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Thread: Why some new members will do better than others here.

  1. #101
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    "I used to work part time at a shop with machineguns during the late 90's. I personally had pallets of 9mm, 45acp, ,223/556, and 7.62s whatever."

    Sounds like too much fun. That must have been cool. Some people are able to light cigars with 100 dollar bills and then reality sets in and, I agree, there is satisfaction in the whole process, gathering lead/alloy, smelting, casting, reloading. I like it all. I like it simple. Will never own a 1050, not because I don't acknowledge it as something great, but because I'm perfectly happy using an hand loader or even a single stage press. I'm in no hurry. Hand prime, batch load, use dippers and simple tools. Not for everyone, but neither is black powder, flintlocks and single shots. It's all good and not everyone needs to aspire to be a virtuoso. But it sure do help to spend days/months/years studying all of it. I don't think we have to pity those who don't get it and want to buy ammunition ready to go. They have time to do other things they deem important and like.

  2. #102
    Boolit Buddy
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    May God allow all of us to keep on sharing this info!
    I have been casting since 1989, and have learned so much from this site and it's predecessors; that coming back to this site after any vacation period has me learning new things from recent and ancient members.
    Keep on sharing and teaching.

  3. #103
    Boolit Grand Master



    cbrick's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by armexman View Post
    coming back to this site after any vacation period has me learning new things from recent and ancient members.
    Now I'll admit that I'm no spring chicken anymore but dang . . . Ancient?

    Rick
    "The people never give up their freedom . . . Except under some delusion." Edmund Burke

    "Let us remember that if we suffer tamely a lawless attack on our liberty, we encourage it." Samuel Adams

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  4. #104
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    Based on your "Join Date" you are about done for.

  5. #105
    Boolit Buddy SlippShodd's Avatar
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    JMort, that was funny.
    JD, good post, as usual.
    The cynic in me fears that you are preaching to the choir, because the instant gratification types you're addressing will see that it was too long to bother reading and skip it. And you didn't include your favorite load data.
    I had to open a window and go look at my first couple of posts to see what it was exactly that inspired me to join here after years of lurking. I remember now: it was so I could get at the link to download "From Ingot To Target." For several years I had Google searched my quandaries, inevitably leading back here and I always found the answers I needed, without ever asking a question here. My post count still isn't very high considering time-in-type, and would be considerably smaller if I didn't spend so much time vying for class clown in the Humor & Off-Topic section. The small post count comes from the "2 ears/1 mouth" adage I learned at an early age. 40+ years of shooting, 30+ years of handloading and casting and I'm still more a student.
    I think it's significant that I originally came here to acquire another manual to read. That's more how I've learned nearly every skill I've ever developed. The fact that instead of having to go to the bookstore or library, I have the biggest library available to me right here on my desktop is not lost on me, nor does it change the way I do things. I suppose that makes me an oxymoron; my instant gratification takes time.
    It's not that I am incapable of asking stupid questions. Run, Gear and BTroj (to name but the most recent Three) have all had to roll their eyes and yet patiently kickstart me when I couldn't wrap my head around something. The knowledge base here is massive. Another duality: It takes all of us to be this self-sufficient.
    When I do offer up advice, I try to temper it to being my own experience, try not to simply parrot something I read, try to be supremely confident that I'm correct within those guidelines. First thing: Do no harm. Second thing: Always have a punchline.
    The biggest problem for me is getting lost in all the knowledge. I come looking for something specific and pretty soon I've got 3 windows open from taking off on various tangents that suddenly intrigued me. I don't know how I actually ever get anything done...

    mike
    I saw this in a cartoon once. I'm pretty sure I can pull it off...

  6. #106
    Boolit Grand Master
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    Quote Originally Posted by cbrick View Post
    Now I'll admit that I'm no spring chicken anymore but dang . . . Ancient?

    Rick
    Yep. Ancient. I saw a photo of you with King Tut........

  7. #107
    Boolit Mold
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    Recluse,
    What a great thread. As a thirty year veteran of teaching English and Science in public schools, I'd like to echo the statements others have made when I say BRAVO, excellent job! Your point is well made with thoughtful and solid writing. I'm well familiar with the amount of work it takes to make a well reasoned argument. Thank you for your effort. Your points are well taken by this “lurker”, and I hope to continue learning from what is available here.

  8. #108
    Boolit Buddy
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    Kind sirs, apologies for calling you all ancient.
    By ancient, I refer to those of us/you that have been in all the prior iterations of "Cast Boolts".
    Shoot I even thought back then that the "Kernel" was a genius!!! Buckshot had no grey hairs back then too.

