Diying breed

[Tenbender]

I can understand why casting is dying. The time and expense is moving people to jacketed bullets. Lead is not like it use to be. The cost is too much.
I have tried to compensate by telling myself my time is not as much as the investment.
I was wrong.
You find the lead. You make the ingots. You cast the boolits. You size the boolit's . You PC or lube the boolit's. Then you shoot and shoot until you find something that works.


Bill

[waksupi]

Some just don't ever figure out how to do it. It's better for you to quit now, if you don't have the enthusiasm to make it work. Since all my rifles have been shooting only cast for 20+ years, they hold groups of under 1.5" at 100 yards, kill deer, elk, bear, and buffalo just fine, I'm satisfied. Go forth, and enjoy the jacketed bullets. There is already enough competition for the lead. You are destined to be a reloader, rather than a handloader.

[crackers]

I like shooting small clusters with power coated range scrap. It takes lots of hours. At least it shows my ability to improve.

It's all about what you like - some are artistic, some mechanical.

[tigweldit]

I have been casting and reloading for well over 50 years. I love to see how accurate I can get my firearms with what I make. I enjoy the casting,reloading and the shooting. I do not like mowing grass!

[JimmyTheDentist]

I can understand why casting is dying . . .

You guys are just passing time with no future in sight.

I like playing Pedal steel guitar. It takes lots of hours . . .

Bill

some of us like to play drums and drink scotch and smoke cigars and obviously so much more.

we can do all those things and also find the time to smelt/cast/size/lube/load/shoot . . . and shoot well.

here in NY State it will become increasingly difficult to acquire factory loads . . . any ammo, really . . . and so this "hobby", i contend, is more a necessity than a pastime.

around here the craft is very far from dying. your perception that "Lead is not like it use to be" is a testament to the steady demand for it by us enthusiasts.

like waksupi says, "Go forth, and enjoy the jacketed bullets". take your glum perspective and leave us in peace to pass the time with our own bright futures in sight.

J the D

[Artful]

So any of the animals that died with my cast boolits would if they could testify to the effectiveness - That you are not able to make your cast boolits work for you is a pity tis true but you alone must decide if you want to continue or go to J-words, it's after all whatever makes you happy.

[RobS]

So any of the animals that died with my cast boolits would if they could testify to the effectiveness - That you are not able to make your cast boolits work for you is a pity tis true but you alone must decide if you want to continue or go to J-words, it's after all whatever makes you happy.

And there you go. If it isn't working for you and you are not wanting to pursue any longer that pretty much covers it. Be safe as you continue shooting though.

[Chris24]

If you're not having fun, it's OK to stop. I know people who tried reloading and hated it. I got my first press from one of them. I loved it right away. I've been loading jacketed for years, but just started casting. It's the most fun I've had since I started reloading. Keep on with the pedal steel; I'd love to be able to do that. I play guitar and bass, but never got that good at it.

[olafhardt]

For years I have been of the opinion that most of the procedures on this forum are to complicated and expensive. I never smelt or cast ingots and only osassionally size. All of my equipment is Lee. Typically I throw a few hands full of wheel weights into a Lee four pound pot, dip clips, maybe repeat if pot is low, get it all melted, add some sugar to flux and coagulate the dross. I then add chicken feed and wood shaveings, stir it with a wooden stick,skim, throw in some soldier and start ladleing boolits. I them loob them up with mule snot (love that term)and they're done. I seldom cast as many as 200 boolits at a time. A lot of casters, reloaders and shooters seem to be real anal types with magnum OCD. When it quits being fun I quit. Have fun with the j-words and comercial cast boolits. Live your life your way.

[milkman]

My son feels the same way you do. I just cut him out of my will and left all my worldly possessions to the Prophet.

[GhostHawk]

By all means if you find you'd rather mow the grass, then get out and go mow.

Me I'd rather cast and pay a neighbor to mow my grass.

I don't smelt a lot, I have a stack of small ingots next to my Lee Dipper pot. When it is gone I am done until I take some big range lead ingots, add a bit of tin, and turn it all into small ingots. Once I have the raw materials it is up to me, what I feel like doing if I feel like doing anything.

Not everyone is in this game to try to create a cast bullet that is better than a Jacketed.

Take my .223 for example, I can reload with jacketed, at 7 cents each. Or I can use a Lee "Bator" Mold to cast .223. I don't try to push those to jacketed velocity. Probably be a mess if I did. But over 4 -5 grains of Red Dot they make a perfectly acceptable substitute for .22 LR. They are accurate enough to kill any rabbit, squirrel or ground hog to at least 100 yards and probably farther.
Best part, at 55 grains each the lead cost to pour these is almost nil. So I do have a mold, sizer die investment to pay off as fast or as slow as I choose. At 55 grains, 127 bullets per pound, I paid just over a dollar a pound for range lead. So penny a piece for lead and another to pay off the mold/sizer. Looks like something like 600 bullets and we are in effect, shooting for free.

2 cents a bullet, 3 cents a primer, 1 cents worth of powder, pretty cheap plinking ammo. Add another 3 cents for gas check if I want them to go a little faster.

Its all what you enjoy, if you don't enjoy this, get out quick.

[randyrat]

Time is relevant, lead is still cheap and pride of making your own is priceless.

You just won't shoot as much with Jacketed and your at the wimp of ammo companies.

[EDK]

I have been casting and reloading for well over 50 years. I love to see how accurate I can get my firearms with what I make. I enjoy the casting,reloading and the shooting. I do not like mowing grass!

My brother.

Is there a JACKETED BULLETS web site for this infidel?

[Hawks Feather]

Casting is not for everyone which is not a bad thing. That being said, what do you have that you are planning to sell since you won't be casting anymore?

[M-Tecs]

Tons of them but need more info on what type of shooting the OP is doing.

[varmint243]

You are not required to like bullet casting any more than I am required to like golf or Tupperware guns.
Do the things that you enjoy.

