Casting Round Ball Bullets

[pulltabbob]

I am in need of help.

I am new to casting bullets and have started with 38 Spc and 45 LC's. I have a Lyman 4500 luber/sizer to lube those bullets. What I don't know is how and what to use for round balls for my smoke poles. They do not have a grease grove like the cartridge bullets.

What lube do I use? How is it applied so that the whole bullet is lubed? Do I use the same lube as what goes into my 4500? Do I use the 4500? The lube I use in the 4500 does not need to be heated.

Any help or suggestions would be great appreciated.



Pulltabbob

[madcaster]

Buy some of the black powder lubes such as T/C 1000 or Ballistol-the lube meant for cast bullets for centerfire stuff is of a harder mix and will be very difficult to use on a patch for a muzzleloader.

[shooting on a shoestring]

Pulltabbob,

I cast my round balls from wheel weights for my .32 muzzle loader, and currently buy for my .50 cal. I don't directly lube the balls. I use moose milk, soak my patches in it, lay a patch across the muzzle, push a ball into the muzzle, use a very sharp knife to cut the patch off even with the muzzle, then push it home with the ram rod. The ball never touches the barrel b/c it is cradled in the patch.

I suppose a little dab of LLA would keep the balls from age oxidizing if the sit around for a couple of years.

Dad has tumbled some in powdered graphite and made them look pretty.

Moose milk is a home brew mixture of dish washing detergent, soluble oil (a machine shop coolant) and water. You can find a recipe on the net, or probably by a search on this site.

[docone31]

With Smoke Poles, and RBs.
Get some Beeswax, and Olive oil. Corn oil will work, but smells sour.
Mix the Beeswax,55%, an the Oil, 45%. Add more Beeswax if it needs to be stiffer.
There is your lube.
Take the patch, rub it on the lube, place it across the bore, place the RB on the middle, use the Short Starter to get it in the bore, and the ramrod to push it in battery on teh powder.
The patch lubes the bore going down, and coming up.
You really will get the knack pretty quickly.
With Minie's, or I prefer R.E.A.L.s, smear the lube in the lands and set into the bore. Push into battery with your ramrod.
A note.
Bring a nipple wrench to the range.
You will, note will, load a ball without powder. You ain't a real smokepoler if you do not.
You will take off the nipple, fill with powder, replace the nipple, set the cap, and pop it off. If that doesn't work, do it again. It will take more powder this time. Same deal. Pop it off.
With Cap and Ball pistols, pour the powder, put the ball on the cylinder hole, use the ramrod, set the ball tight on the powder. Do all five, six if you are range bound, and careful.
Take the lube, from above, smear the holes with it.
All it takes.
I use pillow ticking, from WalMart, the grey one, for patching. One yard is a lot of shooting.
cut it into 1" squares, 1.50" squares for over .54 caliber.
Enjoy.
Clean up with soap and water, dry and oil. Set aside for nest time.
Mostly, enjoy!
Make sure no one is behind the backstop when firing.

[jbunny]

i use the same, 1 lb of bees wax, 1 liter of olive oil. i heat the oil until it just starts
to smoke and then add the besswax. i made a round punch gasket type cutter and
i fold my material to 10 or more thickness. i punch twice or 3 times and remove the
stack and leave it stacked. i grab the stack of 30 patches gently with plires
and dip in the hot mix. it bubbles vigorouly for about 10 seconds but i hold it there
for a count of 30 seconds. i then set it down uprite to cool.i like to double patch
for 2 reasons, safety and extra lube to keep the fouling soft. by double patch
i put a patch down with the long part of my starter and then a patch and ball.
in my 54 with 60 gr of black, i can shoot 100 shots with no fouwling. with 70 gr
i have to clean after 5 or 6 shots.
jb

[mooman76]

Crisco will work in a pinch. Just rub some on a patch or even use spit.

[beagle]

I dip mine in Lee's liquid alox mixed with lighter fluid and then let them dry on screen wire. That works pretty good for me./beagle

[stubert]

First, buy a book about shooting black powder, read it at least 2 times. I use crisco melted in a pan then I dip my patches in until they are soaked, then let them dry on a peice of newspaper. I keep them in a small round tin covered. been using crisco for years.

[Springfield]

You don't lube the balls. In a rifle, use lubed patches. If in a revolver, put lube over the balls or use a lubed wad under the balls. You really need to get a book on Blackpowder shooting,especially if you are shooting rifles. The thickness of the patch and the diameter of the balls have to be matched or they won't work well.

[pulltabbob]

I guess I was under the impression that the RB itself had to be lubed as well as the wad. I have been shooting store bought RB's for years and assumed (makes an ass/u/me) just remove the slashes that the RB was lube too. I know that when I pour cartridge bullets I run them through the Lyman 4500 and the grease grove is filled and that is the lube when the bullet passes through the barrell. Thanks for setting me striaght. Now I really feell like an idiot.

[pulltabbob]

Since it is a nice day today, I will go out to the garage and see how many RB's I can get poured before the wife comes home (I have 3 molds for 50 and 54 cals). Thanks to everyone.

[Marlin Hunter]

I coat all my black powder balls and boolits with a light coat of Lee Liquid Alox. I do this to keep them from turning into white fuzz balls. Pure lead seems to get fuzzy before alloyed boolits. I still use BP lube (Spit Ball) when loading them into the gun.

[redgum]

I cast .457's for use in play loads in the 45/70, and .375's and swage them in the 4500 to use in 357 loads
I just roll 'em in Lee LA and set them out to dry and that works for me

[pulltabbob]

Alas, the wife came home and actually wanted to park her ar in the garage. At least I got 20 or so rounds poured before she ruined all my fun. I will roll them in Alox and let them dry after the Vikings game today.

[Daddyfixit]

Ho-hum... