Newbie questions

[Stuart C.]

Hi,
I might start loading for 357/38 or 45acp, but have a buncha (dumb) questions please.
- CAST Bullet just means it is lead construction with no jacket/plating, correct?

- Can you buy Cast bullets for reloading and is this the least expensive route to go if you were doing a lot of practice/range shooting and wanted the most economical bullet?

- Should you slug the barrell before using ANY cast bullets just to be sure of fit, or is slugging not absolutely necessary?

- What is typically the least expensive factory bullet construction for the person that does NOT reload but practices quite a bit and wants to keep costs down?

I load centerfire, but I just stick with a couple bullet types.  Any info would be great. Thanks!!!!

[Sensai]

First place - the only dumb question is the one not asked.

Lead (not jacketed) bullets can be either cast or swaged.  Cast bullets are made by pouring molten lead (alloy) into a mold (mould).  Swaged bullets are made by forcing the lead into a forming die under enough pressure to make it conform to the shape of the die.  As a general rule, casting is more economical for the quantities that most individuals want to make and swaging is more adaptable to machine production for greater quantities.  Casting my own bullets is a hobby that I greatly enjoy, and that adds to my enjoyment of shooting. 

You can buy cast bullets from a large number of sources.  They are, again as a general rule, less exspensive than jacketed bullets.

Slugging the barrel in most guns of recent manufacture is not absolutely manditory, but I would advise you to do it.  It can prevent a multitude of problems with lead fouling and inaccuracy.  It's not as hard to do as it is to explain how to do it.  The norm is to use bullets .001 to .002 inches bigger than the groove measurement.

The cost of factory ammo is what you can find it for.  Logic says that unjacketed lead ammo should be the least exspensive, but logic seldom works in the retail market.  Sometimes Wally World bulk FMJ practice ammo competes with what I can reload for, even using my own bullets.

Hope that this helps.  By the way, if you start casting sooner or later you'll start calling them "boolits".

[GH1]

If you're new to reloading the .38/.357 is a good round to start off with.  There's plenty of sources for cast bullets, which are the cheapest to reload.  Just as importantly, with the popularity of the .38/.357, there is a ton of information available on loads, components, etc.
I personally load 158 gr SWC for my .357 revolver & levergun.  I shoot some .38 as well, also loaded with 158 gr SWC. 
For a plinking/target load it's tough to beat a few grains of Bullseye behind a 158 SWC.  I've recently started searching for a more powerful load and that led me to Accurate #9, which I'm very happy with.
One thing about cast bullets though, you may have a leading problem.  Lead fouling can be caused by many things, like a sloppy fit in the bore, too high of a velocity, and to low of a velocity.  Bullet hardness also plays into it.  It will take some tinkering to find a load that performs well in YOUR gun, but that also holds true for jacketed bullets.
However, how much tinkering you need to do depends on your intended use.
If you decide to get into reloading, I hope you have as much fun with it as I do.  I find it to be an extremely rewarding addition to my shooting hobby.
GH1  

[mdi]

Before you decide if you want to reload or not, get a reloading manual, or two. ABCs of Reloading, Lyman's 49th Edition Reloading Handbook, Lee's Modern Reloading or Hornady's Handbook of Cartridge Reloading (I listed the Hornady book last because there isn't much if any cast bullet reloading info, but the "how to" section is very good). Check the local library so you wouldn't have to buy one right away. If you decide to go ahead and reload, buy all the books/manuals for your reloading library.

I cast bullets for my handguns and sometimes I'll purchase some if I want to try a design that I haven't got a mold for. When purchased from a commercial caster (google cast lead bullets and you'll get several vendors), yes cast bullets are cheaper than jacketed. For the calibers listed, plain old round nose loads are probably the least expensive, but LSWC wouldn't be much more.

[jlchucker]

MDI has posted some good advice.  For someone who's never gotten into loading or casting before, the Lyman and Lee books he mentioned are IMO a must. Casting and shooting cast bullets (Boolits as they are called by some) is addictive.  I've casted bullets for most of my rifles for years, and learn something new just about every time I load up a box to take to the range.  I'm not much of a handgun shooter (I've got two 357's but mostly shoot rifles), but I do load 357 and 44 magnum ammo.  You can buy pre-cast bullets, but I find that I get far better accuracy when I cast my own, at least for what I put through my rifles.  How accurate are they?  I'm not a great handgun shooter so I'll limit my opinion to what comes out of my rifles (including 357 and 44 mag).  Cast bullets can be just as, or more accurate than store-bought jacketed rounds.  It's all in how you control the variables when you make up your bullets and load them. If you take up casting, you'll shoot more, dig more lead out of backstops, spend more on molds, powders, bullet metals, lubes, sizing equipment, etc. However, you'll shoot more, and get some real satisfaction the first time you cut a cloverleaf group at 100 yards with bullets you've made yourself.  Once you've tooled up and gotten the hang of it, though, you won't care any more if there's a shortage of component jacketed bullets at gunshops or sales outfits or not.  You'll do very nicely making your own.