I do not cast for fun, I cast to get the consistency and quality I need for 50 yard handgun shooting.
The more I cast the easier it gets to get a good quantity (500-1000) of pistol bullets in a casting session.
It has also gotten a lot less frustrating.

[bedbugbilly]

Life is a constant "re-evaluation" of how we live it. You've done the smelting/casting and now figure your time is better spent in other adventures . . . nothing wrong with that. Sooner or later everyone "re-evaluates" and some make changes, others don't.

I've cast for 50 + years - all very low tech - propane hotplate, 10# pt and a Lyman bottom pour ladle Yes . . it can be time consuming but for me, the satisfaction of "transforming" the lead into useful boolits. . . the reloading . . . and the shooting I find re-warding. But that's me. I always said I'd never buy "store bought" boolits. A few weeks ago, I bought a new 9mm Shield. The salesman, who I have dealt with for a long time - he shoots IDPA, asked me if I had ever tried hard cast coated boolits. He showed me a sample of what he uses and I decided to buy a box of 500 115 gr. boolits to try. I have to admit that it's kind of nice to "just have 'em done" and not have to do all the work. But, in the end, I'll probably stick to my cast as long as I can.

Some of us, as our moccasins walk down the same path, day after day . . . we see and learn something new every time we take the same path. Others . . . their moccasins have to walk down a different path each day as they no longer see anything new . . . . neither path is wrong as long as they lead to the same destination . . . being content with one's life.

Good luck to you . . . and enjoy playing that guitar . . . . overtime I pick up my fiddle it is a learning experience as well! Enjoy!

[MrWolf]

This is a hobby not a job. You don't like it you are not required to give notice. I happen to like scrounging around for lead and brass and yes I can afford to buy instead of making. I have learned so much here it is incredible and am still a newb. Life is to short, enjoy what you enjoy.

[rintinglen]

For the rest of my foreseeable life, I will never again be looking at empty shelves and wondering "how will I go shooting now?" Three times in my life now I have seen shortages that impacted my ability to shoot what I want. Not happening again.
Now I will never recover the amount of money I have invested in molds, at least not in my last 20 years of life, but by golly I've had uncounted hours of pleasure casting and shooting and loading. I don't play computer games.

[Guesser]

Introduced to casting in 1956, been getting better ever since. I'm made a lot of junk, even that was fun. I'm 70 and learn, or relearn every time I hit the temperature.

[upnorthwis]

I am a rabid competitor that loves to shoot. When the match is called CAST BULLET ASSOCIATION I don't have a choice of what kind of boolit to shoot. Also shoot ASSRA, ISSA, SASS, and BPCR that all require cast. As long as I've got the equipment I also cast for IDPA, USPSA, IHMSA, NRA Vintage rifle, and 3-gun. I'm one of those people that can't wait to get home to reload the boolits I've just shot. So casting works for me but maybe not everyone else.

[GoodOlBoy]

Some folks, I think, are a little too worked up over what a member since January of this year has to say. I don't think you are wrong if you want to stop casting. Do whatever makes you safe, and happy.

As for me, I enjoy the hunt for lead. I enjoy making the ingots. I enjoy casting the bullets. I wish I could say I enjoy lubing, but I don't. I enjoy loading my own ammo, and I enjoy hunting and shooting with ammo I have rolled on my own. So do what makes ya happy.

Me, I am with another poster who uses Lee gear. I love lee classic loaders. One round at a time. That's a pace for me. Some folks like loading 10K rounds at a time. More power to them. To each their own. Hope you find a place you enjoy being.

God Bless

GoodOlBoy

[FISH4BUGS]

Sorry guys. I like playing Pedal steel guitar. It takes lots of hours. At least it shows my ability to improve.


Many of us do the casting AND lots of other things too. I have been reloading for 40 years and casting for 25 years. I don't shoot cast in my rifles but all the handguns sub machineguns are shot with cast, except for subsonic 9mm. With handguns and subguns, who cares about MOA accuracy? I'll leave that to the jacketed bullets that I buy.
I also like playing the Hammond Organ. I was on the road with a band when I was 19, and played professionally. I now have a 1965 Hammond B3 and a Leslie 251 in my home office. I practice when I can and always improve a little here and there.
I don't have a television. That has opened up a lot of time for me to do things that I really enjoy rather than sitting in front of a vast wasteland. There is always time to do what you enjoy if you make the time.
If you are selling out, post your items here. They will find good homes, I am sure.

[montana_charlie]

For you guys that see a + from this, have fun. For myself I will just mow the grass
Bill
Bye ...

[mdi]

I'm wondering who said casting is dying! I have only read of folks getting into casting! I wonder if tying flies is dying? Exotic feathers are getting harder to get, just like lead and some areas are over fished. But mebbe they (casting and fly tying) are hobbies that folks like to do. I don't consider any facet of my hobbies (shooting, reloading, jig/lure making) to be based on money. Casting isn't really all that complicated and I don't know of a hobby that's more satisfying! And I guess 38,666 members of this forum are practicing a dying art?

If it's all about costs/money/counting pennies, drop it, and watch TV...

(Wonderin' why someone would go to a Bullet Casting Forum to whine/complain about casting and threaten to quit? If had a dislike for something, I'd just quit, not bad-mouth the hobby/pass time to a bunch of folks dedicated to that hobby!)

[farmerjim]

Tenbender is correct. It is a waste of time to cast. Send all your lead and casting equipment to me and I will dispose of it for you. No need to bother yourself with this task.

[bhn22]

Meh, let the guy go. He didn't want to be here, and wanted to go out with a bang. I felt that insulting the people who don't see the power and wisdom of his conclusions was pretty tacky, but he's gone now, and wanted to insult people on his way out. It didn't work of course, but so long as he's happy. Now there's more room for somebody who wants to be here, and wants to learn how to cast.

Now, where were we?

[dakotashooter2]

What else do I have to do with at least 5 months of winter, and often less than 8 hrs of light in a day, that doesn't cost me a lot of money....... Not to mention I can load ammo for my 41 mag for about 1/4 the cost of factory stuff and at least1/3 of what loading with jacketed bullets would cost.

[35remington]

The comment that bullet casting is dying is certainly wrong. People are increasingly getting into it for the very same reasons the OP claims he is getting out of it. Go figure.

In these days of panic buying the appeal of controlling your supply is more relevant for more people than it has ever been. Justifying leaving for your own reasons is okay but to mischaracterize its popularity is a bit of sour grapes.

[coxa2]

2nd person in as many days that have said to me that casters are a dying breed. Guess that means less competition for lead.

[JSnover]

I can understand why casting is dying. The time and expense is moving people to jacketed bullets. Lead is not like it use to be. The cost is too much.
You find the lead. You make the ingots. You cast the boolits. You size the boolit's . You PC or lube the boolit's. Then you shoot and shoot until you find something the works.


Bill
You have to love it. Mixing the alloy, controlling the hardness, knowing all of the relevant dimensions of your barrels. All of that plus everything else adds up to a target worthy of framing or a freezer full of wild meat. You have to want that or it will just seem like work.

[Smoke4320]

yes I have to agree casting is dying ...
that's why this site added what nearly 10,000 members in what a year or so and how many lurkers who never post..
I bet if you ask NOE his sales are surly down as well :) :) and Mi hec is totally caught up and thinking of being the next doe run :) :)

[starmac]

DIEING BREED. I don't see it. I am basically a new comer, never gave casting a moments fault until I found this sight looking for more info on reloading jacketed boolits.
How much has the cast boolit sight grown, membership wise in even just the last couple of years??
I will agree casting is not for everybody, just like anything else you can do, this would be a boring world if it was.

[marshhawk]

I load and cast because it's fun, I can't shoot as much as I would like, but I find the casting and loading aspect almost as much fun as shooting, it is rewarding in that I can create loads tailored for my shooting , I load several of my revolver's with lighter than standard bullet weight, it reduces recoil and I get more bullets per Lb. of alloy, the target does not know the difference. Marshhawk

[lobowolf761]

If it wasn't for me casting I wouldn't be able to shoot and enjoy a lot of my paper punching, metal clanging and last but not least freezer filling toys economically. It's a lot cheaper and more satisfying to me to cast the .54cal heeled bullet and cut down and trim up 50-70 or 50-90brass to load up 56-56spencer ammo for my original m1860 Spencer carbine that I have converted to shoot centerfire ammo. It has put a few deer in the freezer. This carbine was carried by one of my many greats grandfathers during the War between the States and passed down through the generations to till I got it directly from my grandfather just before his death. I look at casting and reloading not as a hobby but somewhat as a continuation of the history of where we have been to get to where we are today. The last time the Spencer was fired before I received it was back in the late 40's by my great-grandfather using original rim fire ammo made in the early 1900's. It made me feel real proud to be able to let my Dad be the first to shoot this after I converted it to centerfire. He couldn't talk for a bit after shooting it because of the emotions he was feeling. He finally said he was proud and happy to shoot it and that my grandfather would have been very proud of me. So in the end I feel proud to be able to cast bullets and shoot them in muzzle loaders,breech loaders,cap and ball handguns,45-110 sharps and my Spencer carbine cartridges and all the way up to modern calibers. It's part of the legacy we have as shooters and hunters.

[Super Sneaky Steve]

The only thing that could kills casting for recreational shooters is when the EPA bans all lead. I'm sure there's more than a few alphabet soup departments that would love to squash what we are doing.

Popular culture is already making those who cast or reload out to be nuts. We know better, but that's not what kids are seeing on TV. There's no doubt that our passion is under attack from more than one angle.

[lobowolf761]

Sad to say I also shoot the jbullets for different things but get extreme satisfaction when I hit what I'm aiming at using the cast bullets I put together.

[Gtek]

I truly enjoy learning and mastering a mold, then try and make it hit where I want, how I want. Sometimes I buy boxes of those copper things. I like and shoot both, I guess I am really messed up.

[JSnover]

Well, I hope he finishes up by posting his gear on S&S, at least...

[OptimusPanda]

I don't see it as dying myself. I'm 29, have been reloading for four years, casting for two. Initially shooting cast bullets was a reaction to the shortage of jacketed slugs I had been loading for some time. I ended up finding a guy locally that ran a commercial casting operation and he sold me a few boxes of his bullets. They shot pretty well and didn't lead. Even that though, requires them to be made by someone else. So I picked up a lee 4-20, LAM2, hopped on rotometals for some lead to try and off I went. To my surprise, I actually enjoyed the casting and sizing operations. It does add another hobby entirely to the shooting and reloading however...That said, there is something liberating to know that so long as you have powder, primers, and lead ingots you can ride out most of the shortages that people seem to suffer from.

[Tenbender]

You made you're 70x30 waters shoot good with casted bullets and gave me good advice on contender. I am thankful for that. keep the casting tools just in case?

That Waters does shoot good. It shoots good with anything I throw at it. I'm having a fit out of my 45 carbine and 30 30. Glad I don't need them to hunt with. lol

[dragon813gt]

Lead is cheap. It may not be free anymore but it's still cheap. W/ a minimal investment in tools it makes shooting very cheap. It's a significant savings over jacketed. If people can't figure out this simple fact then they either aren't very intelligent or have no interest in casting.

Even though my time is limited I enjoy casting. I also like tools so casting and all it's speciality tools are right up my alley.

[AtomHeartMother]

Can't say I love casting but I love shooting on the cheap; but there is a lot of satisfaction seeing the bullets I cast hitting the ten ring. Got into 45 colt a while back which I would've never done if I had to pay retail for those bullets. Casting my 230 grain powder coat, I'm shooting that for about 6 bucks a box...verses 36-40 retail....makes it all worth it to me. Been shooting 9mm and 38 much more since I began casting as well....makes range time so much more enjoyable when your wallet doesn't feel lighter with each squeeze of the trigger. 38 and 45 are tack drivers...still working on 9mm....good plinker bullets but they could be more accurate.

[M-Tecs]

Casting has allowed me to shoot a 1/4 million rounds more than I could have without casting. Until I get into HV rifle loads I can equal jacketed for both performance and accuracy with cast.

I started casting in 1969. Now is the tail end of the golden age of casting and the only reason it is at the tail end is the EPA.

[white eagle]

Some just don't ever figure out how to do it. It's better for you to quit now, if you don't have the enthusiasm to make it work. Since all my rifles have been shooting only cast for 20+ years, they hold groups of under 1.5" at 100 yards, kill deer, elk, bear, and buffalo just fine, I'm satisfied. Go forth, and enjoy the jacketed bullets. There is already enough competition for the lead. You are destined to be a reloader, rather than a handloader.

there is alot of truth in that last sentence
I always have thought that and I always thought I was making custom ammo
not reloading or doing this or that for money savings
that is a draw for many ....custom is my draw
enjoy..

[lightman]

I'm sorry that you were not successful in your attempt at casting. I'm not sure what went wrong for you. Maybe if you had a friend who cast, or a mentor?

I'm a self taught caster and I've learned the hard way. I started before the internet or pc's were around, and I've made mistakes. Now, the bullets that I keep will rival most jacketed bullets in weight. A lot of my 200 grain and 240 grain bullets will weigh + or - .5 of a grain.

Good Luck in whatever you do next. Hope you hang around on the reloading threads.

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

I can understand why casting is dying. The time and expense is moving people to jacketed bullets. Lead is not like it use to be. The cost is too much.
I have tried to compensate by telling myself my time is not as much as the investment.
I was wrong.
You find the lead. You make the ingots. You cast the boolits. You size the boolit's . You PC or lube the boolit's. Then you shoot and shoot until you find something the works.
Bill
Bill, when I read your OP, a 2 year old post (by Recluse) instantly came to my mind. It is a long read, but take your time and drink it all in. I suspect you are currently hitting a castboolit roadblock of some sort and are just disgusted...I can understand that, maybe a break from the casting bench isn't a bad idea...shoot up some J-words and have some fun, but I suspect you'll be back ;)

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?222520-Why-some-new-members-will-do-better-than-others-here&highlight=

[castalott]

I, for one, wish the man the best! I don't like being told what to do or what I should like. Not everything is for everyone. As long as it is fine by him if I do what makes me happy, we're good to go....

Dale

[blikseme300]

Casting and reloading was forced upon me due to cost of ammo in the early 80's. I managed to get working loads even though I was quite isolated due to geography and lack of any magazines or other sources of information. Fast-forward to 2003 when I moved to this great country the USA.

Soon I scratched the itch to get back into shooting my own ammo. This has been a journey but even though I got to the point where I could afford buying factory ammo I kept going. My hobby branched out into making my own smelters, assembling PID's, modifying reloading and sizing dies or crafting my own, making or modifying molds, building annealing rigs, etc.

Casting and reloading are but a part of my life but the totality of the enjoyment of making things work is priceless. I don't care how many hours I spend on my hobby or what money I could have made if I had used this time to earn more. Nobody can take their gold to the grave, it might melt.

[dtknowles]

Not sure why some one would make a post like that but I have and am currently taking a break from casting and reloading. I have a bunch of ammo loaded and on the shelf but it is too hot to enjoy shooting or casting right now. I have a few guns I will probably never shoot cast in, a 6mm PPC, a 25 Krag AI, 30-06. I could shoot cast in them but I have guns that I think are more appropriate for cast shooting. I don't really reload to save money, I reload for accuracy. If factory ammo shot as well as my reloads I would buy a lot more factory ammo. I do like the idea that I make my own ammo and a stock pile of lead, primers, brass and powder can mean that I can shoot a long time with being dependent on anyone else.

No cast bullet shooters are on the rise but it is not for everyone. It is not real hard but to be really successful is not easy either.

Crabbing about it here is not the smartest thing to do but sometime you just need to vent somewhere where someone cares.

Tim

[Bongo Boy]

I really do doubt casting is dying, and I'd be more apt to think there are more folks casting now than there ever were. I don't think there's any solid evidence to support either view--I just know the guy I buy my molds from has a 3-week lead time and lead prices continue to rise. I doubt too many folks are making toy soldiers.

As with any hobby I've ever gotten into, there's a wide spectrum of motivation and sources of pleasure from the hobby. At one end every little subtle aspect of the alloy, the finished product and it's performance on target are of utmost interest and importance to some. At the other end, a shooter needs to shoot bullets that don't cost 0.25 to over a dollar a piece. There's something for everyone--at least everyone who enjoys 'hobbies', has patience or likes to make things. Not everyone does. In any case, I see more folks say "I'm going to start casting" than I do "I've had it with this". Not an accurate survey, but still, I find it hard to imagine interest is doing anything but going up.

Seems to me casters might be a small percentage of folks who shoot at all, but not that small a percentage of those who find shooting their primary hobby, and definitely not that small a percentage of those who hand load. While it may not a huge number of people, I don't think they're dying off in droves.

As for it being 'worth it'...I consider that I recover the cost of a mold, at $150 each, at about 600 bullets. That's breaking even in one evening. With the $40 molds, I break even in about 30 minutes, even if I include the cost of mold handles. I have at most maybe $1,500 in molds and another $500 in other gear--that's about the cost of 8,000 commercial jacketed bullets. Less than a year's worth of shooting when I started casting. I think it's all paid for itself several times over. I believe every penny I've ever put into bullet making totals up to less than the cost of 2 kayaks I just bought, less than two mountain bikes and a heck of a lot less than the camping gear some folks own. So, I sure don't think it's an expensive hobby compared to many.

When I can afford to have 10,000 rounds of custom ammo shipped to my home each month, I won't ever hand load or cast again. In the meantime...

