Commercial cast bullet quality can be lacking...

[OldVet]

I don't have the time, equipment, or the inclination to cast my own bullets so I purchase them online.

The first place I ordered from was Meister's because they offered 100 round sample packs, which I think is a nice number to see if the quality is good and that particular cast works well in your load. While I had a horrible time with 200 grn SWCs (Gun issue, not bullet) my next sample of 230 RNs worked like a champ. I also ordered a sample of 93 grn RNs for my 9mm Mak and they worked well also. I then ordered 500 rds of the Mak bullets to support my habit. Although all the orders came loose packed in plastic bags versus boxed, the bag was packaged well and I found zero defective bullets

I just received 500 rounds of .45 ACP 230 grn RN bullets from another company (un-named) whose website touted its "highest" quality castings. Lots of championships won using its bullets, yada-yada. I was a bit leary at first because the site mentioned up to 5-6 weeks waiting period, more or less said it will produce the bullets when it gets around to it, but the price was within a couple of bucks of Meister's and I was in no rush. I believe in trying different products so I can see for myself what's good and what's not. After I placed the order, another page popped up mentioning (warning?) of a $25 fee for credit card challenges?

Unfortunately, the company does not offer sample packs of any size. Big mistake on my part. Almost all of the bullets have a casting crease across the nose, evidently from mis-aligned dies. Many have swirls from poor casting or gaps in the lube, which is smeared all over the bullets, unlike those from Meister's with 99% of the lube only in the grooves. It appears as though the casting/lubing equipment used by this company is not up to speed.

Long story short (I know, too late), if you're like me and just getting into cast bullet shooting and buying the bullets, I recommend looking for companies that offer sample packs. I have found several (100 seems to be the usual size and is cheap enough to throw away), but some only offer 100 rn sample in conjunction with large orders (huh?).

It's far too much hassle to try to return 500 rds of lead bullets, but I will email the company and present my opinion of its product.

[DefensiveCarry.com]

[Majorlk]

If the quality is that bad (not to mention the $25 challenge fee) why not name the company? People complain about specific companies on DC all the time.

[OldVet]

I'm not too keen on saying bad things about a specific company (slander) and putting it in writing can be worse (libel), but I will go as far as saying it's in Penn state.
The quality was no better than what I would have expected from a garage caster selling products at a fleamarket.

[razor02097]

If you want things done right... you have to do them yourself.

I would say that casting is like reloading itself... it takes a bit to get started but once you have the furnace fired up and the casting equipment setup it's like a factory. lube, Pour, cool, tap, release, pour, cool, tap, release, Pour, cool, tap, release... on and on. If you have 3 or 4 aluminum casting dies you can pretty much go all day. You would be surprised how fast you can make a few hundred bullets.

[OldVet]

I've cast before (roundballs for MZ loading) on a small scale and don't shoot enough to justify the equipment at this point (being unemployed doesn't help). Did the "melt the lead on the stove" thing the first time. The wife promptly put an end to that.

Maybe one day I'll get into it, but not in the foreseeable future.

[Tubby45]

After I placed the order, another page popped up mentioning (warning?) of a $25 fee for credit card challenges?

Which is in direct violation of the merchant agreement. A merchant cannot recover or charge a fee for any challenge or chargeback to their account. Their company policy does not and cannot override that agreement. A simple call to the credit card company that issued your card with an explanation will trigger an investigation. If found in violation, the merchant will be fined or have their merchant account canceled with prejudice, so they can't ever accept credit cards again.

I'm also very curious to know whom this bullet company is.

[razor02097]

Which is in direct violation of the merchant agreement. A merchant cannot recover or charge a fee for any challenge or chargeback to their account. Their company policy does not and cannot override that agreement. A simple call to the credit card company that issued your card with an explanation will trigger an investigation. If found in violation, the merchant will be fined or have their merchant account canceled with prejudice, so they can't ever accept credit cards again.

I'm also very curious to know whom this bullet company is.

good info

I'm kind of curious who the mystery company is too.

[Tubby45]

It's hidden in a previous post above. It's in Penn state.

Also, I highly recommend Missouri Bullet Company for commercial cast bullets. I enjoy them so much a few of my commercial ammo loads use their bullets in my off season (I only cast in the warm months and buy from MBC in the winter when it's too cold to cast).

[Majorlk]

I'm not too keen on saying bad things about a specific company (slander) and putting it in writing can be worse (libel), but I will go as far as saying it's in Penn state.
The quality was no better than what I would have expected from a garage caster selling products at a fleamarket.

The TRUTH is an absolute defense against both slander and libel.

libel |ˈlībəl|
noun
1 Law a published false statement that is damaging to a person's reputation;

[razor02097]

hard to argue with a picture....

[OldVet]

The TRUTH is an absolute defense against both slander and libel.

libel |ˈlībəl|
noun
1 Law a published false statement that is damaging to a person's reputation;

Yes, I know, but being unemployed with nil prospects, getting into a legal hassle is not on the top of my agenda.

[OldVet]

As mentioned earlier, I emailed the company in question and received a prompt reply from the president essentially saying he didn't know what happened to that batch but would would personally check the equipment and send me a replacement order.

Fair enough for me. I believe in second chances when someone offers to make good on a mistake, so I eagerly await the replacements. The lube was not so much of a concern as the dies lines and swirls. Could have been an "off" day at the plant (temp or flow off). Maybe I got one of those Monday/Friday batches. We'll see what happens. Till then...

[Ring]

Prime Reloading Supply

great prices and shipping


http://www.keadbullets.com/
good pricing HORRIBLE shipping... ive scene orders take 6+ months...

[Tubby45]

Kead is a one man operation that gets a ton of orders. Bullet casting isn't a fast food operation.