Future of cast bullets????

[jack19512]

This probably isn't new news but I made my rounds for wheel weights today. I've lost one of my sources today. :( Owner informed me that as of January 1st he will no longer be getting lead wheel weights. He said his distributor told him they were going to start using steel for the weights. :confused: Don't know if there is any truth to this or not, it's just what he told me. Sure glad I have been stockpiling and should have enough to do me my lifetime. Now just have to see how long it takes them to outlaw the other reloading components.

[NVcurmudgeon]

Certainly there is a future for cast boolits. But between the EPA's eagerness to regulate everything, and various Asian countries, who aren't very nice, running up the price of metals, the free wheelweight will go the way of the passenger pigeon. We are going to simply have to get used to paying for our metal. The up side to that is that we will be using purer metals with no worries about zinc or other contaminants. Some casters I know have been buying metals from Taracorp or The Antimony Man for years. I imagine they smirk when reading our tales of the zinc ogre and scraping unknown contaminants off the surfaces of our pots full of "pure" wheelweights.

[JohnH]

This probably isn't new news but I made my rounds for wheel weights today. I've lost one of my sources today. :( Owner informed me that as of January 1st he will no longer be getting lead wheel weights. He said his distributor told him they were going to start using steel for the weights. :confused: Don't know if there is any truth to this or not, it's just what he told me. Sure glad I have been stockpiling and should have enough to do me my lifetime. Now just have to see how long it takes them to outlaw the other reloading components.

Ridiculous thing is this has nothing to do with any direct law, but the fear of one. Go figure that one out.

[joeb33050]

I've shot at the Trail Glades Range in Miami for the past 7 years. Almost every Wednesday, and 1st Saturday with the muzzle loaders (about 8 of us).
Virtually every time I shoot somebody drifts by and asks what I'm shooting, why do the bullets look like that?
This range is the only (decent) range in So. FL, next 1 is at Markham Park in Ft. Lauderdale. The population served is Miami Dade, in the millions of people.
I read this and thunk about it for a while. I have met fewer than 10 people who cast or want to cast, and NONE of them is under 40. I'm 70 in a few weeks. (PM for the address to send presents)

My answer is that cast bullets is soon to be over, nobody's coming along, match numbers decrease yearly. I think that in 30-50 years, when I'm REALLY old, it will be gone.
How many on this forum are under 40?

Sorry;
joe b.

[fireflyfather]

Me. Not 40 by a good ways yet. Plan on getting my younger brother and daughter into this as well, as well as a few friends of similar age.

And I live in the PRK, so there ought to be some folks lke myself in those less anti parts of the country, too.

[pumpguy]

Forty until January. I have two daughters. One of them loves to cast and shoot and one could not care less. Hopefully my "buffalo girl" will carry on the tradition.

[kodiak1]

What is forty? That went by a while back. My grandson shows an intrest and hopefully I can keep him mesmerized for a few more years till he really gets the fever.
If not then I will have a bunch of moulds for sale!
Ken.

[mtgrs737]

I will be 52 on Friday, (PM me for the address to send presents, it's OK if their late after all it's the thought that counts!). I started when I was 20 and a poor college student. Maybe today people just have too much money.

[38 Super Auto]

...the free wheelweight will go the way of the passenger pigeon. We are going to simply have to get used to paying for our metal.

I agree and I hate to see it. Sometimes "progress" is not a good thing. I think one thing you can do now, is gather as much lead as possible.

I know in my job, all of our products are going lead free (RoHS). I tell you there is just not that much solder in modern ckt. boards with surface mount devices.

I know gun grabbers like schmuckie schummer and company are already thinking about eliminating lead as a "health hazard"

What's next? Primers are made from Lead Styphnate, right?

[Scrounger]

Well, jeez, if everybody's send gifts, mine is the 30th of this month, shared with Winston Churchill and Mark Twain.

[jonk]

I'll dig up the berm at the range when wheelweights are no longer free- until bullets, even condom types, are no longer lead based.

[jack19512]

How many on this forum are under 40?







I am almost under 40. :) I will only be 57 next February but I feel like I am 38. Does this count? [smilie=1: I will remind all of you then where you can send my gifts.

I had thought about getting into the air rifles and getting one of them for my next birthday but if I am not mistaken the pellets are lead, so I don't know what the future of air rifles will be. :roll:

[randyrat]

We casters will always find a way to get our lead and alloys and get them cheap. And as far as new casters/bullit makers my young friend next door is very interested and eager to learn also my son is interested. I plan on teaching them everything i can and help them on their way. My moto is; We must pass this hobbie on to younger people to keep the tradition going. I'm trying to do my part. You guys must be keeping the tradition, your on this web site giving advice and helping keep this hobbie going. Thank you all

[trickyasafox]

I'm 23. I think DK might even be younger than me. I agree though- everyone i meet who casts 'in the real world' is male and actually closer to mid 50s than 40. All my friends my age who shoot just don't pour there money into it like i do. Shooting and hunting is my ONLY hobby. I don't drink, not really a party animal, not into cars. Not that I have tons of money to throw around. Everything that doesn't go into my stomach or into my car's gas tank when I drive (4 months of the year) i pretty much throw at shooting.

I hope casting is just like a lot of other things- it goes in waves, and now that the price of shooting is going up, maybe my shooting buddies will take more interest. HOPEFULLY I'll just get soo good they'll try to emulate me, but in the mean time i'll bribe them with cheap boolits :)

[lawboy]

I turned 38 two weeks ago and began casting at age 35. I shoot at least one day a week, sometimes as often as 5 days a week. I have a well-appointed smelting, casting, reloading shop and members of my several gun clubs who also reload and cast come to my place to use equipment. Like others have said, I take every opportunity to get other shooters into casting and have gotten several to take the plunge and set up home shops of their own. Casting is not going to die so long as shooting itself does not die. BUT shooting may actually die. I say spend more time teaching people to enjoy shooting. The cost of shooting will lead them to casting eventually!

[Saint]

I find it extremely difficult to find people my age to shoot with and even more difficult to find people my age who cast. I just turned 24 and when people find out what I do in my spare time they give me some of the strangest looks. I guess it is not normal for people in my age group to be so into traditional muzzleloading. I usually find myself at the range with mostly men in their late 40's and up. It is all of these people that want to ban guns that are causing the problems. I have met some of the kindest most pleasant people at my local range but then some kid who was picked on growing up and thinks it is everyone elses fault goes through Trolley Square with a gun and suddenly anybody with a gun is a automatically a bad person.

[Saint]

So maybe what we need to do is get more of us casters together. With close to 4000 members that has to be more then a few per state. Who's in Utah? What city?

[Blkpwdrbuff]

Saint, I'm in Nephi.
And by the way I just turned 51. No way would I want to go back to the 30's years.
Been casting for around 27 yrs.


Blkpwdrbuff:castmine:

[jawjaboy]

Call me old fashioned(58) but these negative waves and vibes disturb me a little. Makes me ~work~ harder at amassing ww's. Hoarding, stockpiling, call it what you will. In the last 8 months I have accumulated more lead than I can shoot in my lifetime. But I continue to hoard. The "hunt" has become a sport in itself to me. The sky is'nt falling yet, just rumors of it. There's a big ol ww world out there. Get busy!(Damn the torpedoes. Full speed ahead.) :wink:

Do it for the children.

[Bad Ass Wallace]

During the "winter" months, I have free boolit casting classes for anyone who wants to travel.

As I live on a small ranch, casters are able to make boolits for their favourite rifles, load on my tools, and shoot out back on the private range over the entire weekend.

I have my own lathe & milling machine so custom expanders etc are also frabricated on site.

Throw in a saturday night shindig with good food & a few drinks and I have to prize them off the place so they will go home.

Near 80% take up casting full time.:-D

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v152/BAWallace/Pot_2.jpg

[sav300]

Bad Ass,where in Aus are you? I live near Newcastle and I cast and I shoot what I cast.
Lionel.

[Mark]

I started casting about 10 years ago when I was 25. I am 35 now and to be honest, over the past 2 years I have really got into it. I used to just cast the odd boolits because commercial cast was so cheap and available. The other issue is time. My daughter is older now where she spends more and more time with friends. Starting a career and maintaining a family are time consuming ( AND PLEASANTLY SO). As for other caster in my area, I know of 2. They are both over 50. I too am concerned about the future of casting and availability of free lead.
Mark

[msgt1030]

Saint, Blkpwdrbuff and other Utah Casters,
I am from Springville,Ut. and would be interested in meeting other casters to exchange knowledge because I am still a novice at casting.........even though I will be 57 this month! I understand that we can exchange knowledge on this GREAT web site, but I am talking about maybe something like a state club or just a group for networking.........watching others with their casting techniques. It has been my experience that when one observes somebody else casting, it can be benificial. I can use all the tips I can get.
Thank You,
Msgt1030

[Old Ironsights]

I hit 40 this thanksgiving.

Saint: I have the same problems at my rifle club. The Oldsters who do Muzzleloading & Cowboy take a very dim view of the guys whodo IDPA or any "black gun" stuff.

The IDPA guys for the most part don't reload, thoughthey shoot more than anyone else.

The shotgunners frown at everybody who soesn't have a fancy double.

Me? I do a little bit of all of it. I cast for my main guns (.357) and reload plated/condoms for my gaming guns.

I also collect and hoard. I have 4 un-smelted buckets and hope to pick up a couple more here in December... as $15 each.

[HollandNut]

I was 50 in September , late presents are accepted .. I am the only one I know who casts , most people wont get into casting with the increases in costs , they dont shewt anyways , more than a box a year ..

I been at it for abt thirty years , and love it .. I been hoarding raw metals for years as I need it , plus some , never have too much , helps that I have a friend who owns a recycling outfit ...

[LeadThrower]

I'll remain 36 until next August. I've only recently gotten into casting (this year) but I'm having a great time, when time allows. I have a friend that I'm trying to get interested in reloading and then casting, though don't know of anyone else in the area. From reading these posts, it sounds like there might be some interest in local/regional casting groups? I'm not a member of the CBA so I don't know; do they organize such local groups? If they do, I'll gladly pay the dues and join. Anyway, I'd be interested in meeting folks in the Denver metro area, although I can tell you right now I'm on the bottom of the learning curve and would be doing a lot of listening vs. talking.

[MT Gianni]

So maybe what we need to do is get more of us casters together. With close to 4000 members that has to be more then a few per state. Who's in Utah? What city?

