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Jimmy. Why do I like cast bullets better than jacketed? Good question. One is independence. I was a kid during WW2. Several neighbors were reloaders and cast bullets. They let me watch. They loaded various cartridges with cast bullets and rented them out. During WW2, the only ammo you could buy was either .22LR or 30-30 Win. and most of that was allotted to farmers for pest control, as their crops were vital to the war effort. If you didn't cast bullets and reload, you were up a polluted puddle without any means of propulsion. They rented the brass at $5.00 each. $4.00 was returned when you brought the brass back. Under some of the provisions of GCA 68 this would be illegal, but I bet it could happen again.
Another reason i I sometimes hunt with a handgun. When I hike on Mt. Lemmon, I carry a 4 5/8's inch Ruger .44 Magnum. In the past few years they have had some problem bears up there. I load a 312 gr. cast bullet for that situation. Most of the time I load 240-250 gr. bullets i cast myself. Being retired, I have the time to do it. I also use cast bullets in rifles for low recoil practice. In a 30-30, i can duplicate factory loads with no sweat ot strain, and they work just as well on deer as factory stuff.
Making the larger 30's shoot well can be a challenge, but that's half the fun.
I'm in my 60's now, and I have been casting since I was 16. Fact is, when I get through with this post, I'm going out to my workshop and run another batch of bullets.
Over the year I have collected about 20 or 30 molds, some good; some not so good. Every time I go to a gun show, I look for good deals on molds. I have a source of reasonably priced bullet metal,(wheel weights, cleaned and molded in one pound ingots).
What can I say? It's fun, and in the long run a lot less expensive than store bought. It does take a while to amortize the equipment though.
Paul B.
COMPROMISE IS NOT AN OPTION!
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