  9. #109
    Boolit Grand Master

    mold maker's Avatar
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    Quote; Maybe it has to do with availability or convenience of not having to think about it, but most people think I am going to blow myself up when they find out I roll my own. ; Quote


    If you think unknowing folks roll their eyes when you talk about reloading and casting, wait till you tell them you make your own black powder.

  10. #110
    Boolit Master




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    Quote Originally Posted by mold maker View Post
    If you think unknowing folks roll their eyes when you talk about reloading and casting, wait till you tell them you make your own black powder.
    Doesn't making your own black powder fall into the same category as "You're gonna shoot your eye out"?

    Edd
    Charter member Michigan liars club!

    "The strongest reason for the people to retain the right to keep and bear arms is, as a last resort, to protect themselves against tyranny in Government." -- Thomas Jefferson

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  11. #111
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    If anyone doubts why we need this thread and why this forum is so great.
    just go over to http://rugerforum.net/index.php?pageid=active_topics
    And you will see some of the most pitiful, Q&A on the net.
    Absolutely NO idea of what's going on, I mean none.
    They are beyond help, and I love to help when I can.
    Hate is like drinking poison and hoping the other man dies.

    *Cohesiveness* *Leadership* *a common cause***

    ***In a gunfight your expected to be an active participant in your own rescue***

    The effective range of an excuse is ZERO Meters

  12. #112
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    There was a time when I was a member of that Ruger forum, and offered help to those asking for information and/or seeking advise. Invariably, a particular egotistical moderator would butt in and poo-poo all those who offered advice and experiences which he disagreed with or differed from his. The forum evolved into a one-man show. He was idolized by his blinded and faithful followers. I pulled up stakes before he had the pleasure to "discharge" me.

  13. #113
    Boolit Master



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    100% correct ^ Sad thing is we may have to mingle with those people and that is one scary thought.
    I don't even like to be in the same room with that sort,
    that sort gives our sort a bad name.
    Hate is like drinking poison and hoping the other man dies.

    *Cohesiveness* *Leadership* *a common cause***

    ***In a gunfight your expected to be an active participant in your own rescue***

    The effective range of an excuse is ZERO Meters

  14. #114
    Boolit Master
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    Sam, let's hope that they had the foresight to see the worthlessness of such a forum, and have come here with a positive attitude and sincere desire to learn.

  15. #115
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    I credit this site with reigniting my interest in casting. I stumbled across it from a link on another forum (The High Road or The Firing Line, don't remember which) and was amazed at all the fantastic info. I hadn't cast in probably 8 years, and that was just to make some minnies for my uncle and make a few 1oz egg sinkers. A year after joining here I owned a lubrisizer for the first time in my life, my mold collection had probably tripled, and I was shooting cast in centerfire rifles for accuracy instead of just pouring pure lead for ML hunting.

    Now I'm a lube alchemist and own two .358 Win and a 35 Whelen rifles. None of that stuff would have happened without this site....so I thank you, but my wallet probably doesn't.
    NRA Endowment Member

    Armed people don't march into gas chambers.

  16. #116
    Boolit Master
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    I'll admit to being spanking new to the casting scene. I have however gone through many stages of loading my own since the early days when I sat on my pop's knee and sized cases, and set bullets on top of them after we measured out the powder.

    I'm entering my 40th+ years of loading my own now, and I can tell you that I see many things that come up that still make me wonder why. I think that society has become inherently fixed upon if you need it simply Google it. Whats worst is youtube. While I fully admit there are quality answers to most any question needing an answer, there are just as many or more out there which leave a TON of needed info out.

    I initially came here as a result of my working with surplus powders. Then the wheels slowly started to turn in the direction of casting my own bullets. I researched the bajeebers out of it as I usually do when I get started on something. Thing is, it is REAL easy to get information overload. As was mentioned somewhere up above, just taking lube as an example, which one works, for what, in which circumstance is a handfull in of itself.

    When I was ready, or so I thought, I picked the brains of a few here on what they thought of my process, the alloy and to what end the lube. I am highly thankful that these members were kind enough with their time, to answer a few rookie questions and point me in the right direction.

    Nowadays I still troll through hours worth of post gleaning to learn the finer points of fit and function. I also admit that just because you type in 452-285, or Speed Green, that what pops up in the search function leaves a LOT to be desired. I know that in there somewhere is what I am looking for but finding it in the multitude of post or topics is sometimes a bit daunting. I think that some of the newer folks find this as well. Granted there are nine ways of Sunday to input what your looking for, and maybe that is half of my problem.

