Right now in Utah hunters are sighting in their modern muzzleloaders, at up to $5 per shot. I try to get some to cast their own and either paper patch or grease lube. But no, not a single convert yet. The same with recreational target shooters. Most don't-won't reload let alone switch to cast bullets. I've even offered to do the work for them. I do have one friend in town that has switched to casting his own, but can't get him to join the CBA.
So how do we get our message out?
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I've never known a whole lot of other reloaders my whole life. Only ones I've met at clubs, and they have been the minority.
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Could be that folks go to the range with limited time, and have already decided that it takes too much time to do the casting and bullet prep and then do the reloading in addition to that. Given the apparent ages you mentioned, they are too old to just try it and have fun. Perhaps we see more opportunity with youngsters, who do have a short attention span, but a lot less obligations that take their interest away.
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I have been a member of a sportmen's club since 1979. In all that time there have been only a couple of other guys shooting cast. And only 1 shooting cast in a rifle. I don't know what the answer is to getting more shooters involved in cast bullet shooting. I have been set up on the 100 yd. range just about every weekend since late spring, working with an Al Story Borchardt in .30-40 Krag shooting various .30 cast bullets. In an effort to save time, and avoid pulling inaccurate loads, I have been loading at the range. All case prep including priming is done at home, only powder charging and bullet seating is done at range. Powder is measured and put up in 1ml. screw top glass vials. Seating is with Wilson straight line seater & arbor press.
The only person who ever came up was an older guy who told me he was scoping out my target and complemented me on my shooting. He was not a cast bullet shooter. Last week, a young guy came up when he saw the rifle..."Shooting black powder I see"...when I told him the caliber his eye brows furrowed..got a very confused look on his face, turned on his heels and very quickly walked away. Later that day another twenty something asked what I was shooting...Ah I thought at last...he said he never heard of a .30-40...was it a black powder ctg.? I explained it was at one time our official military ctg. Teddy Roosevelt used it in the SpanAm war....another frown and confused look..before I could even begin to talk about cast, he too turned and walked quickly back to his bench. So what gives? Here I had a near complete reloading set up for everyone to see...and nobody was the least interested. I have never before seen anyone loading at the range at this club, and to be honest, thought I would be pestered to the point of making a loading mistake. I would be more than happy to show anyone the loading steps and explain the reason I enjoy shooting lead...but so far no takers.
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I agree Fitz, The same is true at the range. I find unfired rounds every time I go.
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You must live in a fancier neighbor hood than I do.
John
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Just look on the ground in all the parking lots and you will see pennies dimes nickels and even a few quarters , if most are to lazy to pick up free change what makes use think the will pick up a little work on the side that we call a hobby.
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I love the current situation, at the matches and at the range other shooters hand me their nice once fired factory brass! When I get to the range the ground is frequently littered with brass. I get a sore back from picking it up.
Most of the pistol shooters have a Dillon and feed it jacketed bullets. If they use fired cases most of them buy sized, cleaned and prepped cases. There is only one other shooter who competes with me for brass, most shooters are not interested in sorting cleaning etc.
Expensive? Yes, my casting rig is expensive, but the cost was spread over 40 years. I started out with a mold, ladle an old pot and a camp stove. Today I would buy a LEE mold, LEE push-thru sizer and LEE Liquid Alox. An electric hot-plate and an old kitchen pot from the thrift store would work just fine. This would probably cost less than 1000 factory-cast bullets, certainly a lot less than 1000 jacketed.
I have tried to interest the shooters using factory cast bullets in learning to cast, no responses to my invitations to come see how easy it is.
Steve
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Right now in Utah hunters are sighting in their modern muzzleloaders, at up to $5 per shot. I try to get some to cast their own and either paper patch or grease lube. But no, not a single convert yet. The same with recreational target shooters. Most don't-won't reload let alone switch to cast bullets. I've even offered to do the work for them. I do have one friend in town that has switched to casting his own, but can't get him to join the CBA.
So how do we get our message out?
If we want to drive half the people in the US away from shooting and casting; then these are a good start.
Aaron posted this 18 September 2022
I don't know that we can anymore. We have been branded and labeled by a socialist media as domestic terrorists, gun loving murderers, rednecks, racists, and other vile things - all of which are not true. Look at the advertising alone in the American Rifleman. What used to be a father and son at the reloading bench promoting the hobby has been replaced by the tattooed, bearded, "operator" promoting firepower and machismo.
