Thinking of Brad . . .

[Rick]

More accurately thinking of his new Magma pot. I was skimming through Phillip Sharpe's "Complete Guide to Handloading". In the chapter on casting it seems Mr. Sharpe was quite enamored with the first electric bottom pour pot on the market. It's dimensions are: Two inch diameter and 1 1/4 inch deep and holds 3.9 cubic inches of alloy. He says you can cast up to 25 150 gr bullets leaving a little alloy in the pot to aid in melting new 1/2 pound ingots (cause that's the biggest that will fit).

Times have sure changed huh Brad?

 

[waco]

Wow! Times have changed.......

 

[RicinYakima]

Since I own, and use, a Potter Model A bottom pour pot, let me add a couple of things. Want to make just a few sample bullets? From an empty pot you can have alloy at 700 degree in less than ten minutes. I empty and clean my pots every time I use them, so have a shelf of one pound ingots. Two fit into the pot around the cut-off rod, and add the other when they are melted. So while the pot only holds three pounds, it is fine for short runs. However it will never replace my 22 pound SAECO open top that takes 40 minutes to get up to temperature. FWIW, Ric

 

[Brad]

Wow, a whole 25 bullets!
I think would have stuck with gas or a pot on the stove.

 

[fiver]

I have a couple of 4.5 lb pots that are pretty decent for doing some small runs with a ladle or for melting solder down.
one of the bar heaters for the bottom of the pot is rigged into my shot makers catch basin for pre-warming the fluid.
it takes forever to warm up the 2 gallons of liquid in the basin, but it will melt solder rolls down in about 15 minutes.

 

[Pistolero]

People clearly didn't shoot as much as we do today.

Bill

 

[freebullet]

Blatant primer & powder wasters we are today.

 

[KeithB]

Wow, you couldn't even get a Lee 6C mold up to temp before you drained that sucker. But I have the feeling most home casters of that era used mostly 1C or 2C molds.

 

[RicinYakima]

According to my 1937 Lyman price list, the least expensive "armory" six cavity mould was $25, net. My Dad was a master welder at Chrysler Motors, and he made $.45 per hour. Want to guess what that is in today's wages?

 

[Rick]

Wow, you couldn't even get a Lee 6C mold up to temp before you drained that sucker. But I have the feeling most home casters of that era used mostly 1C or 2C molds.

In the same chapter Sharpe said: "If you insist on using multiple cavity molds BOTH cavities should be filled". There is however a photo of a 10 cavity police department gang mold for 38 spl, somehow I don't think they used that bottom pour pot. He also talked about an electric 40 pound ladle pot that had an internal rim that prevented using more than a few pounds of alloy, the idea being the bulk of alloy is left in the pot so that ingots could be added and keep casting. Seems pretty strange to this spoiled 21st century caster.​

 

[Ian]

The culture of shooting was different long ago than today. The sports where one would shoot 200-500 rounds regularly in a weekend while running skill drills didn't exist, and spending a lazy afternoon going through a coffee can of ammo busting clods or rocks or turtles was an activity reserved more for rimfire, or cheap milsurp guns and ammo.

 

[Brad]

They had the free time to use a tiny pot and single cavity mould.
Why?
Because they didn't have to go online and justify it to their friends?

[URL=http://www.sherv.net/] [/URL]

 

[Ian]

Or maybe they DIDN'T have time to do much more than cast and load a couple boxes of ammo at a time, because they didn't shoot that much except to hunt, because they were working 12-14 hours a day, seven days a week, just trying to stay alive.

 

[Pistolero]

When I was a teen, we shot .22s for fun, and we could buy steel case war surplus .45 ACP ammo for about one cent per
shot, this was in the mid-to-late 60s. Shot up a what we thought was a lot of .45 ACP ammo, but in retrospect, perhaps
we shot 500 or 1000 rounds in three years.

Later, after college, when I had some money and was seriously working on my IPSC skllls, a friend and I would rent the
local indoor range's downstairs every Wed and shoot about 300 rds each, and then do it again at a private range on
Saturday. So, that was 600 rds a week, or 2400 rds a month just practice. Matches were every Friday night, two courses
of fire, about 25-30 shots each, so figure 50-60 rds there, plus the one "big" monthly match, and about once a month
an out of town match.
My Ruger Standard Auto .22 6" taught me to shoot pistols. Used to buy two or three boxes of ammo at a time (very
little money available then) for about a penny a shot. Milsurp 7x57 ammo was $6.00/100 rds so a lot more than
.22 ammo, but still affordable in moderate quantities. A Lyman 310 loaded all the sot point rifle ammo I could afford for
years.

Different times, mostly less money available.

Bill

 

[Brad]

Or maybe they DIDN'T have time to do much more than cast and load a couple boxes of ammo at a time, because they didn't shoot that much except to hunt, because they were working 12-14 hours a day, seven days a week, just trying to stay alive.

I think this is it.
Most gun owners of the era thought of it as a tool, not a hobby or form of recreation.

We are fortunate to live in an era when we CAN cast, load, and shoot for enjoyment.

 

[quicksylver]

well 25 is 5 more than I need for a really good range day...I'd be happy with it.... some of us are just really weird..I will say that that wouldn't be the pot I cast hand gun bullets out of... But for my rifle shooting I believe I could live with it..

 

[quicksylver]

well 25 is 5 more than I need for a really good range day...I'd be happy with it.... some of us are just really weird. I will say that that wouldn't be the pot I cast hand gun bullets out of... But for my rifle shooting I believe I could live with it..

during the "season I'll go through 60-100 of rifle rounds a week.....that's a trip a day....my eyes won't do much more than20 per trip, scope or irons

 

[RBHarter]

My buddy Jorge gets all spun up , remember when we'd go shoot a brick of 22 for like $8/1000 and I'm like yeah back when my folks were having heart attacks because gas was $.659/gal , 104 octane Ethel was was $.729 minimum wage was $1.75 and service industry folks got $1.25 and no taxes on tips ? Yeah I remember .

 

[358156 hp]

According to my 1937 Lyman price list, the least expensive "armory" six cavity mould was $25, net. My Dad was a master welder at Chrysler Motors, and he made $.45 per hour. Want to guess what that is in today's wages?

You Dad made less in a week than most folks nowdays do in an hour. However, bread wasn't over $3.00 a loaf (if you even bought bread, most folks baked it at home), gas wasn't $2-3.00/gal, and an average new house was maybe $7,000.00 or so? No TV, no hip-hop, no rap. No phone, no pool, no pets, ain't got no cigarettes.....

 

[Catshooter]

My Dad was a master welder at Chrysler Motors, and he made $.45 per hour. Want to guess what that is in today's wages?

'Bout the same as today, ain't it? At least it can sure seem like it sometimes.


Cat