[Pilgrim]

I've been reloading for about 50 years. When I started, reloading manuals were hard to find and supplies weren't stocked by most LGS's. That's changed a bunch since those days. We were considered a bunch of looney tunes for even risking life and limb. Cast boolit shooting came about in my life about 45 years ago. The number of cast boolit books were damn near zero. The old Lyman cast manual was long out of print and we made do by copying info out of the old manuals we could find or copy. Cast loading info DID not include BHN info, or barrel fit, or nearly anything else. It was sorta buy a mould, some sort of pot to melt lead and lube the bullet with what was available. IIRC it was pretty much Lyman black ****. You were advised to size to nominal barrel groove and have at it...good luck with that. My first attempt was with a Lyman 4C 358156. Miserable failure it was. I quit for a few years and started over. Before it became common knowledge, I started preaching .001 to .002 over barrel groove and use of GC's for easiest success. Why am I sharing all this old history? Simply because with the info available on this site, plus MUCH better written manuals, and better moulds, and lubers, and....if you can't get your shooting iron (rifle or handgun) shooting acceptably well with cast boolits now, you simply aren't reading and/or retaining and/or using the info available. If you are too lazy to read and learn, you are beyond help, at least from me.

[richhodg66]

That Waters does shoot good. It shoots good with anything I throw at it. I'm having a fit out of my 45 carbine and 30 30. Glad I don't need them to hunt with. lol

If you can't come up with a decent deer hunting load in a .30-30, something is wrong. That round is just too easy to make work well with cast.

[olafhardt]

I'm wondering who said casting is dying! I have only read of folks getting into casting! I wonder if tying flies is dying? Exotic feathers are getting harder to get, just like lead and some areas are over fished. But mebbe they (casting and fly tying) are hobbies that folks like to do. I don't consider any facet of my hobbies (shooting, reloading, jig/lure making) to be based on money. Casting isn't really all that complicated and I don't know of a hobby that's more satisfying! And I guess 38,666 members of this forum are practicing a dying art?

If it's all about costs/money/counting pennies, drop it, and watch TV...

(Wonderin' why someone would go to a Bullet Casting Forum to whine/complain about casting and threaten to quit? If had a dislike for something, I'd just quit, not bad-mouth the hobby/pass time to a bunch of folks dedicated to that hobby!) My father sat and tied flies for hours, days, years. He tied flies after the cancer made him too sick to fish. I have boxes of his flies and he died almost 30 years ago. A mans got to do what a man has to do. My mother mowed the yard. I often said one definition of henpecked was if your mower cost more than than your boat until I got a zero turn lawn mower. Of course the lawn looks sort of wierd when I chase a rat.

[GLynn41]

I started cast in the late 70s and it is just as much fun as ever I am now 63-- I do not shoot any thing but cast in my handguns --from .41 special-- up a 410 GNR -- I can make anything from hp to sp to hc lwn -- I am trying to teach my son and will try my grand children also

[mongoose33]

I can understand why casting is dying. The time and expense is moving people to jacketed bullets. Lead is not like it use to be. The cost is too much.
I have tried to compensate by telling myself my time is not as much as the investment.
I was wrong.
You find the lead. You make the ingots. You cast the boolits. You size the boolit's . You PC or lube the boolit's. Then you shoot and shoot until you find something the works.


Bill

I must have missed the news release; can someone point me to a link that shows casting is dying?

[dakotashooter2]

It also offers many of us an economical replacement for ,in many areas, non existant .22 rounds. Right now I can load 9mm and 38s cheaper than what I can buy .22 for...........

[GOPHER SLAYER]

I just have to throw my feelings into the mix, knowing it will seem like heresy to some who read it. I have thousands of 'J' bullets and I never load any of them. I used to shoot "J" bullets when I lived less than a mile from Sierra Bullets and we could buy seconds for about half price. I just can't see the point in punching holes in paper with a bullet that cost what 'J' bullets do at this time. As Buckshot often says, " I have not had a cast lead bullet bounce off the paper yet". I had cast round ball since the late '50s when I shot muzzle loaders in competition. Also I had very little spare time in those days. It wasn't until I retired that I really got into casting. I should also say that I worked for over 37 years for the phone company so lead has never been a problem and never will. I laid in a stash. Now this is where the heresy comes in. I never pay any attention to the mix. I know that some casters stick to a given lead alloy mix as though it was the recipe for Coca-Cola. If I pick up a piece of lead I pitch it into the pot. Before we lost our great range that was only about twelve miles from me, we had a BPCR buffalo match and I shot very well in it. I load for so many rifles and handguns that I just can't keep a separate alloy mix for all of them and I don't want to try. I should also say that I never hunt so I don't have to worry about lead bullets being outlawed for hunting. If you don't like casting just put the equipment aside rather tan selling it. Someday you may want use it or you may have to if you want to keep shooting.

[theleo]

If it's a diying breed, then please put me in your wills for all that toxic lead so your relatives won't have the issue of tying to dispose of it.

[captaint]

I don't know. I started casting about 7 years ago. Learned most everything here. Then, cost was the reason. Since then, I've bought about zero jax bullets. I guess one has to be into the mechanics of it all. You have to enjoy it, different alloys, different boolits, different calibers and such. I find it all very interesting. Not to mention - when I go shooting, I don't think about the cost at all. None. I've paid nearly nothing for all my lead and tin. I have to buy primers, some brass and powder. Molds and sizing dies. So what ?? Gotta spend it on something !! Casting makes the whole game more interesting..

[square butte]

Casting is an exercise in self reliance and personal responsibility. That's what got me into it at age 11 - And that's what keeps me in it now

[mold maker]

Casting can't die as long as I keep infusing money in it. Just today I got the invoice for a new Mihec .41 mold.
Took me all of 2 blinks to find my PP account, and in about 10 days I'll have yet another project to work on.

[toallmy]

I have just started casting and I am enjoying it .I have started shooting pistols again l stopped shooting handguns for 10-15 year's .well to tell you the truth I figured if I put all the time into customized hand loading I wanted to get all I could out of it.I have and still load them one at a time ,but when I started casting I got a little dandy powder measure so I can throw my powder charge. That and casting was my game changer I am loving it. I will say that I find buying cast bullet all most as cheap as casting my own ,and the selection is fantastic, conserding buying store bought lead to store bought cast bullets not a lot of difference .save your time if you like just buy your cast. But I am just gitting started thanks to this sight it is working for me .

[Leadmelter]

Now that my wife retired, she sees me casting about once a week or so. She asked me about it and I told this:
1. I enjoy the relaxing hobby of casting bullets.
2. I enjoy the relaxing hobby of lubing and sizing my bullets while I listen to favorite CD's
3. I enjoy reloading my own ammo as I have for the past 45 yrs.
4. I enjoy going to my club about every other week to shoot the guns that I worked for to purchase and talk with like mind members.
5. On the other hand, I could take up golf, spend a bunch of money on clubs,fees and lunch or you can know that your husband is home doing something he likes.
Just my thoughts
Leadmelter
MI

[David2011]

some of us like to play drums and drink scotch and smoke cigars and obviously so much more.

we can do all those things and also find the time to smelt/cast/size/lube/load/shoot . . . and shoot well.

J the D

Nah, I play the steel drum and drink rum to do all that.

This isn't about just casting. It's about two generations sitting in front of computers, TVs and game consoles and not doing anyting with their hands any more. The same thing has happened in the radio controlled aircraft industry. We have a generation of flyers that have no idea how to build or repair what they fly. They hire out the assembly of pre-built Almost Ready to Fly models sue to lack of time or skills. Considering how long it takes, I think it's mostly a lack of skills.

Yah MON!
David

[MT Gianni]

When I started in the 90's for centerfire I had yet to meet another caster other than muzzleloaders. There were the big three of Lyman, RCBS and Saeco with Lee for the cheapest you could buy, Now Lee's has improved their quality, there are many full time mold makers and many more custom casters who will give you special diameters and lubes. Lots of people have come and gone because of the Clinton Gun Ban, Y2K, component shortages with the last two national elections, etc. If it is dying I have yet to see much other than continued expansion.

[GRUMPA]

I can understand why casting is dying. The time and expense is moving people to jacketed bullets. Lead is not like it use to be. The cost is too much.
I have tried to compensate by telling myself my time is not as much as the investment.
I was wrong.
You find the lead. You make the ingots. You cast the boolits. You size the boolit's . You PC or lube the boolit's. Then you shoot and shoot until you find something the works.


Bill

To me it's not even close to dying, it's a challenge on many different levels and it's the individual that sets there own standards. I was taught by my dad (Not the worlds best...sorry dad) and I excelled from there. Joining this site and reading, and reading, and yet more reading taught me more than anything or anyone ever has.

Some people get a sense of accomplishment when things work out just fine. That is when a person gets things done in the right order and so on. It allows a person to be more independent, and not be dependent on certain items to accomplish there own end goal. Even when I was working 6 days a week I made the time to cast my own, I didn't care how long it took I was determined to make what I wanted, on my own, and make it better than store bought.

With a lot of patience determination, and developed skill it fell into place, and learned something that either evades most people, or the lack of ambition a lot of folk seem to have. I was brought up that if a person is dependent on something, find another means of either acquiring it or making it. If the sources that provided what you needed somehow dry up......your left with nothing, that is unless you take the time and make the effort to make what you need.

For me personally....casting isn't dying anytime soon, and it's meant to be literal. Sure I can order what I want or need but I prefer to make my own since I can make what I own perform either as good as or better than what the factory has to offer.

When I get the occasional click instead of a bang......I know it's a bad primer and it's nothing I did. Sometimes things happen beyond a persons control, bad primers are 1 of them and I've had a few.

This site in particular has taught me a great many things over the years. There's a great amount of knowledge still out there, will it deter me in any way?.....not at all.

For a lot of folks going out to the movies, partying, hanging out with the buds, are some sources of entertainment. It may be true for them but not to me, I like to be productive, useful. And when I say useful it doesn't mean I'm useful to someone else by paying for things I want. I want my hard earned cash in my own pocket, not there's.

From what I've seen as of late....casting isn't even close to becoming a memory, not by a long shot.<----insert punn here.

[olafhardt]

Two words come to mind "controlled expansion."

[Texantothecore]

I dislike video games, tv, especially those goofs screaming into night on the billions upon billions of sport channels:

"He came to play!" Well duh....

So I cast and reload. I love to sidle up to bunch of guys who are talking about the difficulty of getting ammo and tell them that I reload and I shoot 4 days a week at lunch time. The range is about 4 miles from my office and I intentionally placed myself there so that I could indulge my need to be good at it.

I make my own bp so I don't have any shortages.

Sort of cheeses them off.

[brasshog]

Casting satisfies my need for hording, get's me into my shop away from the world, helps quench my need for self reliance, and allows my need for perfection to abide at times. In other words it's very relaxing for me lol. I absolutely love J-words but there is a spot that can only be filled with a boolit sometimes that I must scratch. It just seems like a it should be sinful to put a jword into some old cartridges or guns lol.

[Cowboy_Dan]

The OP was right, in a way. We really are a DIY-ing breed, though we are not a dying one.

[sigep1764]

Nah, I play the steel drum and drink rum to do all that.

This isn't about just casting. It's about two generations sitting in front of computers, TVs and game consoles and not doing anyting with their hands any more. The same thing has happened in the radio controlled aircraft industry. We have a generation of flyers that have no idea how to build or repair what they fly. They hire out the assembly of pre-built Almost Ready to Fly models sue to lack of time or skills. Considering how long it takes, I think it's mostly a lack of skills.

Yah MON!
David

I understand your frustration, but in a different way. I'm 31 and considered a "Millennial". I don't fly planes, but I have built R/C boats from bare fiberglass hulls. Put together competition worthy scale crawlers and rebuilt two stroke gas and nitro motors. And for the past couple years I've been casting and reloading. I have found damn few people in my age group who enjoy the same things. They always ask why I spend my time building my toys and assembling my ammo when I can just buy it. When I tell them that I enjoy a better understanding of what I'm doing, they looked at me with a miffed face and confusion. It seems they want the instant joy rather than earned satisfaction. But, I could be wrong. Just some thoughts.

[GRUMPA]

When I tell them that I enjoy a better understanding of what I'm doing, they looked at me with a miffed face and confusion. It seems they want the instant joy rather than earned satisfaction. But, I could be wrong. Just some thoughts.

I've noticed that for years and years, and the best way to put it is like this.

People know the price of everything, but the value of nothing....

That'll make you think...

[s mac]

The OP was right, in a way. We really are a DIY-ing breed, though we are not a dying one.
Now it makes sense to me, I thought it was just bad spelling.

[cajun shooter]

First thing is that I think every sport or pass time that man puts himself into is at first run through at figuring out the savings that a DIY person can save. It's a lot when compared to purchasing factory ammo in this day and time. I shoot SASS matches with 44 wcf guns. The ammo sells for about $45 a box for a new box of factory lead bullets. Reloads go for about $27 a box average. My supply of soft lead That I alloy out at is at times "FREE" if I use my lead scrounging talents correctly. That puts the cost into the $5 a box range.
I've been casting since 1970 and I guess you can say that I'm an old hand at it. To me it's a hobby into itself and although a part of my shooting, I have enough enjoyment while casting that I don't have to shoot to quell that churning in my stomach. Those of you who truly enjoy it know of what I'm speaking.
As men of the outdoors and enjoying such things, we also come to realize that the cost of our equipment becomes larger and larger as time passes. We purchase the latest piece of equipment that will not do anything different than the piece it replaces. It will however make a certain part easier and faster. That's at least the story given other family members when they notice it.
My first box of 38 spl. were loaded on my living room floor with an original Lee Loader box set that cost $6 plus .69 for a box of primers of 100. The lead bullets were $2 for a box of 50 IIRC. The last box was loaded on a Dillon 550 B with all the bells and whistles that I had over $700 in. It does not matter as I love what I'm doing.
It's the same thing with all other forms of what is referred to as R&R In the military. I've ridden motorcycles since 1963 and they had a huge yuppie buy in that started in the mid 80's that is still going but the pace has been cut by leaps and bounds. A loaded out Harley starts at about $17,000 and goes to over $35,000 depending on model and extra's. You may see them for sale that are 3 or more years in age but only 2,000 miles or less. They were taken off the trailer or backed out of the garage and ridden to the local Saturday morning Harley Shop for coffee and BS'ing. after this short stint of I'm a biker, they go home until the following weekend.
We have similar people try the same hand in casting and reloading that have the available disposable income. They also burn out and sell off. This is not meant to put down on anyone or to say they are some sort of idiot that is making crazy life choices. It's say that some of us are cut out to do certain things and others are not. There is nothing wrong with this process and the truth of the matter is that it allows us with smaller pockets to have a chance to make some good deals. Tell them Thank you and keep casting. Later David

[GhostHawk]

I've noticed that for years and years, and the best way to put it is like this.

People know the price of everything, but the value of nothing....

That'll make you think...


Bingo! Well said sir!

I started casting back in the late 70's when I had a fling with holy black and front stuffers. Bought a lyman .445 mold and dipper, found a cheap cast iron pan and was in business. Eventually my fascination with strange things like Holy Black, braided underarm hair went away. I was casting mostly to be able to fish cheap. The River eats everything you throw into it eventually. Wheel weights for lindy type or egg sinkers was kind of a no brainer.

I'd always been a shotgun kind of guy. Then I bought my first pair of Mosin Nagant rifles, whew, man that is some heady brew there.
There is 2 ways to shoot that somewhat inexpensively, buy huge quantities of corrosive primer milsurp surplus ammo.

Or cast, Hey I already have everything I need except the mold and maybe one of those lee sizing dies.
I had recently landed a pretty nice windfall when my Parents sold their lake cabin and didn't need the money. Early inheritance they called it. Which is why I bought the Mosin's, then the SKS, and from there I was on this slippery slope, having all kinds of fun.

I look back and shake my head, I came down "That" slope?

If I'm in hell, I'm having too much fun. Someone seriously screwed up.
If I'm in heaven, someone has been talking to John Moses Browning!

All I know is that every caliber brings new challenges, and new joys.
I try to encourage others at the range to consider casting.
And I enjoy every single day, I wake up wondering, well what should I play with today?

[TXGunNut]

Casting isn't for everyone and that's not necessarily a bad thing. It took me almost 30 years of reloading to discover casting. I only knew one caster and he didn't encourage the casting venture for me, but he did mentor me as a new reloader and for that I'll always be grateful.
Casting is a bit like enjoying a good single malt. It's a good thing everybody doesn't like it because there's not enough to go around.

[BAGTIC]

It gives me an opportunity to hide in my shop and listen to music without the intrusion of the little lady. That alone is worth a lot.

[dh2]

I got back in to it when we was caring for my mother in law the last few years of her life to be able to get out in the shop a way from every thing was priceless, getting a cast boolit to preform put my mind in a lot better place. I still have containers full of boolits many waiting to be sized.

[Southerngunner]

I enjoy being self sufficient and not having to worry about not have projectiles to shoot or the extra cost of jacketed slugs just to go plinking. If we as a group do not get young folks involved and pass on the skill and knowledge bullet casting will inevitably die. But it will have to wait until my 4 grandsons give it up many years from now.

[dtknowles]

I enjoy being self sufficient and not having to worry about not have projectiles to shoot or the extra cost of jacketed slugs just to go plinking. If we as a group do not get young folks involved and pass on the skill and knowledge bullet casting will inevitably die. But it will have to wait until my 4 grandsons give it up many years from now.

