Have always enjoyed casting bullets accept in really hot weather. Am I the only one?
Have always enjoyed casting bullets accept in really hot weather. Am I the only one?
I’m right there with you. I cast whenever time allows just cause it’s a great way to clear my head and enjoy some “me” time. I agree though, if it’s over 65 degrees or below 30 in my garage it loses some of the appeal.
When I get the casting mindset it is almost a Zen experience. Very mellow when you get into the rhythm with a couple of well behaved molds dropping good boolits every cycle.
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Paper targets aren't your friends. They won't lie for you and they don't care if your feelings get hurt.
I'm pretty sure you're on a forum full of people who really like casting. I suppose there may be some who do it out of necessity, but for the most part, if we're here, we're probably pretty into it.
Ryan
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I would do more casting, if I could. I'm with Ryan & Thumbcocker. Here lately, I've been spending all my productive time working on my workshop, which is at least nominally separate from reloading area. There is stuff in the reloading area that needs to move into the shop, and vise versa, and once the shop is done, I'll be moving into the reloading area. That's also my office, library, and electronics area. The office is marginally useful, the rest not so much. I got the new cabinet for my Atlas lathe more or less done yesterday. I'm on the honey-do list right now, and tomorrow is my 39th Anniversary, so I may not get to move the lathe until Sunday, or later. Still a lot of organizing to do in the shop, too. And in the house.
Bill
I must still be a 10 year old at heart. Something about casting molten lead that appeals to me. Temperature range where I cast, of from 55 degrees up to 75 is ok with me. It is kind of a mental reset; especially when the mold begins to drop perfect boolits. I don't know much about Zen but may be that.
Britons shall never be slaves.
I prefer casting to loading.
I like casting with my 4 and 6 cavity molds. The 2 cav gets a bit tedious. This time of year I shoot mostly.
"If everyone is thinking the same thing it means someone is not thinking"
"A rat became the unit of currency"
I was casting a little before lunch with a new mold from Accurate molds. It was about 85 outside and humid. I'll probably cast some more tonight as I only got a few pounds of good bullets before I had to leave for work. That's about as hot as I can stand. I was dripping sweat by the time I finished up. I'll cast down to about 20 degrees Fahrenheit in my detached garage. With the right apparel the cold doesn't phase me.
Last edited by reddog81; 08-12-2021 at 03:42 PM.
Greetings,
Most of my casting is slugs for swaging.
Two hours of casting with a 6-cavity mould gives me enough slugs to last a couple of months.
Cheers,
Dave
I like doing it.
Not only do I save a buck or two, but it keeps me out of those crooked BINGO parlors.
In school: We learn lessons, and are given tests.
In life: We are given tests, and learn lessons.
OK People. Enough of this idle chit-chat.
This ain't your Grandma's sewing circle.
EVERYONE!
Back to your oars. The Captain wants to waterski.
I cast and reload to save $$$.
If 9mm/.38 bullets were $40/1000, and .40's were $50/1000, I would never cast another pistol bullet unless the government made it necessary to cast to get bullets.
Rifle bullets make even less sense for me. I do not own any "weird" calibers that benefit from cast or some voodoo profile. LOL
I must have $2000 in stuff to cast bullets not including about 2 tons of alloy. I would love to find someone who would have fun converting that alloy to bullets.
Don Verna
I enjoy it, and loading as well.
Almost as much as shooting.
Life is a series of bullseyes and backstraps - Ted Nugent
I enjoy casting better than reloading. I own a commercial casting business but I really enjoy breaking out my 5 hole molds and making my own bullets.
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John 15:13
Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.
. I like recycling lead from the range and saving money in the process. Here's a chess set my daughter and I cast together. I keep busy playing with the scrap alloyed lead I pickup at the range. Yesterday I tested lead ingots I made and left in my garage for a few months. The hardness changed but I was able to test the bhn with pencils and separate the ingots by hardness. The softest ingots are for my .38wc and .45s. Today I mixed and matched the hardest and second hardest ingots for various pistol calibers, taking a piece of each ingot of a group and mixing together so I can get a better mix of the same alloy, then I swirl cast the bullets. I'm going pc and let the bullets sit awhile, then temper one batch to compare loads with a tempered to a seasoned bullet. Experimenting is fun to me. I wish I could use them for hunting but CA banned lead bullets. Maybe I can talk a Texan into taking some from me and shooting a dead pig carcass so I can see how well my creations expand.
I only cast for my Muzzle loader, .490rb (Pure lead, and .50 conicals. I have well over 1,000 of each. (I cast now because I enjoy it), Same reason I reload. I don't NEED more. I reload for 30-06,30-30, .38 s&w, .45acp, . I have at least 1,000 rounds loaded for each. I have 2 1,000 round bricks of CCI .22lr. I reload now because it relaxes me, and I just want more.
I set up my garage so I can cast year-round.
With 2 vent fans over my pot and another that vents the whole garage if needed.
I have a small heater for the winter (doesn't take much with the big door closed)
I also have a big 2-speed squirrel-cage fan out of a furnace mounted on an end wall that blows down the front of you casting bench that keeps me cool on hot days.
{**** IF you use a squirrel-cage fan out of a furnace, you need to block 2/3 of the air inlet to simulate the backpressure of the fan being in the furnace so it will run faster and not burn itself out}
Well......YES. If I didn't like it then why would I do it?
At one time I thought about buying an automated unit. Then figured I would be missing out on all the fun. Kinda same with reloading.
I do enjoy casting rifle bullets a lot more than pistol bullets. Taking the extra time to get as close to perfect as I can so the groups will be smaller at longer ranges.
Not at all! When I jut want to go relax, I fire up the casting pot. I tolerate reloading, well over 350K rds in the last 45y, but I do enjoy casting. Hand casting or the Magma Caster, its all just good relaxing & turning scrap into something useful.
EVERY GOOD SHOOTER NEEDS TO BE A HANDLOADER.
NRA Cert. Inst. Met. Reloading & Basic Pistol
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 |