My daughter lives outside SLC and I have a brother there also although he is TD Iraq currently. Daughter is giving birth in Feb and we may get down for Christmas to see her also. i will PM you if I do. Gianni

[Captain Midnight]

Some on you know that I sell non-lead bullets and ammunition. I cast lead. Here in PA the flintloack season is coming up and the Lee REAL bullet is the cat's pajamas in a 66" twist round ball muzzleloader. The 6.5 cruise missle makes my 96 & 38 sing.
I sell at gun shows. In the past 6 months my projectile sales have fallen to almost nothing and my ammo sales have only slightly risen. The same is true for the web site. The high prices that have developed are freezing sales.
Have you tried to buy primers lately? Some are not available at any price. My one supplier now gets them from Germany. Buy ALL you can afford as soon as you can. Brass is just as bad.
The ammo business is changing at a tremendous rate. There is a large gap of shooters in the 30-40 age bracket. The new young shooters use "black rifles" and pistols in 9 - 40- 45. Revolver shooters are all in their 50's/60's. I am 62. As soon as I sell my stock in 357/44/45LC, I will no longer carry it. It doesn't sell well.
I tell you all this as when you go to the next show look to see what is being purchased at firearms and ammo tables. Lead bullets may not be available at some shows. I saw two vendors at Indy 1500 that are retiring their lead bullet business. I know of four producers here in PA that have closed.
The business is changing. The same conglomerate that bought Chrysler owns Remington.
Cheap ammo and components are gone forever. Big oil has successfully raised petrol prices and big ammo is going to do the same. Don't let it make you a "nut", successfully adjust. If we get new shooters to like what we do, we can give our great-grandchildren a chance to enjoy our neat hobby.
Thanks for letting me vent.
Captain

[45nut]

Haven't seen you here in sometime Capt. Good to know you are still around and poking holes in stuff.

[bhp9]

The problems have started quite a few years back when the printing companies went to hot type. Linotype metal today is very hard to come by and not cheap anymore.

Wheel-weights in the old days used to actually have some tin in them. No more, necessitating adding some expensive tin or linotype to the mix when casting smaller diameter bullets for a good fill out.

When the price of lead becomes almost as high as buying jacketed bullets casting will be pretty much a thing of the past. Lets face facts, casting is a lot of work and the older you get the more work it becomes. When the price of casting comes to close to buying bullets, casting will become extinct for the most part.

Some will cast bullets no matter how high lead becomes or how hard it is to get because some guns were made in very odd calibers and casting a lead bullet to fit the bore is your only alternative save buying very expensive custom made jacketed bullets, some of which are only crudely sized down larger bullets. I know as I have a German 8x57 "J" bore rifle and it shoots cast bullets better than the sized down jacketed bullets.

[redgum]

I turned 43 this year and I cast my first bullet in 1988 at age 24.
These days most "shooter's" in their 20's are not even remotely interested in casting.
They look at me and you can see them thinking....."why?"

[Captain Midnight]

Haven't seen you here in sometime Capt. Good to know you are still around and poking holes in stuff.

I look in every so often...... Times are busy..... All slows down Jan.... will cast all sorts of sizes in large groups, load........ sort, tumble & size a bunch of once-fired range brass....... look for customers via email to training range businesses..... drink coffee.... sleep late..... shoot steel indoors at the club, frangible non-lead of course, and just enjoy not goin' to the 8 to 5 anymore.......
Other than that I have no plans......

Captain

[waksupi]

We have a lot of cast boolit shooters in this area, between the ML, BPCR, and Schutzen crowds. Just can't seem to get them away from thier casting pots, to waste thier time here.
I started casting when I was 19 for my Bedford County rifle. I'm coming up on 54 soon, so, let's see. Carry the two, move down the naught, and that makes uh...., uh..., quite awhile!

[gregg]

We have a lot of cast boolit shooters in this area, between the ML, BPCR, and Schutzen crowds. Just can't seem to get them away from thier casting pots, to waste thier time here.
I started casting when I was 19 for my Bedford County rifle. I'm coming up on 54 soon, so, let's see. Carry the two, move down the naught, and that makes uh...., uh..., quite awhile!

About the same story here. I'm 54 started casting around 19 for a CVA kit pistol and a 1851 CB in 44. SOooo glad I did. Turn 21 and bought a SBH 44 mag ruger. Sill have them all. SBH spent most of its life used as a 44 Spl. Made a great target and small game hunting gun that way. On and on it goes. Let me tell you all somthing I have found out. the girls for some reason love to cast. My wife though it was the bee knees. She has pasted and now the GF I have thinks it just neet. shiny stream and making shiny sliver bullets. Point don't leave out the girls. Might be our future hope in the game.

[Bad Ass Wallace]

Bad Ass,where in Aus are you? I live near Newcastle and I cast and I shoot what I cast.
Lionel.
Kingaroy, SE Queensland

[hydraulic]

It is reassuring to learn that our ANZAC comrades still retain their right to arms, with the increasing pressure against our USA freedoms.

[38 Super Auto]

...In the last 8 months I have accumulated more lead than I can shoot in my lifetime. But I continue to hoard. The "hunt" has become a sport in itself to me.

jawjaboy,

I am in the same boat. I thought I had a lifetime supply a few years ago. Then I did some calculations. I'm on the hunt again.

[snowwolfe]

Casting is like a lot of the shooting sports. Every year fewer and fewer take up the hobbie.
I am 54 and learned the basics of casting from a kind older gentleman who lived my neighborhood. Nowadays (unfortunately) most would consider him a pedofile due to how much time he spent with us teaching us how to cast, lube, and shoot!
A kinder and more generous man didnt exist, and Tony Ross of Scottdale Pa if you are reading this from heaven. I want to thank you for what you taught me.
Now, back to the point.
Casting may be a inexpensive way to obtain bullets but it is expensive to start.
First you need to make sure you have a supply of metal before you even go any further. Add the prices for a sizer/luber and a couple of molds and the melting pot, ladle, gas checks, etc and you can easily spend close to $1,000 if you want to take the quality route.
Many of you have sources for alloy, most of us do not. All the alloy I managed to scrape together I had to purchase commerically. I am in the process of finishing up gathering what I need for casting and sizing and it is not cheap to get started.
Why am I doing it? Because I want to be able to make bullets to practice with and enjoy the satisfaction that I made the bullets myself. I think most casters are "thrifty" (cheap ********, lol). I am not cheap but I do like to spend my money wisely.
Sometimes I think it is cheaper to just order 10-15 boxes of bullets from an online reloading source and call it a day. But other days I realize once the equipment is purchased I may be saving money down the road. Even if the price of alloy continues to climb so will the cost of bullets so I hope I can still save money by learning the craft.
Now, if I could only find a source for these imaginary wheelweights.....................

[Saint]

Casting is like a lot of the shooting sports. Every year fewer and fewer take up the hobbie.
I am 54 and learned the basics of casting from a kind older gentleman who lived my neighborhood. Nowadays (unfortunately) most would consider him a pedofile due to how much time he spent with us teaching us how to cast, lube, and shoot!
A kinder and more generous man didnt exist, and Tony Ross of Scottdale Pa if you are reading this from heaven. I want to thank you for what you taught me.
Now, back to the point.
Casting may be a inexpensive way to obtain bullets but it is expensive to start.
First you need to make sure you have a supply of metal before you even go any further. Add the prices for a sizer/luber and a couple of molds and the
melting pot, ladle, gas checks, etc and you can easily spend close to $1,000 if you want to take the quality route.
Many of you have sources for alloy, most of us do not. All the alloy I managed to scrape together I had to purchase commerically. I am in the process of finishing up gathering what I need for casting and sizing and it is not cheap to get started.
Why am I doing it? Because I want to be able to make bullets to practice with and enjoy the satisfaction that I made the bullets myself. I think most casters are "thrifty" (cheap ********, lol). I am not cheap but I do like to spend my money wisely.
Sometimes I think it is cheaper to just order 10-15 boxes of bullets from an online reloading source and call it a day. But other days I realize once the equipment is purchased I may be saving money down the road. Even if the price of alloy continues to climb so will the cost of bullets so I hope I can still save money by learning the craft.
Now, if I could only find a source for these imaginary wheelweights.....................

Casting for muzzleloaders is dirt cheap.
I was one of those cheap ********. I found a CVA aluminum mould for 10 dollars in the bargain bin at sports authority and believe it or not I actually went months without handles or a ladle because my local gun shop kept forgetting to order them. I was using a mangled kitchen spoon and holding the mould with welding gloves while scooping lead out of a cast iron frying pan on an electric hotplate. Once I learned to cast properly I found out just how hot the mould needs to be and realized that even with welding gloves I should not have been able to hold it for that long. Furthermore, electric hotplates just don't get hot enough in my opinion. Maybe thats why my first rounds looked like lead raisins.

[fireflyfather]

Revolver shooters are all in their 50's/60's.

Wrong by at least 20 years. Some of us younger folks prefer wheelguns. Some of us even like bolt action guns made before you 60 year olds were born. (I cast for my 1943 Izzy).

[testhop]

40 heck i cant remember that long ago i got sox older than that
i will be 76 in feb

[Misfire99]

Even if lead is unavailable and powder is also gone. I will still shoot. It will have to be muzzle loader with hand made round stones and home made black powder but I will still shoot. Actually hunting with home made black powder and a patched hand made round stone sounds like fun to me.

In the early days of this country people didn't buy powder they made it. I have been looking into it and it's not that hard. The most important part is making good charcoal. The saltpeter can be made from animal dung. And you can use sulfur if you want but it's not really needed to make the powder go boom. What are the antis going to do? Pass a law making it illegal for your dogs to poop in the back yard? For those that don't know if you have seen a dog dropping that has a bunch of white stuff on it that's the salt peter.

In the early days of this country a farm would have a pit that it's animal dung would go in to make the saltpeter for their powder. As I think about it I suspect I could make a grinding setup that would produce stone balls. Drop in a rock and crank the handle for awhile then out comes your bullet. Then I guess we would have a stone balls forum.

As for the sport of marksmanship changing it always has. In the forties the only people that shot cap and ball where the ones that all they had was grandpa's old cap and ball. There were no Italian firearms. But that changed a few decades ago. Things always change.

[ebner glocken]

Well, I'm 33 and have been casting for a number of years. There is help, I assume this is the support group.
Most of the reaction I get from people at the club that see me shooting my own cast is "don't you have to be 100 to do that?". These guys are usually in their 50s.
The irritating reaction I get is that look like I do this because I can't afford to shoot jacketed bullets. Yea, you caught me. There's a fair ammount worth of guns and optics sitting in front of me at the range and I can't afford a box of sierras. People can be unbelivable at times.

[686]

so what is your take on lead becomming short.? zink, steel WW, no lead. like one person said on here, he stores his lead in a dirt burm. get all you can now it is getting harder to find. oh yes HAPPY BIRTH DAY TO ALL YOU OLD FA****.

[BudRow]

I am 57 and probably have enough WWs & Lead to last my lifetime but that is only because I reclaim all my cast projectiles from my range on my property. I have made effective bullet traps and no lead escapes them. Scrounging lead is still fun.

[shotstring]

I'm 58 now, and when I started out doing a lot of shooting and casting in the late 70's in Los Angeles, it was a shooters Mecca. One of the best gun shows in the country twice a year and 5 or 6 giant gun stores that were booming. Early on I worked at B & B Sales, National and Pachmeyers, a few of the largest. I watched them close the public shooting areas over the years, all but shut down the gun shows, and now there are only 1 or 2 gun small stores in the entire L.A. area to my knowledge, (although I don't live there anymore).

I now live in duck and goose Mecca of the entire west coast, with 5 government refuges located within bicycling distance. The farmers aren't leaving rice out in the fields anymore after harvesting, and the flyway is changing due to lack of food and global warming. The bird quantities are dwindling more and more every year.

Add all this to the increased cost of hunting licenses, the lack of male deer in the state, the high cost of shooting components and you are nourishing a pretty serious problem.
Boolit casters are on the fringe of a declining sport, and when ever I should happen to die, I don't know of any family member or relative that would be interested in inheriting the guns, reloading or casting equipment I have for any reason other than to sell them for whatever money they would happen to bring.

Whooaaa....didn't mean to get so bleak, but with adding constricting legislation to an already growing problem does not bode well for the shooting sports. Enjoy it while you can.

[fireflyfather]

when ever I should happen to die, I don't know of any family member or relative that would be interested in inheriting the guns, reloading or casting equipment I have for any reason other than to sell them for whatever money they would happen to bring.

I would gladly make the trip to LA to inherit your WW stash, should that sad day ever arrive.
;)

I plan to put away enough lead for my lifetime, and if possible, my daughter's. Just think, all those used WW might very well save someone's life someday. Could be hers! Seriously, we need to preserve this heritage.

[joeb33050]

So it is clear that I was absolutely correct, and therefore deserve ALL the presents!!!! My birthday is 1/1/08, do NOT be concerned about sending presents either early or late-although early is better. For a copy of my 416 page wish list, send me your address.
Send NO gifts to these other guys-they were wrong!!!
joe b.

[Ghugly]

Been doing my part to pass on the knowledge. Truth is, it's a little like Tom Sawyer whitewashing a fence. They get to learn how to cast so they can shoot cheaply and I get a bunch of boolits cast......works for me. It usually starts out as, "What are you shooting?"

"44 special."

"Cool, bullets expensive?"

"No, not at all. I reload for, perhaps, $2 a box."

(long pause) "Really?"
"Sure, (fish is on the line) I was going to cast some tonight, come on by and I'll show you how."

On a good night, I not only get boolits, but some cases preped and some cartridges loaded. Of course, I have to supervise and fetch the ocasional soda.

I've been casting and loading, off and on, since the late '60's early '70's. I really haven't seen much of a change in people. They still seem to get a kick out of shooting what they load themselves.

[gregg]

Lead bullets are cheap????;-(:-(
What I have spent on group buy molds here would of kept me in jacketed bullets for a life time I think. (have not done the math) I think there has to be over twenty of them red boxs on the shelf??? More on the way yet.
Guy might be force to buy a Low wall in 22 hornet and cast for that with Mag shot and tin bought at the store. What ever I know I will keep shooting.
What shocks me is my kids are not into it like I was at there age???? Oldest boy is some but the youngest woud just as soon shoot and brag about it with as less work as possable. Don't know???:-(

[Saint]

So it is clear that I was absolutely correct, and therefore deserve ALL the presents!!!! My birthday is 1/1/08, do NOT be concerned about sending presents either early or late-although early is better. For a copy of my 416 page wish list, send me your address.
Send NO gifts to these other guys-they were wrong!!!
joe b.

Your b-day is on 1/1/2008. Pretty impressive to be writing a book before being born.[smilie=1: Just kidding, let us know how it goes and where we can get us a copy. Just being written by a fellow Cast Boolits member would make it worth buying.

[Namerifrats]

I just turned 27. Been casting for 6 months, been into reloading my own for 8 months, been into firearms for about a year and a half. So I've quickly progressed into the hobby from owning only a 22 rifle given to me by my grandfather before he died, to having 24 guns total now and have several more on the list to get, as well and a pretty decent reloading setup and casting equipment and about 1,300 of lead ingots.

[joeb33050]

Your b-day is on 1/1/2008. Pretty impressive to be writing a book before being born.[smilie=1: Just kidding, let us know how it goes and where we can get us a copy. Just being written by a fellow Cast Boolits member would make it worth buying.