Ed Harris posted this 18 September 2022
At the risk of getting political, the brainwashing of our youth, the destruction of work ethic, developing a dependent welfare class, driving instant gratification while supply issues and pure greed drive the cost of shooting beyond the means of working class people is the plan. Discourage hunting and shooting so that the young won't carry the torch. Then wait for the Baby Boomers to die off and there will be no one left who cares. The young will suck the government teat and inherit their Socialist utopia. No further comment along these lines. Dave delete if this crossed the line.
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You folks are spending too much time trying to please folks that are used to instant gratification and are gleefully happy being dumb. I show up at the range and do my best to hide my activities from the others on the firing line. Curiosity kills the cat and the same works for those having the potential to become a CBA member. Those that show interest are baited with my slights of their inability to grasp my pleasure. Before long the few are hooked and those enjoy a life of constant puzzlement. No way the cast bullet game will ever be a national hit unless someone of the stature of Donald Trump shows up at the range one day and I get the opportunity to shame him into giving up his golf clubs and join the rest of us high intellectuals in a lead bullet match. I know, only in my dreams!
Forrest Gump is my smarter brother.
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My concern about folks that learn from the internet means that they watched videos and some are quite misleading. The basic books that we often refer to are well written and critically reviewed by knowledgeable casters after placed for sale. While the Lyman Cast Bullet Handbooks may have some limitations, it puts a lot of information right in one area along with some great proven reloading data.
I was taught from books and magazines and at times did have a steep learning experience. Take note that I am not saying all Internet videos are questionable, just that a new caster does not know when to take information cautiously. The most common comment made when the forum members realize that the person is new to casting is to be careful but have fun. And if something planned is likely to cause injury, speak up and give a warning.
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I have been reloading and casting for about 7 years now. I have never found anyone else in my area that does. I have taught 2 others and they reload a little.
I did not have anyone to show me how to reload or cast locally, I learned off the internet. You guys talk about getting new people but with that attitude I saw in some of these posts about us stupid idiots that learned on the internet is just going to push others away. I am a member and have been for years. Not all of us were lucky enough to have someone to teach us.
I have saw this same attitude in my other hobby, Amateur Radio, a few years ago the FCC changed the rules that new people did not have to know CW to get their license and the old timers were nasty to the new people. Know the hobby is almost dead no one is on the air anymore.
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The old phrase.....look for reasons to do things, stop looking for reasons not to do things.
Tom
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My club has a "Free, Take It" table. Somebody left about 50 pounds of muzzle loader projectiles on it. I took them.
I was flabbergasted that no one else got them before me.
Must not be a lot of people who still cast. I only know two at my club. Seems everybody else has black, plastic guns. Or shotguns.
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Tell them that those cartridges were issued to Engineer units.
Bob .45-70 & .30-30
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There has been a loss in the desire to have a tangible skill, that is to make something from scratch, but it may be coming back. My kids, despite having watched me grow, fix and build all kinds of stuff, went into intellectual pursuits (medicine, finance). Finally, the screens are loosening their hold on them. One (physician) is becoming a skilled brewer, another is interesting in knowing how to paint his house (physician) and the other (financier) has become a skilled remodeler of homes.
The wave of screens may be passing. The only course we have is to expose others to our crafts. If they are amused, they will follow. Treat them like cats, not dogs.
Bob .45-70 & .30-30
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Everyone here has a different path on how they get started with cast. A few years ago, I had a couple of friends over to my range for a Sunday afternoon session. One was shooting cast and the other one a newer shoot who reloaded jacketed. He fired a handful of those while we shot about 150 cast rounds for the same money. After a couple of sessions like that, it didn't take long for the newer shooter to realize that we were having more fun for the bucks and shooting pretty well too. So he took the plunge and bought a pot and lead, set up in my shop and borrowed some of my molds to get started. A couple of years later and now he goes to CBA shoots and has learned a lot in the process while adding molds and accouterments to his stash. A few weeks ago a neighbor asked about casting for his 45 Colt so here we go again. Yes, it's one at a time but they are much younger than me so hopefully there is a future and certainly worth my time. Second thought. I'm not retired yet so I feel the time crunch too. It does take dedication to cast, size and lube, reload with extra steps; and even research those loads because sometimes data is limited. I'm sure it takes me several hours to produce a 50 rd box of quality ammo if figured from sitting down at the pot to closing the box lid the final time. Most people consider pulling the trigger the fun part, not reloading per se. I will confess my weird outlook that casting and reloading is therapeutic because I can suppress work and life related stresses by putting them in the background while I do it. Plus I take pride in a job well done when the target looks good and realize it's my handiwork. I'm also old enough to not spend several hours a day on social media so I can head to the reloading bench instead. Yes, there are always obstacles but I prefer to focus on what I can do to overcome them.
