This is getting out of hand!

[coverbw]

I've had some extra time on my hands lately so I figured I would cast, size and lube a mess of different boolits so it would be convenient to have them ready to reload later. There in lies the problem. I now have 7 different moulds just in 44 cal. I cast mostly 3 different alloys; pure, lyman #2, and coww/scrap. I've tried to avoid buying new calibers in a futile attempt to keep things "simple". I have some 44's that require .429 boolits, one that needs .431 and an older smith that needs .433. I'm almost cursing Mihec for all his nifty hollow-point options! What about heat treated? Water dropped? And different lubes ....? I'm going to need 40 boxes per caliber and a dichotomous key!

I know what the solution is: 250 gr Keith water dropped with BAC lube. Why would you need anything else, right?

[DLCTEX]

Not di but tri. .429, .431, and .433. with many subcategories. Diagram it and it will look like a family tree back to Adam.

[waco]

Not di but tri. .429, .431, and .433. with many subcategories. Diagram it and it will look like a family tree back to Adam.

That's funny.....

[waco]

Minus size requirements, I've been of the mind set to simplify things as far as boolits, primers, and powder goes.

It's fun to experiment with all the different options out there, but if it isn't broke..........

On the flip side of that coin, "go to" powders are not always at the ready, so trying new ones is a real situation.

I've had worse things to fret about.

[Whitespider]

I try and and keep things simple...
In handguns I find that a slightly-heavy-for-caliber boolit running 850 fps (give-or-take 50 or so) in "standard" cartridges, and 1150 fps (same give-or-take) in "magnums" will handle 99% of my shooting needs (woods bumming, beer can bouncing, and whatnot). Those same loads will kill anything I need it to when I do my part. That allows me to pretty much use the same alloy across the board, WW metal + 2% tin. I have a few special hunting loads for the ones I use just for that purpose... but I don't need more than a few dozen of those at any one time.

I try and make one bullet and one size work for multiple guns, but if I can't (such as your pair of .44's that require larger), I use a different boolit... and try and match the boolit form that works best when I can. The Kieth style SWC is a fine boolit, but the fact is some revolvers can be choosy. I find those with "oversize" cylinder mouths (relative to bore) usually do better with a round-nose profile and I go to a RFN for them... which makes it easy to keep track of which-is-for-what (for example SWC for the Smith, RFN for the Ruger). And it reduces the number of different boolit styles I need to keep "ready to load".

Primers?? I've pretty much settled on Federal "standard" primers for anything not requiring a magnum primer (i.e. most powders up to and including 2400). The Federals seem to have a softer cup so striker/hammer strength doesn't really matter, and they tend to give the lowest extreme spreads with less-than-full cases for whatever reason. I keep a few of most all others for experimentation purposes... but the Federals are my go-to.

I haven't been able to do as well in the "simplification" of powders... W231 and 2400 do a lot of the work, but they just won't work in everything the way I want. Bullseye, Red Dot, Silhouette, #5, SR7625, Herco, SR4756, H110 and 4227 all see good usage.

I also keep a minimum of 500 pieces brass for most cartridges... that way I always have some loaded, and others in varying stages of "read to load". When I start running low on something it's usually just a matter of grabbing some pre-primed brass, dump some powder and seat the boolit.

Casting and reloading can be enjoyable... but, really, I cast and reload so I can shoot as much as I want, whenever I want. Simplifying and streamlining those processes is what keeps me shooting more, and prepping for it less.

[GP100man]

Simple answer, WE ARE ADDICTTED !!!!

I go out & do some therapy (either casting ,sizelubing, sizing trimming brass ,priming)& all is good until I get to WORK , then it kiks in what`s next when I get home ???

Well , I`m to the point where SHOOTING is next !!! Then tumbling , then sizing , checkin lengths , etc,etc :

Vicious cycle , BUT I LIKE it !!!! Oh yeah - - - - I can stop anytime I want , just don`t want to !!!!

PS: I reamed/polished all my GPs throats the same so I could run 1 size boolits .

GP

[zuke]

The first step to recovery is admitting you have a problem.

[captaint]

coverbw - Welcome, you've got it good now. There's no going back. How about Whitespider ?? He just typed no less than 6 paragraphs on how to keep it simple..... See what I mean. What a great group this is. Mike

[Whitespider]

Whitespider ?? He just typed no less than 6 paragraphs on how to keep it simple...

[Gunslinger1911]

The first step to recovery is admitting you have a problem.

I don't have a problem ! I can quit anytime !! lol

I know the feeling OP - I have 8 or 9 molds just in 45. Alloy, sizing, lube, and don't forget all the different pins Miha sends with his molds !!!!

[dverna]

I am in the process of simplifying. It really is not that difficult to do if you can separate needs from wants. The other factor is to use common sense and avoid sub-optimization. Sometimes good enough is good enough.

I rarely need any more than two loads for a semi-auto pistol. I tend to use commercial HP's for carry and lead for practice. I am going to be working on some cast HP's for the .40 that will serve both functions and reduce my needs to one load for the .40's.

My .357 SAA's are only used for target work so they get a reduced load. I have a rifle load I could use if I wanted to hunt with them - but I will never hunt with them or use them for SD.

Rifles are also simple. Nothing but cast in the .30/30's. One plinking load and one hunting load. One bullet will do both. The .38/.357 lever guns get the same load as the SAA's and a heavy load - two bullets needed. The .308's shoot both cast and jacketed. But I do not "plink" much with the .308's. The 5.56 has a cast and jacketed load. The .300 Mag is one jacketed load.

I do not see myself ever having the number of molds many here use. But I am a shooter more than a caster/reloader. With four progressive loaders, I do not want to fiddle with different bullets or seating depths etc. KISS.

I have converted to the .40 for my go to pistol caliber. I have five guns in .40 - three Glock 22's and two Kahr's. I will find a load that works OK in all of them and call it done. If one guns shoots 3" groups and another shoots 5" groups - I am not going to develop a separate load for it - good enough is good enough. Simple trumps being anal for me.

I went to my first gun show as a vendor a couple of weeks ago and sold over $2900 of stuff I did not need or want anymore - and that did not include any guns!!!! We do tend to accumulate a lot of stuff over the years. LOL

Don Verna

[MrWolf]

The first step to recovery is admitting you have a problem.

I don't have a problem. If I see a piece of brass I pick it up and keep it whether I shoot that or not. When we walk I have my wife even looking for treasure on the ground - ww's. I have moulds I have not used yet but plan on it. I have feelers out for lead, guns, and anything else relating to reloading/shooting. I made a PID out of a computer battery supply based upon posts in this forum. I bought my PC gun and setup that I plan on using in a few weeks. My kids think I have a problem but my wife kinda just shakes her head. See, I don't have a problem.

[AlaskanGuy]

When i started casting, i just figured i would cast something for the 44, and that was the lee 310 and it works awesome... Then i wanted to cast something for the 44 that was a bit lighter, walla, the 250 kieth.... Well, now i have at least 8 different designs for the 44..... Those same simple thoughts have exponentially spread to the other cal's, and now i have a pretty simple mathematical equation for my addiction... 8 x C = n (C= cali, N = total) .... So there it is... Simple.

[Landshark9025]

I just started casting. Got my pot last week. Since then I have had at least four casting sessions. At present I only have one mold. You guys look like "The Ghost of Christmas Future".

[Calamity Jake]

When your hooked======================================your hooked.

[starmac]

It seems to me a lot of guys would think you are working on a decent start getting into this money saving hobby. lol

[coverbw]

I am in the process of simplifying. It really is not that difficult to do if you can separate needs from wants. DVerna

That really is the heart of the matter. If we followed this line of thought, gun makers would be broke because we'd all have one 12 gauge shotgun, one 30-06 rifle and maybe a pistol. What more does a guy "need". A couple years ago I started struggling with my personal justification with buying anymore guns. I had all the guns that I needed as a hunter and recreational shooter. So I decided to that if I became a "gun collector" I could buy more. I really sold myself on that idea! lol

What really tipped me off to my casting addiction was when a friend ask me how many moulds I had total. I told him about dozen. Later I was going through them and I counted 23. Almost double... Do they multiply?

[MtGun44]

I agree with your solution except for the water dropping.

Bill

[**oneshot**]

I almost bought a mold for a caliber I don't own because the price was right. I'm in therapy right now.

[coverbw]

I agree with your solution except for the water dropping.

Bill

I know it flies in the face of everything I've read about cast boolits, but I have been getting much better results with water dropped coww or lyman #2 alloy. I can shoot mousefart loads with coww and anything more I get leading/accuracy issues. I have guns that I've firelapped to perfection and I still fight them with soft alloy. I don't shoot nuclear loads or anything. I started shooting harder lead and it makes my life easier so that what I stay with. What has helped me find accurate, leading-free loads has been to study the lube star on the muzzle. I wipe the muzzle off before I change the load. As I increase the powder charge the lube star will get better up to a point and then start to fade. When I get a nice even, dark, wet lube star everything is right with the universe. The accuracy is there and no leading. I'm guessing this means a perfect seal. To little or too much pressure and the lube is blown out. I'm sure there is something that I'm not doing right but that's what works for me. My FA 475 Linebaugh is the exception. The only reasonable conclusion I can come to is the gun is magical. It shoots everything great.

I'm still a novice and have much more to learn. I am by no means being argumentative. I would only shoot lyman #2 if it wasn't so danged expensive!