Am I a youngster?

[sutherpride59]

So I've been a member of this forum and casting for the last 2 years and one thing I keep noticing is that I'm probably one of the youngest people on this forum at the ripe old age of 28. How old is everyone on here? Is boolit casting really an old mans game? Who doesn't like cheap boolits!

I know I'm an old soul at heart because the wife tells me everyday I act like a grandpa.

[2muchstuf]

59 and 7/12 here.
I'm not an old fart yet, but gettin close.
2

[2muchstuf]

59 and 7/12 here.
I'm not an old fart yet, but gettin close.
I love cheap boolits and have shot almost nothin but for quite a few years.
2

[marlin39a]

Going to be 61 next month. I'm still casting an loading. I'm not slowing down yet.

[Multigunner]

I'm well over 65 but I started out casting boolits when I was 20 or so. Cast toy soldiers and played around with hot lead long before that.
I've done less and less casting as I get older.

[William Yanda]

At 28, I had been married for a couple of years, one child, perhaps the second on the way. Those were the good old days.

[DocSavage]

67 reloading for 47 years casting my own for 40 years.

[opos]

80 in October...someone said "you sure don't look 80"...they can't see it from the inside!! Loading since the very late 50's...took a break in the 70's...back at it in the early 90's

[avogunner]

I just turned 56 and have been casting bullets since I was 25-26 - Yeah, I like cheap boolits too!!
Thinking about it though, my first exposure to casting was in 6th grade shop class. In addition to making bird houses and such, we had a casting furnace and were taught how to make/use sand molds. I never realized what a good education I got.
Semper Fi

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[GhostHawk]

64.5 and you are just a kid, but don't let it bug ya. You are free, white and 21 are you not?

Means you can do as you like, just have to live with the consequences.

Most of us ol farts just wishing we could go back and spend more time being younger.

Getting old SUCKS. The alternative sucks worse.

Live hard, die young, leave a nice looking corpse.

[mnewcomb59]

26 here. I started casting for 357 rifle and handgun about 5 years ago after reading around on here for a few months.

[jmort]

Good to see young people casting
I like it
I never thought about it until 15 years ago
Just about to hit 58
Always bought lead boolits which were mostly Hardball
Wish I had started sooner
Learned a lot here.

[tazman]

Started casting for my 38 Special when I was 23. Now I am 65. Lots of boolits downrange in that time.

[LenH]

I'll be 61 in August, I learned this madness at 16 from a friends dad.

[lightman]

I'll be the big 60 in August. I started casting with my Grandfather when I was in my early teens. I guess casting may be an old mans game as younger guys have less time due to family and careers and life in general. Good to see younger guys getting into it, for sure. I had a 10 year vacation from loading, shooting and casting when both of my boys were in college and I was working 2 jobs.

[silverback13]

60 in august as well. Started loading about 25 years ago. Wow seems like just a few years ago
Never thought I would make it this far now to plan to survive the next 20.

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[Hickok]

62 a traveling on to 63. Been casting since right out of high school, 1973. Still have my first mold, a single cavity Lee 150 gr swc used to cast for a .357 Blackhawk. It still casts a perfect boolit. Yes, Lee aluminum molds are durable if taken care of!

[mold maker]

My first mold was a HG 45 TC cast with a Saeco Bottom pour in "63.
I don't cast as much as I once did, but I can't pass up a WW, or plumbers lead.
Yep, even those in their 50s are just young whippersnappers.

[ole_270]

I'm 64 1/2, cast my first Lee 358-156 in the mid 70's. Added a 257420 for my old Marlin 94 25-20 in the 80's, then 311041and .45 and .50 cal. REAL. Last few years it's been custom .25 molds and the Accurate 38-250B. Just started with the Lee 452-200swc and rf molds. When Al at NOE gets the H&G #68 copy in stock in 5 cavity again I'll probably pick one of those up.

[OS OK]

67 . . . the 50-60's were a hoot, you'd have to be there to appreciate the difference in life's quality...

First poured lead between two oak boards with a 1/2" hole drilled between them, they rolled along the bottom in the rivers current. No good! Found a hacksaw and figured out how to cut those boards to cast a pyramid surf sinker...that was some hi-tek casting then boys!

[D Crockett]

I am 65 and I have been casting lead 49 years now. it started when a man down the road asked me if I wanted a summer job. we cast fish sinkers and sold them to bait houses and fishing tackle stores. then I got into dive wt's sold them to a few dive shops. until I had the accident with the aluminum pot. I was lucky that I went in the house to get a drink when the pot let go what a mess. that was way before we had computers and the access to all the info we have now. we had to learn the hard way. then I went to work for a reloading shop. I loaded and cast lead for him for a few years till he sold his shop. and that is how I got into casting bullets been casting bullets for 20 years now. some advise to the young folks here have fun doing it and do not make a business out of it won't be fun then. D Crockett

[firebyprolong]

I'm 32 and been casting and loading since I was 14. I had a very understanding father and a 38 to feed. Told me last month while standing in my loading room, "I always knew you and your brother where going to be shooters but I never imagined you'd take it quite this far." Like he had nothing to do with it. This is the same man that gave me a 22 at 10 and 51 navy cap and ball pistol at 12, what exactly did he think was gonna happen?

[Reddirt62]

54

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[mdi]

I believe casting boolits is an ageless pastime. The satisfaction from making good shootable bullets doesn't depend on age, but perhaps the younger casters don't have as much patience as the OC group (Old Casters)?

[Walter Laich]

70, 71 in July
started in late 50s with my Dad.
love casting, reloading and shooting about equally. first two can do at home without going to range

[44deerslayer]

41 here and retired. With lots of pain bin casting and loading since I was 10

[robg]

63 in a month or so ,reloading 35 years casting for about 17 years since my wife got me a rcbs 158 GC mold and ladle for my birthday .now I only use lead on the range and jacketed for hunting as that's the legal requirement over here.

