Casting: Any lead pouring peeps here?

[41mag]

My father died some 5 years ago....he left me a great deal of equipment and all kinds of goodies, (Thanks Dad!!) . The man was a pack rat....took me a while to start shuffling through stuff. I've been casting and reloading for 30+ years now! and I've got no problems with what I'm doing. But I've started looking through the hoards of stuff I got from him and knew I had some real good molds. I just didn't realize the extent of them until recently, there is somewhere north of 75+ molds in about 6 different cases/boxes. Mostly Lyman, some Hensley and Gibbs ! Handles galore ! 1, 2,4, and 6 cavity . Pistol and rifle with gas check relief on the higher cals.
I have about a 2 year supply of projectiles cast, sized and lubed. He taught me to do things in quantity. When we cast, we cast about once a year for two or three weeks straight. Thousands of rounds. Plus I have the stuff he had cast up.
There are moulds here I don't know if I ever will use, some no longer made too. I am wondering what kind of market there may be for some....if any. Not even sure I want to let go of any. I just don't know.

Any thoughts?

 

[tjkane1]

There is a market, it's just a matter of how much you value what you have. Sometimes things are worth more to the seller than they are to the buyers.
That may be the case considering it was something you and your father shared. Check out the link below. They're all about casting. Might give you a better idea.
http://castboolits.gunloads.com/forum.php

 

[41mag]

Much obliged. I do believe I also inherited some of my father's "hoarding" DNA ...if there is such. I just always think: what if I need that someday?

 

[jglenn]

the Hensley and Gibbs molds have value


hard to beat them on quality and durability.

 

[GeauxLSU]

there is somewhere north of 75+ molds in about 6 different cases/boxes.

Wow... I've got some hand casts from my dad as well (who passed away in '98). Mostly .45's. Don't know if I'll ever get around to loading them but there they sit...
I always wonder what inhaling all those fumes did....

Much obliged. I do believe I also inherited some of my father's "hoarding" DNA ...if there is such. I just always think: what if I need that someday?

I hear ya'...

 

[41mag]

Wow... I've got some hand casts from my dad as well (who passed away in '98). Mostly .45's. Don't know if I'll ever get around to loading them but there they sit...
I always wonder what inhaling all those fumes did....

I hear ya'...

I have shot lead casts projectiles most of my life. Rarely do I use anything jacketed unless it's rifle loads. I mostly shoot handguns. Only have a few rifles. The major thing when I was brought up was cost in shooting. We couldn't afford to shoot the way we did unless we loaded. For some 10-15 years we were going out at least once a week if not 2-3 times and shooting 2-3 diff pistols each, consuming somewhere around 300-500 rounds. That was all through my early years up to about age 17 when my parents moved to south Ga. Then I cut back to about 200-300 rounds a week max. Sometime not even that.
The only loaded rounds we ever purchased was .22 (of course ) or anything used for carry purposes. Then occasionally we would buy something on a deal or whatnot. I do purchase .223 military surplus when I need it.

As as far as the fumes, yeah they can be a bit of a worry. You have to cast with a draft fan behind the pot to pull the fumes out. Safety was paramount when it come to casting. My dad wouldn't have it any other way. The hard thing is when you were mixing bullet ingots from raw lead, the pot is larger and hard to control the fumes. Never want a fan blowing on it, always pulling away.

 

[GeauxLSU]

The hard thing is when you were mixing bullet ingots from raw lead, the pot is larger and hard to control the fumes. Never want a fan blowing on it, always pulling away.

We never had a fan and I can remember my face right over the thing as a kid. Yeah yeah I know.... 'explains a lot'.

 

[Retread]

Peeps make good targets.


One of these days I'd like to get back into reloading, but I am concerned about my remaining brain cells.
Does anybody know:
Can an individual using a pot and dipper get the same consistency as commercial casters, and is the cost of casting using a known quality lead dramatic enough over buying cast in bulk to justify the labor?

 

[41mag]

Peeps make good targets.
View attachment 302620

One of these days I'd like to get back into reloading, but I am concerned about my remaining brain cells.
Does anybody know:
Can an individual using a pot and dipper get the same consistency as commercial casters, and is the cost of casting using a known quality lead dramatic enough over buying cast in bulk to justify the labor?

As far as the quality with a dipper ? Absolutely. But it takes practice and experience. Lead pots today aren't that expensive, less than $100. Used probably $50. The pot has a flow control on it that eliminates the need for a dipper. Dippers would be primitive, although I do have a few( lol).
Cost effectiveness is all relative to the amount you are casting, shooting, how much you invest in equipment, what your time is worth( most people can't justify casting, it is easier to buy pre cast). To me, since I've got everything, and the experience, time to do it, limited amounts of cash, it makes an absolute difference to cast. I save lots. Or really I should say I can shoot more.
To someone starting out? I doubt seriously that they would realize enough of a savings to justify it. From what I've seen lately, even lead is getting expensive. Whereas we were given most of ours back in the day. I'm fortunate enough to have a lifetime supply. (Just my .02)