Same here. When I was around 18 and just getting started shooting, I didn’t have extra money. One of my mentors sold me a complete set up for $100. The older guys took me under their wing and since we all shot 38spl, we worked together. We all had our loading set ups in one building. Wheel weights were free and we had buckets full. We would get together for a couple of nights and drink beer and cast wadcutters. 3-4 of us had bullet molds for 148grwc and we had 2 sizing presses. We would cast and size until we had at least 5k bullets. A few nights later we would get together and load em up. When we had them all loaded, we split them up. when they were gone, we started over. What a grand time we had. The fellowship we shared loading rivaled the fun we had shooting. Brass and lead was free. Bullseye powder I think was around $4/lb and primers around a penny each. With the little cost of bullet lube figured in, we were loading for 2 cents a round.
Good times for sure. 38spl brass by the buckets, 7.62 brass by the crate, same with 5.56. crates full
like you lead free, just time and a little bit Cash. Friends owned a Gun Shop, so that was a plus in one
respect, bad for the wallet(s) They would order cases (5K) of primers for us, powder, bullets. There wasn't
order it online back then...We had access to a range anytime, all they asked was "chip" in money for targets,
gas to mow the grass. and one of us grand parents had a farm bout 500 total acres, plenty of places to
shoot. Speaking of that we were on the farm shooting down into a valley, we always made sure of the
back stop.. well we had an array of "toys" having fun. when we got back to the barn the local police
were there, it seemed that someone was shooting and hitting a roof on a house the other direction
from where we were shooting, we showed them where we were, and proof.. That's all it took, police
left....found out that the persons neighbor was shooting in that direction.... good times..good memories
-Snoopz