Why I shoot cast bullets

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Last Post 30 November 2012

CBA Member

delmarskid1 posted this 20 September 2012

I went to a site that sells bench rest bullets. I won't mention the name because they are a well thought of place and quite deservedly so. I checked to see the price of their target bullets and was surprised to see that they wee getting almost sixty bucks for a hundred 168 grain bullets. I went back to the home page and clicked on the 0 to 24.99$ heading. I could buy a hat.

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21 Comments

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Standard Member

hunterspistol posted this 20 September 2012

:coffee The casting table and molds look better and better all the time. I like my lead bullets made right at home.

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Standard Member

JeffinNZ posted this 21 September 2012

If I didn't cast I would have many centrefires if any. It also is a good outlet for my OCD.....

Cheers from New Zealand

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CBA Member

delmarskid1 posted this 22 September 2012

We have had a few informal bench rest matches at our club this year. Four or five shooters o the line. I shot my cast bullet bench type rifle against the jacketed bullet guys. they kicked my rear of course but my groups did impress them when I told what I was shooting. When they saw me shooting .75” inch groups (my best) at a nickel a pop they stroked their chins a bit.

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Standard Member

Axel posted this 24 October 2012

I like the whole process and satisfaction of making bullets that shoot well. Not to mention the cost savings.

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Standard Member

Iowa Fox posted this 08 November 2012

Yes for all the usual reasons. Plus, for me at my age I like to load down to lessen noise and recoil. Cast works perfect for me in that regard.

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CBA Member

.22-10-45 posted this 08 November 2012

When I first started working with my Borchardt Hornet, I purchased some jacketed match bullets from a couple of custom makers well known for their accuracy. These bullets did shoot very well...getting some groups in the .3's at 100yds. Later, when I was inspecting cast .22 bullets, I decided to see how close the weights of the match jacketed bullets were held. To my surprise, there was a +- range of over a grain..I had been holding my cast to +- .3gr.

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CBA Board

John Alexander posted this 08 November 2012

"When I first started working with my Borchardt Hornet, I purchased some jacketed match bullets from a couple of custom makers well known for their accuracy. These bullets did shoot very well...getting some groups in the .3's at 100yds. Later, when I was inspecting cast .22 bullets, I decided to see how close the weights of the match jacketed bullets were held. To my surprise, there was a +- range of over a grain..I had been holding my cast to +- .3gr."

22-10-45

Your story reminded me of one of my own from when I was on the sixth army rifle team just after the last ice age. One night our coach decided to show us why the match ammo (FA 58 Match) we were using shot so accurately. He claimed that it was because the bullets were all the same weight. To demonstrate he pulled a few bullets and weighed them while several of us looked on. To his horror the nominal 172 grain bullets varied by several grains.

John

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CBA Member

Ken Campbell Iowa posted this 08 November 2012

with my varmint rifles i can shoot bean cans at 200 yards..... with casteredable bullets, i move the bean cans to 50 yards....the kill ratio is about the same, but noise, component cost, and ...maybe most important ....i only have to walk 1/4 the distance to set up the bean cans ! also i can set up my benchrest in the parking lot.... near the shade, a cold drink, and a reloader bench ...

life is good !

ken

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CBA Member

joeb33050 posted this 08 November 2012

I'm working with/helping a guy at the range with CBs. He's trying to get the Lee 300AAC 230 gr. bullet to shoot in a Ruger .308 Mannlicher-stocked rifle. I've let him try some of my 314299s, which shot pretty well. He asked to buy som of my CBs. Here's what I figured: For a lot of 120-140 bullets Cast, ~1 hour Inspect, weigh, ~1 hour Seat GCs, size, lube-3 steps, ~1 hour Gas checks, ~$4 Now he'll get some bullets, but I don't see how anyone can sell good rifle bullets for as little as good jacketed bullets. The bare minimum would be $40 for a lot, $30 per hundred. My wife says she believes that CBs cost less than Js. I don't think she believes it, or anyone else who casts believes it. (I'm talking about match quality rifle bullets.) It ain't the money. joe b.

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Standard Member

Buzzard Bill posted this 09 November 2012

There is nothing like the drive home from a shooting session of hand cast bullets and hand loaded ammunition.

