How much to smelt?

[malpaismike]

OK, I'm off to a good start with my own boolits. Took a 3rd last week and a 1st this week in frontier cartridge--bp. My first boolits were ww from a good saddle pard. Now, I'm getting into my own matl. It's been smelted once, but I did it on my camp stove and fluxing was, probably, not the best--still learning, dontchano. At any rate, I'm loading for cas; how fussy do I have to be? When I worked at Sportsman's Whse, my pard Bill and I were the loading gurus. I told folks Bill was a handloader---he made small holes far away. I was a reloader--I expended copious ordnance. Except for extra care in my .45-70 long-range stuff, purty much anything goes. Most of my boolits were picture-perfect; others had a mold line or so and, toward the end when the wind kicked up, wrinkled noses, BUT, they seated, crimped and hit the target.

I don't want to merely be a bozo; this is an addictive experience. I can see this forum as a mix of 'what's the best I can get free or next to it', 'how small a group can I get at 200 yds' and -- me -- 'amm if I'll pay 13/c for round ball or 80/m for rnfp'. So, I solicit your experience. thxnregards. mm

[RayinNH]

Mike, I would say the farther distance you are shooting the better the boolits have to be. Your long range rifle loads have to be more carefully cast than the handgun loads. Handgun loads are typically shot at spitting distances at fairly large targets. As a beginner I would say use the wrinkled ones for now in the handgun. The wrinkled rifle boolits throw back in the pot. As you gain more experience the wrinkles and flaws will disappear...Ray

[Goatlips]

Howdy Mike,

I'm a Cowboy Action Shooter also. :Fire:At our distances, we can load 'em backwards and still clean a stage. :mrgreen:

Ya wouldn't catch me braggin but I cleaned our last match. Slowly... :Fire:

Goatlips

[malpaismike]

Much obliged, gents. Ray, I read ya, pard. I am using some of my xray lead and 62/83 sn to make 20:1 for rifle. I'm not too worried about this aspect. While my pot was hot, 2/3 was pure lead. It's the other 1/3 I'm concerned about. I got to ~800 w/ ww; could have zinc problem, but first I need a read on how serious it is. I've run a thread before about having 2 squibs in a 300-rd batch; one each on successive weekends. I put the 16-rd bal into the berm at the local range with zero problems. That said, I can succumb to bozoitis at the drop of a hat. Just trying to forestall summa them.

GL, gotcha; yer site is a wonder to behold. If I didn't pick up anything else, my gear is screwed to the worktable to preclube oopses. thxnregards. mm