New to the forum. Blackpowder ???

[ferris bugler]

Hey all. I'm new here and hoping to answer a bunch of questions as I get into casting. I have a 54 cal T&C Hawken that I am looking to start making my own bullets for. My first question is should I use pure plumbers lead or do I need to add some tin. My dad was a plumber and I have a bunch of lead around. Is it too soft as it is or will it be perfect? Thanks in advance.

[Nobade]

Welcome to the forum, Ferris.
The alloy kind of depends on what kind of bullets you are contemplating on making, but a tiny touch of tin will make the metal easier to pour and fill out the mould better. But if you can get a good fill-out with straight lead it'll work just fine. You are lucky to have a good stash of it, pure lead is hard to come by and expensive any more. If you have a way to catch your bullets and re-use them you are really ahead of the game!

-Nobade

[ferris bugler]

Welcome to the forum, Ferris.
The alloy kind of depends on what kind of bullets you are contemplating on making, but a tiny touch of tin will make the metal easier to pour and fill out the mould better. But if you can get a good fill-out with straight lead it'll work just fine. You are lucky to have a good stash of it, pure lead is hard to come by and expensive any more. If you have a way to catch your bullets and re-use them you are really ahead of the game!

-Nobade

Thanks Nobade. Would lead free solder carry the tin I'm looking for, or do you get it somewhere else? How much should I add? I am looking to use a Lee bullet mold that makes a 380 gr bullet that looks similar to a maxi-hunter and gets a lube melted on to it later. It would be something I would eventually use to hunt elk if that makes any difference.

[dondiego]

Lead free solder is a good, but expensive source of tin. Add at 1%to 2% if needed.

[Fly]

I have been using pure plumber lead for years & I,m very ole, (smile).

Fly

[ferris bugler]

Thanks you guys. After all the info I was reading I was getting confused. Since I'm brand new to this I wasn't always sure if I was reading about muzzleloader bullets, riffle bullets, or otherwise. There's so much info around. Looking forward to continuing to learn from this site.

[triggerhappy243]

Ferris, what part of the country do you call home?

[ferris bugler]

I'm from Colorado.

[triggerhappy243]

there are a bunch of different conical style bullets out there. I have 2 moulds for my 54. both maxi-balls with different profiles. I can coach you on what works best for that bullet. very little experience with the lee r.e.a.l.

[snapshot]

Pure lead is and has always been best for muzzleloaders soft is what you are looking for and like the man said if you got it and if you can trap it to save it you are surely blessed.

[waksupi]

For round balls, (the true projectile) most any lead will work. If you cast minies or similar, you will need the pure soft lead. I wouldn't waste my tin on casting round balls. Shouldn't be needed.

[ferris bugler]

there are a bunch of different conical style bullets out there. I have 2 moulds for my 54. both maxi-balls with different profiles. I can coach you on what works best for that bullet. very little experience with the lee r.e.a.l.
Thanks for the offer. I have watched some videos on Youtube and tried to read a bunch on the procedure. A few things that aren't totally clear to me are how exactly do I want to season my new mold (it's brand new), and I keep seeing people talk about fluxing the lead. What exactly does that mean in reference to what I am doing. I am clear as far as plumbing goes but here I am in the dark. I s there are good start to finish thread on here someone could suggest? Still getting used to the search menu.

[dondiego]

Scrub the mold with a stiff brush and Comet cleanser and cast some boolits with it. Is it round ball or conical boolit?

[Lee]

Read the appropriate threads..................................

[ferris bugler]

Scrub the mold with a stiff brush and Comet cleanser and cast some boolits with it. Is it round ball or conical boolit?

It's a Lee REAL mold.

[dondiego]

Since you will need to use soft lead for these, keep your mold hot for best casting and fillout.

[docone31]

I never scrub them, I let them soak over night in mineral spirits, then heat the mold and cast. I do not smoke them either. To heat them, let them float in the melt untill you are ready to cast. I buffer them with Kitty Litter. The mold gets hot, but not too hot. I let them float on the Kitty Litter. Six seconds to freeze. Too quick, and too cool, too slow, and too hot. I like the R.E.A.L.s. I find a was under them and they really behave down the bore. I lube with beeswax and olive oil. Crisco to make stiff.

[ferris bugler]

OK. I'm going to give it a go later. Appreciate all the info. Tied up some lose ends for me. I'll let you all know how it goes.

[Fly]

I never scrub them, I let them soak over night in mineral spirits, then heat the mold and cast. I do not smoke them either. To heat them, let them float in the melt untill you are ready to cast. I buffer them with Kitty Litter. The mold gets hot, but not too hot. I let them float on the Kitty Litter. Six seconds to freeze. Too quick, and too cool, too slow, and too hot. I like the R.E.A.L.s. I find a was under them and they really behave down the bore. I lube with beeswax and olive oil. Crisco to make stiff.

Where do you come up with ideas as so.Don't take me wrong I may try that.But it never stops amazing
me the things I learn here.God knows I need all the help I can get, when casting.I do ok but I love seeing
those bullets shine.

Fly

[Hanshi]

Welcome to the dark side, ferris. "Bullets" for a muzzleloader should be cast of "pure" (very soft) lead. The bullet will have to engrave on the rifling. Round balls can be cast from pure lead or a harder alloy and give good performance with either. I use Lee molds for most of my casting and all I do is initially clean the cavity with denatured alcohol. Aluminum is soft compared to iron molds and, if cared for properly, will last as long as the more expensive iron molds. Round balls don't touch the rifling; the lubed patch does that.

[dlbarr]

For round balls, (the true projectile) most any lead will work. If you cast minies or similar, you will need the pure soft lead. I wouldn't waste my tin on casting round balls. Shouldn't be needed.

Ferris,
I concur with waksupi here. The lead I've always cast with has been either WW of dug out of the backstops at the local range. It has always worked fine for round balls and you can kill elk with round balls. Now, of course, the type of ground you hunt will determine your shooting distance, but with a ML (IMHO) your shots should be within 100-125 yds anyway. You can get good accuracy and knock-down power with a RB at that range, particularly with that TC. I've shot one of those for many years - mostly RBs.