Old Mold Questions

[Jonnytoobad]

Hey everyone
I was thinking today about an old mold my Dad had owned. But I hadn't looked at it in about 10 years or so. This morning I dug it out because I seemed to remember it being marked .38 WCF. I found the mold it is all steel construction including handles which are marked 38WCF , it has a sprue cutter and is a single cavity design. It's probably from the late 19th century or early 20th century. It's got a nice even patina and good lock up.

Here is the best part strange part about It. It make one .38 round ball. My dad and I used to use it to make buck shot for our smooth bore flint locks.

My question is why a .38WCF round ball mold? Everything I have ever seen in .38-40 was conical. I know they made target practice and gallery loads that fired round balls but I didn't think that they were very common or popular.

it looks exactly like the mold in the picture.
http://merzantique.com/item/winchester-model-1882-1st-issue-tool-4th-model-mold-set-in-.38-wcf

I am wondering is this mold collectible?

Jonnytoobad

[rintinglen]

Two possibilities exist. First, it may be a round ball for gallery shooting, or it may have been altered from some other smaller boolit and re-stamped. Gallery shooting was a fairly popular past-time back around the 1890-1910 time frame. Standard "hunting" calibers were loaded with light-for-caliber boolits over light loads of powder, usually black powder with a filler such as corn meal or cream of wheat, and shot at short range, reduced targets. Ideal's 311-245 was reported to have been designed for use in gallery loads for the 30-40 for use by the USMC with 3.5 grains of Bullseye or 4.0 grains of unique.
If it was altered, it would have no value as a collectors piece, but if it is original and stamped "winchester" or "Ideal" there are collectors out there who may be interested. Round ball moulds tend to have less of a following than more modern designs.

[Jonnytoobad]

It appears to be the original caliber. I don't see were it has had any other markings other than 38WCF on one of the handles. It is not marked Winchester but I have been informed that is it a Winchester mold.

[Bent Ramrod]

Is the round ball 0.403" diameter? Or some other size? I've seen .44-40 round ball loads, but not .38-40 versions.

Gunsmiths used to mill or drill out the original cavity, braze or weld in a new piece of steel or brass and recherry the mould for whatever cavity they wanted. Reworking such a "useless" mould would save them the trouble of making or milling handles or slots, screw holes, locating pins, sprue plates and the other necessaries on new mould blocks. Of course, there was not the feeling back then that they were desecrating a valuable antique.

I've seen them so well done that it takes a magnifying glass and careful observation to see the joint. A picture would help.

[Jonnytoobad]

Upon Careful inspection sir...you are correct. the mold has been reworked. The mold was rebored then had a block braised into it then cherried again to the round ball. I am thinking it might be .357 because I have a .40 caliber ball and it is too large and the .32 caliber ball I have is too small Ill have to cast one and measure it...