Casting projectiles

[nathanbowenarrow]

How cost effective is it to cast your own rb and maxiballs. Cost per each projectile vs cast .50 cal. Thanks
Nathan Bowen

 

[JeffinNZ]

Hi Nathan.
I did this exercise a while back.
What do you think your time is worth per hour?
Divide that by the number of usable bullets you can cast per hour. Add the cost per bullet of the metal. Throw in a number for energy ie: electricity, petroleum.
Bingo, you have cost per unit.
Now it's up to you to decide.
Personally I like to cast as I can make a better product than swaged balls and I am mean.......... :crackup:

 

[Tahquamenon]

I don't cast my own only because of a lack of time. I don't get as much time as I'd like to shoot let alone do casting.

I think if you are shooting upwards towards about 700-1000 roundball a year then it's much more cost effective to be casting your own in the long run.

Lot's of folks that do cast their own here, so I'll turn this over to them. They should have cost comparisons.
:thumbsup:

 

[Stumpkiller]

A lot depends on your lead supply. I get about 60 lbs per 6 pack, so it works out pretty good for me.

It's a pretty satisfying way to spend an evening. Plug in the bug light, sit on the porch and watch the evening unfold while running ball. A pile of 200 or so bright, shiny balls full of promise and entertainment smiling up at you when you're done.

I'm still known to drop by the store to buy swaged if my cast supply dwindles when I'm too lazy/pressed to lug the gear outdoors to cast.

Just the ability to cast is a warm fuzzy feeling. One less reliance on outside supply. And no, I'm not worried about Y3K. I saw an isle of bubble-packed conicals vs. two dusty 50 count boxes of .490" round balls when I wanted .530" the last time I was at my local Dick's. :curse:

I get the same look from the clerks when I say "I shoot a flintlock" as I would if I had said "I lick dog's feet". Being able to bypass them is a reward in itself.

 

[bob1961]

so how cost effective can it really be....not to start anything but would like to know....i can buy a box of .50 hornady at wally world fer bout 8.00 bucks per 100 or less after the seaons are over to stock up like i did....so thats bout 80.00 fer 10 boxes to make a 1000....i was looking at colmans gas burners at bout 35.00 plus the cost of fuel, moulds and such....since i have my .54 on the burner i would like to know what is needed to start up running ball..................bob

 

[jtmattison]

Look at it as long term savings.
Initially you have the cost of all of the equipment to overcome but after a while it pays off.
I get my lead for free so I'm already on the possitive side there.
I've been casting all of my projectiles for about 2 years now and I'd say I have saved a lot of money doing so.
It all depends on how much you shoot and how you get your supplies.

Huntin

 

[harryo]

so how cost effective can it really be....not to start anything but would like to know....i can buy a box of .50 hornady at wally world fer bout 8.00 bucks per 100 or less after the seaons are over to stock up like i did....so thats bout 80.00 fer 10 boxes to make a 1000....i was looking at colmans gas burners at bout 35.00 plus the cost of fuel, moulds and such....since i have my .54 on the burner i would like to know what is needed to start up running ball..................bob

The last lead I bought from a local scrap/recycler cost 24 cents a a lb. It would take about 4.5 lbs of lead to make 100 .490 balls, or about $1 worth. Not adding any time cost, which I wouldn't do because I enjoy casting and when I do it, it is during spare time when I would just be doing something else that isn't making me money, you have a savings of $7 per 100.

Using TOTW prices, you can buy a Lee double cavity mold, basic Lee electric pot and a ladle for about $50. You could spend more, or less, depending on the mold and pot you buy, but this is a good middle of the road cost to start with and these casting components will do the job and produce excellent round balls. Not figuring any other cost for electricity, or fuel, if using a Coleman stove and regular pot, the $7 per 100 savings would pay for your equipment after casting 700 balls.

You can get pickier and add some time and fuel costs in if you want, but when buying factory roundballs, you will also be paying tax, or shipping, so I consider that a wash. After you recover your investment in equipment, there are substancial savings. It's easy to see that anyone who shoots regularly can save money by casting their own and like others have already said, you control the quality and have the enjoyment of doing it yourself.

 

[Stumpkiller]

Well lets take a look at the costs.

Going for minimal cost: Lee mould from Midsouth Shooters Supply $13.70

Lee Lead Ladle (same source) $2.73

RCBS Lead Pot $14.08

Maybe $7.95 shipping?

The only other things you need are lead (occasionally free if you ask around enough) and flux material (beeswax, candle wax, parafin, Alox, about any wax will do.

Leather work gloves ($3.00 at hardware store)

A 1" x 12" stick, dowel, hammer handle to smack the mold gate open. Or, wear gloves and pull it open.

I found a cast iron pot in my cellar and have a couple Coleman Stoves - both over 30 years old. Otherwise - hit the garage sales.

I dump my castings on a pair of old mouse pads set in an upturned Frisbee and with a couple layers of aluminum foil on top. Works great.

It takes maybe 1/16 of a gallon of Coleman to liquify 10 pounds of lead. Maybe 25

 

[No Deer]

I was paying $8.00 for 25 .690 balls for my 12 ga. that is $.32 cents per rb.....when I could find them. At last I gave up trying to find them and bought the equiptment to make my own. My melting pot cost me $35, the mold cost $55 and the handles cost $15.
I found good clean pure lead at $.20 per pound. Getting (supposedly) 12 rb per pound of lead for the 12 ga. that comes out to $.017 per rb. Big difference from 32 cents per to .017 cents per. Doesn't take long to pay for the equipment at those prices. With my 20 gage it comes out to .01 cent per ball.

I figure that with the number of balls I have cast in the last 3 or so years, I have long since paid for the equipment and have saved a lot of money.

 

[nathanbowenarrow]

How about a maxiball? Say the 370gr. for .50 cal?

 

[amccall]

It really comes down to how much you shoot, what type of guns/rifles you have, do you have the time and space to do it and how cheap you can get your lead.
I have 4 differant calibers to shoot from 62 to 45 cal. For me the electric lead pot was $60 the 4 moulds was $20 each for a total of $140 dollars. My lead I get for free from work and I add another $20 dollars for extra stuff like gloves or wax etc.. I have a grand total of $160 dollars investment. For 1 box of 100 rounds, that I would buy locally, for each caliber is a total of $37 dollars. If I shoot 1 box of each caliber a year it will take me 4 1/2 years to break even with my original investment. If you shoot maxi balls or larger caliber balls that cost more money then making your own makes more sense. In the same thinking if all you have is a 45cal or less and you shoot maybe 1 box a year then making your own would not be cost effective. The other thing with making your own is that you are in control of weight and size of the projectile, when you buy them you get what you get. :results:

 

[merdean]

Face it. It is very cost effective to cast your own. You control quality and quanity. It takes only a few hundred cast balls to pay for the cost of the equipment. Then you have other advantages...If you arm gets tired from holding the mold up, you can take a break. The lead will still be there when you get back. You can cast a wider varity of balls when you cast your own. You can change the ball size instead of patch thickness (.490 or .495). It is a way to go to the range more often. I cast round balls for all of my rifles, from .310 to .530. I cast Lee REAL in .45 and .50 and Maxi-Ball in .54 If I don't like the looks of a ball, back into the pot it goes. I also have molds for a wide varity of bullets. Some of these molds would be very nice with a sabot. Such as a .44cal, 320gr mold. With pure lead it is closer to 370gr. Put that in a .50cal sabot and see what you can do with it. What does it cost per 100 for .370gr .44cal pure lead bullets? Nothing...you can't buy them cast of pure lead! So you can experiment with a lot of other things too. Casting has it's own rewards! :results: :imo:

Merdean

 

[Stumpkiller]

And when you take a deer with a ball you've cast youself it is a truly wonderful and satisfying feeling.

:redthumb:

 

[riarcher]

Personnaly,,,, it's not cost effective at all! (and I get my lead almost for free)
My "free lead" is mostly flashing from contractor friends (may cost me a beer or two).
Then I "clean it" 1-2 meltings at high temps. to try and remove any tin I can,,, Then 1-2 "blendings" (again high heat with lots of stirring).
All this is done on an old (wife says to dicard) webber kettle cooker with wood picked up for nothing around the yard and such. Cost so far $0.00/40+/- lbs. lead.
Now I start making Balls/bullets.
When I cast I get real "particular" and if I get 4-600 a day I've done good. Actual cost= $0.00
Time= 8-12 hrs cleaning, 6-8 blending, 6-8 casting.
When I'm done, what do I get?
Neighbors stop by and we share a few beers, a bunch of pride at the target range, a pile of pride on every kill during hunting season,,,, and "Braggin rights!"
Comepare that to "store bought",,,,,,,
20 minutes investment and $8.00 = more range time.
But, if it was all in cost effectiveness,, I'd suggest a 30-30 or a .243 or 12 ga slug gun,,, scoped.
Then you could shoot 1/2 box to sight it in, 1-2 shots per years before hunting season to check scope. You'd probably get 5 yrs. out of 2 $20.00 boxes of shells and a $300.00 gun.
$$$$ is not the measure you should look at. It's the pleasure you get out of making you own "necessities". Like "flint napping" you can buy them for $1.00 each or take 3 hrs. to make 4 truely good ones (and scrap a lot of material along the way).
It's not the "cost effectiveness" of your hobby,,, it's the amount of enjoyment you get from your degree of involvement that is satisfying. :m2c:

 

[CrackStock]

I am not sure of the simple dollar savings, but I began casting my own when I was competing and found myslef be stingy with the ammo. I made the decision to cast my onw in enough quantity that availability of ball would never be an issue again. I enjoyed melting and cleaning the lead into homemade ingots. I enjoyed making the balls and then miking them and weighing them. I competed with them and was much improved in my shooting. Then as StumpKiller says, I really enjoyed using my own cast balls in hunting. After the initial set up cost, I found that the only cost was an enjoyable few hours every 3 months running some ball. I gave a lot of balls to my local YHEC group for their practice sessions and many elected to use mine for the state competition.

All prices that I was willing to make.

CrackStock

 

Kinda like hooking a trout on a fly you tied yourself, eh Stumpy? :redthumb:

 

[JOHN L. HINNANT]

Greetings Nathan B. and All,

Cost effectiveness is not always a consideration when casting balls.

All of my ML's have barrels rifled for the patched round ball in mostly 50 caliber. Three of my rifles have a definate preference for a .500 size ball. A thicker patch and a .495 ball does not cut it.

Therefore, it is necessary to cast a .500 size ball. A 40 caliber requires a .400 ball which has to be cast.

I cherish a barrel that likes a ball I can buy and frees up time I can spend shooting.

Best regards, John L. Hinnant