Hightwelve
New Member
I'm new to this website although not new to bullet casting. I'm old as dirt but I gave up casting completely over twenty (yes 20+) years ago when I took early retirement. The high school junior rifle team was going under for lack of a coach so I volunteered (BTW, it was a paying coach position at $2500/year! Wow!). I took junior teams to the Nationals at Camp Perry and coached the Pennsylvania junior team on the line. A couple of years ago I retired from that gig completely and I'm getting back into serious shooting myself. I shot back in dinosaur days on Navy pistol and rifle teams and I stuck with competitive bullseye pistol after I got out so I have cast literally thousands of "heads" as they call them around here in eastern PA. Casting equipment is no problem. I have it.
I need an update, though.
First, I need to understand all the talk about zinc. I have several hundred pounds of lead around, some former wheelweights now in ingot form that was my go to lead for .45 and .38 wadcutters, the rest plumbers lead in the form of pipe drains and even plumbers ingots marked "NL" and "Natl. Lead". I had the guys at a tire shop and a plumber lined up to feed my lead habit. This stuff is NOT FOR SALE! Its all twenty five years old or more and its enough to last me for the rest of my life.
Am I likely to have a zinc problem?
Second, bullet lube. My old stock still on hand is Alox. I have a Star lubrisizer (are dies even still available?). I plan to unlimber a .45-70 Rolling Block (Numrich octagon barrel), a .45-70 trapdoor, and a .50-70 trapdoor. Yes, I have .50-70 cases. I'm working on completing a .43 Spanish Rolling Block after the project was put on hold for 20+ years. I need a buttplate and barrel bands, BTW. I just ordered forty cases from Australia! They were the only cases that I could find anywhere and even with shipping the price was not bad. The only problem is that it takes six weeks for the Australians to get an export permit plus probably another month to get here.
What is the lube of choice these days?
Almost forgot! I won a .44-40 brass frame Henry in the Friends of the NRA raffle. I'll be shooting that too. Maybe I shouldn't since its some sort of a commemorative but I'm beyond the age of worrying about appreciation.
Glad to be here.
Bob (Hightwelve)
I need an update, though.
First, I need to understand all the talk about zinc. I have several hundred pounds of lead around, some former wheelweights now in ingot form that was my go to lead for .45 and .38 wadcutters, the rest plumbers lead in the form of pipe drains and even plumbers ingots marked "NL" and "Natl. Lead". I had the guys at a tire shop and a plumber lined up to feed my lead habit. This stuff is NOT FOR SALE! Its all twenty five years old or more and its enough to last me for the rest of my life.
Am I likely to have a zinc problem?
Second, bullet lube. My old stock still on hand is Alox. I have a Star lubrisizer (are dies even still available?). I plan to unlimber a .45-70 Rolling Block (Numrich octagon barrel), a .45-70 trapdoor, and a .50-70 trapdoor. Yes, I have .50-70 cases. I'm working on completing a .43 Spanish Rolling Block after the project was put on hold for 20+ years. I need a buttplate and barrel bands, BTW. I just ordered forty cases from Australia! They were the only cases that I could find anywhere and even with shipping the price was not bad. The only problem is that it takes six weeks for the Australians to get an export permit plus probably another month to get here.
What is the lube of choice these days?
Almost forgot! I won a .44-40 brass frame Henry in the Friends of the NRA raffle. I'll be shooting that too. Maybe I shouldn't since its some sort of a commemorative but I'm beyond the age of worrying about appreciation.
Glad to be here.
Bob (Hightwelve)