Getting a new mold

[MCgunner]

My last shot at a decent shooting 50 cal minie ball. Got a 360 grain Lee "improved minie" on order. I got a 250 grain REAL mold at first thinking I'd save money on lead with the lighter bullet. Well, that'd be fine if it's shoot straight. Sorta worthless since it don't. :banghead:

I hypothesis that the 1:24 twist rate of the rifle requires more lead. 385 grain lead minies from Hornady shoot wonderfully. So, I'll report on the new mold when I know something.

 

[Duncaninfrance]

Casting.

Can anyone suggest a good article(s) on how to cast your own balls. It's something I am thinking about for the near future.
Duncan

 

[MCgunner]

I can give some suggestions. It ain't difficult, really, but helps to have the proper equipment. Can you order from Midway overseas? If you can, you can get everything you need at a decent price. Not sure about shipping, of course. http://www.midwayusa.com

The secret is in the temperature of the lead and mold block. I prefer aluminum mold blocks to iron because you can safely cool 'em by dunking an edge in water. Also, they're easier to keep clean. If the mold block gets too hot, it'll "frost" the balls/bullets, little air pockets and such. If the mold/lead is too cool it'll cause the lead to solidify too rapidly in the mold and create creases and folds in the bullet. Lee molds are aluminum and inexpensive. Handles are sold with the blocks Almost all of my molds are Lee.

Best way to control lead temperature is get a rheostat controlled lead pot. I prefer a bottom pouring pot, no ladles to worry about keeping hot. I use a Lee pot I got from Midway about 20 years ago. I have it set now and all I have to do is plug it in. The plunger that goes into the lead and controls the pour spout sorta gets in the way of big chunks of lead melting, but when it's full of lead, it pours to perfection. Fishing wheel weight tabs out of it can be a pain if they get behind that plunger, but no biggy. And, keep a pair of pliers, a paper clip, and a screw driver handy if that plunger doesn't seat proper. Sometimes you're lead flow won't quite shut off and you have to rod out the little hole with a paper clip (I hold it with the pliers to keep from getting burned) and wiggle the plunger with a screw driver to get the slag out of it and get it to seat. Not a big problem if you're prepared for it before you start pouring.

Now, I tumble lube my bullets with Lee liquid alox before sizing, however, with conicals for muzzle loading, I'm wondering if that'd be the ticket? I'm thinking I'll have to melt bees wax on 'em or something. Anyway, with balls, you don't need to worry about lube.

I cast bullets for all my firearms except for my center fire rifles and even there I have a 200 grain gas checked round nose in .308 caliber I've played with squib loads in my .308 with. Muzzle loading is just a natural for casting. I have a brass mold for my .31 that throws one conical and one ball per pouring, double cavity. Muzzle loaders often were accompanied by a mold block back in the day.

 

[MCgunner]

Well, it came today. I ran off a little over twenty of 'em and lubed 'em with alox/beeswax. They look really good, as long as the 385 grain Hornadys the rifle likes, but only 360 grains. It has a deeper cavity in the base. I guess that's where the lead went. It has no hollow point, just a nice flat nose. That's really my preference. I mean, WHY would a 50 cal bullet need to expand? I'm wanting penetration. I'll shoot it soon as I get a chance, might even break out the ol' chronograph. Probably needs a battery. Hasn't been used in a decade.

 

[MCgunner]

Spent 2.5 hours at the range. Part of it was shooting my carry 9mm and a .22 rifle, but most of it was playing with the Hawkin Hunter Carbine and my Lee 360 grain improved minie balls. It worked, they're as accurate as the Hornady pills. I shot up about 15 of 'em, mostly off hand field positions once I confirmed their accuracy. I was having a bit of a problem at 100 yards with the targets I bought and my eyes were failing me. If I'd been shooting hogs at that range, 25% of 'em would have laughed at me, LOL! But, anything inside 75 yards was bacon. At 50, we're talkin' head shots. I resorted to going prone to make 100 yard hits and then I took one using one of the awning legs that covers the shooting tables as if it were a tree and got a hit, though I think I gut shot him. :banghead: Windage was a little off, but I did call it. Not one of my better days to shoot, I guess, but at least I know the new mold works great.

Now, I'm going to pick up some 777 next time I'm in town. I've got to play with something other than Pyrodex. If it's non-corrosive, I'm thinking that's a good thing for hunting trips. Not sure how I'm going to measure the stuff. Any recommendations for a BP volume equivalent load if I'm shooting 90 grains by volume of BP now?

 

[Tinker2]

Mcgunner

“Not sure how I'm going to measure the stuff. Any
recommendations for a BP volume equivalent load if I'm
shooting 90 grains by volume of BP now?”

Dixie’s catalog had a listing in it of volume equivalent for
brass cartridge cases, what they hold if that’s what you
are looking for.
I no longer have their catalog, or I would look it up for you.
http://www.dixiegun.com/

“I'm going to pick up some 777 next time I'm in town. I've
got to play with something other than Pyrodex. If it's
non-corrosive, I'm thinking that's a good thing for hunting
trips.”

I shot 20 rounds with 777 then just watched it for 10 days.
Cleaned up great, not a spot of corrosion.


Tinker2

 

[MCgunner]

I just don't wanna weigh the stuff out per charge. I wanna use a volume measure like I do with Pyrodex or BP. One benefit of 777 might be how many rounds I can fire without scrubbing the bore. I can't shoot more'n about 3 rounds of pyrodex without scrubbin' the gun out, now. Be nice if I could rattle off 20 rounds and it wouldn't hurt accuracy.

Can anyone suggest a good article(s) on how to cast your own balls. It's something I am thinking about for the near future.
Duncan

Duncan, I noctice with my mold, and I'd forgotten this, but packed with any Lee mold is an excellent little instruction sheet on how to cast and lube bullets. It's more for cartridge stuff, but casting is casting. The lubing part can vary.

 

[gmatov]

MC,

777 is supposed to be 15% hotter, or reduce the charge 15%, BY VOLUME.

With 90 grs, now, a VOLUME of 86.5 would be right math wise. Whether it would be right for your gun, who knows?

If you are trying to work up a tack driver, you still should weigh your charges, while doing it, then set your measure to that volume.

I know there are them, even writers, one was pointed to a couple months ago, who say "Weight don't matter, just scoop it up. We couldn't see any difference."

(I'm not talking about you Mec, the other link to a writer, if you recall the post and the link. Your book shows that you guys have loaded in 3 to 5 grain increments, and you document the velocities, so how can anyone say another grain more or less DOESN'T make a difference?)

Back to MC,

Hell, if you intend to hunt with this thing, why don't you weigh your charge to work up accuracy, then, when you have the best your rifle will shoot with, weigh and put the charge in the quick load tubes. Doubt you would need more than a half dozen for a hunting outing. You would KNOW you are apt to hit the target with a pre-measured charge that can put a gnat's eye at 100 yards, if you do your part.

Blackpowder show on HIS-1 channel, 116 on my cable. Seems some of them don't know what they are talking about, but still interesting.

Cheers,

George

 

[MCgunner]

Well, I've stuffed 120 grain's by volume in that thing before and it does shoot, but it KICKS and isn't that accurate. So, I settled on 90 grains. Good to know that I won't over charge it with 777 even at 90 grains by BP volume. I do have some load tubes that I do carry afield, so the weighing thing would only be a hassle at the range, really.

The gun, with Pyrodex, is more accurate than the sights are. I reckon I could look for a good aperture sight, but it's hunting accurate as it is. I don't care too much for the bead front, a little large, but for hunting it should be fine as is.

The gun is capable of about 4 MOA accuracy. I've got nothing to compare that with, but it seems pretty good to me. I ain't shootin' further than 100 yards with it anyway. I've shot Coyotes at 400 yards with my 1 MOA .308 before. Of course, it had a scope on it. I think part of my problem with the smoke pole is my aging eyes. Never been that great anyway and now I've got bifocals...:banghead: