I would like to cast my own bullets, but I am frugal and want to see if I am saving any money by doing so. I see an ingot on Midwayusa.com is $4.17 /lb. One pound of lead is 7000 grains. If I am casting 255 grain bullets, I will get a maximum 27 bullets from that pound of lead. That means each bullet cost me 15 cents before lube. Buying bulk from Missouri Bullets, I can get a 255 grain .452 Elmer K for about 10 cents with shipping. 5 cents per bullet adds up over time. Am I doing the math wrong?
Cost of Casting
- Thread starter mchura
- Start date
Help Support Ruger Forum:
I thought reloaders were the scroungingest people saving to pull discarded brass out the trash,
Till I started casting.
Seriously, you are correct on the math.
I have never considered reloading or casting anywhere close to a financial savings.
I can produce what I want, when I want.
Now where is that link to making the charcoal....
Till I started casting.
Seriously, you are correct on the math.
I have never considered reloading or casting anywhere close to a financial savings.
I can produce what I want, when I want.
Now where is that link to making the charcoal....
jsh
Single-Sixer
Your math looks good.
To load or cast, you need to recoup your investment sevral times over before you can even say break even.
I shot several different makers bullets, none of them made me happy. I had access to a lot of lead, also have bought a lot of scrap. If I had to buy alloy today I would really have to step back and look at it.
To load or cast, you need to recoup your investment sevral times over before you can even say break even.
I shot several different makers bullets, none of them made me happy. I had access to a lot of lead, also have bought a lot of scrap. If I had to buy alloy today I would really have to step back and look at it.
Chuck 100 yd
Hunter
There are waaaay less expensive ways to get lead for casting bullets than Midway.
Check ebay for example if you don't have a local scrap yard. Put an add in the local nickle add's or Craigs List. You should be able th get ir for $1.50 or less a pound.
Check ebay for example if you don't have a local scrap yard. Put an add in the local nickle add's or Craigs List. You should be able th get ir for $1.50 or less a pound.
NikA
Buckeye
I'm fairly new to casting (started in the past year) but I put a price of 1$/lb on clean lead in ingot form of wheel weight or more pure composition. I have yet to pay more than this, though I notice with the economic recovery that prices are slowly creeping up. At 1$/lb, bullets work out to 2-5¢ each. The cheapest I've found cast for sale are .32 SWCs and .38 WCs for 5¢ each plus shipping. I tend to buy those if I'm going to shoot them.
As far as scrounging, every bit of solder dripping when working on projects goes in the pot. I check for pewter at thrift shops when I'm there. Planning on building a bullet trap when I get my range set up to "close the loop."
As far as scrounging, every bit of solder dripping when working on projects goes in the pot. I check for pewter at thrift shops when I'm there. Planning on building a bullet trap when I get my range set up to "close the loop."
contender
Ruger Guru
Welcome to the Forum!
I've been casting for many years. Many ways to cut your costs.
First things first,,, go over to the cast bullets forum. www.castboolits.com
You will learn a lot,,, PLUS,,, you can buy lead a lot cheaper too.
Another easy to do thing is powder coating vs. lubing. Study that as well.
I've been casting for many years. Many ways to cut your costs.
First things first,,, go over to the cast bullets forum. www.castboolits.com
You will learn a lot,,, PLUS,,, you can buy lead a lot cheaper too.
Another easy to do thing is powder coating vs. lubing. Study that as well.
Rook
Blackhawk
Do people still use wheel balancing weights for casting bullets? I used to read that tire companies would sell their used weights or give them away to get rid of them.
NikA
Buckeye
Yes, but keep in mind that lead is now considered a hazardous substance per OSHA/EPA. Therefore, (1) many balancing weights are steel, zinc, or plastic now; (2) some states have banned new lead weights altogether, so logistically companies are less likely to supply lead weights; and (3) handling of used weights is no longer as easy as throwing them out or having someone take them and often must be handled through "official" channels.
contender
Ruger Guru
Ok,, it was late & I gave a short response.
Casting is just another way to get the type & style of bullets you desire. And,,, it can save you money,,, as long as you don't value your time at a normal hourly rate.
I never consider my hobbies as a time thing,,, as I enjoy doing the things I do.
Casting slugs goes back further than jacketed ones,,, and has been done since the beginning of firearms.
If you've ever seen the Mel Gibson movie,,, "The Patriot" & where he melts down some toy lead soldiers,, over a fire, then it's ALMOST that easy. Many a pure lead ball has been cast over a Coleman stove, in a steel pot,, where the lead was dipped by a ladle, & poured into a mold.
But the pure lead stuff is soft & isn't as good as adding other metals to harden it up for faster velocities or higher pressures that handguns & even rifles use. But,,, the basics are still there. A proper mix of metal,,,, melted in a steel pot,,, OR a casting pot,,, poured by ladle or via a pour spout,,, into a good mold will give you lots of good bullets to enjoy.
I'd suggest the first thing is to buy a couple of books on casting,,, Lyman makes excellent ones. All the basics you need will be in them.
Next,,, as for getting lead,,, wheel weights USED to ALL be made of a mix of lead & other stuff that made good bullets. Unfortunately,,, the eco-freaks got the EPA involved,,, and now,,, as noted,,, the WW will be a very "hit or miss" proposition. If you go to the cast boolits forum,,, there is a lot of info on how to test the WW's to see if you can use them.
There are many other sources for scrounging lead that is suitable for casting bullets. And,,, many on that same forum sell lead they have already smelted into ingots,,, making it really easy to get good bullets right away.
But one of the more recent things that has changed a lot in casting is NOT lubing the bullets,,, but instead,,,, using a powder coating method.
And PCing a bullet is cleaner,,, easier,,, and makes for a lot of fun colors. A pound of Harbor Freight red, (only red,) with a handfull of black (only) airsoft pellets,,,, a #5 recyclable plastic tub,,, such as a Kool-whip or Country Crock (round) butter tub, some non-stick aluminum foil, and a toaster oven can turn out thousands of red coated bullets ready for sizing & shooting. No lube required.
It is truly easy to do. I had just purchased 10 sticks of an excellent quality lube to add to my depleting lube,,, when I discovered PCing. I still have the same 10 sticks new in their wrappers,,, & haven't used a lubed slug in a while.
Now,,, I've advanced a little & use a different brand of powdered paint,,, and instead of using the #5 tubs, pellets & all,,, I have tumblers I use. But I'm now converting all my cast bullets into different colors by their caliber.
Sizing a bullet is done after casting and/or after PCing. You size according to the bore of the gun you are using.
But even still,,, in this age of eco-freaks trying to eliminate a natural mineral,,, (lead) you can still scrounge up enough to make a LOT of bullets fairly easy. I'm always on the lookout for cheap quality lead or pewter (tin) for mixing bullets. As such,,, I've accumulated several hundred pounds of lead that has,, as yet,,, been turned into bullets. So,,, my cost of a bullet is extremely low. About 2-3 years ago,, I bought out a flea mkt find,,, a 5 gal bucket of OLD WW's, that the widow was selling. I gave $20 for over 150 lbs of WW's. Figure that after smelting,,, I'll have about 120 lbs or so of bullets from that alone. Or,,, the time a few years ago,,, a friend of mine was selling off his stuff,,, as he knew he was aging,,, and his family had no interest in his firearm stuff. He offered to sell his entire lot of stuff to a couple of guys,,, BUT,,, called me first. I got to cherry pick his stuff. They were there,,, inventorying things,,, and they had allowed $50 for all the lead. I told him I wanted the lead,,, already smelted into ingots,,, arranged on his shelves,,, by WW, or pure lead,,, and would buy it. (Those guys had figured .50 a lb,,, but I looked at it & knew it was a lot more than that.) I told him I'd take it all, and when I got it home, weighed it,, I came up with a bit over 375 lbs. I called him to arrange to pay him more,,, and he politely told me "No,,, keep it my friend."
So,, I'd SKIP buying lead from places like Midway,,, & start scrounging & price shopping. Get a few manuals,,, study & start casting!
Casting is just another way to get the type & style of bullets you desire. And,,, it can save you money,,, as long as you don't value your time at a normal hourly rate.
I never consider my hobbies as a time thing,,, as I enjoy doing the things I do.
Casting slugs goes back further than jacketed ones,,, and has been done since the beginning of firearms.
If you've ever seen the Mel Gibson movie,,, "The Patriot" & where he melts down some toy lead soldiers,, over a fire, then it's ALMOST that easy. Many a pure lead ball has been cast over a Coleman stove, in a steel pot,, where the lead was dipped by a ladle, & poured into a mold.
But the pure lead stuff is soft & isn't as good as adding other metals to harden it up for faster velocities or higher pressures that handguns & even rifles use. But,,, the basics are still there. A proper mix of metal,,,, melted in a steel pot,,, OR a casting pot,,, poured by ladle or via a pour spout,,, into a good mold will give you lots of good bullets to enjoy.
I'd suggest the first thing is to buy a couple of books on casting,,, Lyman makes excellent ones. All the basics you need will be in them.
Next,,, as for getting lead,,, wheel weights USED to ALL be made of a mix of lead & other stuff that made good bullets. Unfortunately,,, the eco-freaks got the EPA involved,,, and now,,, as noted,,, the WW will be a very "hit or miss" proposition. If you go to the cast boolits forum,,, there is a lot of info on how to test the WW's to see if you can use them.
There are many other sources for scrounging lead that is suitable for casting bullets. And,,, many on that same forum sell lead they have already smelted into ingots,,, making it really easy to get good bullets right away.
But one of the more recent things that has changed a lot in casting is NOT lubing the bullets,,, but instead,,,, using a powder coating method.
And PCing a bullet is cleaner,,, easier,,, and makes for a lot of fun colors. A pound of Harbor Freight red, (only red,) with a handfull of black (only) airsoft pellets,,,, a #5 recyclable plastic tub,,, such as a Kool-whip or Country Crock (round) butter tub, some non-stick aluminum foil, and a toaster oven can turn out thousands of red coated bullets ready for sizing & shooting. No lube required.
It is truly easy to do. I had just purchased 10 sticks of an excellent quality lube to add to my depleting lube,,, when I discovered PCing. I still have the same 10 sticks new in their wrappers,,, & haven't used a lubed slug in a while.
Now,,, I've advanced a little & use a different brand of powdered paint,,, and instead of using the #5 tubs, pellets & all,,, I have tumblers I use. But I'm now converting all my cast bullets into different colors by their caliber.
Sizing a bullet is done after casting and/or after PCing. You size according to the bore of the gun you are using.
But even still,,, in this age of eco-freaks trying to eliminate a natural mineral,,, (lead) you can still scrounge up enough to make a LOT of bullets fairly easy. I'm always on the lookout for cheap quality lead or pewter (tin) for mixing bullets. As such,,, I've accumulated several hundred pounds of lead that has,, as yet,,, been turned into bullets. So,,, my cost of a bullet is extremely low. About 2-3 years ago,, I bought out a flea mkt find,,, a 5 gal bucket of OLD WW's, that the widow was selling. I gave $20 for over 150 lbs of WW's. Figure that after smelting,,, I'll have about 120 lbs or so of bullets from that alone. Or,,, the time a few years ago,,, a friend of mine was selling off his stuff,,, as he knew he was aging,,, and his family had no interest in his firearm stuff. He offered to sell his entire lot of stuff to a couple of guys,,, BUT,,, called me first. I got to cherry pick his stuff. They were there,,, inventorying things,,, and they had allowed $50 for all the lead. I told him I wanted the lead,,, already smelted into ingots,,, arranged on his shelves,,, by WW, or pure lead,,, and would buy it. (Those guys had figured .50 a lb,,, but I looked at it & knew it was a lot more than that.) I told him I'd take it all, and when I got it home, weighed it,, I came up with a bit over 375 lbs. I called him to arrange to pay him more,,, and he politely told me "No,,, keep it my friend."
