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twocool4u
07-17-2010, 12:53 AM
The price of those big shells was exactly the reason I decided to start reloading brass cartridges.

So I bought my first press and then dies, then scales, then priming tools, then dippers, then started buying brass and powder and primers and bullets, and then another press.

So I found out how much fun that monster was to shoot with light loads at which point I became aware that I could do practically anything with it if I had the right equipment.

The price of bullets lead to casting which lead to multiple molds, buying wheel weights, buying linotype, buying pure pb, buying ladles, buying an electric casting furnace. Picking up ww out of parking lots while my wife looks at me like I am a nut.

I almost forgot the Lee push through sizers, but I did not care for them, so then came the lubrisizer with all the different dies.

Then I added a rifle caliber which lead to the cycle repeating, then I added another rifle caliber, then another pistol caliber, then another pistol caliber. All of those had to have their own powder, dies, primers, bullets, brass, and molds.

And now I am on the list for the 700 grain 500 S&W group buy... like anyone actually NEEDS a 700 grain boolit with a hollowpoint so big that a small child could fall into it!

ALL THIS because I bought one gun!! :groner:

Not to scare you, but you would be better off to throw that gun in the river.[smilie=l:

With all that said, have fun and enjoy the trip.






Look at what you're saving.

And I bet you typed that with a straight face...:lol:

45nut
07-17-2010, 10:38 AM
Damn that's funny!

oneokie
07-19-2010, 10:09 PM
Look at it this way.......

Anything over an ounce and a quarter in weight is considered an ingot.

So you are now a member of the ingot shooters fraternity.

Bigjohn
07-20-2010, 08:24 PM
At an ounce and a quarter per shot I hope he has recovery rights to his projies from the berm. Plus anything else that is handy.[smilie=l:

44fanatic
07-23-2010, 08:57 AM
My stomach hurts from laughing so hard.

HABCAN
07-25-2010, 09:09 AM
What's to laugh at?? Why the fuss?? <Humph!!> Seems perfectly straightforwardly normal to me! A logical progression we have all traversed. Welcome, 2cool!!

exile
07-25-2010, 10:54 AM
Still waiting for reloading to save me money. Seriously, that single-stage press was the best money I ever spent, I get so much enjoyment out of it. And I would not be shooting anything but .38 Special and 9mm if I did not reload. No .357 Sig, no .44 Special, no .327 Federal, no .41 magnum, no .32 ACP. I only wish I had started 30 years ago!

Post pics of that .500 hollow-point if you get a chance.

exile

mold maker
08-02-2010, 05:20 PM
I have had to buy quiet a few guns to fit the boolits I cast. Does this vicious circle ever end.

a.squibload
08-07-2010, 05:36 AM
At an ounce and a quarter per shot I hope he has recovery rights to his projies from the berm...

Easy to find at the bottom of the impact crater...

mold maker
08-07-2010, 03:30 PM
That ain't funny. I can attest to all of that story.
I've saved so much money,,,, I'm broke.
The USPS delivers my mail addressed to Bakers Poor House.
Last month I saved money on 3 molds and over 200lbs of lead pipe to go with the 2 more molds, I have on order. Thats all to cast for the .41 mag Ruger I bought with all the savings.
Now where can I save money on brass to load for it??
Sure glad I'm retired so I have more time to devote to saving all that money.

9.3X62AL
08-07-2010, 03:54 PM
Sure glad I'm retired so I have more time to devote to saving all that money.

Nothing like having a hobby to unfix living on a fixed income.

a.squibload
08-08-2010, 07:24 PM
...
Not to scare you, but you would be better off to throw that gun in the river.[smilie=l:


Tie a line to it first, use it for a trotline weight, might supplement your diet...

Boartooth
11-12-2010, 03:56 AM
The price of those big shells was exactly the reason I decided to start reloading brass cartridges.

So I bought my first press and then dies, then scales, then priming tools, then dippers, then started buying brass and powder and primers and bullets, and then another press.

So I found out how much fun that monster was to shoot with light loads at which point I became aware that I could do practically anything with it if I had the right equipment.

The price of bullets lead to casting which lead to multiple molds, buying wheel weights, buying linotype, buying pure pb, buying ladles, buying an electric casting furnace. Picking up ww out of parking lots while my wife looks at me like I am a nut.

I almost forgot the Lee push through sizers, but I did not care for them, so then came the lubrisizer with all the different dies.

Then I added a rifle caliber which lead to the cycle repeating, then I added another rifle caliber, then another pistol caliber, then another pistol caliber. All of those had to have their own powder, dies, primers, bullets, brass, and molds.

And now I am on the list for the 700 grain 500 S&W group buy... like anyone actually NEEDS a 700 grain boolit with a hollowpoint so big that a small child could fall into it!

ALL THIS because I bought one gun!! :groner:

Not to scare you, but you would be better off to throw that gun in the river.[smilie=l:

With all that said, have fun and enjoy the trip.







And I bet you typed that with a straight face...:lol:

SHHHHH!!!!,(covers screen with hands) don't say that in public!My wife still thinks this is a limited interest just to save money!

firefly1957
11-12-2010, 07:23 PM
I save reloading save more casting some day maybe I will save enough to buy a gun!!!
All puns aside I could not afford to shoot my Sharps 50-3 1/4 if I bought ammo and then there is the .351 Winchester Self Load, 357-44 Brain and Davis, .221 fireball, .256 Winchester Mag, 45-70 with a .461 bore without reloading I could not shoot some of these at all.

And I would bet twocool4u scuba dives what do you think?

