Stateline Bullets Boolits?

[hairtrigger74]

Howdy all, i Recently stopped down to a place called Stateline Bullets in Pennsylvania, They specialize in manufacturing cast lead boolits. Very friendly folks, chatted with one of the owners for over an hour! Very knowledgeable. Anyways, i picked up a bag of 45 200 gr. SWC and have yet to try them. I must say the boolits look quite impressive alone. they arn't banged up, the grease groove is completely lubed and there isn't hole in any of the bottoms where the sprew was cut from the bullet. (pet peeve when mass produced bullets have air holes in the bottoms.) The boolits are even shiny! The owner was telling me they don't use wheel weights or range scrap in their manufacturing but certified foundry lead from out west. I guess the shine is from the lack of impurities in the lead and proper fluxing. It could be also that the lead hasn't had time to oxidize. The owner, i believe his name was Jim, told me that they let their bullets cure 2 weeks before selling in order for the lead to reach its Brinell hardness. I'll be posting photo's of the boolits when i get a chance.

Has anyone ever purchased from them in the past? if so what did you buy and what was your experience with their product?

The customer service they provided alone makes me want to go back.... and i haven't even fired their boolits yet! Haha!

P.S. New to the cast boolits forum, nice to meet you all!

[bangerjim]

That is why we are here...............to cast our own boolits! I have not bought com-cast boolits in years. You have more and better control over what you make.

Some, for reasons that escape me, do not cast. Easy and fun. And powder coating adds another dimension to this fun hobby.

Let us know what you end up with.

banger

[Tatume]

We are here to discuss cast bullets, whether commercially cast or not. Welcome to the forum, and keep us posted on your progress with Stateline bullets.

[Tatume]

P.s., while my home-cast bullets are more accurate than any commercially cast bullets I have ever tried, I still use commercial bullets. My work schedule is too busy for me to cast bullets sometimes, but I can find time to shoot. So I buy bullets for those occasions.

[hairtrigger74]

Bangerjim, you speak in some truths about the accuracy of hand casting your own bullets, but you never know you might be surprised one day!

Tatume, You bring up the same point which pushes me toward purchasing.... Time and how much of it I lack... haha

My USB cord escapes me so my pictures will have to wait. :cry:

[hairtrigger74]

I will be posting a full review of the bullets in the up coming days.
Actual average grain, diameter and other factors as well as target pics.

[Tom W.]

The last time I bought cast boolits was when I bought my Ruger .45 Colt convertible. I wanted something heavier than what I was casting for my .45 acp. I HAVE looked really hard at Penn bullets when I had my .480, but bought a mold instead. I do hope your bullets fit well and punch cloverleaves in your targets, and that leading is nonexistent.....:bigsmyl2: :castmine:

[hairtrigger74]

Thanks Tom, if anyone would like to throw in a factor that
They would be interested in knowing, post it and I'll see what I can do
If the bullets work well then I suppose I'll be buying diffeerent caliber and grains and do reviews on them too.

[nagantguy]

Welcome aboard, hope they shoot as good as they look, now you have a goal to reach for as your casting skills grow, make boolits as perdy as the ones you just bought!

[hairtrigger74]

I like the username nagant guy I have an 43 hazy in excellent condition.
It's a blast to shoot minus my extractor problems, would love to start reloading for it.

[montana_charlie]

I found that Stateline Bullets (guessing it's the same outfit) has a Facebook page. https://www.facebook.com/statelinebullets

In several of the areas on that page they mention "foundry-certified lead BHN 16-17".
Not sure which alloy that might be, but it's a bit harder than Lyman #2.

I don't see mention of any other hardness being available.

[Shiloh]

Been years since I bought commercial cast.
That is the commercial 158 gr. SWC that I got for a song. From an estate sale.

Shiloh

[Hickok]

My big complaint with most commercial cast boolits is they are harder than woodpecker lips!

Hope your boolits shoot well and don't lead.

[hairtrigger74]

The actual Google web page used to list two other alloys of lead besides the 17-18 alloy. I believe one was pure which is very soft....

QUOTE=montana_charlie;3409697]I found that Stateline Bullets (guessing it's the same outfit) has a Facebook page. https://www.facebook.com/statelinebullets

In several of the areas on that page they mention "foundry-certified lead BHN 16-17".
Not sure which alloy that might be, but it's a bit harder than Lyman #2.

I don't see mention of any other hardness being available.[/QUOTE]

[trumpetman]

Under the cowboy section Stateline lists a couple of bullets at 9-10 bnh. I really like their 150 grain TCFN bullet in .358" for low velocity .38 specials. They end up at 1.52" COL with a light crimp into a crimp groove, which is perfect for my lever rifle. These bullets measure right at .358". The batch I got weighed in at 153 grains each.

[dverna]

The alloy may be 92-6-2

[koehlerrk]

Bought my first batch of Stateline bullets a couple years back at a local gunshow. Good prices and a great product!

Have fun shooting them hairtrigger74, they're great boolits! I've bought, loaded, and shot their 9mm, 40 and 45 cal bullets... no issues at all.

Yes, I know we can cast them cheaper, but sometimes life puts demands on us where we have to choose between having time to cast and load or having time to load and shoot... I cast when I can, buy when I have to.

[StatelineBullets1]

Our hard cast bullet alloy is 2Sn/6Sb/92Pb. For our soft cast bullets such as our Cowboy Action bullets we utilize an alloy that has a BHN of 9-10. These are for low velocity loads (900fps or less), some customers have approached 1,000fps with no leading.

Jim
email: info@statelinebullets.com
www.statelinebullets.com (https://statelinebullets.com)

[shooter93]

I buy commercial bullets when I don't have time to cast. I generally look for a bhn not over 15 though.

[DerekP Houston]

Our hard cast bullet alloy is 2Sn/6Sb/92Pb. For our soft cast bullets such as our Cowboy Action bullets we utilize an alloy that has a BHN of 9-10. These are for low velocity loads (900fps or less), some customers have approached 1,000fps with no leading.

Jim
email: info@statelinebullets.com
www.statelinebullets.com (https://statelinebullets.com)

Cool thanks for joining and giving us the info!

[kmw1954]

Some interesting thoughts here. Though I've only been a member here a few short months I've found this to be very enlightening in a lot of respects and very helpful.

For myself I'm just starting to get back into the sport and after 30 years there has been much forgotten...

While just restarting right now I only have 1 firearm and will be somewhat limited in how much I'll get to shoot. While I used to only load for 38/357, this time it will be for 9mm. which I'm still learning about thru this site. At this time it is not economical to cast my own because of the limited amount of use. Which buying cast will still be cheaper than jacketed. It will also provide an opportunity to try different weights and styles before buying molds. So there is that advantage at least to me.

Next point for me is that a supply of lead is limited in my area because Illinois has banned lead WW for a number of years already so for the most part I will probably have to buy lead ingots and scrounge what I can.

So again at least for myself I will be buying the 1st few hundred cast that I load. And I'll continue to learn thru you all as I go along. So I thank you for your patience!!!!