Casting therapeutic to anyone?

[Brad Cayton]

Was just reading the post "just not into it" as a member isn't into casting at this time. I was just wondering if any of you fellows find casting kinda therapeutic? My mother recently passed and I spent the weekend downstairs casting boolits. I enjoy casting, sizing and powder coating and for what ever reason, it just kinda mellows me out. Anyone else?

[44MAG#1]

No. Not at all. I do it to get bullets to shoot cheaper.
That is all.

[Tatume]

Anyone else?

Yes. Sometimes I can't seem to convince myself to stop. Only when I catch myself dropping bullets back into the pot do I realize that I'm tired and should quit.

[GhostHawk]

Absolutely. My wife and I have a fight, you will find me afterwords downstairs casting.

For me it is a stress reliever. The more worried and concerned I am the more I am driven to cast and load.

Funny thing is things are so smooth, so good that I have not been casting much of late.

Every caliber I own a firearm in has stocks of loaded ammo, plus boolits cast, sized, and lubed stored in containers against need. Ever since trump won I have been coasting along without feeling the need.

Life is good, time will tell.
;

[OS OK]

I'll turn the shop stereo on, set up a CD with 50-60's music, you know...that music you could actually sing with...fire the pot and rinse and prewarm the mold, talk to my dog, straighten up the shop while I wait for the pot to get ready...then sit down and get to business.
Thinking about it, it's ritualistic and mechanical the way I set it up...but therapeutic? I'm not so sure, eventually I have to get up and stretch cause it hurts the old back or I get some hand cramp...it's mesmerizing to some extent, watching the pile of new boolits grow.
But in the back of my mind...I'm thinking, "Dang I've gotta replace this stuff, my stash won't last forever."

check the box...it's therapeutic.

[1Hawkeye]

Yes,sure it's work but if everything is going good I find it relaxing even satisfying. If it's a nice cool day I will spend the better part of it out in front of the tool shed casting away.

[Rattlesnake Charlie]

I also find casting therapeutic. Helps with my Tourette Syndrome. Once I get the rhythm going I can cast for hours. I actually enjoy casting more than loading.

[Guesser]

it is for me; so much so that I cast many more bullets than I shoot. Hand loading comes in second; actual shooting comes in a somewhat distant 3rd, especially long guns.....

[Tackleberry41]

I consider it meditation. You cant stand there thinking about your bills, or if your ex is mad at you or any of that. Just what you are doing.

[sundog]

Mental hygiene.

[dverna]

I would never cast another bullet if I could buy what I want at 50% of current commercial pricing. For me, it is purely economic.

There is a sense of pride and accomplishment in producing a good product. That is good for the ego. But that little "lift" is not my motivator.

Don Verna

[mold maker]

It's therapeutic up to the point that my back starts revolting. No getting around old age and sitting bent over.

[HABCAN]

If by therapeutic you mean it's a sure antidote to loneliness/cabin fever and gives one a sense of being 'productive', why YES, I find it so, very much.

[Walter Laich]

yep--enjoy the activity and when I realize I've saved a large chunk of $$ to boot that's just icing on the cake.

Being retired helps as I have the time to devote to this. Not trying to squeeze this in between job, kids, wife and girlfriend :p

[OS OK]

It's therapeutic up to the point that my back starts revolting. No getting around old age and sitting bent over.

182718

Hey there mold maker...Raise your pot up just a 'weelittlebit' and save that back, put a couple trays under it to catch the sprues and those precious new boolits...life is good again!

OS OK

[runfiverun]

if you raise it too much your shoulders will start to hurt.

I don't know about therapeutic..?
boring maybe, even menial , but not really therapeutic.
it does make you focus. [and count]

[quack1]

I find loading more relaxing than casting, but enjoy both. My wife had a series of strokes for over a year before she died, and loading and casting helped me relieve the stress when the assorted problems were really getting to me.

[Brad Cayton]

Guess it is for some, not so much for others. I have the radio on and like OS OK sing a little and kind of go on auto pilot. Think through a lot of issues or problems while I cast. A good session leaves me feeling better if somethings eating on me. Seeing that big pile of boolits after makes me smile too.:mrgreen:

[Dale53]

Before I retired, I had a high stress job. Don't misunderstand, I really liked my job, but it was high stress. After supper, if still tense, I could hit the basement and start running the Dillon, or start casting. I could feel the stress just roll off my back.