[TexasGrunt]

I think I'm 18, my actual age is advanced 57, my physical age is around 85. Hopefully sometime in July or August I'll have another surgery, then if it goes well about six weeks later my physical age will drop a decade or two.

[Whitespider]

Creeping up on 60 here... started casting my own just 10 short years ago.
However, I've been shooting cast boolits for about 40 years... I was lucky enough to have a couple-three friends casting my boolits for me over the years.
Ten years ago I decided it was time to take the plunge... for better or for worse... and now my 29-year-old son is showing an interest as his collection of guns grows, and ammunition prices increase.
*

[TexasGrunt]

41 here and retired. With lots of pain

The pain lets us know we're still alive. Thankfully one thing the VA is good at is shoveling pain pills out.

[Big Boomer]

Turned 77 last Feb. Been casting since 1975 or so. Only non-cast I use is for a Ruger Mini-14 and a Ruger AR, though both of those are being prepared/cleaned for a try with cast. Everything else gets cast. Big Boomer

[gwpercle]

Although I'm 67 now , I started casting when I was 17 , in 1967 , so I have 50 years of experience.
I don't consider casting an "old man's " pastime , I was a young man when I started. I just kept doing it and you know what they say about time flying when you are having a good time....I never noticed I got old until recently .
Gary

[OS OK]

Although I'm 67 now , I started casting when I was 17 , in 1967 , so I have 50 years of experience.
I don't consider casting an "old man's " pastime , I was a young man when I started. I just kept doing it and you know what they say about time flying when you are having a good time....I never noticed I got old until recently .
Gary

:bigsmyl2: Well, your an official ole fart now! Ya know, my father in law used to say "Getting old sucks!" I got sooo tired of hearing that...now he is gone and that's my favorite saying!

Getting old ain't for the faint of heart!

[dondiego]

I am not old yet at 64 but my bones sure do ache and creak! My dad is old at 92 but he still got a turkey this year. He never did cast but he brought home some casting stuff one time when I was 15. The rest is history!

[nvbirdman]

I was 28 once, but that was a long time ago.
I was twice 28 once, but that was also a long time ago.
I've been casting boolits for a lot longer than 28 years,

[Kraschenbirn]

72+ here. First exposed to reloading by my shooting coach when I was on a Boy Scout/Explorer rifle team (late '50s-early '60s) but didn't start casting until I hooked up with some CW re-enactors in the mid-'70s. First molds were both Lee...a .58 Minie and a .44 Conical.

Have to agree with OS OK...those were different times. Used to take my cased Win 52 to school, check it into the Vocational Shop tool crib (the woodshop teacher was shooter), then, after school, stand it up between my knees riding a city bus to the Nat'l Guard Armory for practice.

Bill

[megasupermagnum]

I am surprised by the poll. I figured 45-65 would be the biggest groups, and 30-45 the lowest. I see I am far in the minority at 22 years old, and I do not know a single other person my age who casts bullets. I started reloading when my grandpa showed me at about 13-14. I wanted to shoot WAY more than I could get factory ammo. It really paid off through my teen years which included mostly the Obama years.

[ghh3rd]

64 in July - started casting about 7-8 years ago. I never heard of casting or reloading before that. Wish I had known and I would have a ton or two of lead squirreled away, rather than missing the days of free lead. I did pick up 2/3 of a large wheel weight yesterday in Walmart parking lot :-

We need more younger folks in this hobby. My 19yr old son watches but doesn't get into it. Maybe someday...

[mdi]

Well, stick around kids, you might learn something...:mrgreen:

[NoAngel]

Age is not indicative of wisdom or intelligence. It's not even a reliable indicator of experience.
Stupidity, arrogance and hubris bound across all generations. I've met some old guys who have forgot more than many of us have the capacity to learn. I've met some that are so full of sheet that their eyes are brown. Same with young and middle aged.
No doubt there are "young 'uns" that have cast more than some of the old farts who claim to have invented everything. Then there are some younger people so stupid they couldn't find a tree in the middle of the forest. It's a very poor practice to walk through this library judging book covers. Not saying that's happening mind you, just saying in general.

My dad and grandfather reloaded. They swore a cast bullet was useless past 1600. I can remember my father cussing about his S&W leading the barrel and forcing cone and how hard it was to clean. Looking back through some of the old stuff, He never owned a sizer bigger than .357 Well....

[DerekP Houston]

<- 34 here, I like my old fashioned hobbies. I still like paperback books vs e-readers too.

[Yard5429]

I'll be 28 in August. Learned to reload about 2 years ago. Started casting 3 months ago. So much fun!


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[dragon813gt]

I'm in my late thirties. Even at this age I'm at the younger end of the spectrum. As every day passes I realize how much I don't know. Never pretended to know it all. But the 16yo step daughter and her boyfriend put everything in perspective. I might as well talk to wall because no matter what I say they have to experience it themselves. I remember being like that.

[leadhead]

I'll be 75 in July....shot cast in handgun silhouette for 22 years and did very well with them.
I've been doing a lot of casting for surplus military rifles. I still shoot a lot of cast in handguns.
Denny

[472x1B/A]

I'll be 66 next month and really love cheep boolits. Started reloading, way too late in my life, in 1986. Sometimes I think about all the 'money' I could have saved, not shooting store bought ammo. Dad and both granddads weren't much into shooting so no interest in reloading there.

So, along came my interest in shotgun slugs and this site. This is where the casting bug bite took effect. Started in 2006 casting with no idea what I was doing then. Haven't bought factory made ammo since. ( With one exception. Last year my concealed carry class instructor said NO reloads, and I had to buy a box of .38's.) This site has really been good to me and I thank everyone everyday.

[rking22]

58 this past January , been casting bullets since the mid 70s. I've always been a bit frugal. I have always been sure to have a mold or few for any firearm I own. Been "prepping" since before it had a name. We just always considered it common sense. Farm raised probably has an influence too. Its a great hobby and practical too.

[Whitespider]

My dad and grandfather reloaded. They swore a cast bullet was useless past 1600. I can remember my father cussing about his S&W leading the barrel and forcing cone and how hard it was to clean. Looking back through some of the old stuff, He never owned a sizer bigger than .357 Well....

