How often do you cast boolits?

[Idaho45guy]

I was thinking I was getting low on some .452 300 grain boolits, as well as .401 175 grain and should fire up the pot and crank out a few hundred of each.

I then thought about the last time I did that and I couldn't remember when it was. At least a year! I use my cast boolits mainly for woods defense loads in .45 Colt and 10mm, so I don't do much shooting of those loads. With Hornady XTPs now going for $.35 a bullet, plus shipping, I am considering using cast boolits much more often.

Pretty sure I am the lowest volume caster on the site. Was curious as to what the "norm" was for casting.

[Winger Ed.]

I cast & size up about 1500-2000 .38WC & .45SWC at a time.
It'll tie up the shop for 2-3 evenings each. I make what I think I'll shoot in about a year or so.

Then, later on, it'll take another 2-3 evenings to run them through the press.

Same amount for .30 caliber. But that is usually enough for about 2-3 years.
I load them a couple hundred or so at a time when I get around to it on the single stage.

I could make a run of any of them in a shorter time, but I'm in no big hurry,
and usually sit out there doing reloader stuff 2-3 hours at a time.

[Idaho45guy]

I cast & size up about 1500-2000 .38WC & .45SWC at a time.
It'll tie up the shop for 2-3 evenings each. I make what I think I'll shoot in about a year or so.

Then, later on, it'll take another 2-3 evenings to run them through the press.

Same amount for .30 caliber. But that is usually enough for about 2-3 years.
I load them a couple hundred or so at a time when I get around to it on the single stage.

I could make a run of any of them in a shorter time, but I'm in no big hurry,
and usually sit out there doing reloader stuff 2-3 hours at a time.

So your're not too far from what I do as well; large batches about once a year or so.

It's too bad, since I really do love casting and find it relaxing and fun.

When I used to help out my dad with his bullet subcontracting business, I would cast every couple of weeks at his shop and work for about 5-6 hours at a time, doing about 200 boolits an hour.

He is getting out of it due to health reasons and offered to let me take over the business. But, I just don't have the room at my place for that kind of volume, plus, lead is ordered at $5,000 at a time, and you never know how many bullet orders you will get each month. Could be $1500 worth, or $100 worth.

After a few sessions of 5-6 hours of solid casting, I am a little sick of it.

Sitting in my little gun room and cranking out a few hundred is relaxing. More than that and it gets to be work.

[Winger Ed.]

Sitting in my little gun room and cranking out a few hundred is relaxing.

That's where I'm at.
The Mrs. is very supportive of my hobby. Sometimes, I'll tell here I'm going out to do a bunch of casting for the evening.
Its as much to get out of the house and away from the TV as much as anything.
I'll cast a few pounds of something, unplug the pot, and kick back with a glass of cactus Whisky
and just listen to the sounds of the night.

(I'll have a couple hundred on the bottom of the bucket so I feel like I actually did something):bigsmyl2:

[Bad Ass Wallace]

At least once per week, I give a lot away to friends so always replentishing stocks!

[TjB101]

I try to do most of my casting in the winter or during other crappy weather. The rest of the seasons I’m at the range, during household fixit stuff.

When cooking down range scrap I’m absolutely doing that on colder days to avoid the drop ‘o sweat in the pot thing.

[DHDeal]

I cast in batches during the cooler months. As far as numbers of bullets cast per session, I will cast 300 - 400 at a time depending on the mold. When the mood hits me, I may cast for 2 or 3 days in a row.

[farmerjim]

I go in spurts. I will do 5 to 10 thousand over a week then nothing for several months. I have bins of boolits in all the calibers I shoot in all stages from just cast to ready to load. I powder coat some, and Hi-Tek others.

[OS OK]

Casting is relaxing & enjoyable but that's not the end of it...I have to PC and size them also & in the same day so I limit it to one full pot or about 600 45 cal., more of the .38 or 9mm.
I just keep my stock up to levels so I can load whatever I want without casting first.

https://i.imgur.com/PthHfYr.jpg

[sharps4590]

I have to say I' a "cast as needed" guy which might be a couple times a week or not for months. I cannot sit or stand long enough to cast a few hundred or as some guys do, a thousand or more. Single cavity I'm self limited to 50-75. Double cavity I can do a hundred or so. I enjoy casting but I don't keep much of a stockpile of any bullet.

[Zingger]

I try to dedicate some time each weekend, turn the pot on and do a couple of chores around the yard, cast for a bit while listening to the radio. Sundays up here are the "polka happy hour" which gives some relaxing music in this day/age of bad/worse/worst/cancel culture. Will have a couple of molds to use each time. This last weekend was 45-70 and 44 mag.

[dahermit]

I am sitting on at least 7,000 Lee 130 grain RNFP, powder coated and sized bullets for my most shot gun... an old K38. I shoot mostly in my back yard on my "falling plate" (swinging actually) range. However, when primers dissapeared last Summer, shooting and casting came to a halt. I also have about 4,000 RCBS 201 bullets, 2,000 or so 250 grain .44 Keith Type, and about 1500 RCBS 125 grain gas checked R.N. (for .38 Super), 4,000 Lee 2R 120 grain 9mm. I pretty much stopped casting when the primers dried-up. Nevertheless, I normally cast in the Fall-Winter, enough to shoot all Summer.

I have approximately 3,000 Federal S.P. primers that I am working through very slowly (I used to shoot 96 rounds, seven days a week) inasmuch as I don't know when affordable primers will return... or if they ever return.

In short, I consider myself a high-volume caster (use two Lee Six-cavity molds at a time), when I do cast. I do not ever use one mold... always two, all with at least two cavities each (mostly six) for volume.
282353

[GhostHawk]

As needed. With the Covid my shooting has been cut back a lot, so has my casting as I don't have any ammo I need to replace.

I like to keep a loaded stock of around 300 rounds for most calibers. For some like 9mm that I have a pistol, a semi auto carbine, and a single shot rifle I keep more.

Talking about going to the range today to check out a new H&R Sportsman in .22lr that I acquired very reasonably.
Not sure what else I might want to shoot.

Not sure I want to shoot up a lot of anything that takes primers, but .22lr and .22wmr are both kinda scary high prices at this point. Maybe I'll just take the old SKS for a few fun rounds and call it good.

Most of my casting sessions are 50 to 150. Generally speaking most of those will be loaded within 24 hours.

Anything I do plan on leaving as cast for long term gets lubed with BLL and stacked into an airtight food storage container. Keep the oxygen locked out.

[robg]

i will cast for a few hours over a few days 800+ boolits in several calibers. then when the mood takes me.

[CastingFool]

my long casting session was about 2 yrs ago. I was using a 452-200-RF 6 cavity mold I bought off a member here. First time using a 6 cavity mold, but it was well seasoned and watching the pile of boolits grow was a joy. Don't remember how long it took but I ended up with 480 good boolits. When used in my Hipoint 45 they fed well without hickups and they worked great in my Henry BBS 45 long colt, good enough to kill two woodchucks at 65 yards. I did cast a few 454-255-RF for the Henry, and I was able to get my 1st cast boolit doe with those.

[oley55]

Sundays up here are the "polka happy hour" which gives some relaxing music...

I vividly remember visiting my Grandparents home on winter Sundays in the mid 60's and about the only TV station with a descent signal was showing 'Polka Variety', and then later it was the 'Lawrence Welk Show'. I can say with some certainty, neither Polka or big band music are my favored listening music. I'll take 60's country western any time. Different strokes....for different folks.

As to frequency of casting, I have not been casting long enough to have a routine. Perhaps only because it is new to me, but I really enjoy casting. To the point I have been tempted to recycle the couple thousand of mixed variety first cast bullets just so I can practice casting them again.

Clearly, I need to get back to shooting more...

[Soundguy]

I try to get out weekly.

[BC17A]

I'll try to cast once a month to keep all calibers stocked and ready to load when the need arises.

[rintinglen]

I cast every couple of months, though with the need to ration my primers, I am casting less. Usually, I will cast a pot or so, 300-600 boolits, at a time. I don't have the stamina anymore for a six hour marathon. One to two hours is my limit these days.

[Burnt Fingers]

I go in spurts. I will do 5 to 10 thousand over a week then nothing for several months. I have bins of boolits in all the calibers I shoot in all stages from just cast to ready to load. I powder coat some, and Hi-Tek others.

This right here. I try and keep around 5K of 9mm boolits on hand and about 3K of 45 ACP boolits on hand. Everything else I cast as needed when I feel the urge.

[Hossfly]

I keep about 6,000 9mm on hand, sized and lubed, cast 45 both .452 and .458, for the 45 acp and the new 45-70 Henry.

On average once a month for each, with shortage its been a lot less, cause I shoot less.

[foesgth]

Like some of you I am a weather dependent caster. Unless I want to try a new mold I cast when it is cold. Living in So. California La-La land that means from Thanksgiving to about Easter. Cold around here means it is down to 60.

[gwpercle]

When the weather is right ... not too hot and not too cold .
When I feel motivated and in the mood .
My casting sessions are shorter now ...don't shoot as much .
I take more and longer breaks ... getting old sucks .

Then we have to get in the mood to size/lube ... much easier than casting them !
I probably cast 500 to 800 over a two day session ... but I don't compete in weekly NRA Bullseye Indoor Pistol Matches like I used to ... cast a lot more back then for the 38 & 45 centerfire legs .

Gary

[StuBach]

I’m like many, I find casting to be a stress reliever and just a general joy to do to when time and motivation arises. When I cast I sometimes only have the hour and a half my little ones are taking their nap (plus time for cleaning myself before getting them up). In that time I usually get a couple of hundred boolits casting with two 4c MP molds (usually 454-200 Deep HP and 358-93 HP). Last session I went for about 2.25 hours and ended with about 300 45s and maybe 250 9mm (one pin was being finicky till I finally let it cool and polished it a little than it was good).

Most of my casts go to my dad right now as I’m not shooting often (cite small children who can’t shoot with me yet...yet) but he does and I enjoy helping him keep his mind and body active and out and about shooting. He shoots pin shoots as well a paper so he can always use more.

[jdfoxinc]

With my wife working from home, not as often as I'd like.

[MT Gianni]

Any more I try to cast when outside temps are between 20 and 45 F.

[Kraschenbirn]

Mostly, I replenish my inventories of the 10-12 boolits I use most during the winter months...600-800 of each, on the shelf, ready to load...but may cast, occasionally, on a rainy summer day if I feel the need.

Bill

[fredj338]

I rarely cast for more than an hour. That can be between 700 & 900 per hour with a 4 & 6cav molds. If I am on the MAgma, I can go 2hrs easy, about 500 per hour. At my consumption rate, that is about once a month, sometimes two times, more in winter less is summer.

[bangerjim]

I cast and PC at least 3,000 of my favorites at a time. 2-3 hours with 5 and 6 cav molds. All stored safely in plastic tubs.

With the extreme primer/powder shortages currently haunting us, my supply of ready-to-load Pb slugs will last me at least 3 years at this rate.

[high standard 40]

The majority of all my shooting is handgun silhouette. I try to lay in enough to last through the season while I'm casting. This usually takes me four or five sessions. Additional shooting needs may take a few more sessions scattered throughout the year. I'd say between six and ten casting sessions a year.

[lightman]

I'll spend the entire day casting, maybe 5 or 6 times a year. Usually in the late Winter or early Spring. I'll cast a caliber a day for the things that I shoot the most.

[slim1836]

There are much more dedicated casters and reloaders here than I, consider myself a sport caster and reloader due to being lower on the scale of income level. I'm a sport shooter and don't compete, just dove and hog hunt now. I shoot much less than most on this site. I don't keep much on hand in supplies (15-20 lbs of powder and 3-5K in each of primers) but have many loaded rounds in most of my calibers for what I need.

My lead boolits seem to oxidize in storage unless I powder coat or totally lube them so I don't keep that many around. My loading shed is not temp controlled 24/7.

All that being said 2-3 sessions of casting a year is all I need. Rendering is now once a year if that, got enough lead to last me.

Reloading is when I feel the need to, I've gotten several new to me long rifles last year so load development is definitely in the near future.

Slim

[FISH4BUGS]

I cast in sort of manic sessions.
Once I get set up, I like to cast until I get sick of doing it, then stop and do it again the next night....for a number of nights.
I cast a bare MINIMUM of 1000 at a time before I stop casting for that bullet.
9mm gets 2000 or more. 44's get 1500-2000 at a pop. 44gc's ditto, 45 acp's also. 38's about 2000 I shoot a boatload of 38's and light 357's...my favorite calibers), 357 gc about 1000-1500.
My moulds are H&G's and are minimum 4 cavity with some at 6-8-10 cavity. I have been collecting them for many years and I am glad I have been.
I'll size/lube them on a Star. All in one shot if I can but if not, just unplug the heater, turn off the lights, and pick it up again the next available night.
Winters are long and cold here in NH. It is nice to have a hobby that takes up my spare time in the dead of winter. I hope to load enough for the next year's usage.
I actually enjoy the casting/sizing/lubing/reloading almost as much as the shooting itself.
Load on a Dillon 550. I load as many as I might shoot in a year, more for the subguns.
Production and quality bullets is what it is all about.

[Conditor22]

sometimes I cast to relax. I have cast boolits bagged and stacked up at the end of my bench and a bin full of them, and a plastic milk crate full of cast boolits.
https://i.imgur.com/igmRorV.jpg

and a bunch of coated on shelves
https://i.imgur.com/rDYH7At.jpg

[FISH4BUGS]

sometimes I cast to relax. I have cast boolits bagged and stacked up at the end of my bench and a bin full of them, and a plastic milk crate full of cast boolits.
and a bunch of coated on shelves

Now THAT is what it is all about folks!
Casting for relaxation....and meditation too.

[Capt.Red.44]

When I am ashore for a month, I generally spend a day running around to my local countryside tire shops and pick up a bucket or two of WW. Where I live its currently about only 3/5ths lead. Still trying to find an innexpensive source of tin.

Once I have 2 buckets, I spend a day sorting and melting down the lead and pouring muffin pan ingots ( cant wait to get my hands on a few redneck gold ingot molds) .

I spend a day casting each time home, so roughly 4 times a year averaging about 300 rounds each of .44, .45acp, .357. Sometimes all one design, sometimes several. It is relaxing, and provides great self satisfaction.

A few days later I spend a day tumble lubing the lees using white labels 45-45-10 and running the Keiths through a lyman 450 with white labels carnuba blue.

Another day I load. Mostly on my lee turret and single stage. I reserve the dillon 650 for.... dare I say it... store bought jacketed projectiles...😬

[Capt.Red.44]

When I am ashore for a month, I generally spend a day running around to my local countryside tire shops and pick up a bucket or two of WW. Where I live its currently about only 3/5ths lead. Still trying to find an innexpensive source of tin.

Once I have 2 buckets, I spend a day sorting and melting down the lead and pouring muffin pan ingots ( cant wait to get my hands on a few redneck gold ingot molds) .

I spend a day casting each time home, so roughly 4 times a year averaging about 300 rounds each of .44, .45acp, .357. Sometimes all one design, sometimes several. It is relaxing, and provides great self satisfaction.

A few days later I spend a day tumble lubing the lees using white labels 45-45-10 and running the Keiths through a lyman 450 with white labels carnuba blue.

Another day I load. Mostly on my lee turret and single stage. I reserve the dillon 650 for.... dare I say it... store bought jacketed projectiles...😬

[Capt.Red.44]

Sorry. Newb to the forum, wrong button.

[RugerFan]

sometimes I cast to relax. I have cast boolits bagged and stacked up at the end of my bench and a bin full of them, and a plastic milk crate full of cast boolits.
https://i.imgur.com/igmRorV.jpg

and a bunch of coated on shelves
https://i.imgur.com/rDYH7At.jpg

I must say, I like your organization. Gives me ideas for the man cave.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

[quilbilly]

Since I cast lead jigs commercially for mostly saltwater fishing, I usually do a few boolits when done with the jigs. I cast often but rarely more than 75 boolits at a time.

[dh2]

until 2 years ago I would cast about double what I wanted to load at that time, Now I am retired and health limits what I can do, so this spring I cast over 100 lbs of lead in to bullets and sized them plus others that have been setting around for years. trying to get to where every thing I have cast is sized and ready to load. Odds are good that I will not fire up a pot tell next year, and for 22 Hornet I may never cast again

[Idaho Sharpshooter]

Monthly.

Rich

[8mmFan]

I love turning scrap into something useful, whether it’s casting bullets from wheel weights or whatever, or taking a railroad spike, running it through my homemade forge and trying to turn it into something that resembles a knife.
Also, the most fun I get is when I have my kids casting bullets along with me. They enjoy it and I think there’s a lot of valuable small things learned there, for them.
That said, the issue for us is time. All three kids play a hell of a lot of sports now, and weekends are pretty much shot by the time you’ve had six or more sports events. The sports thing for kids these days is way different than it was when most of us were kids; that said, they love it and I like to watch them compete.
Now that they’re getting a little older, and I’ve seen them a gazillion times playing, I don’t mind once in a while just letting the wife take off and take them to their games. When that happens, a little free time comes up and once in a while I could squeeze in some casting or reloading. A lot of my casting stuff got destroyed in an accident last year (no need to go into details) and I just got a lot of it replaced by MidSouth recently. When my new garage gets finished, one of the things I plan to do is make some sort of space (maybe a lean-to of some fashion) on the sunny side where I can just leave my casting stuff set up, and I can then just show up, turn on the power, and go to town with casting bullets.

When I cast, I tend to stick with it for a few hours and do multiple calibers, just because I enjoy it so much. Sometimes I alternate molds and just water quench all of the bullets together in the same bucket and sort them out later. I’ve done 500-700 at a stretch, many times.

Sometimes I think I like casting, reloading, and load development even more than a long shooting session!

8mmFan

[Idaho45guy]

Sometimes I think I like casting, reloading, and load development even more than a long shooting session!

8mmFan

It can certainly be less frustrating!

I know when I decide to cast, I have to commit at least three hours to it. Turning the pot on and getting the lead to the proper temp takes about a half hour to 45 minutes. Then, even with the molds resting on the rim of the pot to pre-warm them, getting the mold to the proper temp takes another 15 or 20 minutes.

So, I am an hour into the process before I even start getting good boolits to drop. Then, all my molds are 2-cavity molds, so it takes me about an hour to get 200 boolits, if I am using two molds with two different designs so I can alternate between them to allow enough time for cooling.

I hate frosty boolits, so I tend to cast slower to prevent overheating of the mold.

My kids are grown and I get either 3 days or 4 days off work each week, so I have plenty of time for reloading and casting. But, I have a girlfriend who comes over on my days off, so I have to give her attention until she goes to bed. Then I am up another few hours doing whatever I want.

[trapper9260]

I cast when I run short of the ones I needed and do a good batch to last me. I just done some casting this morning for some I needed .

[44MAG#1]

Not often. I dont like to cast.

[kiwi]

I cast or process boolits most days for a few hours, I sell them to pad out the pension and keep me from going stir crazy
pretty busy right now with the shortage of every thing shooting related, Getting through three fills of my RCBS Pro melt
a week have trouble keeping up with demand, Great to feel wanted.

[kevin c]

Like some here, I cast in binges; 5-10K of the same boolit over a week, followed by coating and sizing. This provides enough fodder for loading and shooting action pistol for a few months (the loading also tends to be done in marathon sessions). I do tend to cast more in the cooler months, but mainly because I dislike outdoor shooting when cold or wet, rather than issues of comfort in casting. Actually, I think I cast better quality boolits in warmer weather when my outdoor setup doesn't have to deal with the alloy stream from my bottom pour being affected by ambient temperature, but I'd rather cast in cool weather than freeze on the range.

[Beaverhunter2]

Every chance I get! I was talking with my buddy and mentioned that if the SHTF I'd sure miss my electric pots. Then I realized I could easily store lead as "as cast" boolits rather than ingots. Since I only use 50-50 and COWW I'm in the process of converting 150 lbs of lead into a variety of projectiles I use across different calibers- mostly NOE 126 6.5mm, Lee Soupcans and 170FNs, RCBS 30-180-FNs, Lee 252 SWCs, and a few .458"s and .476"s

I like casting....

[Idaho45guy]

Sat down and finally casted today. Turned the AM radio on to a talk radio station, turned on the pot, opened the window a few inches, and sat on the bar stool and cast for about 2.5 hours today. Was not productive at all.

I had to go cut the 10 lb ingots of Lee #2 in half. Changed the blade on my chop saw to a metal cutting blade and cut them into thirds. Then took about 40 minutes to get the pot heated up.

Cast Lee .452 250 grain and 300 grain molds for my .45 Colt. Lee molds are finicky and once you get them to the proper temp, and the lead to the proper temp, they work wonderfully. For about 10 minutes. Then something goes wrong, lol.

Cast around 300 boolits, then wanted some more .400 180 grain boolits out of an RCBS mold. Much, much easier and quicker to get going. Did 100 of those and called it good.

Before I started, had to change my clothes into old jeans and an unwanted long-sleeve shirt, and some old shoes.

Discovered that my Alox lube had gotten thicker since the last time I used it, and when squeezing the bottle to get some out, the plastic shattered and ruined a bottle that was about 3/4 full. So, had to order some more online. Have never seen it for sale locally.

But, after going online and looking for boolits for sale for crazy prices, if even available at all, casting my own felt good.

[tmanbuckhunter]

Stuff for pistols, leverguns, and milsurps, I'll usually spend a day or two and cast up a years supply worth, size, lube, and store in an air tight container. BPCR bullets usually get cast as needed because the process is much slower, and lubed and sized about a day or two before being shot. It really just depends.