Home Forums Reloading Bullet Casting Lead all the way!

With the price of jacketed bullets, I think I'll just start using cast bullets for everything! Hunting, target, etc...

A one time cost for the mold, free lead, easy to make homemade lube, gas checks are still cheap for the fast bullets (use for hunting) and the flat base for everthing else!

Who else is adding more cast bullets to thier guns diets?

I wouldn't say I'm adding more cast bullets to my rifle's diets. I've probably shot about 100 cast bullets in most of my rifles for every single jacketed bullet over the last 53 years. I call it independence.
I have used cast bullets loaded to full power in the 30-30 with good results. The roughly 175 gr. Lyman #311291 kills deer very nicely when cast of straight wheel weights. There's 15 deer that will not argue that point. Two other deer were taken with the RCBS #30-180-FN in the 30-30. It's a 190 gr. bullet in my alloy.
Currently, I'm trying to find potentially full power loads for a .358 Win. and a .35 Whelen. I'll have to wait until hunting season is over to do any more work along those lines. It's getting a bit too hot to be casting bullets out in my shed and the better half would never allow it in the house.
I do have a couple of very accurate loads for the .308 Win. and 30-06, but they're not very fast and one would have to be quite close to game to have one reliably work. I use those most of the time for practice, the resight the rifle in with the jacketed load for deer and elk. One thing is for sure, shooting cast is one way to get very familiar with your rifle. Shoot away from the bench in the various positions and they will be second nature out in the field.
Paul B.

I like Paul's idea of independence, that cast bullets give.
I like to think of myself as cheap, so I choose rifle calibers that are suitable for cast bullets 30-06, 375 Whelen, 405 Winchester, 45 Colt and 45-70. I tinkered with 243 Win and cast bullets with success, never really cared for it as a cast bullet gun.
Over the years I've been very lucky in finding very good buys on large quanities jacketed bullets for those calibers/rifles that, I feel, are not suitable for cast bullets, 25-06 and military style semi auto rifles.
In the event of depression, or some other event that ammo, components are scarce the cast bullets would be life savers and very good trade goods.
Jim

yea, give me some lead, and some form of payment and I'll cast you some bullets.... That's how to trade...

Ditto all of the above, with the added benefit of practically indefinite barrel life. What's not to like?!

An added benefit of cast bullets for the 22 Hornet is more power!

I'm having a heck of a time finding wheel weights or scrap lead anywhere around Atlanta...

The price of scrap has gone up so much nobody wants to sell it at anywhere near a reasonmable price, let alone give it away.

Where are y'all getting your metal?

MdAtlanta,
Lead will hit the $1.00 per 100 in Aug. It is not going down, but there is speculation that China is building some mines.
I cheated, I work for a battery company and knew what the markets were going to do. I stockpiled thousands of pounds from tire shops- do not use battery lead! Most tire shops will part with weights for $.25 per pound, but they want repeated pick ups, not one time deals.
China is purchasing large stocks of lead, copper, and zinc for several years now. Gee, what would they need those metals for?
P.S. I got all my weights for free!

i just go around so some of the mom and pop type tire places and enquire about old WW's most give them away.

go to a big hospital and ask for the radiology dept, they have pure lead curciables that they bring in the radioactive material they use for chemo treatments.

Thanks, guys. Hawk, you don't have to rub it in!

Radioactive bullets? I wonder if they would violate the Geneva convention?

hi blammer, I too cast lead. I cast .308 dia, and .323. Got probably 350lbs of bars in my storage unit. Should be set for a long time. Dave

Dave, 350# might seem like a healthy supply but in reality the future looks pretty bleak so if you have a source you might just try for more while you can.

Hey 45nut! good to see you here! Didn't know you wandered about....

If only I could get wheelweights from the tire stores. They no longer seem interested in selling them. I'm down to about 150#'s.

hi 45nut, I've got 2 tire shops that save the wheelweights for me .It's almost time to do my pickup of the weiths an store them. You're right though, 350 does sound like a lot but depending on the weight of the bullet you cast ,it can go quickly. I'm in the process of getting molds to cast my own lunker/hooks fo bass plugs and jigs. Dave

Well, when I said "independance" I meant much more than possibly getting through a depression. During WW-2, the only ammo commonly available was either .22 Long Rifle and 30-30 Winchester. Most of that ammo was set aside for farmers who got the .22s to shoot vermin raiding their crops and the 30-30 to the ranchers to protect their cattle and sheep against predators. Cartridges for other caliber firearms was very scarce and damn hard to get.
As much as most will deride the old "thutty-thutty", it's just one of the damned best cast bullet cartridges around and the old .32 Win. Spl. even better. Loo at it this way, a 175 gr cast bullet can be loaded to full power in a 30-30 or .32 WS. Cast of wheelw eight metal with a bit of tin added to aid casting and a gas check and you're good to go. If your 30-30 is good foer 1.5" at 100 yards, the cast bullet properly lubed and sized should be good for 2.0" and sometimes will even out group the factory stuff. The M-94s are easy to load for, but marlin Micro-groove barrels take a bit more tinkering. Bullet should be at leasy 12 BHN and sized to .310" for the Marlin. If you have both makes of rifle, just use the Marlin specs and all is well. My choice of bullet is the RCBS #30-180-FN, a 190 gr. bullet at 1950 FPS. The two deer I've taken with it hardly went anywhere but down and out. Lyman's #311291 is good. Weight runs right at 175 gr. and I've taken 15 deer with that one at 2000 FPS. None went more than maybe 30 yards.
I did a test one time years ago. I took a bundle of wet newspapers and set it out at 100 yards. I fired two rounds of federal 170 gr. factory loads and two of my cast bullet loads with the Lyman bullet, both load chronographed at 2000 FPS from my rifle, and checked out the recovered bullets. The only way I could tell them apart was the factory bullets had jackets. Mushrooms were exactly alike, and weight variation between the four bullets was only 5.0 grains. Cast bullet will work.
Paul B.