Newbie Casting Results...

[RadarsRUs]

Wow, I cant believe this lot of bullets just saved me $100.00 in purchase & shipping. Amazing!:p

217 bullets with GC's from my new Arsenal .44-245gr. 0.432. RFP (they cut the mold for me to drop them @ 0.4345 - 0.435 with W-W lead and I size down to 0.4325)

Used to pay about $40.00 per 100 and add shipping. This collection cost $6.20 in Hornady GC's. This is a no-brained and Fun to boot!!

Can't wait to shoot 'em with several different loads to get the best out of my Henry .44 Big Boy.

196914
196919

[David2011]

That's a good looking boolit. If you don't need the velocity you can save even more by not using gas checks. Welcome to the addiction.

David

[Smk SHoe]

Funny, He thinks he will save money.:cbpour:

[OS OK]

Are you going to grease them or PC them?

[RadarsRUs]

SMK Shoe... That is funny, good shot! Yes, I can see how this becomes a very engrossing hobby on top of shooting, on top of reloading. I don't think I'll be one of the Casting Gods here, though, with 10 molds each for 15 guns.

I already paid for about 1/3 of my casting equip. in making 200 Boolits so I am confident I will be saving. The only 2 other molds I have are Lee 358-125RF and 358-158RF for a .357 Rossi 92. If I can feed these 3 bullets to 2 lever guns and a 9mm I should be good to go ;-)

I KNOW l have saved piles over the years by rolling my own in 8 calibers, no question.

I have to go to a Range to shoot here on FL East Coast, don't live out in the country, so Boolit / Ammo consumption is a lot less than some others who are surrounded by deserts or wide-open valleys and mountains (I Wish!)

OS OK, I'm going to use Lee push-through sizing and hand lube the bullets before going up into sizer-die. I bought some different sample sizes from White Lube(?) to see which goes best. It looks like all 3 (50/50, soft carnuba red & 50/50 Mix as well as his soft Blue will all work well for the lube & size plan.

I haven't fired Any of the 3 Boolits I have cats so far, but putting them together with neck expanded brass, primers & powder is next. Really psyched to see how all of these things fly!

[OS OK]

I like to see such enthusiasm...especially when your trying to do it right...don't worry about the savings, it'll be there one of these days, in the mean time just shoot till your heart is delighted and know that your ammo is better than store bought!
When someone comments on your rounds you can say with pride..."I made them!"

[Tom W.]

Welcome to the dark side...........

[daloper]

You think that you will save a lot of money but I found that I just shoot a whole lot more bullets. Now that you are addicted to casting I see an oven and powder coating in your future. Those are some nice castings. Welcome to the group.

[Fernando]

I'm still looking for all the money I've saved.
One would think a pile that big would be obvious.
Or maybe that check is still in the mail - 40+yrs I need a new mail dude.

[LenH]

Welcome to the madness. I love your enthusiasm and keep on thinking that way, it will keep you out of trouble.

[Smk SHoe]

It is a great hobby. I've been reloading for 30 years and seriously casting the last couple. I agree with everyone here. You don't save a lot of money but you get to shoot WAY more. Also nice to cater to the firearm and shooter. Lite loads, heavy loads, whatever. Just don't be gullible thinking a couple molds is enough.:razz: I've got molds for calibers I don't even own. Shooting friend talks about a new gun and then I'm searching for his new mold. I am the only caster in my group, So they finance a new mold and get to cast more. It IS a addiction. Again, welcome to the dark side.

[Wayne Smith]

BTW - beautiful boolits! 217 keepers, how many throw backs? That's another nice thing about this hobby, we get to remelt our screwups! I screw up my woodworking and make firewood.

[TexasGrunt]

I'm still looking for all the money I've saved.
One would think a pile that big would be obvious.
Or maybe that check is still in the mail - 40+yrs I need a new mail dude.

That pile of money is just waiting for you to buy the right piece of equipment that speeds up your process. :kidding:

[ghh3rd]

For almost 40 years I shot .22's exclusively... I would get sticker shock when I looked at the price of some large caliber ammo. Then one day about seven years ago I wondered if it's would be possible to somehow reuse that large caliber brass that's always laying all over the ground. I honestly didn't know that it was possible to reload brass, and when I did a search and stumbled on this site, my eyes opened wide.

Now I own a .38, .357, .40, .44, .45, 45-70 and a .50 (MZ) and cast/reload all of them. I went from shooting zero large caliber to mostly large caliber. I can load from mild to wild. I also started hunting at about the same time, and finally shot my first deer last season, and it was with a boolit that I cast and loaded.

I have less money than in my .22 days, but have so much more fun.

[popper]

Just put that Free bottle of Lee LLA to good use and tumble lube.

[Eddie17]

More time at the range, behind the trigger is a huge payback in itself, shooting your own ammo.
IMOA

[pjames32]

I think my savings over the years are in my safe as precious metal................more guns.
Welcome to a new cocaine like habit :)

[danmat]

When I first started this pursuit I thought why so many molds for one gun. I am still pretty green, but after casting my first 44s with my NOE Keith mold, I pan lubed as cast, shot a 2.5 in. group at 50 yds. with the buckhorns and old eyes I am starting to understand that this could get out of hand in a hurry. I need a mold like yours I think it will feed a little smoother in my Marlin.

[robg]

When you first start you reload to shoot ,after a while you shoot to reload .nice looking boolits.

[Tom W.]

Really I've been casting since the mid 70's. I've been through a few molds, buying, selling and trading. The only rifle that I have owned that I didn't cast for was my 7mm Rem Mag. I've been of the conviction that if I can't cast for a gun I don't want it. (Except the 7mm Rem Mag). I have a mold that came in from Midway last week, but I haven't felt well enough to go play with it yet.

[David2011]

Funny, He thinks he will save money.:cbpour:

It can happen. Just in my STI (avatar pic) I've shot about 90,000 rounds in competition and practice. Zero factory loads. That would be about $28,000 in Winchester 500 round boxes. I have a very well equipped loading and casting room and could replace everything for far less that that.

[RadarsRUs]

Hello Again, just did some finger lube & sizing of those .44 GC cast Bs tonight. Am picking little wad of wax off stick and smearing around body of boolit before pressing up into opened-up Lee sizer die. Pushing them out at .4335.

Using White Label Lube and going to test which the .44 Mag Lever-Gun likes and are easiest. Used BAK (just a little too sticky and soft I think) and Carnuba Blue (a tiny bit less tacky). I can see where one wants to get ahold of a lubrisizer for this - ha, ha. This is like technicolor snot-picking!

Question on how many rejects I got to make those 217, I would guess it was close to 25-30. Definitely took a learning curve to get the mold temp., melt temp and casting rate more or less figured out.

Any suggestions of what will probably be the best of the White Label lubes is going to give me best results in 20" barrel at about 1400 fps with these Gas Check slugs??

FEEDING question from above, these Boolits loaded to crimp groove in new Star Line un-sized .44 Mag. cases out of the box feed through the Henry like SILK! Better than any other round I have put in the magazine tube. Very relieved that this slug design is so slick in that gun!

[Tom W.]

I use the carnauba red for everything. If I ever run out I may try a few sticks of the carnauba blue. You can't beat the products from White Label Lubes.