Do most of you cast your own RB and conicals?

[frwillia]

When I get the flintlock I'm planning on, I plan to shoot it every range trip (37 range trips last year), and of course a few times hunting.

So as part of my planning for the flintlock, I started looking at the price of bullets and found everything but RB to be remarkably expensive.

So I did the research, found out where I can get soft lead for in split ingots, ~57 lbs for $83.00 freight included, molds, and a new furnace. After doing the math (~30 .54CAL RB's per pound, or 16 Lyman Great Plains per pound), amortizing the cost of the equipment after less than 5,000 rounds I'd be ahead even on round ball bullets, and way ahead on conicals. After that, round ball would effectively be about half the cost of commercially made ones, and 450g Lyman GP bullets would cost ~10.5 cents each.

My dad cast everything he shot out of his civil war musket and his Pennsylvania rifle, I remember it as being an enjoyable process. I certainly enjoy my time at the bench reloading my centerfire ammo (~3,000 rounds a year). I could look forward to casting bullets. I'd probably start casting the bullets for my .45 single actions while I was at it.

So my questions:

Do you cast your own bullets?

Does my cost analysis reflect your experience?

If so, what melting pot do you use? I am looking at the top of the line Lee which is on sale locally.

Where do you get your lead if you buy it online? I found a place that will sell 53 - 57 lb ingots for $83.00 including freight. They also offer various alloys specifically for bullet casting.

Is wheel weight lead too hard for muzzleloaders?

I will doubtless get the Lyman book on bullet casting and read it before melting the first pound of lead, but I'd be interested in any hints and tips that showed up as well.

Thanks
Fitch

 

[gunrac]

I've never done any casting, so take this info with a grain of salt.


I have 38lb. of #2 shot I would let go of. It's a pain in the azz reloading it with a progressive loader. Will make you a good deal on it. Shoot me a PM if your interested.

 

[cayuga]

I have casted my own roundball for about thirty years. I make them for the .50 and the .54 caliber. I also cast Lee REAL conicals for both calibers. And I cast a .45 caliber bullet for other rifles. I get my lead free. If you keep your eyes and ears open there is lead out there, but it is getting harder and harder to find.

I use a simple method to cast. I have an old turkey cooker stand and burner. I wired a stove grate to it. And I have a Lyman pot and Lyman ladle. I made my own scraper out of some tin, and flux the lead with bees wax.

I run Lee molds. Many will tell you they are aluminum and not as good as a Lyman or some of the other brands. Might be true, but I have molds over twenty years old and they are still producing very high quality ball.

So my cost is not that much. I use a 20 pound propane cylinder as fuel, the Bunsen burner and stand from the turkey cooker, and a pot and ladle that is thirty years old.

The only thing I really lack is the ambition to go out and cast. Although when I do, I cast all day and make A LOT of bullets.

 

[frwillia]

I have casted my own roundball for about thirty years. I make them for the .50 and the .54 caliber. I also cast Lee REAL conicals for both calibers. And I cast a .45 caliber bullet for other rifles. I get my lead free. If you keep your eyes and ears open there is lead out there, but it is getting harder and harder to find.

I use a simple method to cast. I have an old turkey cooker stand and burner. I wired a stove grate to it. And I have a Lyman pot and Lyman ladle. I made my own scraper out of some tin, and flux the lead with bees wax.

I could do that! I have 3 cast iron lead melting pots that Dad and I used back in the 50's - he had them on the gas stove with the kitchen windows open. Not the best plan but we lived through it.

A burner with gas bottle set up like yours would work quite well with my pots. I also have the Lyman ladle he used back then - looks like a hollow chestnut with a nozzle on it - and the mold handles. I may sandblast them to clean them up.

I run Lee molds. Many will tell you they are aluminum and not as good as a Lyman or some of the other brands. Might be true, but I have molds over twenty years old and they are still producing very high quality ball.

That is good news. The bullet selection is much better with Lee molds than Lyman for .54CAL. I do want to play with conicals as well as PRB.

So my cost is not that much. I use a 20 pound propane cylinder as fuel, the Bunsen burner and stand from the turkey cooker, and a pot and ladle that is thirty years old.

The only thing I really lack is the ambition to go out and cast. Although when I do, I cast all day and make A LOT of bullets.

I know that tune. I do that reloading 9mmP practice ammo. I shoot till I have about a 1,000 empty brass, then set up the Dillon and go at it. About 4 hours later I'm good to go with about a quart and a half of 9mmP ammo or so - usually lasts me most of a year.

Thanks
Fitch