The I LOVE THIS GUN Thread

That is CSM content, and I would appreciate you guys keeping it there, not here.

It is not expensive (as said by another poster, if you cast). I have a Lee die set for my .45LC (Ruger Bisley), and use a Lee lever device for the dies in setting up the brass and placing the cast bullet. I use a 250gr Lee double mold for my bullets (but also use Lasercast). I don't clean the brass, but just punch the primer and a little squeeze at the top. After priming with a RCBS primer tool, I flare the top a little and throw 6 grains of Trail Boss in each case with a Lee dipper right into the case (no funnel or other device). Seat the bullet to top of crimp groove and do not crimp. I can do 50 rounds in about 15-20 minutes real easy and the whole cost of the hardware for casting and reloading is under $100. It is way more fun to shoot than a smaller caliber and I can put 12 rounds of this fast reloaded stuff in a 2" circle at five yards rapid fire.

It is true, handloading 45 Colt makes it not significantly more expensive than 38 Special handloads......and both are way way way cheaper than factory ammo, with the per-round savings of the 45 being pretty amazing. Once you have the brass.

I don't cast, but at a recent gun show bought 500 250 grain SWCs for the 45 for $45, so .09 each. Primer is roughly .03. Powder? Depends on what you use, but 6 grains of Trail Boss or Unique or Universal, figuring $22 per pound of powder, and do that math......I think it works out to around .02 per shot. So the total per-round cost for me is .14 @. doc ricketts prolly gets by for less than that.

But that's easily a couple hundred bucks in tooling and supplies.

Gonna take a while to recoup that.

Yeah, five or six boxes of cartridges.

Where did they get all the brass?

You can't use it indefinitely.

Not to mention all the melting pot crap you "need" to cast.

Depends on your range I would guess. At my range I can scrounge all the 9mm, .40, 223 that I need and can often find 45ACP, 45LC, and 380. I've got bags of the stuff that I'll use as my current brass wears out.

Other than a melting pot and set of molds what do you need. Tire stores would supply the used wheel weights I believe. Looking at Midway a $100 would get you the equipment. I spend about a $100 per 1000 for 45ACP.

Plus you get to breathe all them lead vapors while making bullets......:eek1

I'll sell you my Lyman 310 with the .38/357 dies for $65, then you can get another set of 45 Colt dies

I need something that shoots .45lc first.

Yeah, I generally get by for about .05 a round when I cast and about .14 when I use Lasercast. Primers are the biggest cost. Trail Boss goes a long way and I get lead for $10 per five gallon bucket (wheel weights, although getting lead only take a good source). I use my brass at least 20 times or more in the .45LC and almost that many times on the 45/70 I reload for. Actually I hardly ever have a .45LC case fail because I load light. And dies cost $25, the Lee hand press is $26, a Lee double mold is $15, a Lee melting pot is $35. So there ya go! Oh, and by the way I don't size my cast bullets after they drop from the mold, and afterwards I only spray them with motorcycle chain wax for lube (easy peasy). My wife says I have plenty of brass, as she was just walking by.

Yeah, I can also think of a lot of excuses not to do things.

Seriously, it isn't all that complicated or expensive. A small cast iron pot over an open fire can heat your lead. Lead ladles are cheap, and Lee molds are $19 at Midsouth Shooters Supply. You can pick up brass at ranges a lot of times. People like you leave them lay.

Given that I think EG is in a similar living situation to me, I don't think casting would be so easy in an apartment. I have no interest in it now, but I guess that could change in the future. As it is, I am planning to start ordering from Missouri Bullet once I get my bench going as their prices are pretty low.

Oh, that makes sense. Having a place to cast is kinda important. An apartment would not be the place. Having a friend with a place could work, though.

Actually this is pretty much it.


I'm all for a squeeze press, but I'd take you up on yours for that price if I had something to shoot .45lc out of.

I know lead casting is super simple and easy, but the majority of those who do it would have you believe otherwise. I think it's so they can justify all the unnecessary crap they bough to do it.

I could do it at y brothers place, but I already keep enough of my stuff at his house.

I am moving to a new apt with an attached garage, but I don't want to get on their bad side either.

This is the issue, not that they don't trust their officers with the rifles.

Just don't tell my SO this.

I have a couple of friends that reload "on the cheap". One of them bought 3 boxes of .44spl ammo and keeps reusing the brass. He has been using the same brass for 3 years- probably 15-20 loadings and it still works good. (I also give him any .44spl cases I find) Low pressure cartridges like .38spl, .44spl, .45ACP and .45LC don't really beat up the brass too much. These guys use Lee molds, a Lee melting furnace, Lee alox lube, a Lee Classic reloading press, Lee powder dippers, Lee dies and pull most of the lead out of the backstop at the range where we shoot. They also use Bullseye powder that they buy in 8# kegs. I know that the guy shooting the .44spl can make rounds for about $0.04 each (vs. $0.44 for factory reloads). His initial equipment investment was less than $250 so it took him 625 rounds to pay off the initial investment.

In my case, I have about 50,000 pieces of brass that I have spent maybe $250 to acquire. Lots of purchases of guns or loading equipment with brass thrown in, range pickups, or just having people give it to me since they aren't going to use it. I pick up lots of common brass on the range and trade it for less common brass. I shoot upwards of 30,000 rounds per year, so I pay back my initial $1,500 investment 8 or 10 times per year.

I used have a full assortment of RCBS presses and dies for reloading 9mm, 30 carbine, and .357. Recently when I got back into it I got the Lee hand press and use it alone for my .308 benchrest gun, my 45/70 Guide Gun, and the Ruger .45LC. I think the hand press gives a better feel for many of the operations involved and better ammo. I have a lil basket with all my stuff and sit on the floor with a piece of old carpet and watch football on the tube while reloading. Wouldn't do it any other way. Don't need no bench no more. And lead casting is the most fun part of the reloading and can be easily done in a garage with a door for a vent and a small fan, again sitting on the floor watching the sun go down.