Cheapest .45 ACP Lead Bullets

[Patrick Gookin]

Hey guys, where can I find the cheapest 45 ACP lead bullets? I found a 500 pack of LSWC 200 gr for $46 from Graf and Sons. I'm not really familiar with online reloading stores, so I'm not really sure where to look. Anyone know anywhere cheaper?

BTW, I'm just trying to load to the minimum for Major power factor. I don't know if that'll make a difference in lead bullet composition and thus price.

 

[paw080]

They are $45 per 500 from Dardas. I use Dardas 185 H&G 130 and H&G 068

(185 and 200 gr SWC) for Bullseye competition.

Tony

 

[BYJO4]

I use Missouri Bullet. $39.50 per 500 for 200 gr LSWC.

 

[Chisos]

Gardners Cache $35.00 per 500. Be aware he only takes orders on certain Saturdays. Doesn't gouge you on the shipping, either.

 

[Steel185]

you could cast your own....

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/

some fixed costs at the beginning but its gets pretty cheap if you are going to need a LOT of bullets.

 

[dbarnhart]

+1 for casting your own. Even with buying lead from other casters (reclaimed and ingotized range lead or wheel weights), my 45acp 230gr bullets cost me $35 per thousand.

By doing a little scrounging, I was able to start casting for about a hundred dollar's worth of equipment (though I've since spent a lot more than that on upgraded equipment).

I've reduced the cost of my .45 ammo to the point where I can literally shoot as much as I want and have time for.

 

[editingfx]

hmmmm.... $35/K DIY or $80/K shipped to me in 2 days.... Yeah, I'll keep ordering from Missouri Boolits.

 

[noylj]

Go to mastercastbullets.com and look at their "soft" bullets. These bullets, 20 years ago, would have been considered HARD and are still harder than needed. Their excellent 200gn L-SWC are $55.71/1000, plus shipping. These are as accurate as any other 200 gn L-SWC, except for ones I cast myself, and are about the cheapest you can find. Great bullets.

 

[Patrick Gookin]

Thanks for all the replies guys. It ends up that most of the online companies come out to about the same price after shipping costs. I'm going to call Mike from mastercastbullets.com tomorrow. $55 for 1000 bullets sounds too good to pass up.

I'd like to cast my bullets some time soon, but it isn't practical for my current living situation. I live in a college-town apartment complex full of students. I assume it would be frowned upon if I started casting thousands of bullets in the community grill area.

 

[dbarnhart]

hmmmm.... $35/K DIY or $80/K shipped to me in 2 days.... Yeah, I'll keep ordering from Missouri Boolits

The 45acp 230gr bullets are $86 per thousand so with shipping thats close to an even hundred dollars per thousand.

$100 vs $35 plus a saturday morning... yup, I'll keep casting my own

 

[sellersm]

Try ZCast bullets.

 

[Steel185]

I've gotten most of my lead for free, or six pack of soda for a 5 gallon bucket. Bought some ISO lead from an actual ISO place for $.10 I estimate $.10/pound and i have around 2.5K pounds of lead.

breaks down:

$170 start up cost ($55 lead pot, $60 leed 6 cavity mold, $60 used lyman sizer press)
1K pounds of lead at $.10/lb=$100 (others do much better=free)

Total investment $270 can produce:
formula: 7000grs per lb
1000lbs = 7,000,000 grs of lead
7,000,000grs/200gr (bullet size)= 35,000 bullets total cost $270
$270/35,000 bullets = $.0077 per bullet
remember the fixed cost goes down per bullet the more bullets you make, so if you find another 1K lbs of lead you will save even more, thats why casters are also known as scavengers.

Or your "purchased bullets" at $55/1k @ 35,000 bullets = $1,925

when you reload and can reuse the brass several times (45ACP) the cost of the brass goes down too, so you can lower your "per round" cost to the cost of a primer and 4-5grs of powder. a few cents.


OP: i understand your situation, I've been there and hope you can get to a place you can cast soon. but for others, the better question is why don't you cast?

 

[dragon813gt]

but for others, the better question is why don't you cast?

Same question can be asked to those that don't reload. Some people would rather pay a higher cost and have it right away. I'm not trying to convince anyone to cast themselves anymore. Please buy lead bullets from a manufacturer. That leaves more lead for me to find for free/cheap.




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[FROGO207]

Another thought is that cheapest is not always the best when discussing cost versus quality. Yeah, lead is lead but the lube and sizing have a lot of influence too.

 

[Hondo 60]

Hey guys, where can I find the cheapest 45 ACP lead bullets?

Missouri Bullet Co.
http://www.missouribullet.com/results.php?category=5&secondary=13

Brad & Joanne are the nicest people I've ever dealt with.
(not related, don't even know them)
Shipping is usually 3 or 4 days from order to my porch.
They answer emails with speed & efficiency.
And they even will do some custom work (within reason).
I've ordered from them about 10 times over the last 3 years, & will continue to do so.

I wish every company would run under their business model.

 

[oldreloader]

I use Zcast for cheapest and Missouri for best price for better quality

 

[blarby]

In your back yard, under the furnace.

 

[Patrick Gookin]

Wow, thanks for the breakdown Steel185. I never realized casting bullets was so cheap. I'm definitely going to start casting as soon as possible. What about lubrication? I don't know much about lead bullets, but I understand that the blue ring near the bottom of the bullet is lubrication. Would I need that? What material is it?

 

[Steel185]

Yes, Frog is correct in that Sizing and lubing do make a difference. In the breakdown i put $60 for a used lyman sizer, it also lubes at the same time. The type of lube you put in is up to you. there are several manufactures that make great lube, and also people that sell just the key compnent so you can make the rest yourself. we are talking a pound of bee's wax ($6) and that will go a long way, and some items for cheap around the house. The best part about making your own lube is you can dial it in. I have a lube i use in the summer time (works better in the heat) and softer lube i use in the winter, so i get the best of both worlds. Iowa has a large temp swing from summer and winter. Also just like reloading you can find the lube that works best for your gun.

check out http://castboolits.gunloads.com/ there is a entire section related to lubes and lube recipes.

Be warned, Casting and the parts that make it up (sizing and lubing) is like another hobby all together. But when you can make a few thousand bullets mostly from scratch it teaches you a lot about how the entire system works.

 

[chris in va]

No need for a special 'lubrisizer'. I use Johnson's paste wax and 10%mineral spirits. Tumble bullets in it, let dry overnight under a fan. Voila.

 

[Steel185]

chris brings up a good point i didn't highlight. there are less expensive ways to get into casting as he mentioned to see if you like it, before you commit more cash. you can get a 2 cavity mold for about $20 (vs the 6 cavity mold for $60 in my post) and a small furnace for $35 (vs the $55 large). or look for used equipment. I started pan lubing and using a lee push through sizer ($25). then ran into a Lyman #45 lube/sizer at a garage sale ($40) that needed a little TLC and $12 in parts. Depending on your mold you can even get away without sizing at all. So just like reloading you can "phase" into it or jump right in. Both will get you great bullets, cheaply and further customize your loads.

 

[oneounceload]

Originally Posted by Steel185 View Post
but for others, the better question is why don't you cast?
Same question can be asked to those that don't reload. Some people would rather pay a higher cost and have it right away. I'm not trying to convince anyone to cast themselves anymore. Please buy lead bullets from a manufacturer. That leaves more lead for me to find for free/cheap.

For some, it is a time factor as well - those hours spent casting can be spent doing something else - maybe more important or maybe more profitable - that's up to each individual

I'd still like to know where folks are buying lead for .10/lb - current price is over $1.00/lb for reclaimed shot; if I could get lead for 10 cents, I'd be buying everything I could and making a lot of profit

 

[dragon813gt]

You won't find it for $.10 unless it's from an uneducated seller. Scrap yards are buying for around $.20 but this is always yard dependent. Which means they sell for usually double if not more. Most of the time more. Average rate is about $1 per # shipped to your door for ingotized wheel weights / range lead / isotope lead. When you get into Pure Lead / Linotype / Monotype the price increases. And thats the price from a fellow caster. If you buy certified alloys from a place like Rotometals the price is usually upwards of $2 per #.

