Preferred brand of cast bullets?

[Three50seven]

Is there a preferred brand of cast bullets to be had? I'm looking for .38/.357 158gr. preferably.

Also, how much can you save casting your own? I have a lead melting furnace, though it's actually intended for melting solder...Guess all I would need is a dipper and mold, right?

 

[mikld]

I've always gotten excellent bullets and service from Beartooth Bullets http://www.beartoothbullets.com/bulletselect/index.htm They have .38/.357 bullets from 148 grain Wadcutter up to 210 gr. FN and sized from .358" to .360".

I couldn't tell you how much I save casting my own bullets, but I think there is no more satisfying aspect of my shooting/reloading. I got a lot of wheel weights free and purchased lead from 30 cents a pound up to about $1.00 per pound (not counting bullet alloys purchased from Rotometals). I've purchased molds from $12.00 used, to about $60 for a Ranch Dog .44 caliber mold. I used a Lyman ladle ($10.00 used) for a whild then bought a Lee Pro IV-20 (about $60.00 new). But since you have a melter, yep a dipper and a mold will get you started. But, I'd suggest you read through Lyman's Cast Bullet Handbook to get info on alloying, fluxing, casting methods/techniques, etc.

 

[gunhaus]

www.hgfirearms.com has a pretty good selection and service. I know they'll do a lot of things that aren't listed on the sight as far as alloys and sizing, at no extra cost. Bullets have always been very good quality and shoot great. I use their 358156 158 SWC GC in a couple of my guns and I love it.
-John

 

[WESHOOT2]

I use and most highly recommend (in ascending pricing):

-Meister

-Penn Bullets (superior value, even among these)

-Beartooth and Cast Performance



These have proven consistency, and the highest chance for significant accuracy and/or terminal performance through the largest number of different launch platforms.
IMO, these are the best choices for any buyer of lead bullets.

 

[Three50seven]

Thanks for the info guys, I'll look into all the companies you mentioned. I had purchased some 158gr FMJ bullets to begin with, but I really didn't care for them. Just loaded the last one yesterday, so I'm going to get me some good cast ones now.

 

[anachronism]

My favorite cast bullets are... mine. Look at the prices of Cast Performance & Beartooth, then understand that you can buy a $125.00 LBT mould, and turn out an unlimited supply of them. My average cost per bullet is about a nickel, tops, and three cents of that is for the gascheck.

 

[Three44s]

The "house special" here:


Three 44s Brand

 

[Iron Mike Golf]

...Guess all I would need is a dipper and mold, right?

It all depends on what your goals are. If all you want to do is make bullets and safely shoot them, then yes, a ladle and a mold. You might luck out with regards to accuracy and leading. You probably won't in either area. You also need to consider how many bullets you want to make at a time and how often.

You have to lube your cast bullets. The least expensive ways in terms of tool cost are pan lubing and tumble lubing. Those are more time and labor intensive than using a lubrisizer, which will likely cost north of $150 to set up.

You will want to measure your barrel bore by slugging it. For that you need a micrometer. Then you size your cast bullets to properly fit. If you shoot them in a revolver, you measure the chamber throats and size your bullets to fit there. Lee makes an inexpensive sizer that fits onto your reloading press. Or you can go the lubrisizer route.

I recommend you do some reading here:

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/

Once you decide to take the plunge, read the Lyman cast bullet manual.

How big is your solder melter (lbs of capacity)? I opted for a used 10 lb pot and find it too small at times. I cast a few hundred at a session, but would do more if my pot were bigger.

 

[Rclark]

I use Rim Rock Bullets . Penn is good too.

 

[Swampman]

I like Georgia Arms bullets.

 

[mattsbox99]

For top notch quality, Beartooth. Hands down the nicest bullets you can buy.

For just shooting, Rimrock bullets has the best prices I've seen and very good quality. I've bought plenty of local cast bullets too, so check your local paper for casters in your area.

I do cast shot which I load for Trap, Skeet, & Sporting Clays.

 

[Three50seven]

I think I'm going to do some looking around and comparing, then purchase some bullets for now. I may revisit the idea of casting my own in the future, with a little more reloading experience under my belt. Thanks for all the info everyone, that's why I love this forum. Everyone is very helpful and friendly

 

[Boxhead]

I have used all of those named and have settled on Montana Bullet Works. Same high quality for less money. And, always shipped quickly which some of the others have not been able to do IME.

 

[Idaho Spud]

Velocity Bullet Company, decent lead bullets at the best prices. I'm very thrifty.

 

[callshot]

If you can get hooked up with someone that is set up to cast so you can learn from them, it would help you make up your mind whether you want to do it yourself. It cuts the learning curve down and might be interesting for starters. Steve

 

[mikld]

I think I'm going to do some looking around and comparing, then purchase some bullets for now. I may revisit the idea of casting my own in the future, with a little more reloading experience under my belt. Thanks for all the info everyone, that's why I love this forum. Everyone is very helpful and friendly

Even if you don't plan on casting, the Lyman Cast Bullet Handbook has lots of info as well as load data for lead bullets.

 

[oldthings]

s&s bullets in illinois,,quality,and good prices,i dont know to post a link

 

[Nowata]

for "jusr shootin'": missouri bullet co, rim rock
Premium hunting bullets: Beartooth, Montana Bullet Works

 

[Cholo]

s&s bullets in illinois,,quality,and good prices,i dont know to post a link

Google S&S bullets Illinois. That brings you to a chat board. The 1st post has the link. Copy and Paste it right here on the Forum. It shows as this: http://www.snscasting.com/ but you can remove all the unnecessary stuff so it looks like this if you want www.snscasting.com

If you Google it and it brings you right to their website, just copy the URL at the top of your screen. Cool huh? :wink:

 

[Cheesewhiz]

s&s bullets in illinois,,quality,and good prices,i dont know to post a link

SSSSSHHHHHH, be berwy, berwy qwiet.

 

[WESHOOT2]

Dillon offers S&S.


On another thread here we discuss bore leading.
On this thread I recommend four brands.
On other similar threads I recommend one value brand: Penn Bullets.