Casting lead balls ?

[Cowboy]

I was just wondering if casting my own lead balls would be cheaper than buying them out right. I have been buying Hornady lead balls. I know absolutely nothing about casting lead balls! I don't know what equipment I need! I don't know if there is a specific kind of lead I need! I even don't know how to do it! I don't know where to begin. I'm wondering how much all the equipment will cost? Where to get the lead and how much will that cost? I'm on a tight budget due to me being a disabled vet, and my wife is the only income in our family. Is it worth casting my own balls or should I just stick to buying them by the box? My one problem that I can foresee is coming up front with the money to buy what I would need. I probably could come up with the money if it would save me alot of money to make my own. Would I save alot of money making my own? Can anyone give me some advice along with some pros and cons concerning making my own lead balls? Also where to start and what to do? I'm asking alot in this post but I'm weighing cost of making my own verses just keep buying them. For my family money is tight and extra money hard to come by. Any thoughts, advice, or help in making up my mind on what is the best course I could consider would be greatly appreciated and welcomed. Respectfully, cowboys1062.

 

[tozzybum]

talk to plumbers/roofers about scrap lead.im using up 20lbs of scrap roof lead i was given free.u need a mould suitable for your calibre ,look in the yard sales /flea markets u may get lucky.some moulds start from $25 dependant on calibre from new.i using just a camping gas stove and a poundstore pan to melt lead.do it outside or in a well vented place the fumes arent good for u at all.simple side cutters to trim the mould sprue off.so if u can get a supply of lead ,a mould and a pan/ladle your only cost is the lead.buy up old fishing sinkers from yardsales,be nice to your local roofer as old chimney flashing makes great lead ball.go on You-tube theres loads of videos of how to make your own balls .i think i save 100 balls here $75 ,free lead =$0.1 gas cannister =350 balls cost =$2.so 100 balls=$2.no brainer for me.atb

 

[ohio ramrod]

I have found that for most commonly used calibers you can buy a lee mold for about the price of 200 purchased swagged balls. You can get pure lead at less than 1.00 a lb. (often salvaged lead pipe or flashing for free). So I figure it takes about 300 balls to cover your initial cost and from there on it is just more savings. :idunno: :hmm:

 

[Cowboy]

I'm thinking of casting my own lead balls but until I get the equipment together and also learn how I'm in the market to find the best deal to purchase .490 lead balls. 100ct to 500ct. Can anyone give me a place where I can get the best deal? I think I read on this forum about a man named Fletcher,Boyd, who sells them but I can't find any information or contact on him. I even tried to google him but couldn't find anything. I'm looking for the best price I can find. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Respectfully, cowboys1062.

 

[Drago]

Eddie May out of Chatsworth Ga, can't find his number at the moment

 

[Jim C]

Midsouth Shooters Supply is the cheapest mail order I have found on lead balls and if you are near a Sportsmans Warehouse, they are the cheapest brick and mortar retailer. Just remember though that when buying mail order/online that it pays to buy in bulk due to the exorbitant shipping charges related to lead, not due to weight, but due to the imposed restrictions by the state dept. Bass Pro and Cabela's are the two highest. They are almost twice the price compared to MSS and SW. If you shoot several hundred balls a yr like I do it would most definitely be cheaper to cast your own. You could recoup the cost of casting equipment in your first year alone. You can buy pure lead ingots from Rotometals for slightly less than $2 a pound. At that rate once your equipment has paid for itself you can save anywhere between 50 and 100%, depending on where you buy them, over the cost of buying cast or swaged balls. It's well worth the investment IF you shoot enough, that is.

 

[Jim C]

Midsouth Shooters Supply is the cheapest mail order I have found on lead balls and if you are near a Sportsmans Warehouse, they are the cheapest brick and mortar retailer. Just remember though that when buying mail order/online that it pays to buy in bulk due to the exorbitant shipping charges related to lead, not due to weight, but due to the imposed restrictions by the state dept. Bass Pro and Cabela's are the two highest. They are almost twice the price compared to MSS and SW. If you shoot several hundred balls a yr like I do it would most definitely be cheaper to cast your own. You could recoup the cost of casting equipment in your first year alone. You can buy pure lead ingots from Rotometals for slightly less than $2 a pound. At that rate once your equipment has paid for itself you can save anywhere between 50 and 100%, depending on where you buy them, over the cost of buying cast or swaged balls. It's well worth the investment IF you shoot enough, that is.

 

[Kansas Jake]

I too started casting many years ago with a camp stove, old steel small pot and a table spoon as a ladle. On the table spoon, make sure it is steel.

Lots of folks have used a hot plate too to melt lead if you find one cheap at a garage sale.

I later bought a small cast melting pot and regular casting ladle and eventually got a deal on a Lyman electric pot. Again, watch garage sales or thrift shops etc. for stuff if you have more time than money. A Lee mold can be purchased for less than $30 at Cabelas and other big sporting goods retailers.

 

[jfaldo]

The spot price for scrap lead at this moment is 95 cents a pound in a one ton lot. Don't think your going to find a scrap yard to sell you a small amount of pure lead for less than $1.00. If they did they are a really poor business manager. Most pure lead that I have bought recently (400 lbs) is about $1.89lb. BTW Rotometals always has a sale on lead every major holiday. Even if your going to shoot only a couple hundred balls in a year it pays to cast. You don't need a lot of fancy equipment to do it either.

 

[Billnpatti]

You can start casting your own balls for an initial investment of a bit over $50 by buying Lee produjcts from Midsouth Shooter's Supply http://www.midsouthshooterssupply.com/Vendor/00006/LEE-RELOADING-PRODUCTS/Dept/reloading. A round ball mold will cost about $18, a lead ladel will be about $5 and an electric melting pot (the Lee Precision Melter) will cost you about $31. I think an electric pot is the only way to go because it is easier to use and you can control the temperature of your lead much more closely. Scrap lead will cost you anywhere from free to about $1 per pound. People used to use some wheel weights for making rifle balls but now wheel weights are mostly a non-lead alloy so are not suitable. Stick with soft lead for making your balls.

Whether or not this is a good way to go will depend on how much you shoot, what you have to pay for cast or swaged balls, and what have to pay for lead to cast your balls. In any case, you will eventually come out ahead by casting your own balls but you will have to figure out how long it will take for the equipment to pay for itself. Once it has paid for itself, you are in the clear and your rifle balls will be pretty darned cheap.

Once you get your equipment ordered, get back to us and we will tell you exactly how to cast your own balls. Casting your own balls is nothing difficult but there are a few things that you need to know to do it correctly, to avoid problems and to do it safely and we are here to help you. Here are some videos that will be helpful. https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=casting+lead+round+balls :thumbsup:

 

[Rifleman1776]

Lots of good advice so far. Briefly, casting is less expensive than buying commercial swaged. But, like any endeavor, there is cost starting up. With a little enterprise you can cut those costs. Like look for small cast iron pots at antique shops or flea markets. If you have a Coleman camping stove that will melt lead just fine. A lot of things can be used for lead dippers but, IMHO, the Lyman is the only way to go. More expensive than others but well worth it. Moulds from Lee are about $20.00. Get your stuff together and go for it. When Cynthialee started casting there was a very good thread with all kinds of tips on starting casting that helped her. Now she is giving advice. That is what this forum is supposed to be all about.

 

[Rifleman1776]

exorbitant shipping charges related to lead

I have never heard that there are excess charges for shipping lead. Really, contents of a package do not need to be disclosed. Only a statement that a package does not contain certain materials is required. Lead is not one of them. I recently sold some balls to a member here and just shipped via USPS Priority. Now....are the lead police going to come after me? :shocked2:

 

[Spikebuck]

exorbitant shipping charges related to lead

I have never heard that there are excess charges for shipping lead. Really, contents of a package do not need to be disclosed.

Neither have I. I order volumes of lead ingots from RotoMetals and they come just packed in Flat Rate shipping boxes. After the trip 1/2-way across the country the super-heavy boxes are so damaged sometimes the lead is almost falling out. The poor mail lady! First shipment, as she struggled to get them out of her trunk, she jokingly asked me..."What's in these boxes...lead?!" I said "yep!" They don't know what's in the box.

 

[cynthialee]

get some casting equipment AFTER you have done extensive reading on the topic. Here at TMLF there are a bunch of good posts on the topic.
After you have your gear and have read yourself bored of the topic get to casting.
When your casts are not up to par, take pictures and post them here on the forums with a description of what you did and what the problem is. Then we can give you pointers and get it figured out with you.

It really is easy. I didn't start doing it until a couple years ago and it only took a handful of attempts and a number of posts here on the forums and now I am confident and competent at the task.

It is much cheaper in the long run and it gives me something to do in the cold months.

 

[tozzybum]

my good lady has "donated" a steel ladle with a pouring mouth on :haha: .she doesnt know this and im not telling :yakyak:

 

[cynthialee]

my good lady has "donated" a steel ladle with a pouring mouth on :haha: .she doesnt know this and im not telling :yakyak:

:nono:
:shake:
Better make sure that dog house has clean cushions and might want to talk to the dog about the new room mate arraignments.

 

[nwtradegun]

they are the best value cast balls http://gadcustomcartridges.com/

 

[nwtradegun]

http://gadcustomcartridges.com/

 

[tozzybum]

the dogs told me to go sleep in the shed ,he aint sharing my "cold shoulder and spicy tongue "she,d give me if she finds out

 

[jamesthomas]

I am buying it at .70 cents a pound. I found a scrap metal guy that has around 300+ Lbs. left of an X-ray room and that's after I have gotten 200 lbs. of it.