Reclaimed shot is usually used for alloys because it's harder than the normal alloys. $1 per # is a decent price for it. I hope your not casting bullets straight with it. That's a waste of hardening elements for the softer leads. But if it's all you have I understand.

Lee molds and ladle casting are a cheap way to start out. But once you put a PID on a bottom pour pot and start casting w/ one of Miha's beauties you'll wonder why you didn't spend the money up front. I can't wait for the weather to cool down so I can start casting with this functional piece of art.



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[Steel185]

to find my ISO lead i called the local nuclear pharmacy and talked to the guy incharge of disposal. I drove over there and talked to him about buying some. He said yeah we sell it, the company we buy it from buys it back at a low rate. SInce its been radioactive at one time we can't sell it to the scrap yard or at the scrap price. He said they usually get $.14 to $.07 per pound. I offered to buy 400lbs at $.10/lb to be fair. He said sure. I came back for more at same price. the rest i got wheel weights for free. Most tire places just needed buckets to put it in. a trip to home depot and i have buckets they used and i replaced every couple weeks. after two months i had 8 5 gallon buckets of wheel weights and 1K lbs of Iso lead (still at $.10). I was able to smelt it into bars but had to move (career change) so i lost all my contacts. Mostly its just networking with tire people. You get turned down a lot but it only takes a few and you are rolling in weights. Wheel weights work great for what i need, I don't need anything more speicalized than that, and sometimes i sell a few bars for $1/lb to pay for more toys. If someone is willing to pay it, who am i to stop them. $.10-.25 is do able, just takes some effort.

I agree on the time used some place else. And its the counter argument for reloading and casting, but i usually cast and reload at the time i would be just watching TV or something. I have TVs near by and relax, so in my book its not "lost time" because i wouldn't be doing anthing at that time anyways. If i stayed home from work and casted, then yes i would say it "cost" me something. But I'm not going to get a second "night job" to cover every hour. Its a hobby, like many others, this one just supports my other hobby, shooting guns

 

[handyman163]

I've been ordering (2 orders now) from Heavy Metal Bullets (heavymetalbullets.com). They've got 185 gr SWC, 200gr SWC and 200gr RN for $72 per 1000 ($69/1000 for the 185's). 1000 45 acp bullets ships for $13, and come from Prescott, AZ. I live in Michigan, and both orders have been shipped within 2-8 hours of ordering and have been on my doorstep 2 days later - for $85 total. Accuracy has been great, and they reload easy. I can't complain a bit.

I've used Dardas also (figured since I'm in Michigan, buy local) and they were great bullets, but I got hit on sales tax in addition to the shipping, and it took 10 days to get my bullets. I hadn't budgeted the sales tax into the equation, but the time to get them was rough too. The Dardas bullets seemed shinier than the heavymetalbullets, Dardas has softer lube like a crayon whereas heavymetalbullets has a brownish stickier lube if that means anything to you reloading pros.

I suggest looking into heavymetalbullets.com. The language used on their website is downright hilarious, and that alone was worth me giving them a try. Cheapest and quickest! They only have 38/357, 9mm, 40, and 45 though...6 different bullets total (3 are 45 though). I guess that's how they keep costs down.

Here's an exerpt of the language from their FAQ page:

"Why cast lead bullets?
Because cast lead bullets are cheap, that's why. With todays technology and hardness of alloys, leading is USUALLY eliminated. Save money on your bullets you want to shoot so bad, and spend the savings on your wife, or reloading components, which ever...

Why reload?
Simple, you can save money, and then spend the savings on your wife. Plus, it's pretty cool. And...when party conversations get dull, you can talk about how you've realized Bullseye powder shoots much better than W231 from your favorite 1911 pistol, of which you just put night sights on. And once they've listened and digested that wealth of knowledge, you can continue into how much money you've saved reloading with Heavy Metal cast lead bullets. Just a thought...

cast lead bullets are affordable at heavymetalbullets.com, heavy metal bullets can be used to reload, cast lead bullets are fun to shoot, shooting is fun to do many times, reloading saves money, reloading is more accurate than brand ammunition, buy cast lead bullets from heavy metal bullets, reload your idpa and ispc and uspsa reloads with heavy metal bullets, cast lead bullets make reloading affordable, reloading is the wave of the future"