Hello,
I received my Thompson Center mould today. It casts .490" nominal; I found it was actually casting .492". I like room to play with, so this was good.
Bullets weighed from 176.6 to 180gns, with the majority weight 177.x.
I also last night made a pouch for those bullets. I don't know if it's period correct and don't care on this one.
You see, I had another set of grandparents, and I lost my grandfather on my dad's side and my grandmother on my mom's the same year - and they were the remaining ones. My grandpa was taken care of through the making of the powder horn; I was unsure what to do with Grandma and Grandpa Burkhardt.
Turns out I had a wooden spool which had been Grandma's, and a flannel shirt, too small for me and ripped besides, which had belonged to Grandpa Burkhardt.
They became a bullet pouch last night.
The balls were cast tonight.
Yes, that's pure lead.
Before I get jumped for not having used pure lead, that is indeed pure. I have a system for treating cast bullets. Hardcast are made a bit differently and have a black coating on them. It feels like plastic, but is not, and looks like a shiny version of what coated the Black Talons. I get no leading from these.
The balls are near match grade now. After treating with the process I use, they are very, very smooth and uniform. The only part which varies a bit is the sprue, and that will just be mashed with the ramrod, anyway.
I can't wait to shoot tomorrow. I have plenty of powder and ball; I don't foresee myself running out of caps, but I'm on my last tin so I'll have to get more.
I will have a way soon, too, to carry everything. Mom has volunteered to sew a denim possibles bag (which is odd; she is not a gun person at all, though not actively anti-gun. Maybe because I shoot at their place sometimes? I don't know. Anyway, it was nice of her and I'm not going to question it. Denim was in use since the 17th Century, anyway )
I'll post groups if those balls shoot worth anything!
I do sometimes make extra batches of boolits to sell to the local gunstores and online; if anyone wants some, let me know after I post targets and I'll make extra next time around.
Josh