I grew up in a "gun family".
My Grandfather was a gun dealer... he owned and operated a "General Store" in a little town on the river with a one-sided main street. You could buy anything you needed in that store, from boots and horse tack, to eggs, milk, and bread, to fence posts and barbed wire, to fishing gear and guns. The gun racks sat back between the meat counter where he personally cut all the meat and the pot-bellied stove. I remember the gun representatives coming in and taking Gramp's order, showing him new models, and occasionally stepping out back to shoot them. I still have many of the promotional hand-outs from those guys... pocket knives, belt buckles, and such. The "ol' boys" (old to me at that time) would come in carrying their rifles and shotguns to sit around the stove, drink coffee, and talk guns and hunting. Like my dad, I was shooting a .22 as soon as I was strong enough to hold the Winchester M67... and pheasant hunting the fields alone before I was ten.

Funny thing... I was the first member of the family to take up reloading. When I started reloading in my early 20's both Gramps and dad looked at my like I had somehow contracted the plaque or something. According to them I was gonna' blow up my guns, or destroy them in some other way... and even if I didn't, I wouldn't be able to hit sour owl squat. I was told one horror story after another about the evils of "reloads". Gramps had long past when I started casting 10 years ago... however, dad thought I'd completely lost my friggin' mind.

LOL... I was was thinning the population of chipmunks on my place last fall using my .22 Hornet (shooting cast). Dad made the comment that I was using some awfully expensive ammunition for that task... that a .22 rimfire made more sense. You should have seen the look on his face when I told him my Hornet "cast reloads" costs something less than ½ of what .22 rimfire ammunition was costing at that time. I almost fainted when he asked if I could "reload" his .218 Bee that cheap... the last box of 50 rounds he bought cost him over $70 (I guess, after nearly 40 years, he's come to the conclusion my "evil" "reloads" ain't so evil after all). I ain't got to it yet (too many other things going on this spring), but the .218 Bee will be my summer project I reckon.
*

[Jr.]

Yep you're a youngster. But then again so am I at 29. Just remember that guys like you and I are the few that do not fall within the bounds of our generations stereotype. Be proud to have a hobby that is one of the old arts. Learn as much as you can and pass that information on when you get a chance.

[riorider]

I'll turn 60 in Dec and been at it since about 13! My Dad was a gun nut and I grew up down the road from a Gunsmith shop so I got to play with this stuff as a kid! Now own a Gun store and Gunsmith myself!

[waco]

I'll be 43 in Aug. and have been casting boolits for 18 years now.

[OS OK]

Alright Boys...I keep reading about this 'so-called hobby' we have...it ain't no hobby, :bigsmyl2: a hobby is collecting stamps...it's a CRAFT that lasts a lifetime with continuous innovation!

[JohnH]

Had lost track of my birth certificate and made the mistake of telling the guys at work about it. One asked a few weeks later if I'd found it yet and I said, "Yeah". He then asked it was etched in stone :roll:. Imagine that. And here, I'm not even quite 60 as yet. Started casting in the mid '80's. I've watched guns or having anything to do with them go from being completely socially unacceptable to the only growth industry the previous administration was able to foster. Still, if you are into casting it says to things. Most people think casters are just cheap skates. Ain't been my experience. I've actually spent more on guns and reloading as a result of casting. And ya learn. I'm willing to bet that most casters know more about guns, the care and use of and particularly the enjoyment of than most of their peers in gun owning community. If you are casting you are going to learn more about powders and load performance than any other segment of the art can teach. Glad to see so many youngsters here. Does my heart good to know that our hobby and rights are in the hands of a generation who is able to see that all that is old should not disposed of.

[bullseye67]

Good evening,
I will be turning 50 this year. Wow is all I can say! I was taught to cast when I was 13 and have been "mak'n boolits" ever since! I shoot less now than when I was young. 35 years of Bullseye shooting makes for a lot of lead it backstops!
I am happy to read some younger members getting into casting. I show anyone who is interested, it is too bad the authorities have decided LEAD is the new asbestos. A couple of guys wives won't let them melt lead at their place, so they come over and we do a group melt for ingots and casting boolits at the same time. Many hands make lighter work, especially with lead.
Have an awesome week:drinks:

[Bazoo]

33 here. I started casting cause I realized reloading wasnt going to save me any money If I had to buy bullets. Then I started really enjoying it. Then I got a 44 magnum. I wouldnt have gotten a 44 if I wasnt a reloader and a caster.

[tarbe]

What a bunch of geezers we are!

I turn 60 late in the year. Started casting in 1975. Really only dabbled in it - not like some of you guys who drink molten lead instead of coffee! :)

I always saw casting as a supplement to J-words, and as an insurance policy if I couldn't get J-words.

I now have my 3rd 45-70 and I really need to feed this thing a regular diet of 400gr cast boolits. A lever action 45-70 should be shootin cast boolits!

[KVO]

I'm 32. While age can be paradoxical to experience, relative youth invites its own frustrations. I graduated from TSJC at 21 with an AAS in gunsmithing and found it challenging to work with shooters. It was about 50/50 whether or not I'd be taken seriously, and more often I'd end up receiving simplistic lectures from the "grand buddha" of the range or in the shop about guns that (they weren't aware) I built. Still happens occasionally. The irony is, now that I'm getting some grey, folks are starting to listen even though I no longer practice as a professional gunsmith. I started casting about four years ago when jacketed bullets became scarcer than hen's teeth and found it to be it's own reward beyond simply a way to feed the guns.

[sigep1764]

33, been loading for 4 years, casting about 3.

[slownsteady22]

35 year old, been reloading 10yrs and i am a casting newborn(6 months). I have learned alot from this site and all you old geezers...=)

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[Hickok]

Good to see the younger fella's involved in this passion we all share.

"My heart soars like a hawk!":grin:

[Walter Laich]

from replies would have been interesting to break over 65 down by 5 years to 70 and 75

just saying....

