Am I a youngster?

[D Crockett]

I am 65 and I have been casting lead 49 years now. it started when a man down the road asked me if I wanted a summer job. we cast fish sinkers and sold them to bait houses and fishing tackle stores. then I got into dive wt's sold them to a few dive shops. until I had the accident with the aluminum pot. I was lucky that I went in the house to get a drink when the pot let go what a mess. that was way before we had computers and the access to all the info we have now. we had to learn the hard way. then I went to work for a reloading shop. I loaded and cast lead for him for a few years till he sold his shop. and that is how I got into casting bullets been casting bullets for 20 years now. some advise to the young folks here have fun doing it and do not make a business out of it won't be fun then. D Crockett

[firebyprolong]

I'm 32 and been casting and loading since I was 14. I had a very understanding father and a 38 to feed. Told me last month while standing in my loading room, "I always knew you and your brother where going to be shooters but I never imagined you'd take it quite this far." Like he had nothing to do with it. This is the same man that gave me a 22 at 10 and 51 navy cap and ball pistol at 12, what exactly did he think was gonna happen?

[Reddirt62]

54

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[mdi]

I believe casting boolits is an ageless pastime. The satisfaction from making good shootable bullets doesn't depend on age, but perhaps the younger casters don't have as much patience as the OC group (Old Casters)?

[Walter Laich]

70, 71 in July
started in late 50s with my Dad.
love casting, reloading and shooting about equally. first two can do at home without going to range

[44deerslayer]

41 here and retired. With lots of pain bin casting and loading since I was 10

[robg]

63 in a month or so ,reloading 35 years casting for about 17 years since my wife got me a rcbs 158 GC mold and ladle for my birthday .now I only use lead on the range and jacketed for hunting as that's the legal requirement over here.

[TexasGrunt]

I think I'm 18, my actual age is advanced 57, my physical age is around 85. Hopefully sometime in July or August I'll have another surgery, then if it goes well about six weeks later my physical age will drop a decade or two.

[TexasGrunt]

41 here and retired. With lots of pain

The pain lets us know we're still alive. Thankfully one thing the VA is good at is shoveling pain pills out.

[Whitespider]

Creeping up on 60 here... started casting my own just 10 short years ago.
However, I've been shooting cast boolits for about 40 years... I was lucky enough to have a couple-three friends casting my boolits for me over the years.
Ten years ago I decided it was time to take the plunge... for better or for worse... and now my 29-year-old son is showing an interest as his collection of guns grows, and ammunition prices increase.
*

[Big Boomer]

Turned 77 last Feb. Been casting since 1975 or so. Only non-cast I use is for a Ruger Mini-14 and a Ruger AR, though both of those are being prepared/cleaned for a try with cast. Everything else gets cast. Big Boomer

[gwpercle]

Although I'm 67 now , I started casting when I was 17 , in 1967 , so I have 50 years of experience.
I don't consider casting an "old man's " pastime , I was a young man when I started. I just kept doing it and you know what they say about time flying when you are having a good time....I never noticed I got old until recently .
Gary

[OS OK]

Although I'm 67 now , I started casting when I was 17 , in 1967 , so I have 50 years of experience.
I don't consider casting an "old man's " pastime , I was a young man when I started. I just kept doing it and you know what they say about time flying when you are having a good time....I never noticed I got old until recently .
Gary

Well, your an official ole fart now! Ya know, my father in law used to say "Getting old sucks!" I got sooo tired of hearing that...now he is gone and that's my favorite saying!

Getting old ain't for the faint of heart!

[dondiego]

I am not old yet at 64 but my bones sure do ache and creak! My dad is old at 92 but he still got a turkey this year. He never did cast but he brought home some casting stuff one time when I was 15. The rest is history!

[nvbirdman]

I was 28 once, but that was a long time ago.
I was twice 28 once, but that was also a long time ago.
I've been casting boolits for a lot longer than 28 years,

[Kraschenbirn]

72+ here. First exposed to reloading by my shooting coach when I was on a Boy Scout/Explorer rifle team (late '50s-early '60s) but didn't start casting until I hooked up with some CW re-enactors in the mid-'70s. First molds were both Lee...a .58 Minie and a .44 Conical.

Have to agree with OS OK...those were different times. Used to take my cased Win 52 to school, check it into the Vocational Shop tool crib (the woodshop teacher was shooter), then, after school, stand it up between my knees riding a city bus to the Nat'l Guard Armory for practice.

Bill

[megasupermagnum]

I am surprised by the poll. I figured 45-65 would be the biggest groups, and 30-45 the lowest. I see I am far in the minority at 22 years old, and I do not know a single other person my age who casts bullets. I started reloading when my grandpa showed me at about 13-14. I wanted to shoot WAY more than I could get factory ammo. It really paid off through my teen years which included mostly the Obama years.

[ghh3rd]

64 in July - started casting about 7-8 years ago. I never heard of casting or reloading before that. Wish I had known and I would have a ton or two of lead squirreled away, rather than missing the days of free lead. I did pick up 2/3 of a large wheel weight yesterday in Walmart parking lot :-

We need more younger folks in this hobby. My 19yr old son watches but doesn't get into it. Maybe someday...

[mdi]

Well, stick around kids, you might learn something...

[NoAngel]

Age is not indicative of wisdom or intelligence. It's not even a reliable indicator of experience.
Stupidity, arrogance and hubris bound across all generations. I've met some old guys who have forgot more than many of us have the capacity to learn. I've met some that are so full of sheet that their eyes are brown. Same with young and middle aged.
No doubt there are "young 'uns" that have cast more than some of the old farts who claim to have invented everything. Then there are some younger people so stupid they couldn't find a tree in the middle of the forest. It's a very poor practice to walk through this library judging book covers. Not saying that's happening mind you, just saying in general.

My dad and grandfather reloaded. They swore a cast bullet was useless past 1600. I can remember my father cussing about his S&W leading the barrel and forcing cone and how hard it was to clean. Looking back through some of the old stuff, He never owned a sizer bigger than .357 Well....