Just a show of hands, how many make their own ammution?

[oldwood]

Casting for 60 years.

 

[mikeinpa]

I enjoy casting.

 

[garypl]

Been casting for over 50 years, mostly because the size balls I shot were not available commercially. Recently sold almost all of my modern bullet casting equipment but still cast pure lead for my muzzleloaders.

 

[Bledfor Days]

Newbie. Made some nice balls and now collecting lead like a madman. Ya, that phase.

 

[longcruise]

Time is a precious commodity. I'd rather spend time shooting than inhaling lead fumes. Read a post here yesterday that said a certain RB could be bought for 14 cents each. If you made your own the lead cost was 8 cents. Amortize the cost of the casting equipment & you are saving nothing for the first few thousand rounds. Hardly worth it, IMHO. I understand that some enjoy that part of our passtime & am not criticizing those that do. It's just not for me.

I cast 50 cal balls for 1.9 cents each. Cast 370 grain maxi for 4 cents.

 

[B P Maniac Shooter]

I bought 2 boxes of balls when I started 7 years ago. Didn't know any different. Never again. I spent the $125.00 to buy a electric pot & a mould. I have about 400+ pounds of FREE lead & I pour 1000's of round balls to shoot. Cost wise...??? Not sure what the electricity is & I pour only on rainy days I can't shoot anyway. Its so easy to do I'm surprised 90% or more shooters doesn't pour their own.

 

[nhmoose]

Not yet, still have to come to terms with lead vapors

You cast at 750 degrees F

Lead:
Melting point 600.61 K, 327.46 °C, 621.43 °F

Boiling point 2022 K, 1749 °C, 3180 °F (at its boiling point is starts to emit vapors, which is your concern.

Hope that helps

 

[Stumpkiller]

I cast my own lead balls.

 

[Forester]

Started casting in 1971 with the graduation gift of Navy Arms Zouave. Minies were not available. Have been shooting hand cast round balls this summer.

 

[Art Caputo]

I started casting in my early days of muzzleloading when I acquired a Western Arms Hawken that required a 52 cal LRB. Commercially available cast LRB’s were scarce, Since, I have not cast, using rifles in the common calibers. While I tie my own flies, and load my own cartridges for my competition and long range unmentionables, I do so in order to achieve improved performance. I don’t find this to be necessary with LRB’s. The commercial LRB’s perform very well.

 

[slow]

Been casting bullets and balls for 40 years!!!

 

[bisleyjohn]

Casting, swaging, shooting. 50 years. Saved money? Who cares?
not I. Shed set up for casting today. I wear welders gauntlets so don’t touch the lead. All part of getting full satisfaction from my sport.

 

[Josephg]

Started casting my own lead soldiers at ten then started casting round balls at 21. Shot a lot of .38 paraffin bullets out of dads Smith and Wesson. I have hundreds of molds.

 

[Professor flintlock]

Casting, swaging, shooting. 50 years. Saved money? Who cares?
not I. Shed set up for casting today. I wear welders gauntlets so don’t touch the lead. All part of getting full satisfaction from my sport.

Been casting for years. Try to shoot every day.Dig the lead out of my backstop every so often. Have a heated shop and shoot out of a sliding window. Scrounged lead for years with winning alot of powder at shoots,my shooting is pretty cheap.Just got 19 yards of good pillow ticking for next to nothing so my shooting got even cheaper. Lyman has a good manual for casting. Highly recommend it for anybody getting started in casting.

 

[Professor flintlock]

Started casting my own lead soldiers at ten then started casting round balls at 21. Shot a lot of .38 paraffin bullets out of dads Smith and Wesson. I have hundreds of molds.

Do you have an extra .315 Lyman mold you want to sell?

 

[Professor flintlock]

Do you have an extra .315 Lyman mold you want to sell?

Anything you need I might be able to help you out

 

[Josephg]

.315, there is one I don't have.

 

[Professor flintlock]

.315, there is one I don't have.

I've got one but alot of my buddies shoot .32's and are looking for them. Wish Lyman would start making some of these hard to find molds.

 

[Josephg]

Will be needing a .58 soon.

 

[Professor flintlock]

Been casting, two more molds showed up today. Just need one more for the .62 rifle

What you looking for Mulebrain?.600 .590 .have to look but I might have a ,610 if I didn't sell it already. Got a pretty screwed up heart so I've been getting rid alot of stuff I can't handle any more 18 45/70's 50/110 my chief grade trade gun. Just can't handle the heavy recoil with all the stuff implanted in my ticket. Twenty two stents ect. But I can still shoot the lighter stuff check out the postal matches.Wish more people would shoot them.