Average Price

[Hogdaddy]

On a tumble lubed 158gr SWC? Just wondering who dose more for less ; )
H/D :bigsmyl2:

[MikeS]

I'm not sure I understand what you're asking. Are you asking the average price of store bought 158gr lead bullets, or the cost of a mould to make them yourself? If you're asking about prepackaged mass produced 158gr tumble lubed bullets I can't help you.

If you're asking about a mould to make them yourself, then there are only 2 options that I'm aware of, Lee who makes 2 cavity moulds for under $20.00 (street price, not MSRP), and 6 cavity moulds that sell for right around $50.00 (with the handles which the 6c mould doesn't come with, but the 2c mould does). The other option for a tumble lube boolit mould would be Accurate Molds, they make custom moulds, and have several tumble lube designs already in their catalog, although if you want something other than what's currently in their catalog, just email Tom and he'll add what you're looking for. Tom's moulds have many different options regarding number of cavities, and mould material (he makes aluminum, iron, and brass). BTW, all of Lee's moulds are made from aluminum. I don't know of any other mould makers that make tumble lube designs, but there could well be others I'm not aware of.

[rintinglen]

If you are asking what my boolits cost me to make, That depends entirely on what it costs for Lead. I have an old lyman 357-446 mold that cost me $28.00 plus tax 25 or so years ago. I already had the handles, and the Lee production pot has long since made its cost back. I have cast several hundred pounds of those boolits over the years exactly how many, I don't know. But let's just say 300 pounds of boolits, or roughly 12,000 boolits. That makes each boolit cost roughly .0023 for the average boolit/mold cost.

The electricity runs me about 13 cents a kilowatt hour, say 42 cents for a three hour casting session, including melt time. I will cast about 1200 keepers in that time, at roughly 40 boolits to the pound. So my electricity costs me about .03 cents. The Lube itself costs me roughly 50.00 a quart, I make recluse formula 45/45/10. 1,200 boolits take about a teaspoon of lube. That works out to about .24 cents a boolit if I did the math right. I have used a lee sizer that cost me about 15.00 from Midway for the last 12 years or so. But I can't truly figure how many boolits should share the cost, because I have used it for most of my 38/ 357 boolits. Lets just say a low ball of 12,000 boolits all told--I don't shoot that many 38's any more, and most of them are WC's, so say 2,000 SWC's all told, that's about.0075 cents a peice.
So mold cost, electricity, lube, sizing collectively run me something like .323 cents a peice.

PLUS the cost of lead.
Lead at my door has been running roughly $1.10 a pound. That runs my cost up to just over 3 cents a boolit, a two cent primer, 1 and 1/2 cents worth of powder, and my out-the-bore price is about 6 and 1/2 cents. Being the tightwad that I am, I have been shooting mostly wadcutters to lower my lead cost by over 6 %. YMMV

[1Shirt]

Odd way to pose a question. However, if this helps. I have molds that I bought 40 years ago, and a couple I bought last week. They don't depreciate, so I consider their cost to be a break even proposition. I don't consider my labor as cost, because, it is idle time, and a labor of love. Materials vary, depending on where I get my lead/wheel weights/babbit/tin, etc, but overall probably figure it would run me maybe a buck a pound. From there it is a matter the size/weight of the blt cast. Could be a penny a pound for a 22 45gr., or maybe a 6-7 cents for some of the big 45's. I have probably confused the issue, but it is my opinion. All hobbies cost!
1Shirt!

[Larry Gibson]

On a tumble lubed 158gr SWC? Just wondering who dose more for less ; )
H/D :bigsmyl2:

Mine are used at low or standard 38 SPL velocities so I use scrounged range lead if soft enough and it casts well. I'll ad lead and a little tin if needed. Thus the alloy cost for each bullet is minimal, a couple pennies at most....if that. The lube? The cost of scrounging and casting are the same with other alloys so I've not figured that.

Larry Gibson

[runfiverun]

i have never actually figured the exact cost of everything.
i have kinda figured what they cost.
then look at what it costs to buy storebought and it quickly becomes a non thinking issue.
i generally don't worry about cheapest as i try to get the best [and most] i can from whatever i do.


either way you have certainly picked the cheapest way to go.

[Hogdaddy]

Thanks, I was thinking what it cost me & came up about 3 cents apiece ; )
H/D

[DrCaveman]

Yeah no offense, but frickin weird question. What is it you're looking for? Lowballers who cast 358 wadcutters?

Or instead, if you're just curious about expenses linked to continual cast boolit shooting, then set yourself for awesomeness. It's about $2 per 50 rd box of 38 wadcutters. About $4 per box of full house magnum loads.

Yeah, it's the way to go

[garym1a2]

It also depends what.you value your labor for. If my time was min wages the boolits are very expensive.