Moulding balls.

[Crow#21957]

Hope this the right spot. Ok I probably shoot aroundsay 1500 shots thru my BP guns a year.maybe 4 lb powder and 1000 caps.im trying to keep flintlock figured in and I'm really rough guessing.So question is,,,,,,,would buying what I need for moulding the balls I shoot be worth it? Or sell the 6 square blocks of soft lead it may be pure not sure and each one weighs 5.8 lb so about 30 lb rough guess and buy what I need? I do not have any moulding equipment now just lead.
Thanks

 

[Notchy Bob]

A lot would depend on the caliber you are shooting. if you shoot round balls from a .58 caliber rifle, you might get 25-26 balls from a pound of lead. For a .50 caliber rifle you might get twice as many balls from the same amount of lead. You could probably get set up with basic casting equipment (Lee mould, iron pot and dipper) for around $100. Swaged or cast balls appear to be going for around $15-$20 per box, with 100 balls of the smaller sizes or 50 of the larger ones per box. I haven't priced raw lead recently because I have enough to keep me going for a while (thanks, @Justin.44 !), but I think it's running around $2-$3 per pound. So, if you sell your lead, you might get $70-$100. That won't really buy very many pre-cast or swaged balls.

Your time may be a factor, also. However, most people who cast their own enjoy the process, more or less, and their time spent casting is recreational... Part of the muzzleloading experience. If you find it's something you don't like doing, that may influence your decision.

Casting round balls is easy. Big, hollow-based conicals might be more challenging and the moulds for these cost more than round ball moulds, but big, hollow-based conicals are also a lot more expensive to buy. So, you also need to consider the type of bullets you'll be shooting.

For shooting just a few rounds occasionally, store-bought bullets may be more cost-effective, but with the amount you are shooting, I honestly think you will save money if you get set up to cast your own.

I hope that helps! When the boys on the forum see your question, you'll probably get a lot of encouragement to start casting.

Notchy Bob

 

[Crow#21957]

Thanks mostly 32,,36,,and 40. Occasionally 62 cal. Not much.

 

[SDSmlf]

May want to check your math, though you did say you were rough guessing. If you shoot 1500 rounds with 4 pounds of blackpowder, your average charge is just over 18.5 grains per shot. Means mostly light charges in small caliber rifles or handguns. Makes sense if that what you shoot most, if not all the time.

As far as selling 30 pounds of lead of unknown purity, might be tough to get top dollar unless you can get it tested to understand what you have. If testing finds your lead is 5 BHN or less (basically pure) you could possibly sell what you have for $60 or so shipped.

Personally, I wouldn’t suggest charging into casting one’s own muzzleloader projectiles because one had 30 pounds of lead. If on the other hand, you want to cast your own projectiles, go for it. You already have 30 pounds of lead.

 

[Crow#21957]

I knew my rough guessing would get ne. Lol

 

[tenngun]

Lee come with handles for about the price Lyman blocks. Then you have to get handles separate.
All and all less then ten boxes of ball
Pot, dipper and lead figure in to your cost
Still it’s only a few boxes to pay for the equipment.
Casting is fun. Over a fire or at the stove
An electric pot if you got one, running ball is almost as much fun as shooting them

 

[smo]

I prefer rolling my own….

Larger caliber balls now come 25 too the pack…

 

[Kansas Jake]

I enjoy casting. About $30 will get you a Lee mold. If you have a camp stove or hot plate that will melt your lead. I started with an old steel small sauce pan and a gravy ladle with the handle beat straight. Start with the gun you shoot the most and cast a bunch. If you enjoy it add the other calibers. If not, sell your mold for most of what you have in it. For patched round ball a little harder lead won’t hurt although soft is best. Avoid the harder lead in a revolver as it is hard to load and may damage the loading lever.

 

[tenngun]

Track sell .735 in packs of twenty five . For twenty dollars a pack. It cost me a hundred fourth for block and handle, I already own pot and dipper. So mold cost me a hundred fifty ball. Lead was two fifty a pound when I got it.
.62 or .54 run thirteen to sixteen for twenty five. I got Callahan mold for them that I use regular at fifty a mold.
I have those sizes in Lee mold, but they are old, in .54 almost fifty. Callahans bought in the last ten years
Now them bag molds,, well five ball at a time then you need let it cool. Though having a casting day with them and my .45 too I can run a hundred ball each in a pleasant afternoon
Electricity, gas or fire won’t run five dollars even at inflated fuel cost.
Time, I don’t count, since I do it in my time off work when I wasn’t making money any way. And it counts as a fun part of the hobby
So I’ll stand by thinking it a lot cheaper to run your own, and it’s never out of stock or back ordered.

 

[ZUG]

If you are just an occasional shooter and only want to shoot once in a while it would be best if you buy your supplies. If you want the FULL experience of the sport then you NEED to cast your own ammo. Thirty pounds of lead is a SMALL amount. I have over 500 pounds of soft lead at the moment, and I also cast for modern cartridges. I keep hard lead (150 pounds) separate from my soft stuff.

 

[Thomas.bill92]

You know you wanna cast your own! Get the stuff to do it and don't look back. When my local scrap yard gets soft lead in, they will call me. Last time I got some they charged me .26 a pound, by the time you cast 400 balls, you will have paid the equipment off.

 

[Crow#21957]

I think I will gradually get a melting furnace and mols and everything just for the fun of it.