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View Full Version : Is there such a thing as 20:1 Lead Swaging Wire?



16Twist
07-29-2008, 05:16 PM
New to this site: Who knows where I can find Lead Swaging Wire in a 20:1 alloy, and for that matter, other lead to tin ratios as well. Corbin says he has only pure lead wire and I would rather not have to melt lead and make my own alloy. The rifle it will be used in is a 45 Cal Sharps Rifle. The bullets will be paperpatched. Thanks. Jeff

wiljen
07-29-2008, 07:35 PM
I know where to find it in ingots, but not in wire. You might shoot Fishhawk a private message as I think he was designing an apparatus to make lead wire.

16Twist
07-30-2008, 12:23 AM
Thanks, I will ask him. Jeff

45 2.1
07-30-2008, 06:52 AM
New to this site: Who knows where I can find Lead Swaging Wire in a 20:1 alloy, and for that matter, other lead to tin ratios as well. Corbin says he has only pure lead wire and I would rather not have to melt lead and make my own alloy. The rifle it will be used in is a 45 Cal Sharps Rifle. The bullets will be paperpatched. Thanks. Jeff

You can buy the alloy already made up for casting. You can also get a core mold from Corbin and cast slugs so you can swage them to size and weight to paper patch.

16Twist
08-05-2008, 04:06 AM
I was trying to avoid doing any casting so I could avoid the heat and lead fumes. It sounds like I have no choice but to cast the alloy into cores, if I have interpreted your response correctly. And you can re-iterate and expand on your answer if you wish.

Also, if you have paperpatched bullets successfully before, I have found two schools of thought and tell me which one you prefer: (1) Wrap the patch around the bullet so the combined diameter is 1/1000th over bore (2) Wrap the patch around the bullet so the combined diameter is 1, 2, or 3/1000ths of an inch less than bore diameter and it all expands during bullet upset to fill the bore and grooves. Which one do you think is more accurate?

45 2.1
08-05-2008, 07:11 AM
I was trying to avoid doing any casting so I could avoid the heat and lead fumes. It sounds like I have no choice but to cast the alloy into cores, if I have interpreted your response correctly. Pretty well so.

Also, if you have paperpatched bullets successfully before, I have found two schools of thought and tell me which one you prefer: (1) Wrap the patch around the bullet so the combined diameter is 1/1000th over bore (2) Wrap the patch around the bullet so the combined diameter is 1, 2, or 3/1000ths of an inch less than bore diameter and it all expands during bullet upset to fill the bore and grooves. Which one do you think is more accurate? This depends on what you are going to do. Since this is a 45 caliber Sharps, case length not given, one would assume you are going to shoot blackpowder in it. Are you going to wipe the bore for each shot or shoot dirty? If you wipe, you can have a long loaded, slightly under bore patched boolit or shoot a throat diameter patched boolit seated in the case more which would restrict your powder room. If you shoot dirty, you will have to have a patched boolit diameter under bore size so you can seat the seated out boolit in a dirty throat. you will have to account for a lube wad in there also regardless of which you choose. I think the wiping with a throat diameter patched slug will provide the best accuracy providing the cartridge is large enough in powder capacity to accept the deeper seated boolit and possibly a lube wad. There sure are a lot of opinions on this also. Smokeless powder requirements are somewhat different.

BrentD
08-05-2008, 08:36 AM
Alloy lead wire of the right diameter was available a few years ago when I looked for it. But it was expensive and generally a PITA to find. So, I went off to cast cores instead. Try googling. There used to be something called the Thomas Register or something sort of like that and you could look up all sorts of products with it. It will take you a bunch of phone calls and work to find it. But it is out there somewhere though.

You will probably want 0.43" wire by the way.


Go with bore diameter bullets. 1 thou over may be okay if you compress powder. Otherwise, you may get some irregular bulllet set back when you chamber.


Brent