Scott Ingle
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I've tried to give away a 38 caliber Lee Loader to friends. Even offered them some powder, primers, and boolits. No takers. I have a grandson I hope will take it when he turns 21 soon.
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Great comments in this thread. Good reading!
With rifle in hand, I confidently go forth into the darkness.
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Well I don’t know about the defeatist attitude in some posts, but I certainly understand where it comes from. Ed Harris is right on the money about the powers that be doing everything they can to make it difficult to participate in shooting and reloading.
But of the last year or two I have sold off a lot of reloading components that when I thought about my life span, I couldn’t use unless I turned this hobby into a job. The reloading tools and molds I was not using and did not want to use sold for good prices which allowed me to reinvest in new molds from semi custom makers so it was good for me. But quite a few people buying wanted to get into reloading and some of course were reloaders already. I didn’t gouge but I didn’t have to give stuff away either. One very important often overlooked benefit is a fair amount of freed up space which allowed for organization of a smaller reloading space.
I am personally dismayed when I look at gun shows in my travels where almost every table is black guns. I just like to put my fingerprints on wood and blue steel. I do enjoy the semi autos, but the change from hitting your target and spray and pray shooters is difficult for a old school guy to understand. Yes it’s fun, but, then your out of ammo and your target might still be a virgin.
My two nephews like to empty mags in rapid order here on my range, but I’ve got them collecting brass and they are getting interested in bolt guns because they have figured out that a 223 isn’t a big game caliber. So there’s hope, I’m working on them.
But on a good note of a direction for myself is I will be spending time with my Son and 3 grandkids ages 8 to 12 in the lower 48 in winter times. This will be a winter snowbird project as I will not be anywhere but in Alaska on the homestead in the warmer months.. Home and heaven.
I will be setting up a reloading bench (bench is already there and unused) and have joined a very nice gun club and range about 10 miles from their house. I have a couple of bolt action 22’s and a few other youngster/beginner firearms which will be put to use along with proper training and respect for making that bullet count and hitting the target. I suspect that some in family competition will come of this. That’s my intention and a small part of guiding youngsters into our sport. Not being proactive to bring the next generation in, is a mistake. I know some here already do that, but, some get with drawn because of the uneducated narrative that’s prevalent today. But, only you can promote the respect our sport deserves.
Trust me, I’m a loner, but this is also an opportunity for me to come out and do something. I do a lot of reloading, casting, and shooting by myself. Got to pass on what I know, besides, I’ve got great grandkids.
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I don't know about all that, but in the midwest here, it's still not hard to convince real shooters to join the addiction. As for CBA, I advise anyone who listens to join the forum. I think if we can get them interested in what they read here from real experts, ( yeah that's you guy's) then hopefully they will at least be curious about what they are missing. I just spoke to a MO conservation officer yesterday at the range. He's 46 and very interested in the outdoors, When I told him I reload his face lit up, and he gave me his card. I'll give it a couple days and text him to introduce myself. Then after that I'll offer to help him get started reloading while suggesting this site for more and much better info.
I know there are many reloaders in my area. When I started I could go to the range almost weekly just to police the spent cases and almost always find a bunch. Then several years ago it got to where I didn't find it as often. Of course now after all the virus stuff and now the economy it's not much better but I still see folks shooting their own handloaded ammo.
I have a few friends who want to get into reloading too and they ask if I will supply them with powder and primers, to which I have to decline since what I have must last me and mine for an unknown time. AS for prices, the one LGS here that carries supplies the cost of powder hasn't really rose much but primers are still almost unobtainium. I have always been one to want to help others, but to use a phrase of my moms I won't cut my nose off to spite my face. I have and do take folks out to shoot who don't own firearms, and offer to help with getting equipment and components for reloading. Once I get them interested I send them here.
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