12 cents to pull the trigger . . . - Page 3

briandg · September 16, 2017, 06:54 PM

The case isn't what matters, it's the amount of space in the burn chamber. Red dot and aa 2 are equal in these properties. I just loaded 148 grain wad cutters with 2.6 and 158 swc with a bit over three.

Unless you load very deeply your burn chamber will be significantly larger you bullets about half the weight, and your powder charge will be a bit more than half.

Ed Harris? Why would you ask that? With all if the written material available to me, I can see no reason to do so.

If someone told you that it was okay, fine, you'll do what you want to anyway. Myself, it sounds like that will eventually stick a round, and may pile up a dozen or more before you realize it.

reddog81 · September 16, 2017, 07:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by briandg

I think that when discussing the actual costs of reloading it's ridiculous to drag in the free bullet argument.

I just received 50+ lbs of lead and a couple pounds red dot and blue dot from the 1970's. A friends dad has been sitting on it for years and wasn't sure what to do with it. I've got some old primers that were given to my for free a couple of years ago. I might as well start a post about how reloading is free...

briandg · September 16, 2017, 08:02 PM

When I was a kid I did all of my reloading for free. My dad bought the equipment and supplies, and shot the shells. So, it's possible. I did a butt load of reloading for free.

armoredman · September 17, 2017, 01:22 AM

..so, you gonna use all that lead??

armoredman · September 17, 2017, 01:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by briandg

I think that when discussing the actual costs of reloading it's ridiculous to drag in the free bullet argument. The actual poundage of bullets cast by individuals is absolutely insignificant.

If we want to go with costing out including FREE stuff, I will mention that my powder was a Christmas gift, my press was a gift, my mold was a birthday present, a friend gave me 4000 primers as a present for helping fix her house, and a buddy who scores lead every so often usually brings me a few pounds here and there just to make sure I don't run out. So if you wanna get ridiculous, I am RIGHT NOW loading 9mm for the cost of the electricity to run the lead pot and the toaster oven. So, figure 150 - 200 rounds for $.25? Yes, a quarter. Obviously that is a VERY strange connection of some wonderful people who know my favorite hobbies, and unlikely to happen to many folks, nor is it likely to happen like that again for me either, but for right now it's the happy truth. The cost I mentioned was with buying everything myself.

BTW, the insignificant people take up a lot of room over at castboolits.gunloads.com.

briandg · September 17, 2017, 02:52 AM

If you collect some extra brass as you shoot, stockpile it, you can get almost two bucks a pound. Sweep up a few pounds as you are out there shooting up all that free ammo, and by george, you are being PAID to shoot.

briandg · September 17, 2017, 03:00 AM

I dumped over forty pounds of lead that my doofus brother in law gave me. Yep, it took two trips from the truck to carry all that stuff to the barn.

Why did I do that? he was doing toxic waste remediation at an old industrial site, and it was all battery plates.

Right, i'm going to melt down mystery metal from a factory that made military and aerospace work. Who knows what they had laced that lead with? It was an eagle picher plant, and they honestly made batteries used in the moon launches, cruise missiles, even minutemen. They may have even used leftover Pu 239!

I didn't even make any money. I donated it to the city recycling bin. I was afraid to drive that stuff past the geiger counters at the actual recycle center. Best to get that tar baby into someone else's hands.

kmw1954 · September 17, 2017, 10:30 AM

So at this pace are we all going to have to cost out the square footage of the room we use? Prorate the heat and electricity from our house bill?

Sorry folks but this thread has really deteriorated.

Old 454 · September 17, 2017, 01:19 PM

I too cast my own bullets.... i get all my lead free from old water services.
What i have to pay for is tin and linotype or superhard to alloy the lead.do i save money casting and reloading... yes i do... how much i never tryed to figure out.
I get all the once fired cases i need from the range and have 5 gallon buckets of diffrent caliber cases.
The fact is.. i love reloading and casting.
The fact i get satisfaction of reloading my own cartridges and probably making a better bullet then i can buy.
I use a dillon xl650 but started out with a lee loadmaster.
I got my dillon frim an estate sale at a really rediculous price as they just want to get rid of it and all the gun powder and primers dies etc. I was just floored when they said take it all for 250.00.

Do i like Lee Loadmaster.. no.. but with that being said i would never have gotten into reloading if it was not for Lee presses that was able to get at a resonable price.

So anyway i love to reload and cast and i have tought my two sons how to reload and cast now if they would help with the brass seperation .... lolol

armoredman · September 18, 2017, 12:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kmw1954

So at this pace are we all going to have to cost out the square footage of the room we use?

If you really wanted to save money, you would have rented out that room and used the money to by factory ammo!

Sorry couldn't help it.

If I need to buy lead, I have a Doe Run Secondary smelter about 15 miles from me, get certified bullet metal there, or cast up wheelweight ingots from the great guys at castboolits.gunloads.com. Last time I bought there it was about $1 a pound plus shipping. However, my best friend commented today that with all the ammo she shoots that I make, (as she emptied another 15 rounds down the tube of my CZ P-10C), she was going to have to buy me another 25 pound string over at the smelter...

Quote:

Originally Posted by Old 454

The fact is.. i love reloading and casting.

*mic drop*

kmw1954 · September 18, 2017, 12:57 AM

armoredman I filled that room with reloading stuff to keep the adult kids from moving home. Guess what, they did it anyways but I still have the room.

Don Fischer · September 18, 2017, 03:23 AM

Something I've noticed about reloader's over the years is we are a cheap bunch of SOB's! Scrounging stuff that's really not all that expensive in the first place. Then we claim to be saving when in truth we still haven't paid off the latest reloading gear we got and what ever saving's we claim, it all went out the window because we shoot so much more! I've got enough of everything except powder to last a life time and for some reason still add to it! Have close to 30K primers and found a brick for $25 this year so I bought it! Ya, I really needed it. I've got over 5K Herter primers!

kmw1954 · September 18, 2017, 10:20 AM

Don I'll do ya one better. Everything on my bench including the bench is used accept for one Lee Auto Drum measure. Also every gun I own is used accept the EAA Witness I just bought. That one also was purchased with a huge discount.

September 16, 2017, 06:54 PM	#51
briandg Senior Member Join Date: May 4, 2010 Posts: 5,468	The case isn't what matters, it's the amount of space in the burn chamber. Red dot and aa 2 are equal in these properties. I just loaded 148 grain wad cutters with 2.6 and 158 swc with a bit over three. Unless you load very deeply your burn chamber will be significantly larger you bullets about half the weight, and your powder charge will be a bit more than half. Ed Harris? Why would you ask that? With all if the written material available to me, I can see no reason to do so. If someone told you that it was okay, fine, you'll do what you want to anyway. Myself, it sounds like that will eventually stick a round, and may pile up a dozen or more before you realize it. __________________ None.

September 16, 2017, 08:02 PM	#53
briandg Senior Member Join Date: May 4, 2010 Posts: 5,468	When I was a kid I did all of my reloading for free. My dad bought the equipment and supplies, and shot the shells. So, it's possible. I did a butt load of reloading for free. __________________ None.

September 17, 2017, 02:52 AM	#56
briandg Senior Member Join Date: May 4, 2010 Posts: 5,468	If you collect some extra brass as you shoot, stockpile it, you can get almost two bucks a pound. Sweep up a few pounds as you are out there shooting up all that free ammo, and by george, you are being PAID to shoot. __________________ None.

September 17, 2017, 03:00 AM	#57
briandg Senior Member Join Date: May 4, 2010 Posts: 5,468	I dumped over forty pounds of lead that my doofus brother in law gave me. Yep, it took two trips from the truck to carry all that stuff to the barn. Why did I do that? he was doing toxic waste remediation at an old industrial site, and it was all battery plates. Right, i'm going to melt down mystery metal from a factory that made military and aerospace work. Who knows what they had laced that lead with? It was an eagle picher plant, and they honestly made batteries used in the moon launches, cruise missiles, even minutemen. They may have even used leftover Pu 239! I didn't even make any money. I donated it to the city recycling bin. I was afraid to drive that stuff past the geiger counters at the actual recycle center. Best to get that tar baby into someone else's hands. __________________ None.

September 17, 2017, 01:22 AM	#54
armoredman Senior Member Join Date: May 22, 2007 Location: Arizona Posts: 5,299	..so, you gonna use all that lead??

September 17, 2017, 10:30 AM	#58
kmw1954 Senior Member Join Date: June 11, 2016 Location: SE Wisconsin Posts: 1,524	So at this pace are we all going to have to cost out the square footage of the room we use? Prorate the heat and electricity from our house bill? Sorry folks but this thread has really deteriorated.

September 17, 2017, 01:19 PM	#59
Old 454 Senior Member Join Date: August 15, 2011 Location: Chesterton Ind. Posts: 822	I too cast my own bullets.... i get all my lead free from old water services. What i have to pay for is tin and linotype or superhard to alloy the lead.do i save money casting and reloading... yes i do... how much i never tryed to figure out. I get all the once fired cases i need from the range and have 5 gallon buckets of diffrent caliber cases. The fact is.. i love reloading and casting. The fact i get satisfaction of reloading my own cartridges and probably making a better bullet then i can buy. I use a dillon xl650 but started out with a lee loadmaster. I got my dillon frim an estate sale at a really rediculous price as they just want to get rid of it and all the gun powder and primers dies etc. I was just floored when they said take it all for 250.00. Do i like Lee Loadmaster.. no.. but with that being said i would never have gotten into reloading if it was not for Lee presses that was able to get at a resonable price. So anyway i love to reload and cast and i have tought my two sons how to reload and cast now if they would help with the brass seperation .... lolol

September 18, 2017, 12:57 AM	#61
kmw1954 Senior Member Join Date: June 11, 2016 Location: SE Wisconsin Posts: 1,524	armoredman I filled that room with reloading stuff to keep the adult kids from moving home. Guess what, they did it anyways but I still have the room.

September 18, 2017, 03:23 AM	#62
Don Fischer Senior Member Join Date: March 2, 2017 Posts: 1,868	Something I've noticed about reloader's over the years is we are a cheap bunch of SOB's! Scrounging stuff that's really not all that expensive in the first place. Then we claim to be saving when in truth we still haven't paid off the latest reloading gear we got and what ever saving's we claim, it all went out the window because we shoot so much more! I've got enough of everything except powder to last a life time and for some reason still add to it! Have close to 30K primers and found a brick for $25 this year so I bought it! Ya, I really needed it. I've got over 5K Herter primers!

September 18, 2017, 10:20 AM	#63
kmw1954 Senior Member Join Date: June 11, 2016 Location: SE Wisconsin Posts: 1,524	Don I'll do ya one better. Everything on my bench including the bench is used accept for one Lee Auto Drum measure. Also every gun I own is used accept the EAA Witness I just bought. That one also was purchased with a huge discount.