Shooting percussion is not cheap anymore

C

chaz12

New member
Went to Cabelas yesterday and paid 90 dollars for 100 .36 cal roundball, 100 .44 cal roundball, 200 remington #10 caps, and 400 felt wads. They only had the two #10 caps, or I would have gotten a few more. Subtract out the extra 200 wads, and that's about 70 dollars for 200 rounds, or just under .30 per round. About the same as what I get .38 spl for on line.

I tell people that you save money shooting percussion revolvers because you shoot less rounds. I shoot about 25 percussion rounds in an hour, and then I switch to some cartridge shooting where I shoot maybe 100 rounds, and that takes me another 45 min to an hour.

Chaz
 
Sounds a little expensive. Around here I pay $10.99 for a 100c box of .36 round balls, + $1 or $2 for .44 I think, $6.99 for a tin of 100 caps.

I don't use wads. I smear lube over the chambers. I've stocked up on some Bore Butter and SPG, whichever's the cheapest at the time. Both of these could also be used for lubing BP or low-velocity smokeless cartridge loads.
I still haven't finished the first 5 oz tube of Bore Butter after probably around 150 shots. That was about $6 or $7, I think. So $45 in all or 23 cents a shot for what you got.
 
I cast my own. But it's still not cheap. In fact, I think BP shooting is on par with cartridge shooting.

I buy my lead from Rotometals for $2.10 a pound, with free shipping (although lately it's up around $2.50 a pound). It's more expensive than some of the sources folks have told me about, but I can be sure it is 99.9% pure lead. I usually buy it at 70 pounds an order, which comes out to about $150. 70 pounds of lead is enough lead to make about 980 500-grain bullets.

I buy FF Goex from Back Creek Gun Shop in Winchester, VA for $15/pound - if I can get folks to pick it up for me at the Nationals. If not, shipped it's about $25 a pound. I shoot a 44 grain charge in my Richmond Carbine, and a 48 grain charge in my P53 Enfield. 48 grains of powder is about .007 pounds. That comes out to $.11 per shot of powder. Dynamite Nobel primers from the same store are currently $73 per 1000, or .073 each - again only if I can get them picked up. Otherwise it's shipping and hazmat and they are about $12 per 100 or $.12 each. And a 500 grain bullet is about .071 pounds of lead, which works out to about $.15 of lead per shot. So that works out to $.33 per shot total - best case!

Worst case it's $.18 in powder, .12 per primer, and $.17 in lead, or $.47 per shot!

For a competition, I make up 100 rounds per firearm, or about 300 rounds. That's $141 in ammo.

Steve
 
Hawg took the words right out of my mouth! :D Yes, you have the initial investment of a mold - Lee are reasonable and work just fine - roughly $20 = shipping from Titan. If you don't have a propane burner or don't want to invest in an electric pot - you can cast over a wood fire just fine.

I agree that the price keeps going up on caps and powder but it has on everything else as well.

As Hawg suggested - you can make your own wads as well. Casting and making what you can will lower the price but you still are going to have to pay for the powder and caps . .. just no way around it.

Just like your .38 specials. I started reloading just because of the price on store bought. On .38 specials - if you save your spent casings they can be reloaded many times - if you have to buy them - figure .06 - .08 for range brass. Primers - I pay around $35 / 1000 so figure it at .04 each. Powder - a pound of smokeless will go a long way - I use Bullseye presently - can charge a .38 casing for .02. I cast my own lead slugs - most of my lead is "scrounged" so I have little or nothing in it - just my time. End result - I can reload a box of 50 for around $3.00 - pretty cheap shooting. If you had to buy your bullets - probably around .10 ea. so reloaded rounds would be around .16 ea. - so $8.00 / box of 50 using your casings but purchasing cast bullets to use.

You still have the initial investment in reloading equipment but over time, it will ay for itself (you don't need to spend high $ and get the best when something much cheaper and proven will work). Casting my own, making my own wads, lube, etc. and reloading just helps to keep the price down for both BP and cartridges - allowing me to shoot more and more often.

At some point, you might give some consideration to casting your own, etc. There are some good sites that you can get information on and there is plenty of good help on here. Good luck to you! :)
 
Boy, I must shoot real cheap. There are three of us in the family who shoot.
I have a lifetime supply of everything. Powder 9.00 a lb. I get 500 shots to a
lb. Caps 32.00 a thousand. Balls were 9.00 for 700. So I probably shoot for
a nickle a shot or so. All three of us shoot about a 1000 total. I have enough
of everything for 25,000 shots. That's 25 years at the present rate. I'm 71.
 
you still are going to have to pay for the powder and caps . .. just no way around it.
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Well you CAN make your own powder for about 3.00 per pound. Plenty of folks are doing it these days and if you're a glutton for punishment you can make your own caps but to me that whole process sounds like a PITA and I quit making paper cartridges cuz that was a PITA to me.:D
 
I've been considering making my own powder. It's getting harder and harder to get real black powder. And the hazmat shipping is eating me up.

I also have been contemplating making caps but I'm leery of making contact explosive.

Steve
 
Watch'en Andy Jackson slip away.

You guys want to shoot those six shooters. It's going to cost yaws. After all you fellows aren't shooting Great Great Grandpa's single shot hand canon as seen in the early 1800s.
As far as component pricing. There are a number of ways to trim costs. But those basic B/P ways which help to hang onto Andy Jackson's. Yup they require free time. And there lies the problem. Perhaps it's cheaper to purchase than to home-made make y'alls our own.
 
kwhi43

Phil,glad you have a big enough supply to last for 25 years but what are you going to do after you are 96 yrs old?
 
chaz12 said:
Went to Cabelas yesterday and ...............
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I think I've spotted your problem. I work about a mile away from a Cabelas and I often buy reloading supplies and modern ammo from them but buying muzzleloading stuff from them, you might as well eat lunch at a ski resort.

kwhi43@kc.rr.com said:
Downhill sking.
Click to expand...

Lift tickets are free for 70 and over at Sipapu NM.
 
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I have cut costs to minimal. Cast my own balls, punch out my own wads, use mainly dishsoap and water for cleaning. I mill, press, grind, and screen my own black powder. I use mainly olive oil for lubrication. and for my single shots, I have found that the little packs of 100% cotton in the sewing dept at walmart for 98cents, while cut into strips, dampened with a little olive oil, and then put into ziplocks, makes for great cut at the muzzle roundball patches. The only thing i'm really buying now is percussion caps, and depending where i go to shoot, range time. Oh, and for cartridge, just reload with the powder you made and your good to go on that for fairly cheap also.
 
I just bought a couple of tins of caps for $2.50 a tin. I have been casting my own round balls since about forever. The cost isn't too bad. No telling what the future holds.:cool:
 
I pay .70 cents a pound for scrap lead and then smelt it into ingots with turkey fryer. Cast conicals and round ball as needed with Lee Molds and bottom pour 4-20. Had Ohio Ramrod turn me wad punches in the three revolver calibers and by wool felt from Duro Felt. Lube is also home made. Buy powder in bulk and same with caps to keep costs down. Less than .20 cents a round, try that with a 1911 or even a .38 special these days.

Ohh, there's no excuse for sticking with sythetics when Grafs and PowderInc can ship the real thing to your door for the same or less when you buy at least 3-5 lbs and preferably 10-25 lbs at a time, the cost of powder comes way way down making the hazmat fee essentially disappear in the grand scheme of things.
 
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