I need help with information for my gun

[Benafuchi]

I am so green it is frightening. So please forgive anything I ask that sounds stupid. I own an Armi San Marco 1860 replica 44 Cal revolver. I want to cast my own bullets. After looking at the sight and realizing that I don't even know the vocabulary I realized I am doomed. Does anyone know what kind of lead I would buy to cast the round ball for the gun? I need as much help as I can get to start this process right. Any help and mercy shown to this nubie is greatly appreciated, Shalom Henry benafuchi@aol.com

[shooter93]

Pure lead. Other alloys can be used but pure makes it easy and always repeatable.

[Pumpkinheaver]

I agree.

[dead dog]

Use pure lead, your finger nail scratch it easily.A steel pot, a ladle and Lee mold will get you started.You can use a 44 brass as a powder measure.

[country gent]

As mentioned above pure lead works great. When loading and seating the ball you should be shearing a light ring of lead from the ball this helps seals the chamber mouth. With harder leads this become more difficult and puts way more wear on the loaging lever. A steel pot coleman camp stove lee mould .454 05 .457 should work ( if cap and ball) Lee makes round bal and a conical mould for these revolvers. Take some time and read research these revolvers and use.

[dikman]

Pure lead only. Trust me, anything harder than pure lead will likely jam half-way in the chamber (it did for me!). I started off with a saucepan on a camping stove to melt the lead, a soup ladle to pour it and a Lee 2-cavity round mold.

[1_Ogre]

Pure lead is the only way to go or you may end up with more problems than you want.
Just want to mention one thing also. Just remember we all were nubies at one time, and from my experience, the only stupid questions are those that are never asked.
Just for informaion

[rancher1913]

you stated that you are as green as can be so my advice would be to go buy a box of premade ammo of the right caliber and get used to the gun before you make your own. take baby steps and the learning curve won't be so bad.

[Hickok]

you stated that you are as green as can be so my advice would be to go buy a box of premade ammo of the right caliber and get used to the gun before you make your own. take baby steps and the learning curve won't be so bad.I was going to say the same thing. Hornady offers round balls for revolvers. Also some .44's like a .451" ball and some prefer a .454" ball. Usually the .457" ball works best in the Ruger Old Army, but there may be others.

I use .454" inch balls in my Pietta's and Uberti's .44's, and that size would be my recommendation for a start. (Unless someone also has a San Marco revolver and can give advice.)

If you are starting out shooting cap and ball revolvers, you can put grease (Crisco, SPG lube, etc) over the ball after loading, or as I prefer, a felt wad over the powder and then seat the ball on top of that. Wonder wads for .44 can be bought. Really, I have loaded carried and shot them without anything over and under the ball, but I wont advise anyone else to do that. The cylinder will bind up fast due to fowling if shooting many shots this way.

This I think is MOST important, get proper fitting percussion caps that are not loose on the cones/nipples. You want a nice snug fit when you put the percussion cap on.

A lot of argument over the cause of chain-fires, but I know for a fact, loose fitting percussions caps are bad when shooting these revolvers.

[William Yanda]

"A lot of argument over the cause of chain-fires, but I know for a fact, loose fitting percussion caps are bad when shooting these revolvers."

Makes a lot of sense. If you have a series of holes drilled through a steel cylinder,filled with black powder, and the large hole in front is filled with a lead ball swaged in place, the only possible source for a spark to ignite the BP is.....

[Wayne Smith]

Pure soft lead. Anything harder can break your loading lever as you try to swage the ball into the chamber - that is really what you are doing when loading a cap and ball revolver. Start with the round ball appropriate to your revolver, I think .454. The Lee mold is the best one going, all my round ball molds but one are Lee. Get some FFFG black powder and caps that fit (either #10 or #11) and have fun. They are a blast to shoot!