How has Cast Boolits affected your hobby?

[pmer]

Since I've been a member here there have been times when I read a thread and discover that I'm terribly short in this part or that part of shooting or casting. Then I have to dig out the wallet and try to play catch up.

Some things that come to mind are 32 Winchester Special and how easy they are for shooting cast and 38 Special K frames and how much fun they are. I never would've bought these if not for reading something interesting about them here on the board. I'd hate to be with out them now. The Wilgen flash light is still the best light we have in the house too.

I'm sure it will happen again. BPCR? Hollow pointing? Big bore hand gun?

[429421Cowboy]

CB here has made me feel like I belong to a big family that spans across the entire globe. From starting here when I was 18 till now I have always been treated with decency and respect, through all my questions and help I have been given, regardless of how much older and more experienced the folks here are. They have lead me into new projects and trying loads and ideas I never would have came up with on my own. I have doubtless spent money because of here, but I also have been saved much time, money and frustration from help I have received. I really cannot say all of the things this site has added to my enjoyment of this grand hobby we all share, but there is a reason it is the first thing I check in the morning and the last I check at night like now that I just finished working.
I wish I could have a BBQ and serve every one of the folks here a home raised angus steak for everything they have given me!

[dabsond]

I started collecting WWII bolt action guns about 7 years ago. This site has made it possible to actually shoot those rifles and bring my hobby of collecting to a new level. A true feeling of community is what makes this site and it's members such a great resource. Thanks for all the help in the past and future.

[HATCH]

All you ****'s are enablers.
CB has put a huge hole in my wallet.

But really. CB has really made it easier to reload then before. If I have a question, I go to the chat room and normally someone has a answer. If I am working up a load, I can search for it.

[Jim]

Affected it? It IS my hobby! And totally consuming, I might add. Near 'bout every thought I process or decision I make orbits the trunk of this tree and all the limbs and branches.

God bless Janet, she's so understanding.

[archmaker]

I agree with HATCH, my wallet is a lot lighter. But I am happier. Years ago I was doing different hobbies, always liked trying out new things. But now my main hobby, is shooting and casting. Before I could drive I thought it was cool that you could cast your own bullets (intentional misspelling). I decided that the one hobby that I have done for most of my life would be the one I would focus on and do, and couldn't be happier. Now I have molds that i love to cast with, I am casting better, less frustration at the pot (now if a boolit doesn't fall out I investigate, before I just kept tapping until if turned loose).

I have molds from MiHec, Night Owl, and others. Lube recipe that I really like, molds that the boolits just fall out, a favorite book I wouldn't even known about (Above Reproach), nightmares from Jim's new hunting duds, and some new friends.

[btroj]

It has raised my expectations. It taught me to think, to observe, to deduce a solution.

It taught me to really understand what a lube does. To understand that the moment of ignition is the most important time in the life of a bullet. To pay attention to the little things and what they are telling me.

It helped me find others with a similar interest and mindset. It taught me to ignore the naysayers, to filter out the noise from the trolls.

It taught me to find a way to make things work. To never give up.

In short, the site dent teach me much about casting or shooting directly, it did better than that. I learned how to teach myself all those things.

[Gliden07]

This site at first gave me the the information and confidence to cast and start reloading which made it reasonable to shoot again. Sometimes I tend to overthink things and stall on projects. As time went by I learned more and realized that the collective knowledge on this site is amazing! Most members on this site are very willing to give out information and suggest alternate ways that are better. I'm on a very tight budget and this is the kind of information that saves me enough money so I can actually shoot and enjoy what I like to do! I love reading the "How To Articles", the debates good and bad. The information I have gotten here even on related topics has helped me tremendously! All in all this place is a big online Family complete with the Crazy uncle and the Aunt no one wants to talk about!!

[Jon]

I've learned quite a bit here, and probably done more because of it. It's an interesting hobby, but saves (maybe) me quite a bit of money on ammo. My spending on pots, molds and ladels probably makes up for it though. :cbpour:

[RobS]

A great place with like minded folks, this forum is a network of individuals who have their own unique footprint. These footprints have created a place for individuals, including myself, to learn, communicate, assist or help and to give to one another. That is what CB as done for me and my hobby.

[nagantguy]

The know how and knowledge I've gained here and the good people I've dealt with, the good deals I've come across. This site as made my passion much more enjoyable. I would love to put a hunting trip togehter with some of the friends ive made here.

[popper]

I started shooting factory, then jacketed, then commercial cast, now just my cast. Without CB I'd still be shooting jacketed and paying through the nose for it.

[quilbilly]

CB here has made me feel like I belong to a big family that spans across the entire globe. From starting here when I was 18 till now I have always been treated with decency and respect, through all my questions and help I have been given, regardless of how much older and more experienced the folks here are. They have lead me into new projects and trying loads and ideas I never would have came up with on my own. I have doubtless spent money because of here, but I also have been saved much time, money and frustration from help I have received. I really cannot say all of the things this site has added to my enjoyment of this grand hobby we all share, but there is a reason it is the first thing I check in the morning and the last I check at night like now that I just finished working.
I wish I could have a BBQ and serve every one of the folks here a home raised angus steak for everything they have given me!
You should think about a road trip to NCBS!

[w0fms]

I'm still a noob, but I actually enjoy manufacturing ammo (Legal disclaimer: For myself only!) more than I do shooting. So this is a natural place to come to learn new things. I now just bought an on sale HF powder coating machine to play with once I get some time. (Of course the small compressor I wanted to use with it lost the pressure switch in the last two years of disuse, so like everything else I'll have to fix that first!) Love this "cutting edge" hobby stuff...

But I enjoy reloading and casting a lot and if not for this board, I would not cast and not had the boolits or bullets to shoot in the last couple of months. Thanks to the group. Love it.

[gandydancer]

I check in every day..a visit here helps keep me calm. and I learn something new every time I do. [smilie=s: MOSTLY good people. good ideas.

[searcher4851]

It's helped my hobby grow. It's provided a lot of very useful information allowing me to make more informed decisions.
It's also just a great group of folks, and I enjoy reading the posts.

[km101]

As a reloader with 35 years experience I thought I had a lot of knowledge about my hobby. Then I came here and found out how much there was to learn! And while I was here, I got bit by the casting bug and gained a new hobby. I have learned more than I ever imagined was possible, made new friends, bought a LOT of new equipment, and feel like I am part of the best board on the net! I have been on other boards that are not nearly as knowledgeable, friendly, or diverse as Cast Boolits. I feel like this board is home now.

[felix]

Prolly the most important thing that was driven home absolutely by cast boolits was the importance of gas leaks during the cartridge firing stage. Hands down, nothing else matters in the arena of INTERNAL ballistics. ... felix

[MtGun44]

Learned a whole lot, can now pretty much expect to succeed pretty quickly in
most projects. Probably spend too much time here, but feel like I want to give
back, since I have learned so much.

Still a lot to learn.

Also, made some friends here. I have visited one member (a Brit that was
living in France) a couple of times, and helped people across the globe get
some stuff that is hard to find. Lots of fun, and a nice place with 99.9%
good folks. Also got some molds from a guy in Serbia, where I had to
look at the map to find it, and he makes just wonderful tools, and I sure
would have never found him without this site. Got advice on suppressors
from a guy in New Zealand, helped with a 1911 in France, just a lot of
fun and around the whole world.

Bill

[pmer]

I had cast a couple hundred RCBS 255s before I found CB and was very wet behind the ears. I still have much to learn too. I really value the pointers on safety in the process of casting and having the right gear.

The wealth goes beyond the shooting sports, I don't think there is a question that can't be answered here. I even got help in the Chapel and every day I learn there is more and more to be thankful for.

The folks here are top notch with all the advice and experience and the owners and mods deserve an "atta boy" too!

[Adam10mm]

Learned pretty much everything I know from here and the articles on LASC. I was fortunate enough to learn by reading rather than trial and error for the most part. I think that helped me just do things right from the beginning. I already read what works, so I just went with that.

I took a break from casting for a few years but now am getting back into it and have to buy everything all over again. The only jacketed bullets in my house are in my carry gun. Once those are gone, they are gone. I'm going cast only from here on out.

[waynem34]

I learned about the tinsle fairy the painless way. I learned that I needed a star lubesizer and several tons of lead. I learned people are still nice and very generous. I learned to read and search before asking and then ask if need be. Most of all I learned this is going to be a hobby untill the day my maker calls me home. I learned I need a second job to support this hobby. It has become a habit every morning I sit down and I come here for a few minutes or beers haha which ever comes first. Thanks

[DeanWinchester]

Before I came here I was lost in the wilderness. I was casting tumble lube pistol boolits with wrinkles and using straight mule snot. I was scrubbing lube from my feed ramps and lead from my bore after every outing. I was at my lowest! I was down! I was tired! ...But I saw as it were, a Silvery Light. Shining down from above!
It spoke, like the noise of thunder, saying come and see....all these threads of information. Hear the words long posted down, dispelling myth, rumor and lies.
I was baptized in Galenic pool at 700 degrees! I came out a new man, with a clean bore and a tight grouping @ 100 yards.
In the name of the Pot, the Ladle and the Four Cavity Mold.

...and all the congregation said Amen.

[Blacksmith]

Amen!

[JeffinNZ]

There is no metallic cartridge I would take on now given the knowledge that exists here. Heaps of info on case conversion and finding the right fit etc.

[DeanWinchester]

There is no metallic cartridge I would take on now given the knowledge that exists here. Heaps of info on case conversion and finding the right fit etc.

Even an Asperly Aimless with reverse gain rifling?
LOL!

[WILCO]

I check in every day..a visit here helps keep me calm. and I learn something new every time I do. [smilie=s: MOSTLY good people. good ideas.

Same here, well said.

[canyon-ghost]

I came across an amazing lead supply here, met a lot of really nice folks. I usually read the classifieds on any site like I would a newspaper. It seems to have the same effect, reading the real world!

[nekshot]

Found a whole bunch more stuff I needed that I didn't know I needed. I knew I needed more wisdom and insight and that is here in abundance, but all these molds!!!!

