Are round balls going the way of caps, etc?

[Woody Morgan]

Was at Friendship this week and saw molds at Mikes / flintlocks LLC for 15 bucks.

Don’t know about now but Midsouth shooters supply always sold Lee double cavity for $18:50.

That's where I get my Lee molds.
Just south of $30 these days.
Still a good deal, imo.

wm

 

[dave951]

Since I have a mold for each of my guns, the original question in the first post isn't an issue. As I see it, if you're really really serious about muzzleloading, you'll either be casting or be friends with someone who does.

 

[29thWisCoG]

Casting is just another enjoyable part of this hobby, highly recommended.

 

[Sidney Smith]

Looking for caps and round balls gives me a reason to go to Cabelas on the weekends.

Don't waste your time. Cabelas has become a joke ever since Bass Pro bought them out.

 

[alcessapiens]

plumbers lead or railroad babbitt lead, old building roof flashing, I live near a major salmon fishery and rip out tangles of line snagged on the bottom which is loaded with split shots, junkyard wheelweights ( if yo go around with a pail and hammer you can take off the old steel clip weights ) modern glue on weight is zinc mostly. the steel floats to the top in the melt. lead is out there. I cast for centerfire as well as bp and have a luber/sizer that makes for precise cast bullets. Use a hardness tester to ensure density/ hardness and scrap lead becomes useful ( or do a large melt fluxed with beeswax and cast ingots , if you do it right and stir a bit the entire melt will be uniform. Always wear a good respirator because lead vapor is invisible but quite toxic

 

[kyron4]

Muzzle-Loaders.com has Hornady round balls, $15.50 shipped for 100 balls, (50 cal.) if your not into casting your own.

I stocked up on balls last spring when Midway USA blew them out for $8 per 100 with free shipping. Could pass that up foe the lead alone.

I also have a Lee round ball/ REAL bullet mold . I recover about 80% of my fired balls from my berm to melt down and reuse.

 

[Sam squanch]

The signs are there. The “ government “ will try to ban all lead everything in a decade or longer. I would scavenge any lead I could find and put it away. If you don’t use it you can always sell it at a profit.

 

[TFoley]

Anybody who lives here in UK who shoots muzzleloading and doesn't cast is either rich or cracked.

I came back from my LGS last Tuesday, having bought their last liquid Alox, and was astounded to see Pedersoli .44cal ball at $25.60 per C.

I get freebie lead from a local builder, and can happily cast three or four hundred .457cal ball for my trusty ROA for the price of the electricity - say a buck even.

Buying ball makes as much sense to me as buying a bucket of fog.

 

[Terrier]

Casting your own is considerably cheaper than buying balls, and you don’t have to worry about availability. .40 cal RB only weigh about a pound/100…. If you lay in a supply of 50 pounds, that’s gonna last a long time, it doesn’t take up very much space, and it doesn’t deteriorate or spoil.

 

[Sam squanch]

Buying ball makes as much sense to me as buying a bucket of fog.

I’ve got 50 gallon drums of fog for the low , low price of $99.95!! Seriously, will the UK ban lead , I’ve read Britsmoothy’s posts and it seems likely…it’s the perfect “ do gooder” legislation, as it looks to ban a poisonous substance and it’s back door gun control at the same time.

 

[angelariz]

Good luck finding one.

I got a couple 2 weeks ago. .44 and .36

 

[Rifleman1776]

Casting is not only a better way to help assure having a supply but less expensive than buying. However, the price of lead is skyrocketing also. Saw an ad recently for soft lead at $2.00 a pound.

 

[Sidney Smith]

The signs are there. The “ government “ will try to ban all lead everything in a decade or longer. I would scavenge any lead I could find and put it away. If you don’t use it you can always sell it at a profit.

I've got enough to last me the rest of my life at the rate I shoot.