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Old August 20, 2012, 02:44 PM   #1
ShootingNut
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Mastercast Bullets

I'm a long time customer of Mike's at Mastercast Bullets, Carbondale, IL.
Just wondering if they have gone out of business. Been trying for a month
to contact, phone and email with no response at all.
Anyone know what's going on with them?
Regards
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Old August 20, 2012, 03:02 PM   #2
zxcvbob
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For years I've had trouble getting ahold of him sometimes. Great guy to work with when you can reach him.

Hope he's OK...
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Old August 20, 2012, 03:07 PM   #3
ShootingNut
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I agree, Mike has always treated me very well also.
And, he did mention possibly some joint replacement, but
one would think his staff would still answer phone messages and
keep the operation running.
Great products and prices, especially his 230 grain .45 ACP RN cast
in 14 BHN !
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Old August 20, 2012, 03:25 PM   #4
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I don't think he has a "staff".
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Old August 20, 2012, 03:35 PM   #5
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LOL
It sure looks that way doesn't it.
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Old August 20, 2012, 03:40 PM   #6
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Last time I talked with Mike was back in May. After the storms in Midwest screwed everything up in the area, the state decided to widen the road in front of his business. Utilities had to be moved and Mike was complaining about daily power outages, intermittent phone & internet. Sounded like he had fallen way behind. Took me about a month to receive my order. This was my first order from Mike and the wait was frustrating. When they arrived I was impressed with the quality and would not hesitate to order again.

I hope all is well and look forward to dealing with Mike in the future.

P.S. I think Mastercast is a 1 man show
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Old August 20, 2012, 08:31 PM   #7
fishbones182
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I have tried contacting them as well with no luck. Im going to purchase some bullets i beleive they are from friends wood bullet co. They are hard cast says 18 bhn but im shooting 357 and 44 mag with them so ill load them hotter then i would a softer bullet and they should work fine. I sure hope mastercast comes back around. They used to sell on e bay some years ago.
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Old August 21, 2012, 04:17 PM   #8
ShootingNut
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fishbones,
Have you ever looked at Dardas, they are out of Michigan.
I have ordered several times from them, very good quality and super
fast shipping and communication. They are my #2 go too, if Mike is not
up and running.
http://www.dardascastbullets.com/
Regards,
SN
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Old August 21, 2012, 04:21 PM   #9
ShootingNut
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Korny,
I have talked to Mike more than once, and heard the same stories regarding power outages, storms, floods, electrical service going out, etc.
I don't think Mike is fibbing about it, I know they do get a lot of storms
coming through southern IL.
I know he had a least one other guy there, when I would receive notice of my order being shipped, it was by a Howard Groin. I thought maybe a brother or relative, not that it matters.
Maybe the lead fumes got to him? Hope not.
Regards,
SN
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Old August 21, 2012, 09:18 PM   #10
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I talked to him a month or two ago and another time a month or two before that. Super nice guy. Very friendly and helpful. I ordered some bullets from him in March, soon after the tornado they had. I received the bullets two or three days later. He didn't charge me so I called him the first time to make sure that he didn't forget to charge me, or accidentally lost my billing info or something like that. He said he was far behind becuase he didn't have internet access due to the storm, but he would eventually charge me. The second time I called him, he still didn't charge me, so I was checking again. He said not to worry, he was still far behind on his billing. He still hasn't charged me, so I hope he's okay.
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Old August 22, 2012, 06:17 AM   #11
rebs
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If any of you guys need bullets and can't wait give Penn Bullets a try. You won't be disappointed.
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Old August 22, 2012, 08:26 AM   #12
jmortimer
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If you are just punching paper, not that important, as there are many. many great choices for hard cast bullets. If you are lookng for hunting or self-defense bullets, I would suggest Buffalo Bore. Another interesting manufacturer that gets too little attention, is Rimrock, which is used by Buffalo Bore. Both Penn and Rimrock make .45 Colt Wadcutters which are great bullets. Oregon Trails Laser Cast is good high-end bullet as well.

Last edited by Mike Irwin; August 23, 2012 at 09:23 AM. Reason: Not going there.
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Old August 22, 2012, 05:04 PM   #13
fishbones182
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"fishbones,
Have you ever looked at Dardas, they are out of Michigan.
I have ordered several times from them, very good quality and super
fast shipping and communication. They are my #2 go too, if Mike is not
up and running.
http://www.dardascastbullets.com/
Regards,
SN "

