Saving Money or Look before you leap

[milprileb]

Some great ideas from you guys and here is how some of those fail to
save money for new guys coming on board. No offense to those who had luck finding bargains but for most of this, situational discovery of bargains is not a plan. Here I go:

a. Ingot molds: use a cast iron corn stick mold. Great and for months
hitting thrift shops, found none. Wasted time and gasoline costs. Found
brand new one $11 delivered at Walmart six miles away.

b. Dutch Oven for smelting: Same thing: found none but in antiques shops
and they wanted 50 bucks and not size I wanted and often was missing top.
Yes Harbor Freight is selling ones for 38 bucks but quality is suspect and tops don't fit. Spent time and money chasing this dutch oven. Found at Walmart off the shelf , Lodge made USA quality for $50.

I present these examples as unless you hit a Good Will store at the right moment or something and chance upon what you want..... you can spend some huge amounts of time and money chasing stuff that is cheaper and better to get from outlets that sell things retail.

Is it worth time and money to find a old iron for 3 bucks if it takes me a few weeks and a tank of gas. A iron that may have a short in it and cause a fire when I use it on a plate under my lubri sizer machine ... or is it better to spend
30 bucks using my C&R discount at Midway or Grafs and buy the Lyman heater and then install a 8 buck dimmer switch? Is 38 bucks cheaper than what I would have spent in gas and time looking for that 3 dollar bargain iron.

Do the math: Deliberate hunts for things you need can be cheaper if you do not
chase around blindly searching thrift stores, Good Will, Salvation Army etc etc etc.

False Economy Thinking is COSTLY.

[white eagle]

if your lookin to save money first then NO do not attempt this
however if you care about what you shoot or how it preforms on
game or take pride in the fact you did it your self then by all means join in
for the singular purpose of cost savings at first no ....but it evens out

[Jim Flinchbaugh]

It works that way with many things in life. A few years ago, I wanted to build a game cart.
I trolled the "green malls" around here for 3 months waiting for a bicycle with suitable wheels to show up.
On a whim, I stopped at store that services bikes.
30 bucks for 2 new wheels, with spokes and tires. I spent more on gas running to the dumpsters than that. Doh!

[runfiverun]

yep...
i just bought what i needed and am still using it i don't even remember what the cooker or dutch ovens cost.
the ingot molds from rcbs and lyman are used along with the one i made from angle iron.
i had no clue that corn bread molds existed either.. or didn't care, i wanted ingot molds for my lead.
i ended up with stars because i wanted to lube boolits faster, simply because i needed more of them to keep up with demand.
maybe i shoulda waited till i had a computer to find all this stuff out.

[fredj338]

A very good point. Many times in many ways, we'll all spend dollars to save nickels. It's why I buy quality tools more than **** tools. The time & effort is often just not worth it. Also why I do not drive around scrounging lead, just not worth the gas & time.

[dverna]

For some people it is just an excuse to "bargain hunt". Relieves the boredom of retirement I guess.

I agree with the OP. In most cases, doing things on the cheap is not cost effective for me. If I "stumble" onto something, that is a bonus. Searching for "buys" with dedicated trips is a waste of time and money. Use of the Internet and cell phone makes a lot of "shopping" unnecessary.

Don

[frkelly74]

I found a nice stainless pot at goodwill for $2.50. now I have to get a bigger heat source.

[theperfessor]

I "repurpose" a lot of shop stuff, build or improve a lot of gun/casting/loading stuff, and of course have all sorts of oddball materials left over from previous jobs that I reuse. I've bought cornbread molds for ingots at flea markets and molds for bullets at yard sales. But I don't go looking specifically for things like that instead of buying what I need when I need it. If SWMBO wants to walk around at a flea market just for fun, great. If there is nothing worth buying, fine, I've come home empty handed a lot, but never disappointed.

As another poster pointed out, the gas and time involved often makes a "bargain" a more expensive option than simply buying a good quality product one time and enjoying the use of it for a long time.

[Pieter C. Voss]

I am on the lookout for a wood handled slotted spoon for pot skimming every time I go to Good Will--about once a week as that is where I buy almost all my clothes. Lest you think I'm a shabby dresser I can tell you that my wardrobe includes an Armani suit, silk Hawaiian shirts, Brooks Brothers trousers and most recently, a pair of London-made custom dress shoes that were probably only worn a few times. I will say that the two stores I frequent are in an affluent area. But no wood handled spoon yet--I do have a plastic handled one that works fine. Guess I'll have to visit Wal-Mart on of these days.