Tommy Kelly
02-14-2011, 09:57 PM
Heck I've been saving money like this for over 40 years. And it works. Six years ago I decided I wanted a motorcycle. I hadn't worked in over a year so I sold some shotguns. Went and bought a new 1300 honda and have put close to 40000 miles on it so far. I paid cash for the bike and bought acc. for it and paid off a credit card and also paid off my 4 wheeler. After selling the shotguns I still had 10 left just shotguns so I really didn't need them all. We all could do with fewer guns than we have but it sure is fun to get another one every so often. I don't want them all just the ones I don't have.

Crash_Corrigan
02-17-2011, 07:10 PM
I started out with a pair of .38 revolvers for which I was tired of paying big bucks for ammo. I spend about a grand for pretty much everything I needed to smelt, mold and assemble good ammo for these guns.

Over the years I kept on buying better and more effficient tools, dies, molds and assorted sundries so I could save more money.

Then I started to buy more guns in different calibers. I am up to 22 now. All of these needed their own set of molds, dies and supporting cast of thousands of cartridge cases and such. But I am saving money.

Now I live in a small tin trailer in a Seniors Only trailer park and I am still going the range 2 or 3 times a week and reloading like mad in my living room. It is packed with gun related equipment. So is the kitchen. I even have a commercial shelf unit in the the bedroom that is 48" long and taller than me. It is loaded with primers and other reloading gear.

I keep on telling myself that I am saving money. I also fell into the black art of the Holy Black with a 50-90 Sharps rifle for which I make and shoot 695 grain boolits. I need to make a boolit trap to recover my lead to save more money.

It is like a disease for which there is no cure. I am saving so much money....but where is it?

RP
02-18-2011, 10:10 PM
Reload to save money may work for some but not me I have to have more stuff then needed so my cost is always more then what I save. BUT I enjoy casting reloading swaging and even the boring stuff like prepping brass and cleaning it. I come home wifes at work TV is a waste most of the time I go to shop and tinker with my reloading stuff. I have more ammo loaded then I shoot in my life and still adding to it. Several hundreds of lbs of bullets cast and sitting in cans. Now I am hooked on swagging I have a few K swagged up and only shot about 50 of them so far but as soon as i get the rest of that 5 gal bucket of annealed brass turned into projectiles and loaded maybe I have time to shoot. Unless I get some more molds or dies for swagging in. So with out rambling on more it comes down to are you enjoying yourself I sure enjoy it.

Bulltipper
02-19-2011, 12:08 AM
My buddy cliff, next door sold me his single stage rock crusher and MEC reloader with dies and shells and brass and wads...etc for $300. I thought this was great, I could really save some money loading for the shotguns, .45, .357, .44 right? Then i start loading for the rifles... Fine. Then I move to Orygun. I ask my buddy to bring 500 .45acp fmj up when he comes to visit. "oh, you should get into casting," he says, "you'll save money!" Yeah,... so he sends me an old dipping pot and a beat up .45 lee single cav and I'm off. "Saving money" Had to get a lee sizing kit right? sure. well that wasn't good enough so I had to have the Lyman 4500. OK fine. The lee mold? I don't think so. Went with a Mihec 452-200. Have 2 of those now and 7 other Mihec molds to load for everything I own. The Lyman 4500? Please! Had to have a Star,...with the air lube and the boolit feeder too. Thank you Lathesmith! How many dies did I get? Oh, That old RCBS Rock Crusher? Yeah. Sure. It is mounted right next to that Dillon 550 that looks so cool on my loading bench. Saving money? You bet, I sold over half my collection of firearms to finance the reloading project. I have over a ton of lead. Folgers plastic coffee containers full of more cast boolits than I will probably ever be able to shoot. Enough powder to Shoot the guns on the USS New Jersey at least twice, and a primer shortage. (you can never have enough primers) Would I do it all again? YES. Am I saving money? WHO CARES!
Man am I going to leave a lot of cool stuff for my kids when I die, I just hope they don't have to have to be in possesion of a HAZ-MAT license to move it out of here...Haha

a.squibload
02-20-2011, 03:27 AM
...Enough powder to Shoot the guns on the USS New Jersey at least twice,...

Don't know if my tears are from sympathy for the addiction, or just laughing so hard!:lol:

mold maker
02-21-2011, 03:26 PM
My Daughter ask if I could inventory and price everything, just in case.
My answer was nope, I'm taking it with me. If I can't do that call William, and he will take it with him.
They have no interest in my guns and tools. They can't stand the noise, and are politically incorrect. I've willed it all to those I've enjoyed shooting with.

firefly1957
02-24-2011, 12:47 AM
I Do not know who would end up with my reloading equipment if I were to die but right now I would think My son in law would get the best use out of it. It would take more than a trip with the pickup to haul it all if he left the bench. The bench has a 1/2 inch thick by 30 wide and 50 inch long aluminum top.

Longwood
05-09-2011, 01:27 PM
Looks like it is going to be a good day.

Longwood
05-09-2011, 01:32 PM
Do you love thy neighbor?

shamus2004
05-10-2011, 02:01 PM
Thanks for reminding me... I need another mould (seriously..check the WTB thread)

Lead guy
06-22-2011, 11:01 PM
Nice.. I've been saving on reloading for awhile. I just started saving with casting. I hope I can continue to "save" and get my kids through college ha ha

Boolseye
09-03-2011, 11:33 PM
Picking up ww out of parking lots while my wife looks at me like I am a nut.

YES! I grab them off the side of the road when I'm riding my bike.

Armorer
09-04-2011, 08:25 AM
I found .21 Oz. worth of SOWW in the parking lot at work on Friday and was as tickled as if I found a $20 bill. This is definitely a disease.

My ¢2
Armorer

SSGOldfart
09-23-2011, 01:49 PM
yep I'm saving money now hand over fist, my wife even picks up lead ww in the parking lots lol

Idaho Sharpshooter
10-21-2011, 07:53 PM
You think you are saving now, wait until you graduate to things like 505 Gibbs and Double Rifles in 470 NE and larger calibers...
Then, there's the Ten Bore Double I am having built. The slugs are 960gr apiece.

pity this poor retiree on a fixed income...

Rangefinder
10-21-2011, 07:56 PM
What I save in boolits I make up for in powder, primers, and propane. ;) I'm saving a fortune! LOL

SSGOldfart
10-22-2011, 01:32 PM
Nice.. I've been saving on reloading for awhile. I just started saving with casting. I hope I can continue to "save" and get my kids through college ha ha

Same here I'm saving $500 to$600 this month maybe more right Blammer :kidding:

1Shirt
10-22-2011, 07:06 PM
Ya know, there are times I wish I only had one rifle, one hand gun, and one shotgun. But then reality sets in! Need a rifle for deer, one for Bear/Elk/Moose etc, one for Africa, at least two for P-Dogs, and just can't do without a 22. Then there is the handgun: Well, could probably get along with a 357 and a 22, but the issue of revolver or auto in 22 would be a problem, and probably need both.
Do think I could get along with just one shotgun however, probably my side by side Browning 20g. Guess that totals up to about 7-8 which would probably be my minimum. And then there are the milsurps, andl the levers! Ahhhh-decisions, decisions!
1Shirt!!:coffee:

DAFzipper
10-23-2011, 09:01 AM
I started reloading and casting so I could shoot more, not save money!! Now I shoot more and spend more. Life is good!

Boolseye
10-23-2011, 11:51 PM
I think the answer is that those of us who cast are among the most avid shooters on the planet. Casting is simply a symptom of my condition:cbpour:

JonB_in_Glencoe
10-24-2011, 03:33 PM
Much like most politicians will say spending our tax dollars,
"I'm not spending, I'm investing"

Yeah, I'm investing in tools and supplies.
Jon

bearcove
10-25-2011, 03:00 PM
Much like most politicians will say spending our tax dollars,
"I'm not spending, I'm investing"

Yeah, I'm investing in tools and supplies.
Jon

[smilie=l: Yeah!!!! I have 2 2car garages and a 400 sg ft shop full of investments!

And winters coming so now the stuff outside has to be put in too.[smilie=l:

midnight
10-26-2011, 07:39 AM
I wasn't saving enough casting for a couple dozen cartridges so I started casting for the 50BMG. Now I'm saving so much I don'tknow what to do with it all. I'll be another Bill Gates before long. If I get that Anzio Ironworks 20mm I'll be the richest man in the world.

Bob

Wheeler
10-26-2011, 06:18 PM
I wasn't saving enough casting for a couple dozen cartridges so I started casting for the 50BMG. Now I'm saving so much I don'tknow what to do with it all. I'll be another Bill Gates before long. If I get that Anzio Ironworks 20mm I'll be the richest man in the world.

Bob

I wanna see the mold for that one!

SSGOldfart
10-28-2011, 02:01 PM
I wanna see the mold for that one!

Me too;)

P.K.
11-01-2011, 09:46 AM
I wanna see the mold for that one!

This thread started with an "Ingot Slinger," wonder what we moved up to with a .50BMG? A muffin slinger?:shock:

ghh3rd
11-11-2011, 08:16 PM
When I think of all of the casting, loading, lube making, and shooting stuff I've accumulated in the past few years, I'm amazed! All because I made a spreadsheet that showed me how much I would save by loading my own .38's and .40's :-) Latest gear is for my 45-70, latest mold for it is for 420 grain boolits.

onesonek
11-11-2011, 08:45 PM
A reflection to the OP,,,, one can take solice in the fact, by remembering,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
no matter how bad it seems, it could always be worse!!!

mold maker
11-12-2011, 11:10 AM
Yep,,,I've saved so much, I have to eat Romen Noodles at least twice a day, to keep up my strength for casting.
Now that the GB for 45-70 brass is in my hands, I too am casting those big ones.

mooko
11-12-2011, 05:26 PM
I may actually have saved some money on reloading and casting. It's a matter of letting people know about your strange hobby. A friend who worked at one of the dams in Montana called me to say they had rewired a bunch of the site and replaced the underground wiring. Turns out the old wiring was enclosed in lead conduits. I got about 500 pounds there. Later, a guy calls me up to say he has a cubic foot of soft lead and did I want it. About another 500 pounds there. The local tire center call me whenever their ten gallon bucket gets full of wheelweights. A small local paper even called to say they were getting rid of their linotype machine and did I want the type. couple hundred pounds there. My pllumber calls when he gets lead pipe out of a job.
So, I'm fixed for casting into the 23rd century.
Had to go to a twenty pound pot when I started reloading for the 577 Nitro (750 gr.). Lucky I did becuase I was just given a three pounder Dalgren rifle from the Civil War by an archeologist buddy who retired. I even inherited a round ball mold with it. (8 oz. apiece)
http://www.youtube.com/user/kamasutraguy#p/a/u/2/zxgcBKbBb2w
I just need to do a lot more shooting and get a few more guns before I save so much that the IRS audits me.

waksupi
11-12-2011, 06:12 PM
I may actually have saved some money on reloading and casting. It's a matter of letting people know about your strange hobby. A friend who worked at one of the dams in Montana called me to say they had rewired a bunch of the site and replaced the underground wiring. Turns out the old wiring was enclosed in lead conduits. I got about 500 pounds there. Later, a guy calls me up to say he has a cubic foot of soft lead and did I want it. About another 500 pounds there. The local tire center call me whenever their ten gallon bucket gets full of wheelweights. A small local paper even called to say they were getting rid of their linotype machine and did I want the type. couple hundred pounds there. My pllumber calls when he gets lead pipe out of a job.
So, I'm fixed for casting into the 23rd century.
Had to go to a twenty pound pot when I started reloading for the 577 Nitro (750 gr.). Lucky I did becuase I was just given a three pounder Dalgren rifle from the Civil War by an archeologist buddy who retired. I even inherited a round ball mold with it. (8 oz. apiece)
http://www.youtube.com/user/kamasutraguy#p/a/u/2/zxgcBKbBb2w
I just need to do a lot more shooting and get a few more guns before I save so much that the IRS audits me.

If you are saving money doing this, you are doing something wrong!

Gee_Wizz01
11-13-2011, 10:42 AM
Years ago, I was attended a home owners association at one of the board members homes. During the meeting we could hear a constant hammering sound from upstairs. The lady was embarrassed by the noise and stated her husband was reloading ammo for his hunting trip the next day. After the meeting I went upstairs and talked to him. He was using a Lee loader for 30-06. He stated he was reloading to save money. I told him that if got tired of beating on that Lee loader, that he could come over to my house and use my Rockchucker. He indicated that he was fine with his Lee, and he was just saving money and did not need anything more complicated. About 1 month later he called and asked if he could see my setup. It turns out he got one of his neck sized rounds stuck in his rifle. He came over and used my setup to reload a couple of boxes. He was impressed by the ease of resizing and the fact that his ammo fit nicely in his rifle. A few weeks later he bought his own Rockchucker. Then I took him out to the local range and we had great day shooting. I talked to him afterwards and he stated that he usually shot less than 20 rds per year. He normally just sighted in his rifle and fired a few rounds hunting. Well he joined the gun club and became a regular. A few months later at a home owners assoc meeting his wife approached me and let me know that I was a bad influence on her husband. She tolerated his Lee loader because it saved money, but since I had talked to her husband he had spent over a $1000 with his new hobby. Then he ran into a couple of friends at the range who were bench rest shooters, and his hobby took a very expensive turn. Before it was over his wife would hardly talked to me. I told her that her husband would be spending twice as much money if he didn't reload.

G

3006guns
11-13-2011, 11:39 AM
I may actually have saved some money on reloading and casting. It's a matter of letting people know about your strange hobby. A friend who worked at one of the dams in Montana called me to say they had rewired a bunch of the site and replaced the underground wiring. Turns out the old wiring was enclosed in lead conduits. I got about 500 pounds there. Later, a guy calls me up to say he has a cubic foot of soft lead and did I want it. About another 500 pounds there. The local tire center call me whenever their ten gallon bucket gets full of wheelweights. A small local paper even called to say they were getting rid of their linotype machine and did I want the type. couple hundred pounds there. My pllumber calls when he gets lead pipe out of a job.
So, I'm fixed for casting into the 23rd century.
Had to go to a twenty pound pot when I started reloading for the 577 Nitro (750 gr.). Lucky I did becuase I was just given a three pounder Dalgren rifle from the Civil War by an archeologist buddy who retired. I even inherited a round ball mold with it. (8 oz. apiece)
http://www.youtube.com/user/kamasutraguy#p/a/u/2/zxgcBKbBb2w
I just need to do a lot more shooting and get a few more guns before I save so much that the IRS audits me.

Man, I hope that's NOT your group around that cannon. I'm not criticizing/being a jerk, just pointing out several obvious safety problems:

One knowledgable person loads the gun.....always. No chit chat, no distractions. Too many cooks..........

Keep sightseers behind the gun......WAY behind it. A premature discharge from a spark could have badly injured several people.

Is that pickup actually that close, or is it just the camera angle? The concussion could easily dent the vehicle.

Finally, that's a cannon ball. What's behind those trees downrange...a house? Road? People? There was a highly publicized case a few years ago where a muzzle loading cannon shot a ball right through the neighbor's house, because the gunner "didn't think it would go that far.....".

I like the gun carriage, straightforward and highway towable. Bet it raises a few eyebrows on the road!

NMLRA Guy
01-28-2013, 12:04 AM
Momma told me a MANY years ago about her friend. Her friend was given a rather nice but plain hat pin. Well, a hat pin is useless without a hat, so she shopped for a hat. Once in hand, she needed a pair of shoes to go with the hat. Then a cute dress was on sale that went rather exactly with the hat. When last heard from, her friend had not finished adding up the cost of that free hat pin. I usta think that was a funny story 'til I got to looking at this post and looking in the mirror!

jabilli
02-01-2013, 11:27 AM
LOL

If anyone told me they were getting into reloading to save money I would tell them I'd do them a favor and save them money: I'd ask them to hand me about half of what they think they might spend on reloading gear. I'd then give them a swift kick in the babymaker and send them on their way. (Unless of course they are REALLY disciplined about their spending.) I say this in jest, really, I encourage my buddies to get into it all the time despite the costs.

