Who's tight?

[jamesthomas]

 Oh, and I also cut my own patches (shooting and cleaning), use spit patches at the range and TOTW mink oil for hunting only, so 1 can will last a loooong time!.

[FRJ]

Cut my own patches from pillow  ticking that I buy at the local dry goods store, also buy flanel and cut my own cleaning patches. Bought a 45 to cut down the cost of my 54. Re knap my flints. I use spit or WSWF at $2.00 a gallon for patch lube. Will be buying a lead pot and dipper to cast my own balls. I am thinking of buying a new motor scooter or a used motorcycle to cut the high cost of the idiot in the white houses "Green" program!!!!! FRJ

[smylee grouch]

Boy, some of you guys are really cheep, gives me alot of good ideas. Maybe I can save enough to retire and keep shooting.  Thanks for the tips.   Smylee

[roundball]

Speaking of retirement, I planned for and sold a couple of other guns I no longer used and bought a nice .40cal late Lancaster from an ALR member last year to have better economy for weekly range trips.
Ironically, shooting it so much every week now using only 40grn powder charges, I recently realized my normal cans of Goex 4F ratio to 3F won't keep up, and I'll need to order a few more cans of 4F...but that's a good kind of problem to have
 

[Jerry V Lape]

I wonder which Pineyone would choose here in the AZ desert, (no oak leaves),  prickly pear or cholla.  Maybe he would scoot in the sand like my bird dog!    

[Daryl]

hahahahahaha Jerry - you crack me up

[Daryl]

I have picked up, re-lubed and re-used patches on more than one occasion to prove the point that if the patch is doing it's job properly, it is undamaged by being fired - my usual test is to fire a 5 shot group using the same patch by picking it up and relubing it for each of those 5 shots.  I should add the resulting group is the same size as a group shot with different patches each time. Range of 50yards.  This is more of a proof in loading rather than stricktly being frugal. 

[Standing Bear]

I wonder which Pineyone would choose here in the AZ desert, (no oak leaves),  prickly pear or cholla.  Maybe he would scoot in the sand like my bird dog!    

I'd sure try to stay close to the pinions at least.

Used to shoot with a fella who washed his cleaning patches out at night and re used em the next day.
TC

[Vomitus]

 My loads are.

[Daryl]

Crispy, oh Crispy, whereforartthough Crispy - yeah - he's tight! Comes out late on Sundays to cut down on the # of shots he has time for- to save on powder and shot.  He's o cheap, he can make 6 pounds of powder last an entrie year shooting a .50 rifle and .54 smoothie - THAT's CHEAP!

[Vomitus]

....and dropped balls and worn out flints! Yep, Chrispy(Crunchie McBuckleby of Oxford) takes the cake!

[cmac]

I live off potatoes and game meat so that I can afford good powder and good parts. As far as the other stuff I cast my own ball, have yet to pay for the led, cut patches from bulk and spit patch, buy flints when I find good prices. My targets are normally what ever I can find to shoot at and normally pinned with sticks threw old bullet holes. I make my own accouterments and my mom is a seamstress. If I didn't have kids I'd probably have a small cabin somewhere off the grid.

[Scout]

OK here goes,
Been using paper plates for years, no orange center stickers I just draw a decent center circle with a magic marker, make my own horns and straps, pouches, starters ( I know I went back to it ), patch knife, powder measures and pan primers. I use my old Docker pants from my management job days for patches, tee shirts and old towels for cleaning, cast my own balls from roof jacks and any decent lead I can scrounge. I tried home made patch lubes and preservatives but ended up being very happy with the Hoppes plus and Ballistol.
I made my rifle cases from an old wool blankets. I still buy powder and flints.

My hat goes off to Mr. Worth. 

That saving the staples deal has to be a world record.   

[James]

Nothing special.
Been doing the pellet rifle practice for years.

I can buy soft lead for $.75 a pound at the recycler.  The .54 mould throws about 30 per pound so that's $.025 per ball and even figuting double that for the electric pot, a nickle a shot.

To save a little extra I shoot a .40 more often.  74 balls per pound is about $0.01 per shot.  

Bought a partial roll of .025 denim at a garage sale for $2.00 but it sure is tight to start using .395, .495 and .535 balls.  After in the barrel they push doen ok.  Before springing on new mould will try coning.

Saving all my large flints to make smaller ones even if I get a lot of shots per rock.

 Forgive my ignorance please. How can I tell if it's soft or pure lead? I have been hauling scrap steel to a local scrap yard and would like to check on this. Thanks, Jim

[omark]

lately i been saving by not shooting at all.        mark

[smylee grouch]

I was shooting at the Western National shoot one year and dry balled three times in one afternoon. The range officer helping me blow the 3rd ball out told me that even though I wasnt getting alot of shooting in I was saving a ton in powder costs.        Smylee