New Mold Design/BIG BOOLIT!!

[John in PA]

Here's a new boolit I've designed to try out in my 10-pounder Parrott Rifle for N-SSA rifled artillery competition. I based the design on a JSB Exact Jumbo .177 cal pellet scaled up to 3" diameter with slight modifications. I had a local machine shop make the mold to my specs, spent a couple hours with a file tweaking alignments and on the lathe polishing the core pin for easy release, then set about our first casting session. Here are some photos. Projectile weight about 7.3 lbs, cast out of 1:40 tin:lead.



Our casting furnace holds over 300 lb of lead. Bottom pour ladle is self skimming.



Here's the casting set-up. The base plate of the mold is clamped to the table.
Ladle is converted into a funnel, held closely to the top of the mold by my buddy Dean. Pour till the mold is full, allowing 3/4" or so in the ladle as a dead-head for shrinkage.



After about 90 seconds for metal to solidify; the corner cuts in the baseplate allow two levers to be inserted to pop the blocks off the base plate and core pin.



Blocks are separated and hot casting is dropped gently on an old pair of welding gloves. Sprue is cut with a pair of modified diagonal cutters while still hot.



About two hours production for two guys. Not too shabby, now the proof will be in the shooting. New design, nobody's ever used this in a muzzleloading rifled cannon before.




Here's hoping...

[bhn22]

How about a pic of your varmint rifle too? You must have big varmints in PA.

[mooman76]

What's your lube press look like or do you lumble lube?

[geargnasher]

Very, very nice! Does this hobby know any bounds?

Gear

[RobS]

And that is a BIG damn boolit.

[thx997303]

255 lbs of lead for 35 boolits?

Holy carp! And I was worried about going from 125 gr 9mm boolits to 350 gr boolits for the 45-70.

I definitely want a video of you shooting them if you can swing it.

[dk17hmr]

What do you normally use for projectiles?

Seems like a coke can filled with concrete would be cheaper....if it were the right diameter.

[thx997303]

Cheaper, but I wonder if they would be good enough for the competition the OP shoots in?

From http://www.n-ssa.org/competitions.html

Artillery

The most unique competition within the North-South Skirmish Association is the artillery team match, this match is broken down into rifled artillery and smoothbore artillery. For the National matches, this competition consists of five to eight members shooting at the following targets:

200 yards - bulls-eye
200 yards - counter battery

Regional artillery matches will also consist of five to eight members firing rifled and smoothbore artillery. Many regional matches fire at distances of 100 and 200 yards at targets as big as 36"x36" sheetrock squares and at targets as small as clay pigeons.

Events usually last for one hour with a maximum of twelve shots fired. The ten highest scoring shots of the twelve are counted with the winner being the team with the highest score.

[John in PA]

We dig up fired rounds from the impact area, so we get to recast probably 90% of what we shoot. (All we can find anyway) Here's the rifle.



Picture shows crew and winning target from this year's Historic Artillery Match held at Camp Grayling, Michigan. Target is at 1200 yards distance, and is 4X6 feet. 10 on target (including one I cross-fired--DOH!!!) for 12 fired, no sighters. NOT using a lead projectile. We use zinc diecast alloy bullet, 10.25 lbs with a brass cup bolted on the bottom which expands to take the rifling. 1 lb 1F Goex for fuel, friction primer and lanyard to fire.

Here's what happens when you pull the lanyard.



Here's a link showing the gun recoiling with a full military load (from this year's Grayling shoot) Keep in mind that the gun and carriage weighs about 2250 lbs and it comes back about 10 feet with each shot.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ef-mOWMFcbg

These new pellets are for N-SSA competition which is restricted to lighter weight projectiles and charges. Probably will shoot the pellet with 5.5 oz 1F or 6.5 oz Cannon grade GOEX. Two hundred yards distance.

Positively the most fun you can have with your clothes on.

[John in PA]

What do you normally use for projectiles?.

I've used this pellet for about 15 years. RWS Meisterkugeln match .177 cal pellet that I scaled up and adapted for ease of casting. original mold was made by Walt Melander, founder of NEI Handtools (now deceased).




Center shows cast and sized, unfired. Left is fired with normal obturation 160 grams 1F, right fired and recovered with minimal obturation (weak batch of GOEX cannon grade, 6.75 oz) Point of impact with the left pellet was about 8 feet higher at 200 yards distance. Also severe vertical stringing with the weak powder batch of cannon grade.

Sizing is done with a hydraulic ram on a log splitter that I adapted for the purpose.

[Good Cheer]

Please post some videos. Ever go after whistle pigs?

[Glen]

Now THAT looks like FUN!

[DragoonDrake]

You know I think it needs to be said: You are crazy man.

Next comment: How can I join in?

Adam

[Wayne Smith]

Are you going to be at any of the Manassas Battlefield 150 yr celebrations next year?

[reloader28]

I dont think you could use them, but I would definatley make a scale set of mold handles for that mold.
5' long and about 6" diameter log handles should be about right.

[onesonek]

How about a pic of your varmint rifle too? You must have big varmints in PA.

Please post some videos. Ever go after whistle pigs?

Should do the trick on that rodent bastid when it says we get 6 more weeks of winter!

[94Doug]

Just plain AWESOME. If you ever would consider it, I think either selling some of those (or putting one up as a site fund raiser) would be a good idea. I can imagine a lot of casters wanting just one of those as a paper weight on their desk.


Doug

[HORNET]

That looks awesome!! I'm way too frugal to play with something that would eat my lead supply that fast, even with 90% recovery.
Question though? The way that MONDO-pellet on the left in the picture in post 10 looks, I'd have thought that you'd put a bore riding band in the middle of the length on that beast (kinda like a T/C Maxi-Ball) to help keep everything aligned during obturation with frisky loads.

[Tazman1602]

That is a GOOD idea! I would love to have one of those on my reloading bench just to get guys to ask questions about it!

The youtube of that cannon going off was just plain COOL. One pound of BP...............WOW!!!

Art

Just plain AWESOME. If you ever would consider it, I think either selling some of those (or putting one up as a site fund raiser) would be a good idea. I can imagine a lot of casters wanting just one of those as a paper weight on their desk.


Doug

[MtGun44]

VERY neat! What a fun toy. The accuracy is amazing. Is this similar to or better than
they could actually obtain in the old days?

Where can we find out more about this sport and maybe someplace where we could
go and watch?

Bill