Casting was less popular decades ago and is making a come back, yes get kids involved but the hobby does not depend on young converts, it stands on its own merits which can be discerned by people at an older age.

Tim

[Taylor]

I guess me working with the same rifle and cast boolit loads, and trying to find what it likes for the past 4 years, would just torment you do death.

[Ranger 7]

I agree with "GUESSER". I started to reload in 85 and started to cast in 2009.
The reason was a hobby ( I spent 35 years on the road, as a consultant in the Marine and Offshore Industry, no time to have a hobby)
Casting and Handloading is interesting, requires no travel, other people, specific time schedule, no time tables.
It's interesting, I save money, I get EXACTLY the rounds I want/need, when I need them. I had NO problem during the past shortages of
bullets or anything else. Be independent and plan and most of all, enjoy life! ( From all I read and all the people I know, the reloading/casting industry is booming, not failing!)

The perfect hobby!

[Budzilla 19]

Dying breed? Interesting observation. I don't think it's a dying breed, but ,in my opinion only, there are more casters who don't tell that they cast! I like being self-sufficient, not being tied to the bullet companies ( nothing against them), just being able to shoot as much as i like,and because of backstops and some luck,having some renewable resource available! My opinion only. Good shooting to all.

[Digital Dan]

Not going to get into the psyche profile on the OP, 'tis a free country etc.

Shot a very small amount of lead bullets over the first 6 decades of my life, but quite a bit of jacketed stuff. Handloaded for going on 40+ years and never much worried about supplies until the greatest gun salesman of all time was elected President. I'm not the best shooter that ever was, but don' t imagine myself as the worst either. Have done some things (on purpose) with jacketed bullets that I know I'll not best with lead. So why now? Well, the black powder bug bit me. The the component prices started soaring. Availability tanked. Prices went into geosynchronous orbit. I mean, really....

.224 cup'n core for 16.5 cents per + shipping? That's today's price from Midsouth who I do business with fairly often.
6mm 95 grain bullets at 29 cents per....
.30-30 bullets at 25 cent a piece...
.35 cal rifle at 35 cents and .416 rifle at 45 cents per and that's the average C'nC bullet. Others for the .416 can run upwards of $3/ea.

Horsefeathers.

My time is valuable to me, I use it to make money. I also use it to save money. Don't need a $3 bullet to kill a piece of paper, or a hog, or even a deer. Our distances are short here in the swamps, I don't have need or desire for high velocity.

Am I a whiz at casting? Nope. Do I have moulds that are a PITA? Yep. Have I ever had leading problems? Not with anything I've cast myself. Lead is cheap, dollars are scarce. A properly cared for mould is forever.

D

[BAGTIC]

In my case interest in casting came with age and maturity. Once I had outgrown the youthful obsession with super velocities and other 'more is always better' philosophies and came to realize that enough is enough the practicality of casting came as a revelation. Cast is cheap to shoot and with a little care it is even easy, via recycling, to shoot the same bullet over and over. How many foot-pounds does it really take to kill a tin can or bunny or rodent? Dead is dead pink vapor or not. A tight group is a tight group regardless of velocity. An hour spent shooting for the plain enjoyment without being compelled to compete against everyone and everything else is a gift.

[flint45]

All the differnt steps in handloading and casting boolits is part of it.I spend my time how I like and I like casting we are the real shooters ,thats how I see it then thats just me.

[karlrudin]

I have been reloading for the past 30 years. That said, I only recently this year starting casting my own bullets. I agree with a lot of the comments as to not having to be dependent on bullets factories when there is a scare. But the most enjoyable thing to me is, I take a raw element and turn it into something of a work of art. Casting bullets, like has been said, is for be self sufficient, for hobby and for challenging yourself. Like other hobbies, if it is not for you, move on. Our great nation is know as the land of improvise. And we have been perfecting this art for hundreds of years. I would gladly stand the line with my cast bullet against J-bullets. "J's" might get there faster and in most cases devastate the target from kinetic energy. And IMO the reason for this is the lack of proper aiming skills on the shooter, so we use "j's" at high velocity to compensate. Whereas mine are slow, most less than 1600 fps, that's slower than a CCI Stinger moving along at 2000fps. And they hit the target nicely. In my opinion, that's the problem these days. Everyone wants everything instantly with as little work as possible. Well I will keep taking the slow route and keep watching my groups get smaller and smaller. And not go home from the range with a magnumed shoulder so I can still mow the lawn.

[Digital Dan]

Art? Art did you say?

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v298/muddler/Guns/squill%20bullets_zpsmubymwlf.jpg (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/muddler/media/Guns/squill%20bullets_zpsmubymwlf.jpg.html)

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v298/muddler/Guns/Subs2_zpsfkszn5xn.jpg (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/muddler/media/Guns/Subs2_zpsfkszn5xn.jpg.html)

[karlrudin]

Very nice Digital Dan, how about this, 45/70, 50 yards, 32.5grs Imr 4064.147121That was a good day of course :)

[Digital Dan]

Karl, that's a great group!

Were you shooting offhand too? :bigsmyl2:

[cajun shooter]

If bullet casting is not a hobby within it's self then you don't need to be casting your bullets. You will only tell others what a PITA it is and spread venom instead of honey.
We have several new members on this forum that seem to have signed on believing that bullet casting was something that delivered instant gratification and that is far from being true.
They don't even want to take time looking at the wealth of information that lies in the files of this great forum. I thought that I was a very well learned caster Yes I've been casting since 1970-71 but I did not know all the in's and out's. This forum and it's members made me into the caster that I thought I already was that first day of becoming a member. Later David

[karlrudin]

Karl, that's a great group!

Were you shooting offhand too? :bigsmyl2:

And I was standing on one foot with one had tied behind my back. :guntootsmiley: Like I said, :), this was a good day like we all get sometimes. I have found that I get a good solid group every once in a while. But mostly I am plagued, like most, with that 1 flyer that really makes us develop our descriptive adjectives in front of people that we don't know :bigsmyl2:. But thanks for the compliment.