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CBA Member

Brodie posted this 09 November 2012

Buzzard Bill wrote: There is nothing like the drive home from a shooting session of hand cast bullets and hand loaded ammunition. Bill, that all depends on how you did. Brodie

B.E.Brickey

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Standard Member

Buzzard Bill posted this 09 November 2012

A poor day of shooting is better than a great day at work. Just makes you want to get back out there that much more.

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CBA Board

John Alexander posted this 09 November 2012

Joe b. sez"

"My wife says she believes that CBs cost less than Js. I don't think she believes it, or anyone else who casts believes it. (I'm talking about match quality rifle bullets.) It ain't the money."

joe b.

Joe, Another possibility is that she sets a lower hourly rate on your labor than you do. Wives tend to be like that.

I agree that it ain't the money but I kinda like to cast and pot around loading so my hourly rate is zero. It's the equipment that I never seem to have enough of that hikes the cost per bullet for me.

John

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CBA Member

Duane Trusty posted this 11 November 2012

John

You are correct, when I change oil in “her” car, paint the house, etc. My wife never offers to pay me, so my labor rate must be zero, zip, nothing.

Duane

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CBA Member

6pt-sika posted this 11 November 2012

I shoot a nice pile of home cast bullets every year and I typically take about 50-75% of my deer with home cast bullets .

Now with that being said I ENJOY shooting jacketed bullets in bench guns and hunting rifles .

It's all relative as to what someone wants to splurge for or not for .

I got no problem buying Berger's , Barnes , Hornady or Nosler bullets . If thats what I want thats what I get . But I do buy them at dealer cost so that may cut the cost 15% .>

In the whole scheme of things when one considers they have around $1000 tied up in a normal bolt action hunting rifle or bench gun and maybe another $500 or more tied up in the scope and mounts for said rifle . $50 for a box of 100 bullets isn't really that significant .

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CBA Member

Dale53 posted this 12 November 2012

Due to a loss of vision in my right eye, I went back to shooting handguns. All of my deer have been taken with home cast bullets from my handguns.

I shoot, even at my advanced age, 5000-7500 rounds of .45 ACP/Auto Rim per year and a lesser amount of .32's and .38's. If I used jacketed bullets we're talking about a serious sum of money. My time is recreation - casting bullets sure is more productive than sitting in front of the TV (which I do more than I should).

Most of my bullet metal has been free and I seldom use gas checks so my bullets are pretty much free. Powder, primers, and cases don't amount to much (I get probably at least 20 reloads from cases, maybe more).

Pretty cheap recreation and I get great results, too.

FWIW Dale53

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Standard Member

Rodfac posted this 21 November 2012

Ah...but Dale...I know for a fact that you love the pursuit of the elusive “single ragged hole” as much or more! Best Regards, Rod...(we gotta get together again....)

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CBA Member

Dale53 posted this 21 November 2012

Rodfac wrote: Ah...but Dale...I know for a fact that you love the pursuit of the elusive “single ragged hole” as much or more! Best Regards, Rod...(we gotta get together again....)

Curses! I'm “outed” again!!:dude:

I have been casting my own bullets for over sixty years. My most accurate rifle with cast was my Peregrine single shot action rifle with a Shilen barrel put together by Charlie Dell. It was a genuine 1/2 minute rifle. I competed at the ASSRA Nationals and was quite active in that organization. However, when my right eye vision failed, I DID renew my enthusiasm with the short guns (all I shoot these days).

Curiously, I still enjoy casting as much as I ever did (which is considerable). I consider casting and reloading part of the program - as much as actually shooting. You might say I derive triple enjoyment.

There is nothing quite like taking a nice, tasty, deer with a handgun and your own cast bullets...

Rodfac, I do agree we need to get together again, and again...:D

Dale53

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Standard Member

CB posted this 22 November 2012

Axel wrote: I like the whole process and satisfaction of making bullets that shoot well. Not to mention the cost savings.

It's all so interesting to me. Understanding things of interest is knowledge, its constructive, something of value. I enjoy such interesting things and interesting people, all so interesting. The opposite mentality which seems to prevail now days is, ” if you can't screw it, eat it or fuck it, it has no value".........Dan