[buck1]

To go and find a certain thing can be tough. However I have a list in my head. I always seem to find something I can use.

[birdadly]

I'm just getting into reloading and soon to be casting, and am lucky enough that my newish girlfriend likes to go to garage sales, as do I. It gives us something to do together; she has things she's looking for as do I now. Sure we spend gas money, but it's nice to do it together and we both have fun.

But yes, if someone is in a rush to get doing something, then by all means, online or nearby stores are the way to go. I like to take things slow unless a great opportunity comes walking by -Brad

[milprileb]

Well, I only wanted to point out the $$$ involved in blind hunts as the casting
stuff is not always out there to be "Found" as was the dutch oven for me and the
corn stick molds. However, if hitting places that have used stuff is recreation... the hunt
and other things are on the agenda to find or you just like the hunt, then all the power to you.

I go to gun shows but I certainly do not take a shopping cart but if I spy something, I will grab it. I consider it entertainment and since I don't hit bars and movies and that sort of thing, a gun show is money well spent.

In closing: I am into casting as it allows me to shoot more for less money. Time to cast is just a hobby so the meter is not running on whether its cost effective. Casting is cost effective to allow me to shoot more. So I soak up every bit of knowledge you guys post and use it to address how I go about upgrading and making casting pay off in greater dividends.

Again thanks.

[kooldecker]

I think it all comes down to ingenuity and resourcefulness to be honest. How many people here started out with stuff they scrounged? i mean to be honest.......a mold and a lee sizer ( sometimes not even that) are all you really need to purchase. I think the best purchase i ever made for this hobby was my computer! without that i would never have found this place!

[Gunfixer]

On another note, look at whats there at garage/estate sales. I bought 3 boat props for $5 ea and sold them to the "prop shop" as cores for $20 ea. Also bought several propane heaters that I used the guts of to make my bluing tank burners. Think outside the smelt.

[WILCO]

False Economy Thinking is COSTLY.

It goes right back to planning and having a budget. I started small and added as I went. Learned early on not everything is where it could be, and some places have everything all the time for a price. Fail fast and move forward.

[Lizard333]

I think it has to do with how much of a rush you are in. If you need all your stuff now, than you are probly going to pay for it. If you can afford to be to patient, and find stuff on sale, or at a garage sale over a period of time, then you will save money.

[Canuck Bob]

I'm also a new comer who has asked a lot of advice and taken the time to really consider cost.

Traplines of garage sales, junk stores, tire shops, and the city dump are not possible for me. Work and family responsibilites make it impossible and the success rate doesn't warrant the gas locally. I did try. I'm forced to trade some time for money. The pleasant surprise was that sometimes it was cheaper.

My idea of the worst pitfall for newcomers. The first and maybe most important skill in casting is bullet fit. With a proper slug and good measurements I then asked what I needed to meet my needs. Within a day or two I KNEW what would work for mold and sizing almost 100% of the time, what might work, and what wouldn't work for my specific rifle. That is money in the bank!

[cabezaverde]

I am on the lookout for a wood handled slotted spoon for pot skimming every time I go to Good But no wood handled spoon yet--I do have a plastic handled one that works fine. Guess I'll have to visit Wal-Mart on of these days.

If you are buying new, get an ice fishing skimmer. Long handle and plenty of capacity with big drain holes.

Edit - sorry you said pot skimming. I was thinking smelting skimmer.

[milprileb]

Think outside the smelt

This should be a T shirt !

[captaint]

mil - Love your idea. Ken should read this and get some printed up with the CB logo. I'd buy one!! Back to the original subject, I'm not a shopper. Never have been. I'm a hunter. I decide what I need and go get it. I know lots of folks love to shop, my wife is one of them. I respect this. It's a good trait. Do what works for you. I've gotten a couple of things and lots of pewter at the second hand store. I bought the Star because it sizes nose first and that just made more sense to me. This boolit casting is the most facinating "hobby" I've ever been involved with. It encompasses so many things and sooner or later we will save money. Just yesterday, I cast up 21 lbs of 2 different boolits. What would it have cost to buy them?? Not only that, I now know whenever I want to load ammo and shoot those revolvers, I don't have to depend on anybody. Load up what I want and enjoy.
All the good guys here have been unbelieveably helpful and I'm very greatful.

Just don't ask me to go shopping. enjoy Mike