The Second Edition of the book "CAST BULLETS FOR BEGINNER AND EXPERT" is complete.
This has gone from under 100 to 496 pages produced by well over 140 contributors, and is a non-profit enterprise.
Any excess of money will go to Rudi Prusok and the ASSRA archives, a wonderful resource for gun info.
A WORD copy with all EXCEL workbooks and ERRATA is available at no charge on http://sports.groups.yahoo.com/group/CB-BOOK/, in FILES.
WORD and Adobe Acrobat .pdf copies of the book, with EXCEL workbooks and ERRATA on a CD are available delivered for $5.
Printed copies, through cafepress.com, are available at $27.
For the CD or printed copy send cash, check or M.O. to:
Joe Brennan
11 Sombrero Blvd., #16
Marathon, FL 33050

I don't know if the management objects to this being here, if so, just delete it.
joe b.

[jerryv]

I just turned 66 today and see very few casters left in either muzzloading or with modern guns, and if you look at the people joining the CBA no real growth there either.

[jawjaboy]

I just turned 66 today and see very few casters left in either muzzloading or with modern guns, and if you look at the people joining the CBA no real growth there either.

Aww heck Jerry! I joined this year. That's ONE more. :wink: Very good value, information, and excellent reading IMHO.

[mtgrs737]

Aww heck Jerry! I joined this year. That's ONE more. :wink: Very good value, information, and excellent reading IMHO.

I joined them this year too, I've been casting pistol boolits since the mid seventies because of poverty of being a college student. I had a brother inlaw that took me to a old retired railroad guy's back porch reloading shop on west 1st street in Newton, Kansas. The guys name was Clarence Eason and he was the only reloading shop in the area, he liked young folks and I always enjoyed visiting with him. He got me set up with a new RCBS Rockchucker press and a used set of 38 spl. dies and some of his home cast wadcutter bullets ($1.75 per 100) and a modified Lee plastic powder dipper that measured 3 gr. of Red Dot ($4.50 lb.). It wasn't long before he couldn't keep up with my appetite for his cast bullets, and don't you know he sold me a Lee 4lb. Bullet Caster pot, Lyman ladle, a lyman wc mould, and Lyman 450 lubersizer (crazy as a fox that old guy). It wasn't long before the equipment didn't owe me a thing as I turned out thousands of bullets and even sold some.

Clarence wasn't in it for the money, he just enjoyed the hobby and the young folks that it brought to his door.

Young folks today have many other diversions to take their time like video games and tv, and computers they are missing out on some of the fun things in life.

[jdhenry]

I think this is the future of cast boolits:)



5364

[buck1]

HOW DOES IT GO ? I am old enugh to know better but too young to care!
I was lucky, Few casters here anymore so in two years of searching, I am set for life with lead and my kids too.
BUT I CAN NEVER MOVE FROM HERE! MOVING THAT LEAD WOULD KILL TEN GOOD MEN EVEN MAKING SMALL TRIPS!! LOL

[Ricochet]

Jeremy, I hope that little cutie with the '94 Marlin has earplugs in!

[jdhenry]

I wont let her shoot without them:) She has her own pair of ear muffs but was letting her younger cousin use them that day. So she used some of my ear plugs.

[BudRow]

What about safety glasses? I don' see them.

[Ricochet]

Excellent point! In the past year I've been stung several times by flying debris hitting my face around my glasses. And hit once in the leg a year and a half or so ago by a ricocheting .44 Walker boolit, which bruised my leg after hitting a baggy blue jean leg hanging in front of it, and would've been really dangerous to catch in the eye.

[bootsnthejeep]

Let's see, I'm 28 now. And I guess I'm one of the anomolies you speak of. :-D

Been shooting since I was 5. Got a .22 Chipmunk Rifle for my sixth birthday and still have that thing. (I'm working on a 6" butt stock extension so I can shoot it again!)

The Old Man, after graduationg SMVTI's Automotive Mechanics course moved to California to be a foreign car mechanic in the late 50s early 60s. Got into "combat shooting" about the time some guy named Jeff Cooper was making the rounds introducing clubs to the sport. [smilie=1: The Old Man started casting 45 ACP slugs out of Hensley and Gibbs moulds (bought in person from the proprietor, no less) on a Coleman stove in a cast iron skillet behind the garage where he worked where, naturally, he had a large supply of free wheelweights.

I grew up in Northern Maine, where we could literally step out the back door and shoot without so much as a phone call from the neighbors. I thought everyone shot, handloaded ammo, and fixed everything, and I mean EVERYTHING that broke in the house or on the vehicles themselves.

Consequently, I don't know many people my age that think about things like I do.

I own almost exclusively wheelguns. The only automatics I own are standard classics, a Ruger Standard .22 and two 1911s. I'll get a Glock someday, but that will be about it for the bottomfeeders. Everything else I have is a Ruger single action or a Smith double action, or digests blackpowder. I love revolvers, but I am in the minority among my shooting friends. My rifles are mostly lever actions or military surplus bolt guns.

Its hard enough explaining to "non-believers" why you'd collect guns and shoot every weekend, unless you're some nut hiding from the black helicopters. <cue strange looks> Then you stir in the fact that you load your own ammo as well, and they really start to wonder about you.

But these are the same people who will spend hundreds of dollars on a damn cell phone or an IPod or some other idiotic needless gadget, devoting large portions of their mind to rap lyrics and what night which brainless reality show is on, but I'M the weird one. Riiiight. They can tell you lots of stuff that could never possibly do them, or any one else, any good. I don't care what Britney's sister is going to name her kid. Why do you??

Anyway, I've used the old man's reloading equipment for years and years, doing 357s a thousand at a time while I was home on school vacation, running out 358156s, lubing on a an old Lyman lubrisizer (with ancient lube oozing out everywhere, and occasionally even where its supposed to), and shelling them out in a Herters single stage press, or in later years a Dillon XL650.

Dad doesn't cast much anymore, so I've been bequeathed most of his moulds (with several nice H&Gs), and have a few Dillon presses of my own now. I'm just getting back into casting with my own equipment (just finished a new ingot mould this evening), got to start casting about for a sizer.

And of course, trying to gather up wheelweights wherever I can.

Ghughly, I had that very same exchange at the range last weekend, when someone saw my Smith Model 21 and thought it was a 38. They balked when I told em it was a 44 special, and I got a "jeez, you must be going broke buying ammo" looking at my stack of 200 rounds of test ammo. Then I told them that this stack was just experimental stuff, when I found something I like I'd REALLy start shooting.

Wish I could figure out a way to load 22 LR. That's the only factory ammo I buy anymore.

Boots

[kycrawler]

i live in central indiana and it is pretty grim around here , there is only 1 gunshop remaining in the county i live in and i can think of at least 8 10 years ago , I shoot at a small gun club every weekend but there are only about 6-8 out of a few hundred members that regularly attend . I have been casting for a few years ( i m 28 ) and mainly got into it because i like to shoot at with 2 young children i cant afford to shoot as much as i want to buying commercial ammo . I cant even get anyone interested enough in casting to come give it a try . I am planning on opening a gunshop within the next year in an addition on the shop beside my house (i live in a rural area and am an auto mechanic with my home work shop ) to atleast make some shooting supplies available to the locals who are interested .

[Springfield]

Well, I am 51 and have been reloading since I was 17 when I bought my first .303 British rifle. Only started casting 5 years ago due to a shortage of cheap 45 Colt bullets in the area. My wife and I started Cowboy Action Shooting and couldn't afford to buy commercial ammo. Plus I tend to do my own work anyway. As for tehlead supply, it has dried up some due to the battery companies buying back the weights from the tire companies. I used to have 4 tire shops give me the weights but I am down to one. Just melted down 12 buckets of weights last month, won't so that again, really have to do only 6 at a time. I am hoping the 4000 lbs I have now will last me through the rest of my life and into my kids life. That's if lead bullets don't get outlawed, already doing that in areas of California. Funny, young people aren't very interesting. Most of the cowboy shooters, reloaders, bullet casters, even most of the people at the beekeepers meetings are over 50. If it weren't for us old farts the world would lose most of the interesting hobbies. People need to get out of their house and out from in front of the TV and video games and get a life.

[38 Super Auto]

i live in central indiana and it is pretty grim around here , there is only 1 gunshop remaining in the county i live in .

Kycrawler, where are you in IN? I live a little North of Kokomo? I'd like to see you open a new shop. We have one real shop in town, but it has shrunk considerably.

[lordgroom]

I'm 37. Haven't started casting yet but I am gathering the equipment and wheel weights. Anyone else from NJ?

[hunter64]

I live in Northern Canada where the gun laws are horrific. I have a Wildlife Officer that lives 6 houses down from me and he said that the hunters have dropped nearly 40% in the last 10 years. I guess the major draw back is all the red tape that one now has to jump thru to even own a firearm, more people have moved into the bigger cities and the Family Farm's are going bye bye. The kids that grew up on the farm are no longer staying on the farm to keep the tradition going, stay on the farm and be in debt the rest of your life and eager out an existence or move to the city and make 100,000 with no debt. So the hunting tradition is slowly going, the firearms are going out of favor with all the negative publicity generated by one nut ball here and there that take out 20 people, and of course the red tape involved even owning a rifle. Like others have said, the majority of people that I know that cast are over 40 and I am closing in on 45. I have stock piled lead for a few years now but I am always looking for more when ever I can get it.

[Swamprat1052]

I wont ever see 50 again, heck I wont ever see 55 again. lol. We do need to bring more young people into the sport. I see fewer and fewer folks out there all the time. Here in the Peoples Republic of CA the gun and game laws are getting tougher by the minute it seems. With this lead bullet ban in the condor range and its only gonna get worse. We still have lots of folks shooting at the range, but its only because they are so few and far between. And I know its getting harder all over too, not just here. I am from North La and East Texas and its getting worse back there, nothing like here but its not like it was when I was growing up. Everyone hunted, and fished and everyone owned guns and used them. I started reloading when I was about 17 and have been dabbling in it ever since. I dont know what I'd do with myself if I had to quit or we lost our rights to own guns. It's worrisome to me like I know it is to everyone.

All we can do is keep on keeping on and introducing as many people as we can to it. Especially young folks, if you can find some interested.

Swamprat

[Wicky]

I am closer to 50 than 40 at 47! Been casting since I was about 25. Most of the blokes up my way buy their cast bullets rather than make their own. Been guilty of it myself especially feed ing the 45 Colt for Western Action. You get a sense of acomplishment casting your own and getting as good or better results than comercial projectiles.
Ww's are getting like hens teeth here. The tyre places return them.
I am in the process of having some lymans #2 made up in Adelaide - $300 for 50 kilos + $80 freight Woo Hoo!!

[testhop]

40 hell i got socks older than that i will be 76 next mo i have my nefewin to shooting so he is casting out of need but he is going at it whole hog

[lovedogs]

I don't think casting will ever die out completely; there are just too many people out there that are always interested in "doing their own thing". Just like many of us on this site that aren't satisfied with, or just want to do their own thing, and make their own "toys". Like those of you who make your own moulds and other things that are normally factory items. There will always be people who coming up with something ingenious. Shooting itself seems to be slowed way down but will never die completely. Gun shop owners tell me they see few young people in their shops. A friend who works at Saeco tells me mould sales are way down and casting is sort of becoming a lost art. Many will just buy from commercial casters. As with all shooting functions, things do slow down from time to time... but they never die out completely.

[johnho]

I'm 62 and started casting about 3 years ago. I am not so worried about the source of lead for making bullets, that's just a function of price now, but there are starting to be rumblings of some ranges banning lead bullets all together. While they seem to be confined to indoor ranges, one outdoor range I belong to has even "offered" that maybe they should ban lead bullets so they don't have to go through the hassle of tracking the lead. Of course some of those indoor ranges banning lead are also banning any reloads-wonder why? $$$$$$$?

I see the long term trend as banning lead all together and that is what bothers me most. Hopefully I will be able to shoot lead until I can't shoot anymore but some the the young folks on this board may not be so lucky.

John

[Texasflyboy]

How many on this forum are under 40?

As the subtitle says, I think people like Jay Leno (the talk show host) may have one of the answers to our declining numbers.

Jay has long been a proponent of re-introducing the trades into High School curricula.

How many of us here over the age of 40 (as I am) grew up in towns where carpentry, welding, small engine repair, and others were offered in school? Mine certainly did. I started in the 7th grade with leather shop and carpentry, and ended up welding and rebuilding small block chevy engines in 12th grade. It's no wonder the dwindling amongst our numbers might be attributed to less and less of a focus on mechanical skills and more of a focus on "other" skills. Which is precisely what Jay Leno laments... these skills are not a focus in the schools anymore. Graduates who want a career in the trades receive almost no help from the public school system, its mostly done after High School on their own dime.

For me at least, taking the trades courses had zero effect on my career path, as my friends wrongly predicted. I went on to college, and even made good money taking odd jobs welding, car repair, and other trades skills (carpentry for one).

I've tried over the years to get other shooters interested in casting and reloading. But what I've found, at least in my experience, is less and less of the younger folks have the inherent mechanical aptitude that we all seem to share. The younger generation(s) certainly have the thumb dexterity I never had (Play Station, etc...) but as for swinging a double bit axe, or honing its edge to razor edge, they're clueless. At least 90% of the folks I introduce to casting end up buying their bullets from the gunshow and lose interest quickly.

I've tried to do my part. My kids toys are mostly wood, glue, and string. My nephew at 11 swings a custom made double bit axe (made by me) that has an edge you can shave with. When most kids pull out a gameboy to pass idle time, he may on occasion, pull out his case stockman and take to whittling. He owns a gameboy, but is interested and encouraged to acquire other skills beyond thumb dexterity.

The kind of person I always wanted to be when I grew up was exemplified by Richard Proenneke, who was the subject of Sam Keiths' produced book One Man's Wilderness: An Alaskan Odyssey (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Proenneke) (ISBN 0-88240-513-6), based on Proenneke's journals and photography.

I've often thought that were he alive today he would be a poster on these very boards....

[bootsnthejeep]

Well said and Amen. Especially the Dick Proenneke bit. Ever try to explain to someone why he's so great only to get the blank stare of non-comprehension or abject horror? Its depressing. The man was a testament to what men of this country used to be. Don't see many people stepping up to fill his shoes anytime soon.

[crabo]

I teach autobody in a high school. I was talking about all the different hammers we use and I asked a class of 30 how many could take two 2x4s and nail them together. Only about 6 raised their hands. I asked all my classes and it was the same. I went to Home Depot, bought a bunch of 2x4s, a 50 pound box of 12D nails, and I made all the kids hammer nails and 2x4s together. They loved it. I made a contest out of it and to the student that could hammer the most nails in a 2x4 in 60 seconds, I bought them a coke and a bag of chips.

A lot of the kids live with their moms, or in apartments, or have dads that are not mechanically inclined. They just have no experience with working with tools. The Hispanics are different, a lot of them start working young and have some working skills. One of the things that I have learned is that a lot of the kids will rise to the challenge, and learn the skills, but they will also sit down and play video games if you give them a choice.

One of the most gratifying things to me is to have graduate students come back and tell me the sucess they are having, making a living, and staying out of trouble. My goal is to take a kid that gets in trouble a lot, teach him some skills and to get him working where he is paying taxes so I can draw my SS when I retire.

The no child left behind has really hurt vocational education. It has cut the federal funding in our district by quite a bit. It really amazes me that educators do not, for the most part, value training kids to go to work. We all need people in our lives that can fix things, even those of us who are pretty handy with our hands.

Crabo