cast some BP bullets today...

O.S.O.K. · April 10, 2007, 06:56 PM

I posted this on another board (or two

) but thought I'd share it here too - get the most milage I can from my pics

Those are 200 grain Lee conicals (44 cal) and 350 grain Lee target minis in 50 cal. I used Midway 30-1 alloy for both.

Been a while since I did any casting - was nice to get back at it.

I'm looking forward to trying them both out - the conicals are for my Uberti dragoon and the target minis for my TC Renegade. I'll try my own lube for both and also TC bore butter.

My lube is 5 parts beeswax, 4 parts lard and 1 part olive oil. Sets up nice and doesn't melt too easy - stays solid. I'm not sure its the best for keeping the fouling soft though and I may experiment with the ratios to see if I can improve that.

Steve499 · April 10, 2007, 11:17 PM

O.S.O.K., the last session I fired with my .58 rifled musket, I lubed the minies with 50-50 beeswax-olive oil. After 50 some rounds without ANY cleaning, the only hard fouling I had was a little bit all the way back at the breech end, about an inch or so ahead of where the bullet seated. They weren't hard to seat but I could feel an accumulation there. I had the minies lubed thick enough that the lube scraped off on the muzzle, so maybe the volume had something to do with it. I think your beeswax-lard-olive oil lube should work just great.

For what it's worth, those Lee 'trash can' target minies are the only minies I've found that my 1861 Springfield likes.There are 25 on this target, fired without cleaning at 75 yards.http://thehighroad.org/attachment.ph...5&d=1144451788

Steve

O.S.O.K. · April 11, 2007, 06:17 PM

Well, I shot these (target minis) in my TC Renegad with 60 grains of ffg. They shot great with this first load that I tried - 2.5" group at 75 yards. Quite a bit of drop from 50 though. I got some pretty hard fouling build-up too, so I may try them with bore butter. Maybe the lard in my lube is the problem, or maybe not enough olive oil...

Didn't get the time to shoot the 44 cal conicals. Something to look forward to.

hildo · April 13, 2007, 03:20 AM

Found that different typese of bullet lube is not the only factor involved when getting hard fouling. I used cheap BP and expensive Swiss. The Swiss powder is much more potent, but gave hard fouling where the cheap BP (Jagdschwarzpulver from Explosia) did not.

O.S.O.K. · April 13, 2007, 01:41 PM

The Grafs ffg that I'm using is made by the same company that makes schutzen - maybe that's the reason huh?

hildo · April 13, 2007, 04:55 PM

O.S.O.K.
Could be. Must say I have read many topics about different ingredients for bullet lubes on THR, but nobody talked about different effects with different powders yet.
My test shooting was done with a Walker loaded with 54 grains and a lube pill under a .457 round ball. Maybe results are different (better) with less Swiss powder but have not come to trying reduced loads yet.
Anyhow, did find shooting with lube pills let's a revolver work much longer then not using them regardless of powder brand.

marcseatac · April 13, 2007, 04:58 PM

Those smaller ones on the left look like CVA Deerslayers only without the hollow base. That's a nice design. The hollow based ones kick like a mule.

geez768 · April 15, 2007, 12:55 AM

id love to get into casting my own bullets for both BP and target reloads for my regular handguns. i just cant find any info about what alloys to use.

O.S.O.K. · April 15, 2007, 08:39 AM

Well, that's what this forum is for!

Go getcha a nice Lee furnace, a bottom pour dipper and a mould to try.

For alloys, I recommend pure lead with a little tin added (tin is available in scored strips from Midway) to help fill-out the mould - for black powder everything.

For regular smokeless handguns, a 20-1 lead to tin works great if the velocities aren't over 900-1000 fps.

For rifles and magnum handgun loads, wheel weights are great up to aroun 1800 fps - choose a good gas check design (I like Lyman moulds for my rifles).

You can also use linotype for even faster loads or if you want even harder bullets for best penetration say in a hunting load. Again, choose gas checked bullet designs for this and you can't go wrong.

I size and place the gas checks with a Lee push-through sizer kit.

For lube, I use bore butter or similar for the black powder stuff and Lee liquid alox for the rest - really great stuff!

Steve499 · April 15, 2007, 09:35 AM

Geez768, it's like that movie line," build it and they will come." If you get the stuff to cast with, you will learn. Rocket science it aint, but it's broad enough to allow you to get as complicated and precise as you want. Or not. I don't imagine the buffalo hunters who spent their evenings around the fire casting bullets for the next day had a very large tool kit or worried about what alloy they were using. Pure lead, un-alloyed, will be fine for black powder. Cartridge or muzzleloader. If you want to experiment with alloys, that's great. They'll work, too.

The worst that can happen is you get a leaded bore. Lead in the bore comes out and the bore isn't hurt at all.

Jump on in.

Steve

geez768 · April 15, 2007, 07:38 PM

thanks guys, i love this forums. I have been into guns for years i cant belive i just found this forum but im glad i did.

O.S.O.K. · April 16, 2007, 08:57 AM

The only reason that I use the tin "alloy" for black powder is to improve the casting process - this helps the bullets form properly and doesn't add a lot of hardness to the bullets.

Its not at all complicated to figure a 30-1 or 50-1 (some say this works fine) mix. You can do it with a bathroom scale - weigh yourself, hold a quantity of lead and weigh yourself again - diff is the weight of the lead (this is more accurate than just plunking the lead on the scale.

The tin strips are graduated in ounces with scores to allow you to break off the pieces.

But cast with pure lead if you want to - it won't hurt a thing and isn't likely to lead the bore if you use lube.

April 10, 2007, 06:56 PM	#1
O.S.O.K. Senior Member Join Date: March 25, 2007 Posts: 122	cast some BP bullets today... I posted this on another board (or two ) but thought I'd share it here too - get the most milage I can from my pics Those are 200 grain Lee conicals (44 cal) and 350 grain Lee target minis in 50 cal. I used Midway 30-1 alloy for both. Been a while since I did any casting - was nice to get back at it. I'm looking forward to trying them both out - the conicals are for my Uberti dragoon and the target minis for my TC Renegade. I'll try my own lube for both and also TC bore butter. My lube is 5 parts beeswax, 4 parts lard and 1 part olive oil. Sets up nice and doesn't melt too easy - stays solid. I'm not sure its the best for keeping the fouling soft though and I may experiment with the ratios to see if I can improve that.

April 11, 2007, 06:17 PM	#3
O.S.O.K. Senior Member Join Date: March 25, 2007 Posts: 122	range results Well, I shot these (target minis) in my TC Renegad with 60 grains of ffg. They shot great with this first load that I tried - 2.5" group at 75 yards. Quite a bit of drop from 50 though. I got some pretty hard fouling build-up too, so I may try them with bore butter. Maybe the lard in my lube is the problem, or maybe not enough olive oil... Didn't get the time to shoot the 44 cal conicals. Something to look forward to.

April 13, 2007, 01:41 PM	#5
O.S.O.K. Senior Member Join Date: March 25, 2007 Posts: 122	fouling The Grafs ffg that I'm using is made by the same company that makes schutzen - maybe that's the reason huh?

April 15, 2007, 08:39 AM	#9
O.S.O.K. Senior Member Join Date: March 25, 2007 Posts: 122	alloys Well, that's what this forum is for! Go getcha a nice Lee furnace, a bottom pour dipper and a mould to try. For alloys, I recommend pure lead with a little tin added (tin is available in scored strips from Midway) to help fill-out the mould - for black powder everything. For regular smokeless handguns, a 20-1 lead to tin works great if the velocities aren't over 900-1000 fps. For rifles and magnum handgun loads, wheel weights are great up to aroun 1800 fps - choose a good gas check design (I like Lyman moulds for my rifles). You can also use linotype for even faster loads or if you want even harder bullets for best penetration say in a hunting load. Again, choose gas checked bullet designs for this and you can't go wrong. I size and place the gas checks with a Lee push-through sizer kit. For lube, I use bore butter or similar for the black powder stuff and Lee liquid alox for the rest - really great stuff!

April 16, 2007, 08:57 AM	#12
O.S.O.K. Senior Member Join Date: March 25, 2007 Posts: 122	the use of tin The only reason that I use the tin "alloy" for black powder is to improve the casting process - this helps the bullets form properly and doesn't add a lot of hardness to the bullets. Its not at all complicated to figure a 30-1 or 50-1 (some say this works fine) mix. You can do it with a bathroom scale - weigh yourself, hold a quantity of lead and weigh yourself again - diff is the weight of the lead (this is more accurate than just plunking the lead on the scale. The tin strips are graduated in ounces with scores to allow you to break off the pieces. But cast with pure lead if you want to - it won't hurt a thing and isn't likely to lead the bore if you use lube.

April 10, 2007, 11:17 PM	#2
Steve499 Senior Member Join Date: December 14, 2004 Location: Central Missouri Posts: 533	O.S.O.K., the last session I fired with my .58 rifled musket, I lubed the minies with 50-50 beeswax-olive oil. After 50 some rounds without ANY cleaning, the only hard fouling I had was a little bit all the way back at the breech end, about an inch or so ahead of where the bullet seated. They weren't hard to seat but I could feel an accumulation there. I had the minies lubed thick enough that the lube scraped off on the muzzle, so maybe the volume had something to do with it. I think your beeswax-lard-olive oil lube should work just great. For what it's worth, those Lee 'trash can' target minies are the only minies I've found that my 1861 Springfield likes.There are 25 on this target, fired without cleaning at 75 yards.http://thehighroad.org/attachment.ph...5&d=1144451788 Steve

April 13, 2007, 03:20 AM	#4
hildo Junior Member Join Date: February 21, 2007 Location: The Netherlands, Europe Posts: 3	Found that different typese of bullet lube is not the only factor involved when getting hard fouling. I used cheap BP and expensive Swiss. The Swiss powder is much more potent, but gave hard fouling where the cheap BP (Jagdschwarzpulver from Explosia) did not.

April 13, 2007, 04:55 PM	#6
hildo Junior Member Join Date: February 21, 2007 Location: The Netherlands, Europe Posts: 3	O.S.O.K. Could be. Must say I have read many topics about different ingredients for bullet lubes on THR, but nobody talked about different effects with different powders yet. My test shooting was done with a Walker loaded with 54 grains and a lube pill under a .457 round ball. Maybe results are different (better) with less Swiss powder but have not come to trying reduced loads yet. Anyhow, did find shooting with lube pills let's a revolver work much longer then not using them regardless of powder brand.

April 13, 2007, 04:58 PM	#7
marcseatac Senior Member Join Date: October 7, 2006 Posts: 225	Those smaller ones on the left look like CVA Deerslayers only without the hollow base. That's a nice design. The hollow based ones kick like a mule.

April 15, 2007, 12:55 AM	#8
geez768 Senior Member Join Date: April 7, 2007 Location: Ohio Posts: 169	id love to get into casting my own bullets for both BP and target reloads for my regular handguns. i just cant find any info about what alloys to use.

April 15, 2007, 09:35 AM	#10
Steve499 Senior Member Join Date: December 14, 2004 Location: Central Missouri Posts: 533	Geez768, it's like that movie line," build it and they will come." If you get the stuff to cast with, you will learn. Rocket science it aint, but it's broad enough to allow you to get as complicated and precise as you want. Or not. I don't imagine the buffalo hunters who spent their evenings around the fire casting bullets for the next day had a very large tool kit or worried about what alloy they were using. Pure lead, un-alloyed, will be fine for black powder. Cartridge or muzzleloader. If you want to experiment with alloys, that's great. They'll work, too. The worst that can happen is you get a leaded bore. Lead in the bore comes out and the bore isn't hurt at all. Jump on in. Steve

April 15, 2007, 07:38 PM	#11
geez768 Senior Member Join Date: April 7, 2007 Location: Ohio Posts: 169	thanks guys, i love this forums. I have been into guns for years i cant belive i just found this forum but im glad i did.