The Firing Line Forums - View Single Post

CajunPowder · September 19, 2010, 10:03 PM

I would think that commercially cast round lead balls are not all from the same mold, they mix and mingle together before they are boxed, and maybe they knock around a bit on the line, etc ... and then there is shipping and knocking around in the shipping box.

I would think that the much, much smaller SD with the home cast bullets is due to the fact that they are all cast with the same lead in the same die and they are handled with TLC.

The best marksmen in the world load their own, or have them custom loaded. I'm really looking forward to getting out in the cooler marshes of the Cajun homeland to do some serious ball and load testing with my Pietta, blue steel, target Remmie.

I can't say enough good about posts like this! Thank you for this information.

I've fired off a couple of cylinders worth of caps in my new, blue target and they always fire, had a jam with only one cap as I'm using up a tin of Remington No. 10 caps, (the NEW Hotter, 40% more flame volume), from Cabelas coming in the green blister pack and white, round tin, ($5.89 with tax for 100).

I use a soft-wood dowel to get them on super-tight, (they are tight when put on only with the finger, but it makes my fingertip ache later), and I experimented with a little hammer and the dowel to see if I could set a cap off with the dowel. I CANNOT ignite a cap on the nipple even when hitting the dowel back-end with a hammer. I just use the dowel in my hand to get them on tight and they bulge a tiny, tiny bit where the cap meets the nipple edges.

These caps fit PERFECTLY on the 2010, Pietta blue steel target model and I'm VERY happy with this Remmie I finally obtained after personally visiting two different cabelas and examining all Remmies on the premises.

I really think Pietta quality is good for 2010 or better than some recent years. Of the two Cabelas that I visited I found only 2 or 3 out of more than 15 Remmies that I would consider to be nearly a lemon, but no real lemons. I was shocked. And of course my standards are very, very high but by no means expert.

I also worked up a spreadsheet that I run on my PDA and that then calculates a quality number for the guns I review at the counter and the glass display case out on the floor. The guys behind the counter were in some cases quite rude and a little freaked out that I was doing a Q/C on my PDA with a custom spreadsheet. I had to tell one of them to tone down, that we were standing over a counter full of guns and quit freaking out. ****** me off.

But once I was finished and had that 9.3 rating blued steel target in my hand one of the "tough guys" of course wanted to know which was the best Remmie left on the shelf. I told him it would be $10 cash to get that information. I did tell the gunsmith in the back who was genuinely interested in my methods which one I thought was best and he put it in the back for himself. He gets 30% off any purchase!

The gunsmith who was coming out from the back to help during busy times at the counter in Gonzales was very, very helpful and very courteous.

Thanks again for your post which is very informative and gives me some additional information on casting one's own booleets and the confidence to purchase my own molds at some point.

September 19, 2010, 10:03 PM	#4
CajunPowder Junior member Join Date: April 1, 2010 Location: Louisiana - Cajun Triangle Posts: 223	I would think that commercially cast round lead balls are not all from the same mold, they mix and mingle together before they are boxed, and maybe they knock around a bit on the line, etc ... and then there is shipping and knocking around in the shipping box. I would think that the much, much smaller SD with the home cast bullets is due to the fact that they are all cast with the same lead in the same die and they are handled with TLC. The best marksmen in the world load their own, or have them custom loaded. I'm really looking forward to getting out in the cooler marshes of the Cajun homeland to do some serious ball and load testing with my Pietta, blue steel, target Remmie. I can't say enough good about posts like this! Thank you for this information. I've fired off a couple of cylinders worth of caps in my new, blue target and they always fire, had a jam with only one cap as I'm using up a tin of Remington No. 10 caps, (the NEW Hotter, 40% more flame volume), from Cabelas coming in the green blister pack and white, round tin, ($5.89 with tax for 100). I use a soft-wood dowel to get them on super-tight, (they are tight when put on only with the finger, but it makes my fingertip ache later), and I experimented with a little hammer and the dowel to see if I could set a cap off with the dowel. I CANNOT ignite a cap on the nipple even when hitting the dowel back-end with a hammer. I just use the dowel in my hand to get them on tight and they bulge a tiny, tiny bit where the cap meets the nipple edges. These caps fit PERFECTLY on the 2010, Pietta blue steel target model and I'm VERY happy with this Remmie I finally obtained after personally visiting two different cabelas and examining all Remmies on the premises. I really think Pietta quality is good for 2010 or better than some recent years. Of the two Cabelas that I visited I found only 2 or 3 out of more than 15 Remmies that I would consider to be nearly a lemon, but no real lemons. I was shocked. And of course my standards are very, very high but by no means expert. I also worked up a spreadsheet that I run on my PDA and that then calculates a quality number for the guns I review at the counter and the glass display case out on the floor. The guys behind the counter were in some cases quite rude and a little freaked out that I was doing a Q/C on my PDA with a custom spreadsheet. I had to tell one of them to tone down, that we were standing over a counter full of guns and quit freaking out. ****** me off. But once I was finished and had that 9.3 rating blued steel target in my hand one of the "tough guys" of course wanted to know which was the best Remmie left on the shelf. I told him it would be $10 cash to get that information. I did tell the gunsmith in the back who was genuinely interested in my methods which one I thought was best and he put it in the back for himself. He gets 30% off any purchase! The gunsmith who was coming out from the back to help during busy times at the counter in Gonzales was very, very helpful and very courteous. Thanks again for your post which is very informative and gives me some additional information on casting one's own booleets and the confidence to purchase my own molds at some point.