[Jeff Higgins]

Run-of-the-mill calibers, particularly anything in current military use, can be had in bulk for less money than it takes to produce a reloaded round. My son and I compared costs of .223, .308, and .45 ACP. His bulk ammo purchases beat my costs by several cents per round for the two rifle rounds, and were not enough more on the pistol round to warrant the effort.

Especially with the firearms he prefers, which fall into that "black rifle" realm. These are two to four MOA rifles on their best day, with my best "match grade" ammo. Shooting surplus bulk ammo does not noticeably detract from their performance.

And, yes, one must have a dedicated work space. Much of the equipment has to be bolted down solidly onto the workbench to function at all. Having to tear it down and set it back up to use that bench for other tasks is just a royal PIA.

As far as "climate controlled", I do all of this in the basement of my air conditioned in the summer, heated in the winter house. Lots of folks use a spare bedroom, or whatever. The point is, if you are living comfortably in it, that's enough "climate control". Powders and primers are exceedingly temperature and humidity stable, at least modern examples are. Old British Cordite, black powder - "store in a cool, dry place". Oh, and if you have a source for Cordite, please let me know. Most of us use Reloder 15 as a subsitute, but I digress...

And yes - lead. Be exceedingly careful with this stuff. The rumors are all true. I have never worn a respirator, and nobody I know who actually casts bullets wears one either. That said, I cast in my garage with both garage doors open, a small fan, never any food or drink, and I change clothes right away when finished. I have never had a problem with exposure, and I insist on getting tested every year as a part of my physical.

And, hoo boy - listen to Joe. Do your homework. This is a very safe hobby, but it doesn't suffer fools. We are unleashing up to 60,000 PSI inches from our already ugly mugs. We don't need to make them any uglier. I've seen "accidents" at the range, although I'm reluctant to call them that - they are the products of carelessness and inattention. Or, even worse, that idiot who thinks he can add "just a little more" powder than the manuals say because, you know - "we all know they're on the safe side, written by lawyers"...