hundred through various rifles 70-30 cast to jacketed on handguns, 50-50 on rifles. No smoke or sludge to speak of. Clean when accuracy falls of or I feel the action slow or the Wyoming wind is blowing dirt over everything. I do clean the pistol/revolver before using as a carry gun, hunting rifles get a detail strip and clean before season, barrels are left fouled.

[Char-Gar]

If you really are getting 'sludgey' smokey dirty weapons using cast bullets, there are many fixes. Less lube, different lube, different powders, different firearms lubricants. My 1911's are no dirtier shooting 155 and 200 grain lead SWC than my 9mm's shooting factory jacketed. Same number of rounds. I shoot maybe 50 rounds a week through about 5 different handguns and another hundred through various rifles 70-30 cast to jacketed on handguns, 50-50 on rifles. No smoke or sludge to speak of. Clean when accuracy falls of or I feel the action slow or the Wyoming wind is blowing dirt over everything. I do clean the pistol/revolver before using as a carry gun, hunting rifles get a detail strip and clean before season, barrels are left fouled.

I am old school. I clean my firearms after every time they are fired. I relube and then go wash my hands. That is the way I was taught and I consider it a part of shooting and therefore am not bothered by any of this stuff that seems to afflict so many these days. Like I said, I am just old and out of touch. I have started to think something is wrong with me, that dirty powder, dirty guns and dirty hands are not bother to me.

"Times they are a changin"

[tazman]

I am old school. I clean my firearms after every time they are fired. I relube and then go wash my hands. That is the way I was taught and I consider it a part of shooting and therefore am not bothered by any of this stuff that seems to afflict so many these days. Like I said, I am just old and out of touch. I have started to think something is wrong with me, that dirty powder, dirty guns and dirty hands are not bother to me.

"Times they are a changin"

You are NOT out of touch. You just have different priorities and habits than the younger set.
I do things the same way you do as far as cleaning and washing my hands.

[David2011]

If you really are getting 'sludgey' smokey dirty weapons using cast bullets, there are many fixes. Less lube, different lube, different powders, different firearms lubricants. My 1911's are no dirtier shooting 155 and 200 grain lead SWC than my 9mm's shooting factory jacketed. Same number of rounds. I shoot maybe 50 rounds a week through about 5 different handguns and another hundred through various rifles 70-30 cast to jacketed on handguns, 50-50 on rifles. No smoke or sludge to speak of. Clean when accuracy falls of or I feel the action slow or the Wyoming wind is blowing dirt over everything. I do clean the pistol/revolver before using as a carry gun, hunting rifles get a detail strip and clean before season, barrels are left fouled.

I would welcome recommendations of lubes that smoke less and deposit less sludge. I never thought of putting less lube in a lube groove and run those back through the Star that don't have the grooves filled completely. I've tried a LOT of lube and powder combinations and while some were worse than others none were good. I'm not talking about shooting 50 rounds. I'm talking about single practice sessions or matches with a 300 to 500 round count with a $50,000 prize table at the end of the day. Most competition disciplines don't have the high round counts per stage that are found in USPSA and I realize that most shooters don't shoot any form of competition. I can see that people would not understand total obscuration of a target during a timed fire situation if they had never been there. Outside of competition I'm more like everyone else. A little smoke and grit is no big deal. Randy Rat's TAC-X is my favorite for ease of use and low smoke and it makes the room smell great! I haven't had any leading problems with any lube in my competition gun.

[9.3X62AL]

I am just happy that I can still shoot and own guns in this Worker's Paradise. I do not give a flip about dirty guns or smoke (You gotta be kidding me.....), that is what Hoppe's #9 was designed to address.

I guess I am "out of touch" as well. I am good with that.

[Mal Paso]

Smoke is good. Goes with the flame and roar as another 250 grains passes the sound barrier.

I have demonstrated the ventilation inadequacy of a couple indoor ranges.

[David2011]

For plinking smoke and crud are a non-issue, just like for the rest of you.

I must be the only participant of this thread that shoots United States Pistol Shooting Association matches. All USPSA shooters expect to be able to see the target all the way through a string of fire and expect the gun to run 500 rounds without having to be cleaned in the middle of a match.

[9.3X62AL]

For plinking smoke and crud are a non-issue, just like for the rest of you.

I must be the only participant of this thread that shoots United States Pistol Shooting Association matches. All USPSA shooters expect to be able to see the target all the way through a string of fire and expect the gun to run 500 rounds without having to be cleaned in the middle of a match.

No--you are not. In such situations, I spend a bit of cash and buy jacketed bullets for the marathon shooting sessions. The J-words DO have their place from time to time.

[David2011]

No--you are not. In such situations, I spend a bit of cash and buy jacketed bullets for the marathon shooting sessions. The J-words DO have their place from time to time.

Thank you! I feel less like a leper now. I have done that in the past but find the powder coated boolits work just as well. In .45 ACP I first used Precision Bullets that were coated, then when I went to .40 I tried jacketed but that got costly fast at 2000-2500 rounds per month. Donnie Miculek shot many of the same matches I shot so I got him to coat my boolits and after I moved away from that area I eventually started coating them myself.

No Char-Gar, you are not out of touch. You just have a set of requirements that you have met. Some things require a different tool, just like my truck is much better for hunting that my sports coupe is. For most of my needs a bare lead boolit sized in the Lyman or Star sizer with good old waxy lube is perfect. I just have this one exception. Funny thing is, even the older coots at the Cowboy Action shoots are starting to load coated boolits.

[megasupermagnum]

The day I fell in love with cast bullets was the day I smelled a cloud of canaruba red mixed with Blue dot. Not quite as good as a hot chocolate with the first shot of the day duck hunting, also with blue dot, but nothing is.

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

For plinking smoke and crud are a non-issue, just like for the rest of you.

I must be the only participant of this thread that shoots United States Pistol Shooting Association matches. All USPSA shooters expect to be able to see the target all the way through a string of fire and expect the gun to run 500 rounds without having to be cleaned in the middle of a match.

It's been a couple decades, but I was a USPSA member and I would shoot regularly in a IPSC league. That was all before I cast my own, and I was shooting jacketed bullets.

Recently, I've been to a few 'casual' IPSC shoots and once I was shooting boolits with a lube that contains alox, the smoke would fill the shooting alley and you couldn't see the target. SL68B and not using Unique solved that problem for me.