Waht did you cast today?

L Ross

L Ross

Well-Known Member
How 'bout we start a thread like that? Of course Bret won't be able to play.

I just came if from casting up some Mav Dutchman's designed Big Lube bullets marketed through Dick Dastardly. All that cowboy action hoopla for a bullet designed to hold enough black powder lube to keep the fouling as sloppy as a dorm room kiss. They work, and work well. Of course they have not been tested for accuracy against a bullet with lesser lube capacity but perhaps greater structural integrity, but by golly my Cimarron SAA clone keeps running, and my 73 Winchester does not foul out either. You cannot conveniently use a blow tube on the lever gun and wiping isn't an option. I used to watch 10 shots form a decent group and then watch #11 go wider, #12 wider still, and #13 leave the house thank you. Now I can keep shooting and have reasonable accuracy for as long and necessary.

I usually ladle pour my black powder bullets but this is a Lee based 6 cavity and I filled an RCBS pot with some pretty soft lead. In this case it is stained glass window cames from windows made in Innsbruck, Austria in 1893 and installed in a big Catholic Church in Green Bay, WI. When the windows were being professionally restored I offered to dispose of the resultant hazardous waste generated, and I was eagerly taken up on that offer by the restoration company. I did not even charge them for said disposal. With the tin joints the brinell hardness comes out to 8. I have a few hundred pounds of that lead.

Now I gotta decide if I am going to pan lube these or if I'll fill a Star with NASA lube. or maybe I already have one filled I'll havta check.
 
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CZ93X62

CZ93X62

Official forum enigma
Samuel Clemens--"D**n a man that can only spell a word one way!"

There is zero bullet casting taking place today--it's still 101* at 6:30 P.M. It might take the bullets a while to freeze in such weather.
 
Winelover

Winelover

North Central Arkansas
Never do any casting this time of year, since all my casting is done outdoors. Late Summer and Fall is prepping for the upcoming seven months of deer season, fishing and property maintenance. Spring and mild Winter days is when casting and the majority of my shooting is done.
 
462

462

California's Central Coast Amid The Insanity
Thank you, Mr. Ross, for the thread. Won't question why it was so long in coming, but ought to be an interesting one.

Cast a small batch of Lyman 311284s, this morning.
Mould is a Lyman single cavity I bought from Steve (S Mac), and it casts like a dream. Pre-heated in the mould furnace, the first bullet was a keeper and it jumped out of the mould upon opening, as did all its buddies.
Lee 20-pound bottom pour set at an indicated 710-degrees, according to the Tel-True thermometer.
Diameter is .310", which is what the 2-43 dated, four-groove 03A3 prefers.
Cast of 100% clip-on weights, I'm calling the weight 219 to 220-grains.
After they have settled down, they will be run through a Lyman .310" die, lubed with White Label BAC, and a Hornady gas check applied.
Finally, they will be seated in a Lee collet neck sized case, along with 16.0-grains of 2400, to a length they will engage the rifling.
At the range, they will be singly loaded using a Score-High single shot follower.
B3353E25-D50B-4613-9CFC-D81B27975489_1_201_a.jpegCE2FD942-BE60-4B06-A7CA-5206675F0B8C_1_201_a.jpeg
 
L Ross

L Ross

Well-Known Member
462 said:
Thank you, Mr. Ross, for the thread. Won't question why it was so long in coming, but ought to be an interesting one.

Cast a small batch of Lyman 311284s, this morning.
Mould is a Lyman single cavity I bought from Steve (S Mac), and it casts like a dream. Pre-heated in the mould furnace, the first bullet was a keeper and it jumped out of the mould upon opening, as did all its buddies.
Lee 20-pound bottom pour set at an indicated 710-degrees, according to the Tel-True thermometer.
Diameter is .310", which is what the 2-43 dated, four-groove 03A3 prefers.
Cast of 100% clip-on weights, I'm calling the weight 219 to 220-grains.
After they have settled down, they will be run through a Lyman .310" die, lubed with White Label BAC, and a Hornady gas check applied.
Finally, they will be seated in a Lee collet neck sized case, along with 16.0-grains of 2400, to a length they will engage the rifling.
At the range, they will be singly loaded using a Score-High single shot follower.
View attachment 29318View attachment 29319
Click to expand...
Perfect example of waht I hope this thread would prove to be.

My old 311284 does this exactly and I size at .311" which just barely touches the as cast bullets. Myself and several of my friends shoot these bullets and loads just as you described 462, and in Springfields to boot. We found them to be a little less wind sensitive and more reliable in knocking down the 210 yard buffalo silhouettes. Some use 2400 and some 4227, and some 4759. Velocities range from 1,350 to about 1,500 fps.
 
fiver

fiver

Well-Known Member
my casting season is winter.
i got 3 molds waiting, but ain't nuthin happenin in there until i can't do nuthin outdoors without putting on 3 layers of clothing.
or until the trout lake freezes over,, whichever comes first.
 
358156 hp

358156 hp

At large, whereabouts unknown.
CWLONGSHOT said:
Id be casting is I was able... :headbang::headbang:
Click to expand...
The fact that you feel better enough to be frustrated about activity limitations is a really good sign.

The right thing to do is often the hardest thing to do.
-author unknown, but it was probably some wise old guy.
 
358156 hp

358156 hp

At large, whereabouts unknown.
L Ross said:
Perfect example of waht I hope this thread would prove to be.

My old 311284 does this exactly and I size at .311" which just barely touches the as cast bullets. Myself and several of my friends shoot these bullets and loads just as you described 462, and in Springfields to boot. We found them to be a little less wind sensitive and more reliable in knocking down the 210 yard buffalo silhouettes. Some use 2400 and some 4227, and some 4759. Velocities range from 1,350 to about 1,500 fps.
Click to expand...
A perfect example of real experience. I've had new casters get all wrapped up over sizing diameter, and your example is a perfect condensation of what I tell them. Ideally, I feel that it's not out of reason to order sizers to fit the "as-cast" diameter of the bullet for lubing and gas check installation, then have a series of simple push through sizers to fine tune final diameter as/if needed. I've offered this advice to some newer casters who generally look at me like I just got off the last train from Mars and walk away mumbling to themselves.
 
L Ross

L Ross

Well-Known Member
I wasn't planning on casting this morning, I was supposed to help can potatoes or work on de-nailing laths. I wanted to shoot 20 prairie dog targets off hand with my Bergara B-14 then get started on my chores.

When I turned on the light in the casting shed I forgot the RCBS pot was plugged in and by the time I set targets, got my equipment out, shot the targets, re-set the targets I could smell a hot lead pot. I told Sue the lead was melted and she said I may as well cast rather than waste the heat. So I quick ran another 6 lbs. of the .44 Mav Dutchman's.

Then this afternoon when my back couldn't take any more de-nailing I sized the other day's haul of .44's to .431" and lubed them with NASA lube. There are going to be a whole lot of black powder .44 w.c.f. ammo done up in a couple of days.
 
fiver

fiver

Well-Known Member
that lee is one on my list to do.
my 44-40 shoots a 240 just fine and i have plenty of those on hand, so no hurry, but i kinda want to go with a traditional weight since i also have the 44 mag version.
 
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