The Firing Line Forums - View Single Post - An open question on costs of bullet casting.

snuffy · December 4, 2010, 10:15 AM

Both of my lee pots are 800 watt units. My KW/HR is 0.1198. Since I figure the pot is on only about half the time I'm casting *, a 4 hour session might cost 50 cents. In that 4 hour session, I could cast 2,000 bullets using a six hole mold. If you want everything to have a price, you do the math, I just got up, the coffee hasn't worked yet!

As for lube, it almost has no cost. I weighed a 45/70 boolit before and after lubing. The lube weighed 3.0 grains! A 45 acp boolit with less that half as big a lube groove, and only one instead of 3 big ones, would be less that a grain.

As for the Lyman 450 sizer, what it cost 40 years ago, I don't know. It has since lubed 10,000+ bullets, maybe more like 20,000. I don't keep records that precise. Yes, you do have to buy dies and top punches when doing a new bullet.

Most of my bullets are tumble lubed, even the types that were meant to be lubed by a Lyman sizer. For standard loads in semi-auto handguns, it works just fine. I doubt you could figure the cost-per-boolit for tumble lubing. A bottle of lee liquid alox is $4.49 @ midway. That one bottle will lube a LOT of bullets, depends on how heavy you apply it.

I smelt using a turkey fryer and cast iron pot. The propane has a cost of around $20.00 a bottle/tank. I can smelt about 400 pounds of range lead or much more clean lead per tank. Figuring out cost per pound could be done, but I don't.

I've been lucky getting lead. I cleaned out an indoor range, the result was a TON of good bullet metal. A friend at work that knows I cast bullets, told me of a machine that had a huge lead counterweight had been scrapped out. The weights were 90 pounds each, and were nearly pure lead. I got 15 of them,,,,---- FREE!

You buy molds, accessories for casting KNOWING the bullets are going to be cheaper than you can buy. I don't have to know every penny I spend to get a usable bullet to know that. Even IF I could buy lead bullets like I use, I would still make my own. I have control over everything. I know the alloy, I choose the lube, I choose the sizing, shape, style, get the picture?

*Yeah, I know the element is on constantly when heating up, or when I add cold lead, but when it's up to temp, the on time is less than the off time.

December 4, 2010, 10:15 AM	#10
snuffy Senior Member Join Date: May 20, 2001 Location: Oshkosh wi. Posts: 3,055	Both of my lee pots are 800 watt units. My KW/HR is 0.1198. Since I figure the pot is on only about half the time I'm casting , a 4 hour session might cost 50 cents. In that 4 hour session, I could cast 2,000 bullets using a six hole mold. If you want everything to have a price, you do the math, I just got up, the coffee hasn't worked yet! As for lube, it almost has no cost. I weighed a 45/70 boolit before and after lubing. The lube weighed 3.0 grains! A 45 acp boolit with less that half as big a lube groove, and only one instead of 3 big ones, would be less that a grain. As for the Lyman 450 sizer, what it cost 40 years ago, I don't know. It has since lubed 10,000+ bullets, maybe more like 20,000. I don't keep records that precise. Yes, you do have to buy dies and top punches when doing a new bullet. Most of my bullets are tumble lubed, even the types that were meant to be lubed by a Lyman sizer. For standard loads in semi-auto handguns, it works just fine. I doubt you could figure the cost-per-boolit for tumble lubing. A bottle of lee liquid alox is $4.49 @ midway. That one bottle will lube a LOT of bullets, depends on how heavy you apply it. I smelt using a turkey fryer and cast iron pot. The propane has a cost of around $20.00 a bottle/tank. I can smelt about 400 pounds of range lead or much more clean lead per tank. Figuring out cost per pound could be done, but I don't. I've been lucky getting lead. I cleaned out an indoor range, the result was a TON of good bullet metal. A friend at work that knows I cast bullets, told me of a machine that had a huge lead counterweight had been scrapped out. The weights were 90 pounds each, and were nearly pure lead. I got 15 of them,,,,---- FREE! You buy molds, accessories for casting KNOWING the bullets are going to be cheaper than you can buy. I don't have to know every penny I spend to get a usable bullet to know that. Even IF I could buy lead bullets like I use, I would still make my own. I have control over everything. I know the alloy, I choose the lube, I choose the sizing, shape, style, get the picture? Yeah, I know the element is on constantly when heating up, or when I add cold lead, but when it's up to temp, the on time is less than the off time. __________________ The more people I meet, the more I love my dog They're going to get their butts kicked over there this election. How come people can't spell and use words correctly?