Anyone tried making silver bullets? I am just getting started so I am a ways away from this idea, but always wanted to try it.
Have to be prepared for the eventuality of a werewolf uprising!
From my understanding silver shrinks way more than lead so I would assume that you would be an oversized mold. Not sure if that means I would have to make one or if I could find something that would work.
“Sticks and stones may break my bones, but hollow points expand on impact”
There are several old threads on this. The one kind of successful method i read about involved coating lead boolits in stove cement, melting out the lead, then pouring silver into the cavity. The cement is then chipped off. As I recall they didn't shoot for beans.
Paper targets aren't your friends. They won't lie for you and they don't care if your feelings get hurt.
If starting from scratch, I would attempt to turn silver rod on a lathe to get the form I wanted - and just skip trying to mold anything.
iirc the melting temperature of silver is much greater than any lead alloy -
lead = 621 deg. f
silver = 1763 deg. f
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that can't be right. Otherwise the notion of the Lone Ranger shuffling off to his hidden silver mine in the desert and casting his bullets would be all make believe!Originally Posted by schutzen-jager
“Some people spend an entire lifetime wondering if they made a difference in the world. But, the Marines don't have that problem.” Ronald Reagan
"Gun's Magazine" did a series of articles ... long time ago , but still a favorite of mine ...
they were testing the Lone Ranger's Silver boolit .
Casting silver in a conventional Lyman mould iron had problems ... in the end they had a silver smith create a lost wax mould and were able to get a decent looking projectile .
The third installment was loading and shooting The Silver Boolit ,I can't remember if they had more than 1 or just the Lone Silver Boolit to test ... but I do remember after testing the concensess was lead was easier to work with than silver .
To my knowledge Gun's Magazine never did that again and I don't believe the accuracy was anything to write home about .
That reminds me ... I need to re-up my subscription ... any magazine that tests silver boolits and Bug-A-Salt rifles ( a salt shooting bug killing gun) is one magazine you want to read !
Gary
Certified Cajun
Proud Member of The Basket of Deplorables
" Let's Go Brandon !"
Silver would be a poor choice for a cast bullet. It would be like having a pure tin bullet. The bullet would be too hard to obdurate and seal the rifling. The gas blow-by would cause pretty bad barrel leading, except that this "leading" would be harder to remove than actual lead. Aside from the problems of casting this metal in a traditional bullet mold, the metal would be expensive, and shooting it would be wasteful. I strongly believe that a stiffly loaded 44 magnum, with either heavy semi-wadcutters or hollowpoint bullets would be adequate to dispatch the average werewolf. For exceptionally large and fierce werewolves any of the standard dangerous game rifles should suffice. In any event, I'd recommend that your guide carry a DGR no matter what your personal weapon of choice is. Additionally, it is generally considered unsportsmanlike to shoot a werewolf while they're dressed in gentleman's attire.
My 470NE double should do nicely. If that doesn't work, maybe the 10ga double with slugs.
Oregon trail bullets used to contain a small amount of silver in their lead mix. Not sure if you need pure silver, or just some silver...
If the werewolf ain't picky..just use tin/silver solder..and make some 16:1 bullets..where the tin is say..96/4 tin/silver.
From a technical standpoint..its a silver bearing bullet.
Let's see.. A 158gr 38 would have 9.875g tin normally.. But now.. 9.48 gr tin and .395gr silver.
Bug A Salt? that's GREAT!
7000 grains to a pound. 200 grain bullet would be .028 pounds or 0.45 ounces. That would be 0.41 troy ounces. Silver at $24.50 today would mean the bullet would cost $10.05. But it would be fun to display one. I'll keep my silver rounds as they are.
Silver plating is also an option.
2nd Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. - "A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed."
"Before you argue with someone, ask yourself, is that person even mentally mature enough to grasp the concept of different perspectives? Because if not, there’s absolutely no point."
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Just load your 10 guage double with silver dimes, and give your werewolf both barrels. Then tell him "You can keep the change"
^^^^ Git 'er done! ^^^
Deplorable infidel
To seal better, maybe you could make a slightly smaller diameter and paper patch it.
An easy solution would be to shoot the werewolf with a patched ball from a muzzle loader.
In school: We learn lessons, and are given tests.
In life: We are given tests, and learn lessons.
OK People. Enough of this idle chit-chat.
This ain't your Grandma's sewing circle.
EVERYONE!
Back to your oars. The Captain wants to waterski.
I betcha Tonto painted them.
Never trade luck for skill.
Put a little silver in the recess of any hollowpoint in order to neutralize Lawrence Talbot.
“You should tell someone what you know. There should be a history, so that men can learn from it.
He smiled. “Men do not learn from history. Each generation believes itself brighter than the last, each believes it can survive the mistakes of the older ones. Each discovers each old thing and they throw up their hands and say ‘See! Look what I have found! Look upon what I know!’ And each believes it is something new.
Louis L’Amour
The Californios
But seriously, find a jewelry maker and have them make your bullets via the lost wax method.
There have been several threads on silver bullet makers, but I have to say that it is beyond the capacity of most home setups to get the heat and preheat the molds. One guy spent a small fortune to make silver bullets just like the heroine in his books. You need larger molds (iron only-no brass or aluminum need apply) because the silver shrinks more as it freezes. You need sacrificial carbon or graphite rods to reduce oxidation of the silver. You need an iron or steel smelting pot or ladle to melt the silver in and an a torch or burner set up that will produce sufficient heat. A Bunsen burner or your old propane torch ain't gonna cut the mustard.
_________________________________________________It's not that I can't spell: it is that I can't type.
I will look into some of these methods, I am looking to build out a presentation box for “the colt” from the show Supernatural. One of these days I will get my hands on a Pietta 1836 Patterson and do a cartridge conversion. I would probably never shoot one, just like the idea of it being actually usable.
“Sticks and stones may break my bones, but hollow points expand on impact”
If you make them, you can come shoot them at my range. Go ahead and bring some gold ones too!
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