    All of this said however, no matter how you slice it, this site is heads and shoulders beyond what one will ever find in written material on the subject of casting. It is an indispensable source of information, ideas, and a collection of great minds and experiences that cannot be found anywhere else.

    That my friends is saying a lot.

    Thank you one and all for being here, for the time you take to put up the information, discuss the intimate details of what makes things tic, and making things so understandable.
    Later,
    Mike / TX

  17. #117
    Boolit Bub nodda duma's Avatar
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    Why some new members will do better than others here.

    So I don't think I learned to cast the right way..


    A few years ago, a coworker gave me his uncle's old 30mm ammo can full of casting gear..a can which hadn't been opened since the 50s.

    So I pretty much learned to cast on my own using that gear and the instructions and a few hand written notes that came with the equipment. Looking back at my first post here I guess I had come across the site and asked a question, but never came back lol. So after a few false starts I got to where I could make quarter-sized groups at 100 yds with my Krag and the 311299s that I learned to cast.

    I didn't really visit this site much since I was doing well enough on my own.

    I did buy a Lee melting pot, though I didn't like the temperature controller on the pot. So having an engineering background I knew about PID controllers and bought a kit off eBay. I set it up and was happy with the better bullet consistency (less toss-backs)

    And *then* I came back across this site and found the PID Controller thread, with a better location for the thermocouple. Now I've started reading more and more, finding good info explaining the "why it works" of the practices I've figured out. Also picked up a method to measure lead hardness..one aspect I hadn't figured out but had bugged me.

    So I kind of gained the experience and now I'm coming up to speed on the education. It's funny because that's how my optical engineering and optical design career worked out. I learned optics on the job and eventually went back to school for the education.

    I figure that's the wrong way to go about learning something...well according to what all the "experts" say. I hear all the time get the education and then get experience. But I guess I ignored that advice in life lol. Works for me tho.

    Oh and I taught myself reloading too. Having an engineering brain helps a person to figure things out I guess.
    Last edited by nodda duma; 02-02-2014 at 10:12 AM.

  18. #118
    Boolit Mold

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    I joined here about 2 1/2 years ago and just made my first post recently, to order lead to start casting with! I have read a ton here and as others have mentioned it is like drinking from a firehose. I have been toying with the idea of casting but what really pushed me to take the plunge was getting more into rifle shooting. I had pretty good sources of local casters on handgun bullets, but not when it comes to rifle bullets.
    The last few weeks I have spent untold hours reading and learning the basics to give it a whirl. I bought a pot today, have a couple of molds and ordered some lead and am excited to give it a try in the next few days.

    I just want to say a big THANK YOU to all of you that supply so much knowledge and information on this forum!

    This is the most informative (and by that I mean real factual, backed up information) forum I have ever had the pleasure of spending a great deal of time on.

    Well done,

    larrupin

  19. #119
    Boolit Man
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    I'm relatively new to loading and casting only a couple of years. I have a few posts but not alot. You guys have been fantastic helping me learn by either answering a question or from reading you posts. An old boss asked me once why I didn't talk alot and I told them I cant learn anything by talking. Same thing here I read alot. I surely wish I could meet some of you guys sometime. Thanks again for the help. Best regards-Pitchnit

  20. #120
    Boolit Mold
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    I've been a lurker for a short time here and must say from all the reading and looking around I've seen its one of the best forums I've ever come across. There is also SO SO much info, it is absolutely overwhelming. Only recently shot a bunch of cast boolits (purchased) and am finally low enough on stash store bought j-words and boolits (also fed up with unavailability!) that it's time to dive into casting and swaging.

    only really started reloading about a year ago due to an oddball caliber. But have always thought swaging was about the coolest thing ever. Also always wanted to cast but had no idea until I came across this forum it was even feasible for anything but slow pistol calibers.

    Thanks to all you contributors! Excited to get into this!

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Abbreviations used in Reloading

BP Bronze Point IMR Improved Military Rifle PTD Pointed
BR Bench Rest M Magnum RN Round Nose
BT Boat Tail PL Power-Lokt SP Soft Point
C Compressed Charge PR Primer SPCL Soft Point "Core-Lokt"
HP Hollow Point PSPCL Pointed Soft Point "Core Lokt" C.O.L. Cartridge Overall Length
PSP Pointed Soft Point Spz Spitzer Point SBT Spitzer Boat Tail
LRN Lead Round Nose LWC Lead Wad Cutter LSWC Lead Semi Wad Cutter
GC Gas Check