Best buy for me was the Lee 50th Anniversary kit. $100. With this and a few other things, people CAN start reloading. It's just, after using the cheaper stuff, you look at the other goodies that make life easier on you and you go "OOO I WANT" :-p Examples- Lee kit came with priming system built into the press. Downside, slow. I bought an RCBS hand primer for 50$ and boy that thing really throws the primers into some brass. The scale/balance works very very accurately and I find very reliable...Again, slow. Electric? 40$. The whole single stage setup is great, and I still use it for my rifle rounds/small batches/ammo that I REALLY wanna make sure is accurate- but I eventually broke down and bought a progressive to crank out the handgun ammo. Sorting cases when all sorts of different calibers is very time consuming (especially when you buy it by the pound from a range)...By hand- Free. 30-40$ will get you a sorting setup (kinda looks like a gold panning system).

On the upside- It used to take me something like (when I began) an hour to do ALL of the processes necessary to start from the beginning and make maybe, oh, 100 cartridges ready to rock, often more. Now with all my goodies, not even half that.

mold maker
02-01-2013, 01:00 PM
Well with all the empty shelves where ammo used to be, and the new prices, we really might save money.

mpmarty
02-13-2013, 02:24 AM
Well for me it's a matter of independence. Having ammo is like having air to breathe. Ya don't miss it til its gone.

dudits
03-03-2013, 04:39 AM
i am working on saving more money :)

DRNurse1
03-04-2013, 12:38 AM
If this was only about the money, we should have quit digging in this hole a long time ago. I think most of us agree we started because of the lure of saving some cash, or to shoot more. Now, for me, it is a matter of pride in making my own ammo, being relatively safe from a short term (less than a couple of years) shortage of components, and keeping up my skill (at least in my mind). Turns out some of this stuff I have collected actually has some value to others. Most of the valuable stuff is in the form of information/ knowledge. Too bad we can't cash that in for lead or components.

Crash_Corrigan
03-04-2013, 08:08 AM
As I looked over this thread I found an earlier post of mine herein. At that time I had 22 weapons. Today I have over 27 but I lost count somewhere along the way.

My latest purchase is a Dillon XL650 with all the bells and whistles. I decided that was gonna be my dedicated 9 MM progressive press. My Dillon 550B was gonna work with the .41 Magnum, .44 Special, 7.62x39MM, .223 Rem and .38 Special/357 Magnum calibres. I have been using a Dillon SQuare DEal Press for .45 ACP's but I also have a spare (again with all bells and whisles) that I intended to use just for 9 MM's until I bought the XL650.

Noting the state of this country's economy and the unbelieveable lack of concern by Congress and our Executive branch in attempting to balance the budget I decided to invest in Gold. I had a recent influx of cash which I was going to invest.

Then I got to thinking: What would be more valuable than Gold in a WTSHTF scenario? Guns and ammo...especially Hi-Capacity 9 MM's and common ammo. What is more common than 9 MM and .38 Specials? Ergo I am stockpiling Sig Sauer SP 2022's in 9 MM and so far I have 6 of them. Along with those I bought another ten 17 rd magazines and 100,000 WSP primers and 80 lbs of Unique powder. I presently have 3 stockpiles of lead ingots and unprocessed range lead. The ingots amount to 2 cubic yards of smelted ingots (3'x3'x6' solid pile) and a dozen 5 gallon buckets of range lead. The lead has been washed with a high pressure sprayer and the rocks have been separated from the lead. They just need to be smelted when I find the time.

Now my problem is where to hide all this stuff? And wow am I saving money!

I figure I can make and stockpile enuf 9 MM and .38's to ensure a very good barter position for when the Dollar crashes and this country really falls down the sewer pipes. Ya can't eat Gold but with a weapon you can protect what you love and keep what you have.

destrux
03-07-2013, 05:32 PM
I think I might have saved money... I have a Dillion Square Deal, RCBS single stage, Lyman Spar-T, Lyman case turner, Lyman scale, RCBS powder measure, all the other various basics, about a dozen die sets (mostly RCBS, a few Lee) and three caliber kits for the Dillon...

I only bought the four Lee die sets, the rest were given to me for free by some friends who were getting out of the hobby and were happy to see someone continue the legacy. I did offer money, but it was refused.

Oh, I did buy my Lee pot and my Lee molds though too.

country gent
03-07-2013, 06:23 PM
Well this thread brings back alot of memories and Happy times. I have started several out reloading and one of the things I tell them is to get the wife/girlfriend and famly involved also. We shot high power rifle for years wife did prep work one Daughter chamfered another daughter did primer pockets son cleaned and inspected. I loaded. We all shot at one level or another. One friend s wife asked me to coach her and we would go to the local range and then dinner afterwards. Was a blast. She was always glad she got started shooting with her husband and us. Most dont think to involve the wife with them so this becomes a big dark secret to them, that they dont understand. My wife never got upset when I bought equipment or a firearm only when I didnt buy her what she wanted in a new firearm. LOL. She was an expert in high power rifle when she was killed. But we always shot loaded and competed as a family and really enjoyed the sport and company.

Recaster
03-11-2013, 02:17 PM
[QUOTE=Crash Corrigan;2093542]
"Noting the state of this country's economy and the unbelieveable lack of concern by Congress and our Executive branch in attempting to balance the budget I decided to invest in Gold. I had a recent influx of cash which I was going to invest."

Precious metals seems like a good investment....brass & lead.

USAFrox
08-15-2013, 01:15 PM
I'm always afraid to tell my wife just how much money I'm "saving" in this new hobby of mine.

Actually, the part that is most meaningful for me is the independence of reloading and casting.

mold maker
08-15-2013, 02:10 PM
It is saving me money, just not the kind you can deposit in the bank. Just like any business, there is equipment and inventory. So far no politician has decided to tax what we have.
Lets see, 5 presses, 3 sizers, 4 casting furnaces, tons of lead, dozens of moulds, and the list is just starting.
Primers, Brass, Powder, Guns, Pistols, you can see where this is going.
It would bankrupt me to start over.
Much of what I have accumulated in the last 60 years is because of, or directly related to, the reloading savings. Besides, while our culture cried about shortages and gouging, I shoot right on.

Gee_Wizz01
08-15-2013, 02:37 PM
Crash
If you worried about someone stealing your lead, just melt it into one big ingot. Two cu yards of lead has to be heavy enough to discourage all but the most dedicated thieves.

G

missionary5155
08-16-2013, 08:15 PM
Greetings
And never forget the oppertunity to be able to readily shoot any caliber that you come across.
Last time up north there I fired hundreds of 50-95 rounds. Last time I looked it would have cost me a stagering $88 per 20 round if store bought.
But I bought 50 peices of 50-95 brass for $76 shipped. Already had a 350 grain .515 mold, primers, 3F and 5744.... So figure 300 rounds at $88 per 20 would come to $1320. I recon I could have resold the brass so lets say $1000 to fire 300 rounds. Cost me $680 + $25 shipping for the rifle. $76 for the brass. Another $43 for the dies. I figure I was spending a whopping 30 cents to reload a round. So lets say $100 for 300 rounds. That brings me to $848 rifle included.
So I have saved $152 over the cost of just buying 300 rounds of 50-95 ammo. Plus I have a fine and fun shooting 1876 replica to boot.
Why with that $152 of savings I bought the 515450 hallow base NOE mold and still had about $25 left over to fund reloading those 50 pieces of brass 3x each. And when we again compare my reloading costs to what 150 rounds of store bought 50-95 would be why I have another pocket full of cash or about 300 one dollar bills.
To bad those $300 dollars do not materialise from thin air though. Like my wife keeps pointing out.. Just how are you saving money when all you do is spend it ? My response is.. Just wait until I start selling all these fine investment items off. You'll see !
The only hope I can see though is to never buy any firearm that requires another different mold. Stick to the calibers I have... Unless of course a 40-60 or a 22 Hornet lands smack dab in my lap !
Mike in Peru

enoch59
08-17-2013, 09:38 PM
Funny, I just mentioned today on a different thread about a 444 rifle just landed in my lap. Isn't it awesome how our Father does things like this for His kids ?

Ghost101
08-24-2013, 07:09 AM
Well the .500 S$W got me into casting. Been reloading since I was in Jr. High. The amount of equipment I have bought since I started this, well I'm not even going to try an figure out. I'd be ashamed. All the molds for all the calibers. One for each hasn't been enough. Plus started out with the Lee sizers and that ebay place had a Star at a very good price. You'd think that would be good enough. Well a little latter they sold me a RCBS sizer at a good price. Haven't even used the Star yet. Three casting pots, one for smelting, one for dipping an another for bottom pour. Have a Rockcrusher for many yrs, added a Lee hand press for the range a little latter, then that Dillon place comes out with the 450. Well had to have that one, surprised I haven't worn that one out. Then I figure I could save some time with a 550 an the quick change plates. It does that an then some. Well I figured out that the 450 would look very nice as a 550. So off it went back to Dillon for an upgrade. now the reloading equipment isn't an issue as I have been doing it for along time. Save some money, maybe. I do try to shoot as much as I can an have since being 11. The casting is another deal all together. Finding this place with all the help has made me into a better reloader. I just wish I had read a lot more before the casting. For an example, I cast about 40 lbs. of .500 S&W. Couldn't figure out why the barrel was leading up so bad. I made my own lube (Felix lube, thanks to y'all), got some tips on charges. But I hadn't read about sizing my bore an my chambers yet. Dog gone it. Man o man, that hurt. So I had a friend hone out the chambers on that .500. Next will be an LBT in the correct dia. The great thing about casting is it has made my handguns come to life on paper with much tighter groups. The pride that I made these little darlings myself is worth more then the money spent. When friends an people I meet at the range an gun store find out I cast my own, they want to know how. I just write out this address an direct them here. I'm still learning an y'all know what is what. But I tell them to read, read an read a lot more. LBTs book an the reloading books are great, but it's here that you get all the answers to the questions the books leave you with. I'm just saying Thanks. Save money casting, Not if your having fun with it you won't!

Gremlin460
08-26-2013, 02:32 AM
I'm always afraid to tell my wife just how much money I'm "saving" in this new hobby of mine.

Actually, the part that is most meaningful for me is the independence of reloading and casting.

I have just re-entered the world of shooting, down here in AU its not quite as prolific as the USA but there are a lot of us. Back in march this year I told the wife I was going to take up pistol shooting. She looked at me over her glasses, yes dear she says.
3 months later I take possession of a nice shiney new Beretta 92fs inox. She looks at the pics of it (gun is stored at club armoury for now), she asked how much did that cost, I tell her, expecting Mt Versuvious type reaction, nothing! she raises eyebrow and walks off. several weeks pass, she finds me hunched over a propane stove with her brand new muffin tin and all these shiney ingots cooling on the concrete, says nothing. Hmmmmm starting to wonder if this woman is really my wife at this point.
She comes with to the range one day and looks around. Used the excuse would be nice to take dogs out for a ride. 6 weeks ago, she says, I might join the club too, I wont buy a gun just get licenced so I can use yours when you not home if I need too, hell I agree to that, not wanting to rock the boat. Now, last night I am surfing away on the net, she is on her PC in the other corner, next min she slides a printout in front of me, that's the one I want, it looks nice. I turn the printout over, puzzled what she is talking about, There is a picture of a Colt 1911 in stainless 9mm for $1580. I just smile inside and say sure hon, anything you want. Even after 34 years she still surprises me sometimes...

mold maker
08-26-2013, 11:32 AM
I think her trial period is over. Just keep her. Does she have a single sister?

Gremlin460
08-26-2013, 10:52 PM
I think her trial period is over. Just keep her. Does she have a single sister?

Sorry MM, even the talents of MiHec could not reproduce the mold she was made from.
Now she tells me she IS going this Saturday morning to do the tryouts that the club runs for the public that want to see if its a sport for them. For $20 they get muffs and glasses 50rnds of .22lr and a individual RO. They then get to use a Buckmaster under instruction.
I personally love standing to one side and watching these classes, always being ready to duck and run.
Anyway I hope she likes it, it will make my life sooooo much easier. I especially like her statement "Well that's good!" when I told her reloading is much cheaper than buying factory ammo.

USAFrox
08-26-2013, 11:35 PM
Man, you definitely found a good one! Just after I got married, and the ink was drying on the contract, the wife tells me that she wants me to get rid of the guns, as she doesn't feel good about having guns in the house. After I got done laughing, I told her she's just going to have to get used to them, cuz they ain't going anywhere. A couple of years later, she finally told me that I can't have any more guns - until I buy her a 9mm. Yup, I taught her well!

Rhino77
02-06-2014, 02:36 AM
[smilie=l:
Momma told me a MANY years ago about her friend. Her friend was given a rather nice but plain hat pin. Well, a hat pin is useless without a hat, so she shopped for a hat. Once in hand, she needed a pair of shoes to go with the hat. Then a cute dress was on sale that went rather exactly with the hat. When last heard from, her friend had not finished adding up the cost of that free hat pin. I usta think that was a funny story 'til I got to looking at this post and looking in the mirror!

You got that exactly right, but it is a fun addiction!

catmandu
02-07-2014, 01:30 PM
If you think reloading is an expensive path to go down - remember when you saw that pretty girl and you offered to buy her a drink and talk a bit. Look at how far that went, can't call that a hobby.

Paul in WNY

ACrowe25
02-07-2014, 01:46 PM
If you think reloading is an expensive path to go down - remember when you saw that pretty girl and you offered to buy her a drink and talk a bit. Look at how far that went, can't call that a hobby.

Paul in WNY

Lol ain't that the truth.

Blizzard63
02-08-2014, 11:56 AM
[QUOTE= Picking up ww out of parking lots while my wife looks at me like I am a nut. t t That made me chuckle, relating to that big time, when I read your post about picking up the wheel weights and your wife looking at you thinking. Yesterday my son had to go to the bank so I told him that I would go too and while he was taking care of his business, I walked 2 of the four corners of this big intersection by the bank and found a ww that is 2.5oz. and another one 1.4oz. and not that it's a productive way to get lead, but when I walked back to the bank my son is standing there and I could see him shaking his head smiling and he said "All the money you spend on your hobby and you look for those little pieces of lead" and joking around with me . I just figure that when I find a large ww like that it will cast 4 bullets and I'll have more ! I actually enjoy that ! I don't know why. I guess because the lead is just laying there.

mold maker
02-08-2014, 02:36 PM
My son and I used to ride the cycle to the flea market (27mi ea way) as an excuse to stop at each intersection on I 40. We usually netted 3-10 lbs each trip and got exercise and a chance to enjoy riding together.
Folks have always thought I was a little wacky, but I think nothing of stopping on the way to church to pick up stray weights.

Went2kck
01-25-2015, 02:46 PM
let me know what river and where to look for the one you toss in.

kopperl
02-01-2015, 03:08 PM
Those strange things do happen. Had a Martini action 297/230 follow me home last Friday. Think I'll feed it and maybe it will stick around.

kdbarker
07-13-2015, 10:28 PM
Teach your sons to reload and make custom ammo and they will never have money for drugs, alcohol, etc...

AKholicBubba
11-30-2017, 12:56 AM
Reloading and casting has become my favorite hobby

jebb45
11-30-2017, 08:48 PM
jebb45...........I started reloading for my shooting back in 1959. with all the caliber up to know, some 60 different (rifle,shotgun,pistol)I have saved a lot of money......but everyone looks at it different. I started out with a 222 Remington, factory shells were 14.95 for 20. I was loading 20 rounds for right at $4.00 for 20.now I figured out if I would take the $10.00 a box I was saving and put it away, in time I would have enough to buy a new pistol or rifle.................Well I have saved so much money from reloading, I just bought my 4th Cannon safe to keep all my saving in....and I am still reloading, just finished reloading 1000 rounds of 357 magnum..........I am still saving money and adding to my stock at the same time................if I can't buy what I want, I have a Gunsmith that will build what I want....just finished having a 458 American (458x 2 inch).......you can't buy that ammo at Walmart.......cost me right $14.00 for 20 rounds, but I am still saving money and can shoot 2-3 times more than the average shooter......my trips to the range is not 4-6 shots per rifle, its 50-80 rounds per rifle and pistol.........but I am still saving money..................jm2cents.........

Crash_Corrigan
12-03-2017, 09:09 AM
I will be turning 76 in a few months and I am thinking about taking that final dirt nap. So I am drafting up my last will and testament etc. That sober realization turns into what will happen to all my firearms and casting/reloading equipment. My inheritor knows diddly squat about the values of these items and will be forced to sell them off for pennies instead of dollars unless she has the correct values of it all.

I used to have a shooting buddy here in Las Vegas and I intended to make him the administrator of all the firearms and related equipments for my wife and he agreed to do this if his fee was to be my beloved M1 Garand. All was well but then he moved away to Idaho. We have had little contact since.

Another buddy was also a candidate for this but he moved away to SW Washington some 2 days drive away. So both of them are out of the picture. So many of my friends have passed on or moved away I have a serious deficit of candidates for this task. I need to find someone here in Las Vegas who is worthy of this task and whom I can trust not to screw the pooch or my wife in the bargain.

Life is sure complicated as all get out ain't it. The only 3 things I learned once I hit 75 was:

A-Never pass up an opportunity to use the rest room.
B-Never waste an erection.
C-Never trust that the fart you have building up will not have lumps in it.

With those final thoughts I will take my leave and say goodbye.

mold maker
12-03-2017, 12:29 PM
Crash, you and I are leaving the same footprints, just in different mud. Lifes reality is that the older we are, the closer to the end we get. Its a shame that we that are blessed with age are loosing friends, and facing the fate of disposing of what we have accumulated.
I too have a fellow reloader who has agreed to help my inexperienced family divest the tools and supplies I so cherish. Only time will spell out the fate of our collections, but the good news is that we will no longer care.

slim1836
12-04-2017, 01:19 PM
Many of us are in the same position of what to do with weapons once we are gone. Only thing I suggest is make a list of what they are worth and what offer to take. They can collect dust until that offer is made. Same with reloading equipment and supplies. Make darn sure that list is made available to someone(s) for safe keeping.

Slim

JMN
11-29-2022, 01:35 AM
Thanks to all of you. I feel a little more normal. When I decided to start hunting regularly, I dug out the .50-70 trapdoor my father bought when I was about 10 years old. Since then I've spent considerable time and money casting and reloading to get it to shoot accurately, more time and money to improve the sights without ruining a 150 year old gun, considerable to shoot it just for fun. No success hunting anything with the gun yet, but I'm hopeful. At the very least I can assure anyone who will listen that I am frugal because I am casting and reloading. OK, so maybe I really don't care if I don't ever having any success hunting with it, but don't tell anyone. Maybe that's why I bought my 2nd reproduction cap and ball revolver. Yes, it's true I've spent more time investigating what type of projectile to cast than shooting that gun. Fortunately my wife hasn't exactly complained about all these expenses... or all that time preparing to go hunting. I'm already considering what other firearm I could not go hunting with. Hmmm...

Bull
11-30-2022, 11:42 AM
My wife thought that also, until all the packages keep coming in.

Engineer1911
07-31-2023, 08:47 PM
Please give a clear explanation of how I'm saving money scrounging berm bullets and range brass to supplement my meager lead and brass pile to cast bullets and reload ammunition. Now after doing this since 1974, I have saved $587.43 in my "Gun Fund". The $0.43 is cumulative interest over those 49 years.

Besides these meager savings, I have managed to shoot the rifling out of a pair of .222 Remington barrels and 1 stainless steel .25-06 barrel with jacketed bullets. The 25-06 burned 34 # of Hodgdon H-414 with Hornady 75 grain HP bullets.

45workhorse
07-31-2023, 11:10 PM
Please give a clear explanation of how I'm saving money scrounging berm bullets and range brass to supplement my meager lead and brass pile to cast bullets and reload ammunition. Now after doing this since 1974, I have saved $587.43 in my "Gun Fund". The $0.43 is cumulative interest over those 49 years.

Besides these meager savings, I have managed to shoot the rifling out of a pair of .222 Remington barrels and 1 stainless steel .25-06 barrel with jacketed bullets. The 25-06 burned 34 # of Hodgdon H-414 with Hornady 75 grain HP bullets.

You don't have time to hit the local watering holes!

15meter
08-01-2023, 09:24 AM
You don't have time to hit the local watering holes!

Unless the watering holes are where you shoot!

firefly1957
08-02-2023, 06:40 AM
Engineer1911 you have money left ?

On the serious side I have a neighbor with a .222 he currently can find no ammo I have resized and reamed and trimmed some .223 so he can use the old gun to protect his farm animals and crops from pests . It would have been easier if he saved his brass....but not much it is a easy conversion.

Big Boomer
08-26-2023, 12:36 PM
Do not remember saving any $ but I can load & shoot any caliber rifle or handgun I possess as much & as often as I please. I have guns that have never seen a factory round. When late wife passed away 20 years ago I had some extra disposable income and really loaded up with all the primers I thought I would ever need. That really worked out great and now I will never have to buy primers again. I'm shooting $ 20 per 5,000 primers. Can't beat that. Had another interesting experience relating to wheelweights since I cast everything I shoot. Had to go to the federal bldg. here in southern Ky. Had left my pocket knife in the car & on the way saw @ a 5" wheelweight at the curb as I crossed the street. Picked it up & slipped it in my jacket pocket. Before I went through the metal detector I put my keys, etc., in a tray on a table. The wheelweight set off the alarm & I took the wheelweight out of my jacket pocket & placed it in the tray. Got strange looks from the two officers. Was told to leave the wheelweight until I exited when they asked me what the wheelweight was for. I just said, "You never know when you'll need a wheelweight" & left it at that. Big Boomer

Charlie Horse
12-23-2023, 07:46 PM
I have a rather large plate in my shoulder. About 10-15 years ago it set off the metal detector at Lambert Field in St. Louis. I was immediately surrounded by gorillas.
Seems it was during some big terrorist scare or something.
It was easier to explain than having a huge wheel weight in my pocket.