I found a gang mold that casts .380 roundball/buckshot for 36 cal C&B shooters

[Hellgate]

I just discovered that www.buckshotmold.com/ has a variety of buckshot molds available for casters. They have a 0000 Buck mold that casts 10 (TEN!!) .380 diameter buckshot per casting (and 20 shot per cast in smaller sizes). Now, this isn't a precision mold like you would get from Lyman, RCBS, Shiloh, LEE, BigLube, etc. but the nominal diameter is .380 inch (I'm guessing + or - .003" variation). The casting cavities are machined not molded into the aluminum molds and wooden handles are integral. It is not the cheapo sinker mold you see at the sporting goods store. The mold costs $34.95+$5 shipping. They even have combination sizes like my mold that casts #4 and 00 buck. My thought is the 0000 Buck mold should cast round balls that ought to work just fine in the various 36 cal Colt & Remington replicas at the short ranges we use in CAS. For precision shooting there may be too much variation in ball size for real good accuracy in target work. For most CAS shoots where the targets are 7-10 yards or for plinking they should perform well enough. If I were ever to go to EOT or Winter Range I'd use factory swaged balls (or sorted & graded hand cast from a LEE or Lyman quality mold) but for monthlies these oughta be just fine. I do not work for Sharpshooter USA that makes the mold. I am not getting compensated for this "plug".

I just bought their combo buckshot mold and it works beautifully once it is heated up. I leave a full length sprue attached before nipping off the shot. That warms the mold faster and leaves bigger chunks of lead that are easier to put back into the melt while casting. You'll need a flush cutting nipper to remove the sprues (@Harbor Freight for about $2.50 or $5 shipped with the mold). I just wanted to let the pards I shoot with know that there is an economic and suitable mold out there for volume casting to help save a few bucks on ammo for those 36s. Their #0 buck mold (.320" dia) might even work for the 31 cals. If you have already tried this mold and it didn't work for revolver shooting, please let the me/us know. All I can say is their buckshot in shotshells patterns just as good as factory loads but are a whole lot cheaper to make yourself.

[StrawHat]

Always good to hear of new makers. Have you tried the boolits in your 36 yet? That is the info I am looking for. I recently rediscovered my 36s and need a larger supply of .380s.

[Hellgate]

I have used the LEE 130gr conical in both solid and HP. They shoot accurately and have more punch. I have not used any actual bullets in the '61 Colt navy or the Remington navies. In my earlier days when I had no molds I would cast "slugs" from inside other brass (like cut off .30-06 to about 5/8" long and pour in lead). They shot OK for plinking but the .375 ball was much better.

[StrawHat]

I have used the LEE 130gr conical in both solid and HP. They shoot accurately and have more punch. I have not used any actual bullets in the '61 Colt navy or the Remington navies. In my earlier days when I had no molds I would cast "slugs" from inside other brass (like cut off .30-06 to about 5/8" long and pour in lead). They shot OK for plinking but the .375 ball was much better.

Sorry, I meant to ask if you had tried the round balls from the 0000 buckshot mold. I see where you misunderstood, bad phrase-ology on my part. I only use round ball in the C&B revolvers. They hit harder than the pointy conicals and fly flatter.

[Hellgate]

No sir, I have not used the .380 buckshot mold but have used incredibly crude molds of my own just to throw lead out of my '61 Navy. I have a dual size mold that casts 00 & #4 buck. You need to get the mold and lead very hot and then it casts like a dream but I leave a continuous sprue so I can drop a big hunk of lead back into the pot (using gloves of course) after accumulating 5 or 10 of them on the towel. The OO & #4 buck would be fine projectiles if I had a C&B of that small of caliber. There is more of a flat spot on the #4 buck because of the sprue on such a small ball but a 0000 shot would be akin to the LEE flush sprue. I tumble the balls briefly and that removes the small imperfections but shows up the larger ones more easily to the eye especially on the small shot.

[masscaster]

Hi all,
Nice post Hellgate! Some nice looking moulds, and info there.

Except for using # sizes and calibers in the same likeness.

There's a Large desparity between shot/buckshot #'s and calibers.
With the exception of some 17th - 19th century oddball calibers, these being mainly European millimetre, Standards the sizes for shot and calber is evident as shown in some cases below. Starting from Small to Large.

.30 Caliber: Revolvers are rare. Single Shot Pistols & Rifles are (as with modern cartridges) is a .308 Ball w/ Patch. Slightly larger than a #1.
.31 Caliber: This is mainly a Cap & Ball Firearm using a .313 -.315 Ball. No patch.
.32 Caliber: With some variation the Single shot M/L Pistol & Rifle is a . 310 - .311 ball w/ patch. Cap & Ball is around .319, and a #0 Buck.

Now this jumps quite aways in Caliber, but not in Buckshot Size as shown.
.330 & .340 are mainly Millimetre sizes for "Calibre", whereas .345 and .350 are actual .36 Caliber Rifle diameters. These use a patch.

Back to Buckshot and Caliber.
.360 is an actual .36 Cal. Cap & Ball projectile used in Whitaker, Browns, and a few others. It is of course #000 Buck.
As Shown, #0000 Buck is also .36 Caliber, and is usually relegated to the Cap & Ball Revolver. Again, a pretty good size desparity between .360 (#000) and .380 (#0000) Buckshot. A difference of 10grs. and .0020 is rather large when weighing your loads, and capacity..
It also doesn't stop at #0000, since we can load 2 - 3 .390/.395/.400 RB (.40 Cal. M/L) in a .410 Shell, with a wad. This is #00000 Buck.
Another example, and rather rare is 3 .420 RB's loaded in a 20 gauge wad.
This is surely #000000 Buck. But there's no actual Caliber for the .420 , except perhaps a sized down .41.
A tri - ball load could also be tallied as using Buckshot, seperating the actual Bucshot from the larger Caliber Ball, this can be misleading as it's all still being used as Buckshot. The actual caliber of the Ball in the "Buck and Ball" for a 12 gauge could go from .50 Cal. (.490) to a .58 Cal. (.560 - .575 ), or even a .69 Cal. (.685 - .735 respectively).

Clearly these are not, and should not be crossed referenced, each having it's own place in the projectile world.
Thus the #'s for Buckshot versus the Caliber or "Calibre" , whichever the case may be.
This isn't intended as a mockery, only the true differences of the classification of projectiles.
I hope it sheds some light on the subject, and some folks come away with an understanding of the differences.

[smilie=s:
Jeff