[tdoor4570]

Be 70 on june 21 been loading and casting since 1971

[sutherpride59]

I started reloading about 3 years ago and after complaining about how I wasn't saving as much as I had hoped with fmjs my buddy asked why I don't just cast my own. A light bulb went off in my head, I read every sticky on the forum in 3 days and on day 4 bought me a Lee pot and a mold. The rest is history.

[Scharfschuetze]

I started reloading in 1968 and then casting in 1976. No need to golf when you can reload, shoot and hunt.

[sutherpride59]

I started reloading in 1968 and then casting in 1976. No need to golf when you can reload, shoot and hunt.

Amen!

No one will tell you what a golf course really is..... a waste of a perfectly good gun range!

[Moonie]

I'm 49, been reloading since I was about 20 casting since about 22 or so.

[Floydster]

81 yeas old here, been handloading/casting since I was 16.
Still shoot steel in competition every two weeks.
Getting a little slower, but, still in the game.
Hope to have a few more years yet.
Floydster a.k.a. Smokeyloads

[Tazza]

38 here, i started casting after our hand gun buy back in Australia. I had 3-4000 .45 projectiles that i wouldn't get any money for (other than scrap), so being the cheap person i am, i decided to make those .45s into 9mm. That would have been 2003/2004 so that made me... *Twitches fingers and toes* about 27/28

Years later, i'm still doing it, just more often than i used to.

[woodbutcher]

:awesome:Well,I cast my first boolit when I was about 6 or 7 with my Grand Father.We cast some huge boolits for his TD Springfield in 45-70 cal.IIRC,it was made in the late 1870`s or early 1880`s.
He bought it new.Lord when I saw the size of those slugs I wondered what kind of artillery piece that was for.I think that they were 500gr.That was a fun afternoon.We later loaded them with black powder,and shot a couple.Boy,would that TD back up a little guy.Those were the days.Oh yeah.I`ll be 72 in October.
Good luck.Have fun.Be safe.
Leo

[Jack Stanley]

There now you know that I'm not older than dirt , it must be true it's on the internet !!

Jack

[milsurpcollector1970]

47 here started casting and reloading at 29

[Swede44mag]

Started casting aluminum in High School. Went to casting fishing weights at home about the same time.
When I graduated in HS 1974 talked my dad into buying me a Haws Western Martial .357
I started casting Wad Cutters and Semi Wad Cutters and wore out several parts for the .357.
Someone stole it the same time with all my single shot and pump shotguns and a used Browning A5 I traded for after I got married in 1978 while we were fishing.
I still cast today but don't get to shoot as much due to my wife's health but she does like to go to the lake shooting range.

[williamwaco]

Yes. YOU are a youngster.

[bob208]

I am 67. started casting at 21. hand dipped into a 358429 mold. loaded with a 310 hand tool. was loading for ruger blackhawk about a year later got a used liberty single stage press. did it because it was the only way I could shoot. still have the mold pistol and press.

[tmanbuckhunter]

25. Been loading and casting since I was 17.

[NavyVet1959]

Well, I'm not going to say that you are a youngster, but quite frankly kid, I would not be surprised if some of the people around here have *underwear* older than you... :)

[wistlepig1]

70 in January, started casting when I was 20. I had to, bullets were $3.75 a 100 and I didn't have it! Mold was free and WW's were free. Those were the days!

[MT Gianni]

It needs the option " I got underwear older than you".

[Bzcraig]

Be 61 in November....by the grace of God retired but working part time and in good health.

[henry8734]

I too am in the shorter of the two groups. Turning 30 in Sept. Started loading with grandpa around my 12th birthday. Tried casting when I was 22, then waited till this winter to really figure it out, with the help of this site and it's friendly members. I've since spent over 3k primers dislodging home brewed projectiles. I never thought I could get another ounce of satisfaction from reloading.... I was wrong!

Old souls get along better anyways! Our generation has got it easy, the key is knowing the difference. Most of us "young uns" don't have the slightest idea.

Henry

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[sutherpride59]

I too am in the shorter of the two groups. Turning 30 in Sept. Started loading with grandpa around my 12th birthday. Tried casting when I was 22, then waited till this winter to really figure it out, with the help of this site and it's friendly members. I've since spent over 3k primers dislodging home brewed projectiles. I never thought I could get another ounce of satisfaction from reloading.... I was wrong!

Old souls get along better anyways! Our generation has got it easy, the key is knowing the difference. Most of us "young uns" don't have the slightest idea.

Henry

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Our generation is a bunch of liberal p***ies, in just glad a few of us are still sane enough to turn it around and keep such an art/science/hobby/obsession going. One day I'll meet somebody my own age that casts for fun. Lol maybe one day I'll meet someone else who cast lol (excludinding Dave Scharfschuetze who is an awesome guy and my new hero)

[prs]

Younger bull and senior bull on ridge line looking over the herd. Young says, "Hey Old Fellow, lets run on down there and have our fun with one of them gals." Wise old bull replies; "You stay here boy, I'll walk down there 'n make'm all happy."

I've taught several young folk to cast and handload. But, now that they are middle aged is seems they have quit, sadly even just about quit shooting. My son still shoots, but has me do the casting and reloading. Probably my own fault for doing it for him. Then again, folks seem to spend so much time at their jobs that the good life is passing them by. Youth is wasted on the young. ;-)

Rooster

[henry8734]

Lol I know the feeling! I have yet to meet anyone in my town that casts, but there's got to be a few since most the tire shops already have ww spoken for !

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[John Guedry]

Hope to be 74 next month.

[jrmartin1964]

I celebrated my 53rd birthday just over three months ago. I started casting around the age of 12, learning the mysterious art of pouring lead from my Dad.

[condorjohn]

I'm a member of a small firearms collectors club, about 140 members. We get around 50 members attending our meetings. At our last meeting the Pres. said everyone here under 60, raise your hand... Three hands came up.
I'm thinking the younger generation (on the most part) aren't interested in joining or making any kind of a commitment.
It seems to be the same across the board.

[blue32]

Early 30's. I can't even interest guys I know to reload, much less cast. I came from a non-shooting family so there's still hope for the future. I went from automatic pistols to cap and ball in a very short time with everything in between. Seeing spaghetti western reruns in the 90's was a defining moment that influenced my shooting life. Without the internet I would have probably never tried casting since I didn't have anyone to influence me otherwise. I've never handled more than a literal hand full of wheel weights.

[JWT]

Planning on 49 this fall. I've been reloading for around 30 years. I learned to reload from my Dad. I have been casting for almost 3 years. I learned to cast from this site.

[Tazza]

Almost every member of my pistol club that i shoot with reloads, there are the odd few that don't yet, as they are unsure or don't have the money just yet to buy the gear to do it. They are collecting cases for future reloading though.

I only shoot reloads in my centre fire guns, i don't think i have ever bought factory ammo, other than for my .22

As for people that cast their own, as far as i'm aware, it's just myself and another guy. People doing black powder do cast some of their own as some can be odd calibers.

[sutherpride59]

Younger bull and senior bull on ridge line looking over the herd. Young says, "Hey Old Fellow, lets run on down there and have our fun with one of them gals." Wise old bull replies; "You stay here boy, I'll walk down there 'n make'm all happy."

I've taught several young folk to cast and handload. But, now that they are middle aged is seems they have quit, sadly even just about quit shooting. My son still shoots, but has me do the casting and reloading. Probably my own fault for doing it for him. Then again, folks seem to spend so much time at their jobs that the good life is passing them by. Youth is wasted on the young. ;-)

Rooster

An 8 pointer, 4 pointer and a button buck are standing by a field browsing on acorns.

The 8 pointer says,
'I'm happy with my 10 does, we're really getting along.'

The 4 pointer says,
'I'm happy as heck with my 5, they really take care of me!'

The Button buck says,
'My two are all right, better than nothing I guess.'

Then all of a sudden a GIANT 14 pointer walks out into the field.

The three bucks had never seen anything like him before, they were in awe.

The big buck made a huge scrape and pisses in it, rubbed a tree the size of a telephone pole and snapped it off at the ground!

The three bucks looked on in amazement.

The 8 pointer says,
'I could probably get by with 4 does...........
Who really needs 10 anyway?'

The 4 pointer says,
'You know.............. come to think of it, I only really use one or two of mine!'

The button buck was silent, as the other two bucks look over to him in confusion.

Suddenly the Button buck runs out into the middle of the field!

He rips and tears up some grass........
Pisses all over the place,
snorts & wheezes,
rubs his head raw on a tree,
and chews a lickin branch clean off!

Then he runs back over to his buddies.

His friends immediately ask him,
'What the heck are you doing!?'

I'm just makin' sure that big son of a ***** knows I'm a buck!





Your post just made me think of this joke lol.

[MikeN]

Age 71 here. Started reloading in '62 at age 16 and can't think of when the last factory load I fired was. I cased a little in the early '70's and want to get back into it. Have mostly been shooting commercial cast. Have several hundred pounds of pure lead and will have to add to this to get an alloy that is appropriate. I still love reloading.

[hd09]

58 loaded my first 38 special in 1980 with the same old rock chucker I use today. First casting was 38's from a saeco mold and saeco pot in 1989.

[copdills]

I will be 62 yoa in a few months I love the hobby just started a few years ago , I found this forum and got hooked right off , been into firearms an hunting since I was 8 years old

[midnight]

Seems like most of us are getting on in years. I'm 75 and only have been loading for about 50 years. Kind of a newbie since I've only been casting for 25 years and swaging the last 15. It's a good feeling knowing I can make everything except powder & primers. I think I could make those too if I had to. With the lathe and mill I can make most of the tools I need also. I have a few young guys in town that want to learn and I offered them the use of all my equipment and components and given them some books before they buy anything. They can then buy wisely.

Bob

[murf205]

I'll be 70 if the Lord lets me make it till Oct. Been casting 43 yrs (wow, that went by fast). I used to cast for the novelty but when I saw how well the boolits performed on game, I was hooked for sure. Now I cast because I love the independence of having my own source of projectiles and not having to worry about knee jerk legislation by our government to outlaw bullets/boolits.

[Texas by God]

I'm old enough to punch the wrong button. Oh wait- I've always done that.
I'll be 59 and holding soon Lord be willing.
Happy Father's Day everyone!

[NavyVet1959]

You know you're getting old when someone asks your age and you have to ask them what year it is and get out your calculator...

Yep... I've been that way for awhile...

Or, as they say, "Old enough to know better, but too old to care..."

[longbow]

Just turned 63. Been casting since I was about 14 so 49 years.

I used to cast a lot more than I do now mostly because I am much more involved in traditional archery now than I was but still going with casting. I cast for .303 British, .44 mag Marlin and 12 ga. slug mostly these days.

I have about a half dozen moulds for each caliber though I swore I was going to downsize and use one boolit per caliber. I tend to like heavy for caliber boolits but in the end I had to have a plinker weight boolit, mid weight and heavy. Makes more sense to stick to one weight per caliber or at least one boolit weight per gun so sights don't have to move but I can't help it.

In years gone by I have cast for dozens of guns in calibers from .30 to .458, 20 ga. and 12 ga. in both cartridge and muzzleloading guns. I lean towards the big bores and have a fascination with 12 ga. slugs.

Longbow

[JBinMN]

It is interesting to see the variances in age here.
:)

The only detracting thing I can think of about polls such as this one, is that without full voting by all of the membership, the results will be skewed to only those who wish to vote/post. Thus it doesn't reflect the true membership age spread.

[dragon813gt]

The only detracting thing I can think of about polls such as this one, is that without full voting by all of the membership, the results will be skewed to only those who wish to vote/post. Thus it doesn't reflect the true membership age spread.

If you're going down that road I'm sure you will find that many members have left this earth. So the membership number is off to begin w/.

[JBinMN]

If you're going down that road I'm sure you will find that many members have left this earth. So the membership number is off to begin w/.

NOt so much, although I understand what ya are saying.

What I mean is that if only part of the membership votes in the poll, then ya only get the input from those that voted.
I.E. - There culd be a lot of members who are in their middle age who have not voted/posted, or a lot of younger folks who did not vote/post, since they may only stop in on occasion.. Where the older folks who may be retired or do not have the other things going on that many do in their lifestyle at a younger age & are possibly more likely to vote/post...

I think I can see it in only just the short time this poll has been up..

More members that are older, and thus may have more time to vote/post than other younger folks. As the age drops, the numbers of the age group can drop.

Don't know if I am explaining my thinking well enough, but I am trying to basically say that older posters may have more time to vote/post on such things like this here, than younger ones who have a lot more stuff going on that they might consider more important than casting & reloading boolits.. Younger folks & Job/children/etc. taking up time, than the time available with the older at retired/semi-retired/ grandchildren/etc.

BTW... I am in the latter group.
;)
:)

[mold maker]

No voluntary poll can have a scientific outcome. These are purely for fun and serve no real purpose.

[Earlwb]

Well I had cast my first bullets when I was 16yoa. it was for a trade musket .40 caliber smoothbore. That was like ages ago too, way back there in the early days. I think they were wearing Tricorn hats back then. :-P
But everyone has to start somewhere, so you may be young, but that should not be a deterrent.

[halodub]

I am surprised by the poll. I figured 45-65 would be the biggest groups, and 30-45 the lowest. I see I am far in the minority at 22 years old, and I do not know a single other person my age who casts bullets. I started reloading when my grandpa showed me at about 13-14. I wanted to shoot WAY more than I could get factory ammo. It really paid off through my teen years which included mostly the Obama years.

23 years old here, but just got into casting last year as, I too, wanted to shoot more. Paying 35-50c a round for 357Sig just wasn't cutting it for me, and I have an ever-present desire to get things as cheap as humanly possible. Got down to 13c a round with buying cast boolits in bulk, and figured, hey, I could do that myself and cut the cost even further!

[DirtyGP100]

29 but not for much longer. 30 seems to be fast approaching

[sutherpride59]

29 but not for much longer. 30 seems to be fast approaching

It's a horrifying thought isn't it?

[Echo]

My first mold was a Lee 140-gr 38 caliber SWC - about 50 years ago. Used the Lee system to cast & loob, and reload, 38/357's for my Ruger Blackhawk. At 81 I'm slowing down, not shooting as much, but still have a ton (literally!) of stock and something over 100 molds.

[bpatterson84]

32, casting for 2 years now. I shoot a lot of volume, and cast for 11 different calibers. #1600 lead last year, I use range pickup and PC my boolits. Best thing I've done for my shooting since realizing what sights were for ;-)

[Tazza]

Wow, that is some serious shooting right there. Glad you aren't buying the #1600 of projectiles from the shop, id' hate to do the math to work out how much that would cost.

[fredj338]

So I've been a member of this forum and casting for the last 2 years and one thing I keep noticing is that I'm probably one of the youngest people on this forum at the ripe old age of 28. How old is everyone on here? Is boolit casting really an old mans game? Who doesn't like cheap boolits!

I know I'm an old soul at heart because the wife tells me everyday I act like a grandpa.

Younger people have grown up hearing all the bad things lead does to you, even if it is just sitting on the ground. Most of us over 50 grew up with lead paint & such, we seem to still be around.

[mold maker]

I survived all the bad habits and unknown dangers of the 40s, 50s and 60s without any ill effects, that are traceable. Either I was tough, or lucky.
I carried mercury in my pockets, cast lead soldiers, ate peanuts, road bicycles without a helmet, and killed snakes by poping their heads like a whip. I even road standing on the front seat, or laying on the rear window shelf of the car.
I'm sure I'd be dead if I did those things as a child today.
Just think of all the fun the latest generation will miss, in a safety harness with their noses burried in an electronic gadget, texting the person next to them.

[Col4570]

http://i1052.photobucket.com/albums/s452/livebattery/001-40.jpg (http://s1052.photobucket.com/user/livebattery/media/001-40.jpg.html)
80 and still dabbling in the Dark Art of Black Powder shooting along with Casting a variety of projectiles.

[Crash_Corrigan]

I am still staggering along at 75. From '64 to '84 I was carrying a revolver for the city of New York as a cop. The weapon was a necessary tool that was not used too much. As a youngster I fired off probably 50,000 .22 Lr's out of a 1920 Savage Model 23 bolt rifle so when I became a LEO good marksmanship was easy to achieve and maintain. After retirement and moving out to Las Vegas in '93 I started to target shoot my trusty 38's from my cop days. It got kinda expensive so I got into reloading and casting all at once. Over the years my gun collection has grown along with my collection of molds to make boolits. Now I am looking into PC my boolts instead of lubing them. I gave up golf and playing guitar so I can spend more time with my guns, boolits and target shooting. My latest is a Custom revolver put out by Wild West Guns here in Las Vegas. They call it the Wolverine. It starts out as a Ruger SuperRedhawk Toklet 454 Casull 5" revolver. They port the barrel, do a bunch of lightening cuts on the frame, mill the end of the cylinder so you can shoot .45 ACP with moonclips along with 45 Colt and the mighty 454 Casull. They also add an adjustable white outline rear sight (a la S&W) along with the infamous orange insert in the front sight and a full action job. The single action on this weapon has to be felt to be believed. It is the best I have ever felt and that includes some well worked over Smith's. As far as lead supply I have enuf to keep me shooting for another 15 years in a large pile against the wall of the garage.

[54bore]

44 years old here, i have only been casting about 2 years now, totally addicted!! I cast BIG HEAVY Muzzleloader bullets (400-650 Grains) i have yet to venture in to casting for my Cartridge guns, been thinking seriously about it tho! The 2 that i shoot the most are 7MM-08, and 6.5 Creedmoor

[OS OK]

No voluntary poll can have a scientific outcome. These are purely for fun and serve no real purpose.

Well, at least this poll confirms the fact that the 'old farts' are leading the 'soon to be - old farts' by a healthy 3 people . . . :bigsmyl2:

[Murphy]

3 x 21 = 63.

Most of the locals in our small community said I'd ever see the first 21. I was a wild one and won't deny that, there are more here than many realize who were the same. Thankfully, some of us learned the hard way and turned our lives around. We may not be able to advise a person on some things to do, but there's a whole hell of a lot we can tell you you don't wanna do.

Murphy

[OS OK]

We must have been students together at . . . 'The Uniderbity of Hard Knocks'

[sutherpride59]

Well it would seem that the poll confirms it, most of the active members in this forum are old farts lol. I must just be crazy then. I shot a USPSA competition yesterday and one of the fellows there that was in the master class told me I shouldn't be shooting cast because it will lead up my barrel and won't shoot berry accurately. I showed him pictures of my multiple 1.5" & 1.7" groups at 25 yards then handed him my barrel and asked him to point the leading out to me. He looked and looked then said "well crow don't taste that good but I guess I'll have to eat it" lol. My barrel was clean as a whistle thanks to the great info on this forum and Felix lube.

[popper]

Pushing 75 hard so I guess yes, you are a youngster. I started shooting about the time I got retired, casting shortly after - ammo was $$$. Not too many around here that cast but a HS friend does shoot CASS in Florida. IMHO, shooting as a hobby/sport drops off after HS and doesn't pick back up till later years. Until Obummer started the ruckus.

[Randy Bohannon]

Amazing how many "60-61 in August" guys their are. I would be one as as well

[Shoot66]

50 7/12 y.o. rookie caster :)

[PbHurler]

Recently turned 56. Been at it for 38 yrs.

[NavyVet1959]

Recently turned 56. Been at it for 38 yrs.

Sound like a woman... Except they would say, "recently turned 40" and wouldn't mention that they've been 39 for the last 38 years... :)

[Cold Trigger Finger]

I still haven't started casting my own Boolits. But I'm gaining on it. Should have a sweet mold or 2 On the way next weekend. Turned 57 recently. Started reloading in my late teens . I've been reloading ever since . Moved around more than anyone I know so have always had moveable reloading equipment. My next investment is lots of lead.

[retrobass]

30 here. Cheap boolits means more trigger time, which means I will be a better marksman. Got a casting setup 2 years ago for Christmas, but just really figuring out what I'm doing this summer. Wouldn't have been doable without this site!

[am44mag]

I turn 25 in August. I've been reloading since I was 18, casting since I was 20.

[mold maker]

My first cast boolits were in 1963-4 at the ripe old age of 23. I still have the HG 45 mold, the Coleman stove, Lyman pot and ladle.
While all still work, some of us have seriously slowed the pace.

[kmrra]

59 here , been casting since I was about 24 or so , tho I did take a 30 + year break. Everyone likes cheep bullets and the challenge . I have always liked to reload more so than shooting , I have talked to many guys that are the same way , I find it as therapy kind of like some guys play Golf.

[gwpercle]

:bigsmyl2: Well, your an official ole fart now! Ya know, my father in law used to say "Getting old sucks!" I got sooo tired of hearing that...now he is gone and that's my favorite saying!

Getting old ain't for the faint of heart!

Ain't that the truth ! Truer words were never spoken brother !

I had been denying the fact I was getting old....then I attended my 50 year high school reunion, Lord have mercy... there is no denying it any longer ! All these old people who I didn't recognize showed up!
I spotted myself in the group picture , some old guy was wearing my new coat , tie and dress pants...that's when I realized that old guy was ME !
Gary

[rmark]

Rumor has it I turned 56 a few weeks ago.

[jonp]

I started reloading when I was about 25 or so using a Lee Classic Reloader at my hunting camp for a Ruger Blackhawk. I started casting a few years ago after stumbling on this site and saying to myself "heck, I can do that". This site has caused me to spend more money than anything except women. Thanks, I do appreciate it!!!

[trapper9260]

I started casting sinkers when I was small ,my dad taught me and then stated reload shotgun with him and my brother and then in the mid 80's started to reload 30-06 and 357 and cast for them and reload shotgun also and then later on got back into casting and reloading and with alot of help on here clear alot up. 56 be 57 in less then 2 months.

[pjames32]

Pushing 70, reluctantly. Started reloading in my teens, casting at age 25. Welcome to the younger ones. I try to encourage casting to my younger reloading friends. They would rather buy commercial stuff, sadly.

[chosen_mosin]

Just turned 22. Been reloading/casting for about a year myself, but used to help my uncle, and grandfather when I was younger.

Right now I reload and cast for .32acp/.32s&w, .45acp, 7.62 tok, 9mm, and most recently 44 mag.

[retread]

I'm 71 and started reloading 53 years ago. Wow, where did the years go! Did not get into casting until I retired and needed to get my costs down. Now I think: I could have saved a LOT of money if I would have started at an earlier age!

[NavyVet1959]

I'm 71 and started reloading 53 years ago. Wow, where did the years go!

I'm pretty sure the young ones stole it from us... :(

[Mal Paso]

What's with the 65 and older? I refuse to get lumped in with old folks.

[LSCG]

i'll be 28 this month. been casting for a little over a year and been reloading since I was 14.

[facetious]

Turned 60 yestrday.[smilie=w:[smilie=w:

Started reloading in my teens with a black powder rifle I made from a TC kit. Started loading for my .357 at about 25 and casting not long after. A guy that lived in the same apartment building that I lived in got me started, helped me pick out a press and dies for the . 357 and showed me how to cast. In that time I have shot less than 50 jacketed bullets in .357 and less than 200 in my .308. I,m not much of a hunter so cast have been all I have needed.


199619

My B-party at work. Was getting invited in to the 60 and over club at work.

In a shop with 43 guys by the end of the year 23 will be over 60.

[waco]

Way to many young people missing out on our hobby. My boy is 24 and I think he is getting interested in casting. I'll do my part to keep it alive, and I'm one of the young ones! I'll be 43 in August.

[smilin jack]

Started casting boolits in 1971 after it got too expensive to buy lead 358 158gr. Any tire shop would give you a metal 5 gallon bucket of WW lead if you could haul it off. Two guys and a 4ft 2X4 could get it in the truck and keep us shooting a long time.
We used a camp stove, a homemade lead pot and dipper. 6" piece of 4" well casing with bottom welded on and two loops of 1/4" key stock to lift the hot pot of the fire. A Lyman dipper would pour into the single cavity mold.
Now I use a 10 lb and 20 lb electric bottom pour and several gang molds.
Still using the Lyman 45 Lube/sizer and homemade red lube.
30 cal, 38 cal, 44 cal, 45 cal, black powder 50 cal and 58 cal minnie and RB.

[HardColt]

60 yrs. old next month. Thankful to God for feeling young, except trying to get out of bed in the morning and feeling my back and right knee creaking on me. I could use some ballistol to lube it . Still love to cast and shoot when I can.

[Brad Cayton]

I'll be 57 in a few months and have been reloading since I was 16. Started casting at 21. I have 3 sons and none have any interest in casting or reloading and only one hunts. All 3 grew up hunting so I hope they get back into it some day.

[Roy Acuffff]

73 here and knocking on the door of 74. Cast my first boolits in 1964 when I was 21. Yea! it's been a day or two, and still enjoy casting.

Roy

[jaysouth]

I am 70 and have been reloading since 1962 and casting for over 20 years. Having said that, I have a friend just pushing 40 that knows more about both than I will ever learn. He also has a lathe, drill press, and a Lincoln arc welder. I am still an unlicensed dremmel operator, but have some large hammers.

[am44mag]

Turned 25 last month. I'm an avid reloader, caster, and shooter. I'm also a woodworker. :D

[aarolar]

I'm 28 as well what part of Georgia do you reside in?

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk

[RKJ]

I turned 60 August 30. I started reloading in 1985 for a 44 mag and then a 45 ACP. They just started multiplying after those. I started casting in 2009 and still haven't got it figured out, but I sure enjoy it. I'm hoping to get a Missouri Whitetail this year with a little 45/70 that I picked up last year. I'll be using my cast bullets and reloads.

I'm hoping my Grand kids take it up

[NavyVet1959]

I am 70 and have been reloading since 1962 and casting for over 20 years. Having said that, I have a friend just pushing 40 that knows more about both than I will ever learn. He also has a lathe, drill press, and a Lincoln arc welder. I am still an unlicensed dremmel operator, but have some large hammers.

As we used to say in the Navy, "When in doubt, get a bigger hammer"...

[Rcmaveric]

Now in the Navy we call it percussive maintenance. The smarter the component the harder you hit it.

[Krp68]

49 here. Just started casting but have been reloading for years.

Always wanted to cast but life got in the way. I finally got my kids raised so I thought it was about time to cast my own. Really enjoying it and I'm trying to learn all I can.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G891A using Tapatalk

[swheeler]

So I've been a member of this forum and casting for the last 2 years and one thing I keep noticing is that I'm probably one of the youngest people on this forum at the ripe old age of 28. How old is everyone on here? Is boolit casting really an old mans game? Who doesn't like cheap boolits!

I know I'm an old soul at heart because the wife tells me everyday I act like a grandpa.

You are only as old as you feel. I'm 29 and holdin', holding anything I can! Enjoy life cast and shoot as much as you can.:drinks:

[sutherpride59]

I'm surprised this thread is still going, people have shared a lot of really neat stories to boot.

[Green Frog]

Sixty eight and still scrounging lead and making bullets. Maybe you should have added more categories like, 65-75. 75-85. etc!

Froggie
Enjoying my golden years with lead

[GOPHER SLAYER]

Well I suppose I may as well jump in. I will be 83 in four days. I started casting at the ripe old age of 25, first for round ball when a neighbor took me shooting using muzzle loaders. This neighbor also introduced me to casting. I remember the day he heated up one of his casting pots and I dropped a cold dipper in the pot without asking. I thought he would have a stroke. I learned something that day. I was hooked on muzzle loaders for many years. My first casting for a cartridge was for the 44-40. I became fascinated with Winchester '92s. It is hard to believe at one time I owned six of them. Today I cast for too many rifles to list but they range from 22 to 45 caliber. I must confess that I cast and reload to feed my love for shooting. If I were to win the lotto I would sell or give away all my reloading gear and concentrate on pulling the trigger which I still love to do and if you can hear a steel gong when you hit or you knock over a steel silhoutte that is pure joy.

[myg30]

HAPPY BIRTHDAY GOPHER SLAYER. God Bless you. Three more years and hope to retire at 62.
I plan on casting, reloading and shooting a lot more. I envy the retired fellers at the range that meet early in the morning,drink coffee and shoot ALL DAY or untill the range gets full of gun blasters. ( the ones that dump a mag full in 4 seconds and spray) And no regard for hitting folks with there brass that are bench shooting.
I've had the pleasure of turning 3 of my co-workers into reloaders. Since the WW's dried up their not to into casting at this time, but they sure do love when I bring them sum of my cast boolits.

Mike

[GOPHER SLAYER]

Thank you Mike. From the beginning I never had to worry about lead since I worked for the phone company and there was always tons of lead in the scrap cable bin. I have been retired for over 23 years and I still have more lead than I will ever use. By the way Mike, you live in beautiful part of Tennessee or the USA for that matter. The problem I have is a place to shoot. The ding bats that run this state keep closing rifle ranges. The range I use now is over fifty miles from my house. There are indoor pistol ranges but they want at least 15 bucks an hour to shoot. It takes me almost half that just to get set up to shoot and I am too old to move. I should have done that when I retired.

[KCSO]

Started casing when I was 17-18 and that was over 50 years ago. Got my grandkids started now.

[Jevyod]

Another younger caster here...32 years young. Started reloading 5 years ago and casting 3 years ago.