Now that I am retired, either reloading or casting it gives me a sense of being productive. That is good, too.

Dale53

[Jal5]

It helps me relieve stress because I concentrate on the task and don't have to think about any thing else

[Wayne Smith]

As long as the mold is running it is therapeutic. When one gets recalcitrant it becomes frustrating until fixed.

[Harter66]

I went down and knocked out 25# of 4 different moulds ......I had forgotten what a break from the grind it is .

I think it swings both ways , sometimes you have to cast 100 to go shoot with friends next week and sometimes it's just an escape .
It's always a cost thing for me , it doesn't take long to pay off a mould with 45 cal bullets being 4/$1 or Colts being $36/50 vs $12/100 . That all by itself takes a load off.

[toallmy]

I have only been casting for a couple years , so I may feel differently in time , but I find myself enjoying it most of the time , and when I'm not enjoying it I stop . I have been keeping well ahead of my shooting needs . What I really need to do is get out and make some empty brass .

[gwpercle]

Heck Yeah ! I have always enjoyed being alone with my moulds and pot, just turning dirty old scrap WW's into beautiful silver boolits. No phones , no distractions.
Yes...therapeutic is a good description , I started casting in 1967 , I enjoyed doing it then and still enjoy doing it. I enjoy working with my hands and casting is something of an art.
Over the years I've learned how to make good boolits and am sort of proud of that. A lot of people can't get the knack of doing it or have a lot of money and just as soon buy things.
I came from a do-it-yourself era , my dad even gave me hair cuts until I got in junior high school.
If you wanted something you made it yourself. I wanted cast boolits, had little money , so I bought a used mould , scrounged wheel weights and taught myself how to and discover it was a pleasant hobby.
Gary

[slownsteady22]

Haven't been casting long,but there is something special about a pot full of hot lead and a couple different types of molds to help you forget about your stressful week, even if it's just for a few hours

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[Goober]

I very much enjoy it. I find it therapeutic as well as enjoyable to know I build that thing I just shot! It is just boring enough to rest the brain and relax. I don't do it for the cash savings, though that is nice. I do it for the fact that I want to make my own.

I am starting to get into swaging and that is even slower and less economical if you include the cost of setup.

So check for me on therapeutic.

[Morgan61]

I only started to cast a year ago and found I enjoy doing it cause it gives me something to do in the winter months.
Reducing the cost of shooting is secondary.
I'd make my own smokeless powder too if it were practical.

[JWT]

Check that box for me too. Woodworking and reloading work also.

[lightload]

Casting for me is relaxing and definitely not boring. I take great pride in the product. Likewise, an unproductive session with a cranky mold irks me.

[pjames32]

A good stress reliever for me. I don't have the stress I had when working, but still keep casting when I find myself bored or stressed. I'll never shoot all the boolits I have, but keep casting away.
Just bought a couple more molds so I can make more different boolits.
PJ

[Mytmousemalibu]

I think I find my casting time somewhat therapeutic, I certainly enjoy it, minus when my back flares up. That's my limiter, back pain. I really enjoy the art of it all and satisfaction of creating my own fine quality boolits. Even feels nostalgic if I dig out one of my H&G molds. I can picture a Bullseye shooter having used my #50 to make a big pile of boolits for competition!

[Soundguy]

It's therapeutic up to the point that my back starts revolting. No getting around old age and sitting bent over.

Same here, ill do it till the back hurts.

[Boolseye]

This entire endeavor (shooting-reloading-smithing-casting) is therapeutic for me, start to finish. I have some troubles like we all do, I've even picked up a couple more in recent years, but when I'm at my bench or at the range, all is well.

[Bzcraig]

Yes, the whole process is very therapeutic for me. I worked with my hands for 32 years but my part time retirement job doesn't satisfy my desire to work with my hands like casting/reloading does. I also look at all of it as a whole in that I have all the control of my success or failure and can't blame anyone or anything. I also believe it helps keep my mind sharp....ish! Lol

[RogerDat]

I have to use a high stool with a back in order to avoid or at least manage the back pain. The Zen of casting, trying to do the exact same thing, the exact same way a few hundred times. Requires both total focus to make the hopefully minor adjustments to keep the bullets consistent and a mind empty of extraneous "stuff". At the end there is a nice pile of bullets. So yeah I would say both relaxing and satisfying.

I find reloading to be even more relaxing and satisfying than casting.

[BNE]

Absolutely

[Michael J. Spangler]

Very therapeutic.
I love making something from nothing. Talk about instant gratification too! Look 4 bullets. Look 4 more bullets. Wow 4 more bullets.
It's all about having a feel for it and getting into the right cadence. It's peaceful and productive.

That being said I haven't done enough of it lately. I really need to step it up.
I think I need some new molds.


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[samari46]

Like the Zen comment. Getting back into casting as I have a couple Winchester 30-30's that I want to see how good they shoot cast bullets. While my back is a limiting factor when at the range with my Finn model 27 in 7.62x54r it does me good to see them holes cluster together. Haven't seen many casters at the range but every so often someone will see the green box with the ammo with cast bullets and ask about it. Frank

[Jal5]

Regarding the back pain. Try to find a padded stool with a back rest and adjustable height. Sears sold one and I am sure others have it too. It took almost all the pain away from any kind of bench work. Lowes has one.

[Murphy]

My wife once noticed my 'collection' of metal coffee cans piling up around the place. She inquired as to 'why' so many? I told her I needed them to store 'stuff' in.

Anyone else almost go into a panic several years back when the trend in coffee containers was headed to plastic?

Why yes, I do enjoy filling coffee cans with as cast boolits when I need some thinking time, kind'a like whittling.

Murphy

[Budzilla 19]

I agree about therapeutic! It's relaxing, even when a mold is being difficult. Just cast and dump, cast and dump, then quality check, then PC,size and load. Yes, it is a relaxing hobby I must say! And it is gratifying. Then you have tin scrounging, lead scrounging, clean up, ingot casting, alloying for certain applications, load development, aaaaaahhhhhh!! Zen is accurate description. Just my .02 cents.

[Mytmousemalibu]

Regarding the back pain. Try to find a padded stool with a back rest and adjustable height. Sears sold one and I am sure others have it too. It took almost all the pain away from any kind of bench work. Lowes has one.

For me at least, a comfy casting chair/stool helps my butt some but my back is a train wreck, i can only do________ for a limited time.
I can usually get a few hundred made before my back gives up. The brass and iron molds shorten the session though!

[RogerDat]

There is also the Zen of shooting, which is essentially the same. Aiming and shooting are simple tasks, and yet demand total concentration to improve. Except for when you're playing kick the can to see who can get their can all the way to the backstop first :-) But for the most part is trying to do a task precisely and exactly the same many times in a row. It is why a tight cluster in the 9 ring is more satisfying than two in the center 10 and three random pattern shots.

This the stool from Lowes? Looks nice. https://www.lowes.com/pd/Kobalt-Adjustable-Hydraulic-Stool/1240699 Not that bad on the price either, I got my wood bar stool with back and swivel for about $4.99 at salvation army. Standing still at the bench was a no-go for any longer than 30 minutes at a stretch. On the plus side needing to work sitting down did give me an excuse to get an electric melter, before that I cast from a pot on a propane turkey fryer burner. That was too tall if I was sitting don't cha know so just have to get an electric pot that sits lower on the bench. Seated at in a bar stool, with the electric melter I'm good for a few hours if I don't mind a bit of after effects that require a heating pad. And when you get right down to it most stuff seems to require a heating pad these days.

It is important to be as comfortable as possible so one can enjoy the hobby or whatever activity you are doing.

[Jal5]

Yes that was the bench stool. Highly adjustable which does help. I am good for 2 hrs on it before needing a stretch

[Taterhead]

My profession requires many hours sitting at a desk using extreme concentration -- quickly. Add multiple workstreams and deadline pressure.

I've had my first couple of casting sessions. Like reloading, fishing, and shooting, I do find it so far to be therapeutic. It is a very tactile process which is a nice diversion and contrast from the intense analytical concentration at work.

[fredj338]

I look at casting as therapy. Reloading gets very tedious & you have to pay strict attention at every step, not so fun. Casting is turning junk into usable bullets. Kind of like the mad scientist in chemistry class, but w/o the explosion. I just get into a rhythm & stop when I get bored, usually 90 min or so.