So,, I'd SKIP buying lead from places like Midway,,, & start scrounging & price shopping. Get a few manuals,,, study & start casting!
Rick Courtright
Hawkeye
Hi,
I'm down to about 50 lbs of real lead wheelweights, and when they're gone, that's it for freebies from the local tire shop! I once read lead is the most common metal found in its native state on the planet, so good luck getting rid of it, treehuggers!
Missouri Bullet Co was mentioned for commercially cast bullets: they also sell their casting alloy. Not giveaway prices, but acceptable for having the stuff delivered to your door step in USPS flat rate boxes my mail man just hates, and not having to drive around looking to see what you can find. A company in CA called RotoMetals also sells a lot of casting lead. They're a bit pricier than MBC, though. Another company in CA called J&S Wholesale may be able to help you with reclaimed shot, which is "not quite" hardball alloy quality, but better grade than wheelweights, if you have the wherewithal to buy it by the ton (like a bulk buy with friends, delivered to your gun club, perhaps?) http://www.jswholesaleinc.com/ should get you the info on it.
In a place like CA, which leads the nation in restrictive laws about all the stuff that will give you a birth defect if you eat enough of it, the question is becoming less one of the actual cost of the material, and more one of availability. Personally, I'm increasing my supply of raw lead right along with the rest of my reloading supplies.
Rick C
I'm down to about 50 lbs of real lead wheelweights, and when they're gone, that's it for freebies from the local tire shop! I once read lead is the most common metal found in its native state on the planet, so good luck getting rid of it, treehuggers!
Missouri Bullet Co was mentioned for commercially cast bullets: they also sell their casting alloy. Not giveaway prices, but acceptable for having the stuff delivered to your door step in USPS flat rate boxes my mail man just hates, and not having to drive around looking to see what you can find. A company in CA called RotoMetals also sells a lot of casting lead. They're a bit pricier than MBC, though. Another company in CA called J&S Wholesale may be able to help you with reclaimed shot, which is "not quite" hardball alloy quality, but better grade than wheelweights, if you have the wherewithal to buy it by the ton (like a bulk buy with friends, delivered to your gun club, perhaps?) http://www.jswholesaleinc.com/ should get you the info on it.
In a place like CA, which leads the nation in restrictive laws about all the stuff that will give you a birth defect if you eat enough of it, the question is becoming less one of the actual cost of the material, and more one of availability. Personally, I'm increasing my supply of raw lead right along with the rest of my reloading supplies.
Rick C
wizofwas
Buckeye
What Contender said. Casting can be a fun hobby. Lead can be had for next to nothing, if you look around and ask enough people if they have any just laying around. Garage sales have some every now and then.
drew76
Bearcat
https://rotometals.com/bullet-casting-alloys/
Another option. They have about every type of bullet alloy you could want. Lyman #2 is 13.59/5lbs. They have free shipping on orders over $99 I believe.
Another option. They have about every type of bullet alloy you could want. Lyman #2 is 13.59/5lbs. They have free shipping on orders over $99 I believe.
Poco Oso
Buckeye
I'll second the Rotometals suggestion. I've been using them for quite a few years. They have given me good service and always had accurate weights on their materials.
bigboredad
Blackhawk
If you shoot at a outdoor range they may allow you to pick up the let out of the burn for free or maybe a small price I started casting because I couldn't find a bullet for the 45 Colt that I like I design my own and have a back getting started in casting can be as cheap or as expensive as you want it to be I got started with a dollar fifty can a $20 mold a dollar Ladle and it $20 hot plate and went at it YouTube is a great place to get ideas on casting their tons of videos and one of the easiest ones to learn by is just watching people do it it's not near as hard as people make it sound and the LED price is what determines on if you save money or not free late is always the best leg but even if you have to pay for it you'll have the satisfaction and the fun of doing it yourself kind of like reloading your first bullet