Im going to check them out right now as i only have about 100 of each of what i need left thanks for the tip.
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Old August 22, 2012, 07:49 PM   #14
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Before I started casting my own I was getting some of my lead slugs from Dardas as well. They were always good quality. Good place to try.
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Old August 22, 2012, 07:58 PM   #15
fishbones182
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I checked out their site and seems like they have a good business going and wide selection. I think i will try them. I would love to cast my own but i dont think i have the time. I have access to all of the pure lead i could ever want or need as i work for the telephone company and the old lead cables and lead splice closures would supply me. The one bad thing about buying lead is you dont always need or want hard cast bullets as most companies make.
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Old August 22, 2012, 09:30 PM   #16
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I received an order from Mike last week. He still had no internet at that time & the phone service was spotty.
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Old August 23, 2012, 08:52 AM   #17
Robert Palermo
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Just a short response to the OP. I know Mike quite well and we do buisness back and forth with each other and he makes good bullets. He has been plauged with some issues as of late that were beyond his control like the storms and the loss of power and the county tearing up the main entrance to his shop while they did power line repairs.
I know he too has had some health issues as related to his knees and is supposed to get a replacement done at some point in time as well but he keeps putting it off.
I e-mailed him some time back and did not get a response either and figured like any other small buisnees operation you just get overwhelmed from time to time and you can't deal with everything at once so you deal with the most important stuff first.
Mike has always come thru for his customers and I am sure he will this time as well.
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Old August 23, 2012, 09:25 AM   #18
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Let me make this abundantly clear, folks...

We are NOT going to kick off the "Bullet Wars" again at TFL.

I've deleted several posts that, intentionally or unintentionally, serve only to do that.

Use what you like, recommend what you like, but if you kick off the bullet wars again, you do so at your own peril.
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Old August 23, 2012, 05:02 PM   #19
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I prefer Midstates cast bullets, if I'm buying commercial cast lead. They're more consistent than anything else I've found. They use a high-temp lube that doesn't melt out of the lube grooves like certain other manufacturer's lubes. And, I've only come across one bullet that could be argued to be "bad" in more than 6,000 that I've handled (and it only had a small wrinkle in the nose). But, the orders have always shipped with about 1% extra. So, I had 39 more good bullets in place of the one "bad" bullet from that order (4,000).


But, just like every other major bullet casting company, they use the "hard cast" band-aid for everything.
95% of handgun handloads don't need the ridiculously hard "hard cast" bullets (BHN 18-22) that are so common today. And, even many rifle loads don't need bullets that hard.

Classic wheel weight alloy (BHN 12) is plenty hard, even for some hot magnum loads. My standard handgun alloy is BHN 10.5. It's good for .32 S&W through .44 Mag (light to moderate loads), including .380 and 9mm; and can even be used in light rifle loads.

You're much better off shooting a properly sized bullet, than just throwing a harder alloy at the situation in hopes that it will make all the potential problems go away.

Obviously, if you don't cast your own, you get what's available and don't have much choice in the matter. Pretty much every commercial caster has jumped on the "hard cast" bandwagon, because that's what everyone has been (falsely) lead to believe they need today. (Pun intended. )
I'm not even aware of a commercial caster that offers proper handgun alloys, any more.
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Old August 23, 2012, 07:12 PM   #20
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Rimrock bullets in Montana offers 12 & 15 BHN hardnesses in their standard line for certain applications. Haven't bought any yet, but getting ready to do so, soon. The bullet company I used previously (Velocity bullet co.) seems to have joined up with them. They were on the "hardcast" bandwagon also, but I never really had any probs. Much is made of bullet obturation, but bullet fit (size) and velocity are the important factors, IMO.

Last edited by Shane Tuttle; August 25, 2012 at 02:05 PM. Reason: Bullet
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Old August 24, 2012, 03:44 PM   #21
ShootingNut
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Thanks to those responding to my original question,
as to if Mastercast was still up and running.
SN
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Old August 25, 2012, 12:48 PM   #22
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I have also used Mike at Mastercast before and I'm still working through some 45ACP 200gr LSWC from him. The problem was it took 6 weeks to get them after my order and I had no stock on hand. His prices are the best and quality is outstanding but that doesn't help me if I can't get them when I need them.

I now use Alpha Bravo. They are only marginally more expensive than Mike and they answer the phone when you call. They were relocating their entire shop when I placed my order and I still had my bullets delivered within 7 business days. They even shipped me an extra 200 bullets over my order because of a substitution (they didn't have enough hard cast in stock and asked if I would rather wait or get the softer ones). I haven't tried Dardas, but these seem to be a little cheaper.

Just my two cents.
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Old August 25, 2012, 05:10 PM   #23
FrankenMauser
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Quote:
I have also used Mike at Mastercast before and I'm still working through some 45ACP 200gr LSWC from him. The problem was it took 6 weeks to get them after my order and I had no stock on hand. His prices are the best and quality is outstanding but that doesn't help me if I can't get them when I need them.
That's exactly why I stopped trying to buy from him.
It's impossible to contact the guy. I spent almost 3 weeks trying to order some 9mm bullets, a few years ago. He never did answer the phone or respond to my emails. So, I went elsewhere.


It is good to see that he's offering some BHN 14 bullets, though. Perhaps a few commercial casters are finally starting to wake from their "hard cast" comas.
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Old August 26, 2012, 05:02 AM   #24
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There are lots of other sources of lead bullets but mastercastbullets.com combines low prices and highly accurate bullets in one stop.
Almost all cast bullet companies are very small and most are no more than a couple of guys. Vacation time in August or hunting season in Fall/Winter can close them up for a while.
I have always found that simply leaving a message and a phone number gets Mike within a day.
After mastercast, I look to Missouri Bullets, Bootheel Bullets, and Penn.
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