PDA

View Full Version : New to casting



taft33
12-16-2005, 08:49 PM
I am new to bullet casting and I have 90 lbs of lead roof flashing.Would this make muzzleloader bullets?I can mark it with my thumbnail fairly easy.Just bought Lee's R.E.A.L 54 cal mould and pot and ladel.Gonna try and see how it goes.Hoping to hunt deer and elk with muzzleloader next year.Any help would be great.Thanks Walt Taft Colorado

Johnch
12-16-2005, 09:12 PM
Roof flashing lead is almost pure .
Just make sure you clean it good .
It will have a fair amount of crud .

It should work good for front stuffer bullets .

I could never get the REAL bullets to shoot for me .
But some must , Lee keeps the mold around .

I get great groups with a Maxi Ball in both the 50 and 54 .

Johnch

versifier
12-17-2005, 12:16 AM
Walt, it sure will. Most of the pure lead I use is from flashing, usually from scraps, sometimes recycled when a chimney is repointed. (I have many friends and relatives in the building biz.) Like Johnch said, flux and skim. The new stuff is usually very clean, the recycled is easy to clean.
What kind of m/l is your .54? What it'll like best depends somewhat on the rate of twist, and each one is different. I have had good luck with Maxis, too, but I also shoot REALs, rb's, and like my home cast .45 cal HP's in sabots best. Try everything, samples of most anything you want can be easily gotten from other members to check out before you buy the molds.

taft33
12-17-2005, 12:17 AM
Thanks for the help.As soon as the moulds get in I will let you know how they shoot.

taft33
12-17-2005, 12:21 AM
Versifier I have a cabelas Hawkin 54 cal.Have shot some round balls in it.Does great at 100 yards.Has a 1 in 48 twist.

Buckshot
12-17-2005, 09:35 AM
...........Taft33, welcome to the board. As the others have said, the roof flashing should be just fine. The 48" twist in your 54 cal is somewhat of a compromise. It's faster then it really has to be for a pure RB gun, so it should let you also shoot some of the conicals available for it.

For a bit more 'umph' I'd for sure suggest you get a Lee R.E.A.L. mold to try out. It's heavier then a RB and requires no patch. The one negative to it is that it's a bit messy to lube.

If you're interested, I have a 54 cal mould for a Maxie type slug for sale. It's $20 + $3.85 shipping. I don't know what it weighs as I don't have a 54 :D A friend passed away and I bought all his BP stuff from his brother. (Below)

http://www.fototime.com/E7392C42F1FEC73/standard.jpg

One nice thing about pure lead is you can pretty much not worry about anything, and just run the pot as hot as it'll go, short of it taking forever for the sprue to set up. In your experimenting you'll also find most likely, that you don't really HAVE to have pure lead. You may be able to get as good accuracy with a slug approching WW alloy hardness.

.................Buckshot

taft33
12-17-2005, 10:17 AM
Buckshot I ordered the Lee R.E.A.L. bullet 380 grain mould a few days ago, just waiting for it to get here.How many 380 grain bullets will 90 lbs of lead make?Do i need to get more?I dont know never done this before.I know its gotta be a hell of alot cheaper than buying 20 conicals at $15 a box.Thanks for the offer.If the mould I ordered doesent group I will contact you.How many grains of powder do I need put behind a 380 grain bullet?Thought about trying 80-90-then 100 and see wich one groups the best.Walt Taft Colorado

quigleysharps4570
12-17-2005, 11:16 AM
Should be able to get around 1600 bullets with that 90 lbs. of lead. Far as powder charge...you're on track. My .50 likes the REAL bullet with 80grs. of 2f Swiss.

carpetman
12-17-2005, 11:29 AM
How many 380 grain bullets out of 90 pounds? That's a toughy. There are 7000 grains to the pound. BTW do you know the basis for this? It's very technical. That's based on the average weight of a grain of wheat and it was concluded about 7,000 grains made a pound. Back to the Einstein work here. You multiply 90(pounds of lead)X7000 and this gives you total grains--630,000. Divide this by 380(weight of the bullet)and you get 1657.895 bullets. Not to worry,that .895 smaller bullet,you use it on squirrels so if you are going to do much squirrel hunting you'll need a bunch more of this lead to have enough. Just to get a dozen squirrels you'd need 12x90=1,080 pounds. Glad I could help and welcome to the board.

Scrounger
12-17-2005, 12:02 PM
How many 380 grain bullets out of 90 pounds? That's a toughy. There are 7000 grains to the pound. BTW do you know the basis for this? It's very technical. That's based on the average weight of a grain of wheat and it was concluded about 7,000 grains made a pound. Back to the Einstein work here. You multiply 90(pounds of lead)X7000 and this gives you total grains--630,000. Divide this by 380(weight of the bullet)and you get 1657.895 bullets. Not to worry,that .895 smaller bullet,you use it on squirrels so if you are going to do much squirrel hunting you'll need a bunch more of this lead to have enough. Just to get a dozen squirrels you'd need 12x90=1,080 pounds. Glad I could help and welcome to the board.

Speaking of squirrels, I see one out already...[

versifier
12-17-2005, 01:54 PM
I shoot 90-100gr (by volume) of Pyrodex RS with a 430 Maxi. Same charge with a 228 .45Hp in sabot. The charges are a little stiff, but they are the most accurate in this barrel and I have a good recoil pad on my Renegade. My friend without the pad on his uses about 60gr - it's hard to tell how accurate it shoots as he flinches so bad I have to chuckle (he's a big guy, about 6' and 270lbs or so, and I'm built like a beanpole with a bad back). I can put five shots out of his with my charges into 3" offhand @ 100yds - I know because I worked up the loads for the rifle when he bought it about six years ago. Every year his charges seem to get a little lighter hehehe... :grin: