The discussion here is focusing mostly on primers and loaded rounds. Have you seen the prices for just plain old old-stock bullets? Plenty are over a buck each, for old Hornadys and Speers. Boy am I glad I like to cast my own! Fortuitously last summer I stopped in at our closest scrap yard and asked for lead. They had just bought the contents of an X-Ray proof lab. All nice square sheets and boxes of pure lead. I bought all 1100 pounds of it, and have been kicking myself every day for not buying the huge bricks of tin they offered me. I already have tin. But not fifty pounds of it. And do I really truly need fifty pounds of tin?
You should have bought the tin. It has doubled in price, in the last year. I need a bunch of Tin for a project coming up. I am going to get back to dropping Bismuth shot. Have 400 pounds of pure Bismuth on hand. Will need 25 pounds of Tin to alloy it to 6%. Goal is to make size 4 or 5 shot. Both shot sizes are so close I might just drop 4 and be happy. Last time the sizes ran from full to about one size under. I need to figure out a way to separate out the larger from the smaller that will work quickly and be semi accurate. I have a new system coming which should hold temperature better that my Littleton Shotmaker. Temperature was very important in getting consistent size shot and nice roundish shot. Not all Bismuth shot is round but it does still work well. I would like the small shot for teal or wood ducks and the larger for mallards.
