Project355
Member
- Joined
- Aug 2, 2020
- Messages
- 672
I'll be making up some Zombie loads (multiple round ball) for .44 special, and thought I'd share _my own_ technique.
I'm using Hornady .433 round balls, which when measured are from .426 to about .437 on the same specimen. Reason being they are rather coarsely "formed" from cast. You can still see the sprue mark and the seam, but... they must be tumbled or rolled after casting. Speer round balls are a bit smoother, but both will work just fine, as the lead is soft and will conform to bores just fine.
Because they're dead soft lead, you'll need to lube the balls to prevent some serious leading after just a few shots, and who knows, you might need lots of shots in a Zombie Apocalypse. I like Lee Liquid Alox, which does the job well, and is easy to use. The worst part about the Lee Liquid Alox is getting the used bottle back open after its been on the shelf for a bit. Gotta be careful to get that spout folded out, the opening cleared of hardened alox. I suppose you could set the bottle out in the sun for a bit, but... don't run it under hot water, or you may contaminate things. At any rate, the sandwhich bag, with the first batch of round balls in it, and just a few drops of liquid alox. You can easily use too much, so go light, and if you have to, add a drop or two more. It takes way less lube than you might imagine. Just roll the balls in the bag with the lube until they're all covered.
Then you can set the balls out to dry. Paper towel ain't the best, but its what I had at the moment. A better item is a plastic tray, even the inside of your case lube pad will do in a pinch. I wasn't thinkin'.
These will take a few minutes to dry, and in the meantime, I'll go back to my honey-do project of painting chair rail in the den.
.....More To Come
I'm using Hornady .433 round balls, which when measured are from .426 to about .437 on the same specimen. Reason being they are rather coarsely "formed" from cast. You can still see the sprue mark and the seam, but... they must be tumbled or rolled after casting. Speer round balls are a bit smoother, but both will work just fine, as the lead is soft and will conform to bores just fine.
Because they're dead soft lead, you'll need to lube the balls to prevent some serious leading after just a few shots, and who knows, you might need lots of shots in a Zombie Apocalypse. I like Lee Liquid Alox, which does the job well, and is easy to use. The worst part about the Lee Liquid Alox is getting the used bottle back open after its been on the shelf for a bit. Gotta be careful to get that spout folded out, the opening cleared of hardened alox. I suppose you could set the bottle out in the sun for a bit, but... don't run it under hot water, or you may contaminate things. At any rate, the sandwhich bag, with the first batch of round balls in it, and just a few drops of liquid alox. You can easily use too much, so go light, and if you have to, add a drop or two more. It takes way less lube than you might imagine. Just roll the balls in the bag with the lube until they're all covered.
Then you can set the balls out to dry. Paper towel ain't the best, but its what I had at the moment. A better item is a plastic tray, even the inside of your case lube pad will do in a pinch. I wasn't thinkin'.
These will take a few minutes to dry, and in the meantime, I'll go back to my honey-do project of painting chair rail in the den.
.....More To Come
