Ya Gotta Have Balls

gordy said:

"...remember when you retire , your time is going to be what its worth in enjoyment. For someone who shot glass marbles etc. you should understand the enjoyment factor..."

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Yeah, they did fantastic in GM's .58 & .62cal 32" drop-in barrels...need to do a range trip and see how they fly out of the Rice 38" barrels...

roundball said:

So I'm good for a while, even for shooting a lot year round after I retire

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Yeah, for a good six months at least! :rotf:

Seriously, you're pretty well set for the time being. In truth, I'm not sure I'd be casting now if I didn't already have the furnace and assorted tools, along with years of background casting other stuff. When a guy can buy a new LEE mold for less than he'll pay for a couple of Hornady boxes, it's a dead downhill fall.

I was just sorting and organizing last night, and I'll match your ball inventory with my mold list: 31 fishing molds, 68 bullet molds for CF rifles and pistols, and 26 muzzleloader molds.

BrownBear said:

I was just sorting and organizing last night, and I'll match your ball inventory with my mold list: 31 fishing molds, 68 bullet molds for CF rifles and pistols, and 26 muzzleloader molds.

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Sounds like a good investment for you as a post-retirement cottage industry!
:wink:

Well, shoot. That sure sounds like work! :grin:

I managed to retire once already, 14 years ago at an early age, then started a business and now I'm within a couple of years of selling that and retiring again.

One thing it's taught me, when you retire you have to be on the lookout for all the good ideas out there that turn into money. And run the other way! :rotf:

Another thing to watch for is the guys with causes. They'll descend on you as a likely free volunteer for something or other. You'll learn to spot them and be ready to head off their proposals. They all start their pitches with "Now that you're retired...." :bull:

Value of time spent in garage ALONE w/o wife of 40 yrs priceless .

BrownBear said:

Another thing to watch for is the guys with causes. They'll descend on you as a likely free volunteer for something or other. You'll learn to spot them and be ready to head off their proposals. They all start their pitches with "Now that you're retired...." :bull:

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I heard that...maybe if I give them all a standard answer they won't come back:

"...Be glad to help...2 days a week, $50/hour + expenses, cash, no paper trail..."

roundball said:

I heard that...maybe if I give them all a standard answer they won't come back:

"...Be glad to help...2 days a week, $50/hour + expenses, cash, no paper trail..."

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Dang, you are well schooled and most certainly ready for retirement! :thumbsup:

But $50/hr is below market rate for cash consulting, so be prepared to double or triple that to slow the traffic and restore your free time. :grin:

some of ya'll failed to mention the satisfaction of harvesting game with "rolled your own" ammo,Over the years I've taken many critters with my own ammo both CF, shotgun and ML. I reload for several calibers in rifles handgun and shotgun,savings are questionable for some of them others not so (257wby mag @ < $12 per box) but nothing can replace the smile brought to my face or my grandsons when he takes his first deer with ammo loaded by "PawPaw" :thumbsup: RB you have given me lots of help over the last months and thanks are do,if you ever start casting your own it'll add just one more little piece of enjoyment to the whole experience>>>>>don't do it :rotf:

majg1234 said:

"...if you ever start casting your own it'll add just one more little piece of enjoyment to the whole experience>>>>>don't do it :rotf:

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:hmm: :hmm: ...reverse psychology, eh?

Semisane said:

Don't let anyone talk you into paying close to $100 for a Lyman or RCBS ball mold and handles.

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Just asking... What does the parting line match up look like between that $20.00 mold and that $100.00 mold look like? How 'round' are they? :hmm:

HH 60

Im still using some of the same Lee molds that I have had from the early 1980s. They still work great. I dont mold to save money although it is a good to do so, I just like doing it an shooting what I molded. Ive got enough lead that I should not run out till im too blind to see what Im shootin at, which at the rate im going that aint too far off

That parting line shows up on one of the three Lee molds I have, and it's the newest mold, a .575. The other two I've had for something like 15-20 years, and have cast thousands of balls through them.

The .575 has just been finicky from day one. I need to carefully close it, then wiggle it a little to insure it's aligned. If I don't do this, there is a "fin" running around it, and even if I cut it off, the balls will end up weighing too much. If I get the mold to align properly, the line is less prominent, which means the ball is potentially a keeper. Near as I can measure, there is about a .002" difference in roundness in the good ones, but that's probably as good as any molds gets, unless luck plays a part.

Lee molds are what they are, a $20 mold. If you take the time to weigh, or even tumble the Lee cast balls, you can end up with some match-grade ammo. It just depends on how picky you are and how much effort you want to put into it. Bill

I still use my Dixie mold that I bought in the seventies for $19.95. I modified it so I eliminated the "void" under the sprue. I just cast and trimed and weighed 355 (plus a few "start up" that where remelted ) 45 caliber balls last week. Time from pluging in the pot to putting away the scale. Two and 1/2 hours. I consider it time well spent and money saved. I buy my lead from the scrap yard and "recast" all of my home target lead

snowdragon said:

That parting line shows up on one of the three Lee molds I have, and it's the newest mold, a .575.

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I bring this up because it happens to me, and might explain your parting line. LEE molds are real finicky about needing a bit of lube on the little alignment pins on the block. I had a dickens of a time with a couple of REAL molds I bought a couple of years ago, almost sent them back to LEE till a little bird whispered in my ear. After a few casting sessions the lube can wear thin and the parting lines will reappear. A dab of lube on the alignment pins makes them disappear instantly.

If you're lubing those and still getting the line, I'd send it right back to LEE. But if you haven't lubed them, try it before shipping them off.

hawken hunter 60 said:

Semisane said:

Don't let anyone talk you into paying close to $100 for a Lyman or RCBS ball mold and handles.

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Just asking... What does the parting line match up look like between that $20.00 mold and that $100.00 mold look like? How 'round' are they? :hmm:

HH 60

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Well Hawken Hunter, as others have said, a lot depends on proper lubrication and how you handle the mold.

Here's an example of the mold line my mold produces as the lubricant wears.



Now that doesn't bother me at all and I doubt it makes any difference after you kick the ball in the butt with 95 grains of GOEX.

Especially if you can get them to shoot like this.

(Looks like the bottle my Co Q-10 comes in :grin: )

roundball said:

(Looks like the bottle my Co Q-10 comes in :grin: )

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Exactly roundball. They're perfect for storing balls and comfortably hold 60 .530's. The flip top is nice for dumping one ball in your hand when shooting from the bench.

They're also great for carrying cocktail peanuts...I usually stick a couple bottles full of peanuts in my hunting vest
:grin:

My $20 Lee Mold,(double cavity) casts as fine a ball as you would want. Bought around 45lbs of roofing lead for about 15 or 20 Dollars a while back, cast around 1500 .490 round balls.The trick is, make sure your lead is hot enough and the mold itself is preheated. I get mine to within 1 grn.That beats paying 50 or a 100 bucks just for the mold itself. And depending on how much you shoot,you will probably never wear out a Lee mold.

Noticing your "location".....just how far "south of Mobile are you" ?

:grin: