Please weigh in on why you cast for rifles

[aap2]

Many of my older rifles could not be shot unless I cast for them and my modern firearms are way more fun to shoot with boolits because of reduced recoil and noise. But the main reason that I cast for rifles is that I really enjoy the process. I recently bought a pair of Rem Tactical 5R rifles (308 and 223) and installed quality target scopes on them. Neither rifle has ever been fired with a jacketed bullet and probably never will be. Is the cost savings a major factor in casting for rifles? Not really sure. But I love plinking with my Swiss Vetterli and with it's 350 grain boolits cast from range scrap it's cheaper than a .22lr to shoot and very little recoil to boot. I also like being self-sufficient as a caster and not dependent on factory bullets.

[Rio]

I do it because a custom made mold was the only way to get the bullet I want!

[WALLNUTT]

The question shouldn't be WHY but WHY NOT.

[Bill*B]

I do it for two reasons: 1) the challenge. It may take me weeks or months to get a specific rifle to perform, but - hey! - that's a big part of what makes the hobby interesting to me. Then, 2) once I do find "the load", I can shoot it as much as I please, and never worry about barrel wear.

With all the jack I've spent on molds, pots, lead, etc. I think loading jackets would actually be less expensive, but I've been there, done that, and it just didn't hold my interest the way cast does. Cast just sort of grows on you. Watch out- there's a real danger that you may become addicted and obsessed.

[Harter66]

Because this was my 5th hog at 100# or more (ok 96# but you know what I'm saying) and it is the only 1 I killed with a jacketed load. 2 of the other 4 we ate the bullet holes . Those were killed from 4ft to 47 yd and moved around from laying on 2 of their last tracks to 50 ft , 1 was shot as a 3rd shooter and juiced up and running, he went 200 yd and piled up in a puddle of foamy fluids.
Attachment 167543
This 1 was shot with jacketed start load from an old school hot rod ,257 Roberts 100 gr Sierra Pro Hunter at a rather sedate 2900 fps at 30 yd . The others were whacked with a 265 gr 454424 at a blistering 1200 fps from a 45 Colts 92' . (Relative to each cartridge of course )

As to cost ,Hornady is about the cheapest jacketed bullets out there, but how many at $25/100 do you have to shoot to pay for $20, $80, $100 mould ....... not very many . I know plenty of shooters that could come very close in a normal weekend. If we use a monolithic copper bullet as a way point ...... the pay off is much much faster ..... $1 each that's 200 rounds to pay for an NOE 4 C ,Lee pot , ladle ,push through sizer and for a 5th box the 1st 1000 gas checks and all the lead from a known vendor .

[TXGunNut]

I started casting for a rifle that I was spending a fortune trying to buy bullets for. To be honest I'm still looking for a boolit that works in that rifle but I've cast thousands that work quite well in most every other rifle I own. My first efforts for that rifle, BTW, worked better than anything I'd bought.
And of course, there's nothing like the high of your first CB kill. Unless of course it's your first CB kill with a rifle you built. Or maybe even a CB kill with a CB in a rifle you built with a boolit with which you had some design input (even if your idea fell by the wayside, lol). Still trying to come down from that one, been several months.
Once you begin to figure out CB's storeboughts seem to lose their appeal, IMHO.

[retread]

You do not need to cast to achieve lower recoil....that makes little sense. It is about cents...we cast to save money. Some cast to be self-sufficient...and that is important too...at least for me.

I shoot cast because at 70 I don't want to punish myself and do not need an expensive jacketed bullet toned down to cast levels. That is what makes sense. I can shoot more for the same money. I also love casting, which is a bonus.

[William Yanda]

1) To save money,
2) Because I do not subscribe to the "it has to go faster than the speed of light" school, and
3) A lead projectile will mushroom adequately to make a good kill.

[Gunnut 45/454]

OP my 308 AR is a 300 BLK my go to boollit in Cast is the Lee 155gr GC Sized .309. I shoot these a lot! Very accurate out to 250 plus at 1950 fps. Also shoot a lot of cast in my '06 at 2200 fps mainly the lee 170 gr GC.
My Rem 7400 doesn't like the 155gr for some reason. From what I hear here an other boards using coated bullets lets you run them as fast as Jwods. I couldn t say as I don't coat mine.

My reason for casting its fun saves money an I can shoot a lot more. An boolits work just as good as jwods.

[Gunnut 45/454]

screwbolt
Your mistaken a 308 AR with cast boolit will equal or surpass the 30-30 easily with cast 170 gr. My 300 BLK is right behind the 30-30 with 170 gr load at 1850 fps 16" barrel. As factory Jwods 170gr only run 1980ish out of my Marlin 20" barrel. In a 16" 308 Win AR he should easily get 2100fps or better!

[Smoke4320]

Because........................................I can. One day the bug just bit, and I've been infected ever since, this whole thread is like sitting in an AA meeting and listening to confessions of sorts. Hello, my name is Bubba, and I cast boolits........

the above and I like the challenge shooting cast accurately that can bring.
Being able to say I cast and loaded this round and killed this ____ at ---yds just brings a sense of accomplishment

[floydboy]

I never did like recoil. As I get older I dislike it more. I want to keep my larger caliber guns for my kids. If I'm gonna shoot them I'd prefer the lighter recoil I get from cast and they are still more than adequate for my hunting needs using cast. My wife even deer hunts with the 30-06 loaded with a 31141 or 311291.

I like the challenge of developing a load. When 22 bullets got scarce and expensive I built a 222 that I love to shoot. I can shoot it for nothing. Anything that comes in around a 100 yards is in trouble. I like small caliber rifles and if I want to shot past 200 yards I get the copper bullets out in my 22-250.

They all have a place and cast boolits can be a great savings and still get the job done in many applications. Some may not have an application to fully utilize them at present.

Floyd

[dragon813gt]

Because I can.

[TXGunNut]

"Save money?" LOL I guess I'm doing it wrong. If I could stick with one pot, a handful of moulds and one sizing method I might be able to "save money". The quality and variety of boolits we can create with a comprehensive casting operation is amazing. Yes, it's possible to save money by reloading and casting but I'm having too much fun doing it my way. Honestly, tho, if I were to try to buy some of the ammo I cast and load I'd be spending some pretty serious money.
Bottom line I'm not saving a dime but I'm doing a lot of shooting, learning some very interesting stuff and having a very good time. There ARE more expensive hobbies, of course.

[clearcut]

d) All of the above.

[Hamish]

This thread should never have gotten any traction to start with. "Should I cast for?"

This is a bullet casting and reloading forum. Next will be arguing the merits of Hornadys vs Speers jacketed bullets.

[thegatman]

Suppressor? Do you wear that on your head?