[jmort]

"The only jacketed bullets in my house are in my carry gun. Once those are gone, they are gone. I'm going cast only from here on out."

Yes - got rid of the jacketed bullets and commercial cast, and am now I am "independent" self-made boolit manufacturer/user. A few thousand more primers, and a few more pounds of powder, and I will be good for the indefinite future. It will be nice to not feel the effects of "shortages" and "gougers." I'm getting real close.

[TXGunNut]

That would be like asking what my gun safe would contain if John Moses Browning had pursued a career in inventing farm implements instead of firearms.
Only answer I can give is that I'd probably be casting, just not as well or enjoying it as much. My experiences here have guided many purchases over the last few years, guess that's one of those mixed blessings. [smilie=l:

[Kraschenbirn]

I've been reloading for a bit over fifty years and casting, in some form, for going on forty and it seems I learn something new every time I log onto this forum. I've asked for...and received...help a couple time when I felt like I was in way over my head. I've improved my casting techniques and learned more about alloys and alloy mixing than I ever imagined I'd need to know. Today, my cast loads are, at least, as accurate as jacketed...more accurate in some cases...and I'm as good or better marksman as I ever was simply because I can afford to shoot more.

Bill

[Love Life]

It has made my hobby more enjoyable. I can shoot my pistols much more. No leading and shiny bores.

I have met people online I would truly call 'Friend' even though I have not met them in person.

[Adam10mm]

"The only jacketed bullets in my house are in my carry gun. Once those are gone, they are gone. I'm going cast only from here on out."

Yes - got rid of the jacketed bullets and commercial cast, and am now I am "independent" self-made boolit manufacturer/user. A few thousand more primers, and a few more pounds of powder, and I will be good for the indefinite future. It will be nice to not feel the effects of "shortages" and "gougers." I'm getting real close.
Yep. The only commercial cast are SWCs or TCs that I load for my customers. No way I could keep up for that demand by hand casting and I can't afford a machine. My FNGC ammo and my personal ammo are all cast by me. I'm even starting to cast slugs for my 20ga with a Lyman sabot mold.

[Bzcraig]

Apart from echoing the sentiments of those who have already posted, truthfully, without this site and all ya'll, I would not be casting boolits or reloading. You all gave me the confidence to step out and do it. I spent so much time lurking here it is embarrassing. I finally got to the point that I realized if I somehow got myself in a bind, someone would tell me how to loosen the knot. Thanks ladies and gents!

[jmort]

"I'm even starting to cast slugs for my 20 gauge with a Lyman sabot mold."
The 20 gauge is really making a move as a slug gun. Lot of info on the 20 gauge here int the Casting for Shotguns Forum as you know.

[khmer6]

It's has caused a hole in my pants and a divorce. Just kidding! I've met a lot of good people on here and it has reminded of how people use to be

[snuffy]

How has this forum affected my hobby? It's made it better.

I started casting back in 1974. Then it was so I could practice sillywet shooting cheaper than if I used jaxketed. I thought I pretty well had it figured out for the last 36 years! Then I found this site, found out how much I didn't know, or what I knew was wrong!

[Adam10mm]

"I'm even starting to cast slugs for my 20 gauge with a Lyman sabot mold."
The 20 gauge is really making a move as a slug gun. Lot of info on the 20 gauge here int the Casting for Shotguns Forum as you know.
I've been using 20ga slugs for the past 20 years since I started hunting. NEF single shot 20ga my grandfather bought me when I was 12yo. About 10,000 rounds through it and lots of deer, birds, squirrels, rabbits have been killed with it. Lately it's been my close range coyote option for non-fur killing. They are forest rats around here and most are mangy so they need killing.

[429421Cowboy]

You should think about a road trip to NCBS!

Oh trust me I have thought about it hard! Being in college has benefits, but also some downsides such as not being able to make it to NCBS between school and work, but I plan on going at some point no matter what it takes! I would love to have the chance to meet just a few of the many folks here I look up to. It pains me to see losing members like we have been lately it seems, every person that comes here and stays just seems like family.

[Wal']

Given me access to the greatest casting reference library around.

[gmsharps]

This site has made my quest of learning something new everyday very simple. I had reloaded and Cast for a long time and I am amazed at the expertise the members have here are are for the most part willing to share that info. This site has been my link to a normal life and has kept me focused on my goal and hope to return from the desert sometime next year. If it was not for this site I may never have been introduced to MiHa and NOE molds which I now have a box full and have yet to cast a single bullet from them. I have for many years wanted to get invloved in swaging to some degree and BT Sniper made that happen.


gmsharps

[captaint]

Most everything I have learned about casting I have learned right here. Have been able to help a few folks out. That feels good. Enough people helped me out, still do.... After reading in the black powder cartridge section, I know I'm gonna have to get involved in that. Torn between a '74 Sharps and a 1885 HighWall. I'm leaning toward the highwall right now. Now, if I could only decide if I want a 45/70 or a 40/65...... Decisions... Mike

[1Shirt]

Never fail to learn (or re-learn something I had forgotten) every time I am on line here.
1Shirt!