Thanks guys...

[badgeredd]

I wanted to thank you guys for the assistance you've given me in the past.

The reason this came to mind, is that I went to a gun show this past weekend with Hornet. While there we spotted a 54 cal TC mold for the 425 grain Maxxie mold. Since 54 molds tend to be a little hard to find and the price was definitely right, I was interested. The fellow that had it wanted a whole $8 for it. He said he had never been able to mold good boolits with it because they just wouldn't fill out properly. Well based on your advice and some of my experience I decided it was a good deal. He had deepened the vents (not necessary) and the top of the mold had gauled some but not in the cavity area.

Well short story long, I cranked up the pot and preheated the mold on my hot plate. I set the temp HOT on the Lee pot at 900 degrees. My alloy was straight stick-on WW with a piece of 95/5 solder added. After 4 rejects, I started casting beautiful shiney smooth completely filled out slugs. After a couple hundred, I called it a good day with that mold.

It goes to show that your advice if heeded, can really alleviate molding woes. Thanks to you all for freely sharing your knowledge and helpful suggestions.

Edd

[winelover]

Just one problem with that is that maxi -ball is suppose to be PURE lead. as is ALL front- stuffers. Hate to rain on your parade,Edd, but that's the way it is.

Winelover

[badgeredd]

Just one problem with that is that maxi -ball is suppose to be PURE lead. as is ALL front- stuffers. Hate to rain on your parade,Edd, but that's the way it is.

Winelover

No problem with rain here!

I suspect that you need to try some with a touch of tin before you make that statement. I know the purists say pure lead only, but practical experience has shown me that just a little tin adds to castability and the boolits load fine. Furthermore the deer seem to care less if they dropped from a pure lead projectile or not.

Edd

[pdawg_shooter]

I dont hunt with, or even own a smoke pole. A lot of my friends do and they all cast with WWs. Every one of them say it works just fine.

[beagle]

I've touched up mine with a little tin too. Casting was easier and I had no complaints from the users. Can't beleive everything you read./beagle

[badgeredd]

I didn't intend to sound snotty, but my logic is this. If a cast boolit shooter can use 2% tin in a black powder cartridge rifle and still get the required upset, then it follows for me that 1/2% tin in my muzzy should work fine. So happens that I have been using that alloy for round balls and R.E.A.L. boolits for 25 years and have never had a problem with projectile performance. Like Beagle said, one can't always believe everything they read to be 100% fact with no variance.

Edd

[44man]

Well, a little tin will not harden a boolit at all so they will work. Stick on WW's are mostly pure too.
But anyone that uses regular WW's in a muzzle loader has to define what "FINE" is. Yes, I have read that stuff too but my guess is they are putting the boolit in a sabot for an inline.
Anyone is welcome to come show me how they get a hard lead ball and patch in a gun and have the proper fit for accuracy. Then what size hammer is used to get a hard Maxi Ball in the bore?
I have no problems casting any Maxi Ball or round ball from pure lead, nothing else needed.

[jdgabbard]

Well, a little tin will not harden a boolit at all so they will work. Stick on WW's are mostly pure too.
But anyone that uses regular WW's in a muzzle loader has to define what "FINE" is. Yes, I have read that stuff too but my guess is they are putting the boolit in a sabot for an inline.
Anyone is welcome to come show me how they get a hard lead ball and patch in a gun and have the proper fit for accuracy. Then what size hammer is used to get a hard Maxi Ball in the bore?
I have no problems casting any Maxi Ball or round ball from pure lead, nothing else needed.

I'll have to agree with 44man here. I accidentally picked up a slug I had cast from WW instead of 99% to run down a bore to check diameter. Lets just say it didn't want to go in... So I can easily see where a front stuffer would want something much softer....

[Buckshot]

...........The British practitoners of the long range match muzzle loaders knew of and used 'tempered' boolits, and adding antimoney was not uncommon. These were mainly 45 caliber fast twist rifles shooting 500 - 560 grain conicals. Both paper patched and lube grooved boolits. So long as ignition pressures are beyond the plastic deformation point of the alloy, the slug WILL upset.

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

[357maximum]

I shot ac-ww roundballs for years before I "KNEW BETTER" never had any issues. One little "unicorn" spike that got tired of the December cold about the same time I needed a warm chest cavity to warm my hands did not care much either.:mrgreen: I just adjusted my patch to match = no issues. I always shoot my frontloaders with the warmest accurate charge I can though....it may make a difference if you go weak charged....i will likely never know.:twisted:

I still would not try beating a ww maxi down the barrel however...tiiiiiiiiiiiiiiight might be an issue.

What EDD is doing is what I do also......works just fine, I have even gone a bit above his alloy and used lead pipe/joints and all on a few occassions.....still works. I actually get a touch better accuracy with .50 lee reals if I use my pipe/joint alloy.

WINELOVER
Reading without thinking/doubting/trying would frustrate me to no end....I do not have the ability to do that I suppose. The way it is can quite regularly be changed/ignored/sidestepped.

[winelover]

Mea Culpa, Mea Culpa---I over- looked the STICK-ON in front of WW--must have been after that glass of wine! A little tin might be OK but one must know when enough is enough! The manufacture's literature is very clear about only using pure lead. They do this for liability concerns since there is always someone who's going to think if a little helps, alot must be better.


Winelover---Wine is constant proof that God loves us and wants to see us happy!

[357maximum]

:drinks: I like my wine also. :drinks:

Did not mean ro sound huffy, it is just my dander gets a bit up when I see what I presume to be regurgitated info. If manufacturers warnings were heeded to the letter...there would be no such thing as handloaders, what a shame that would be.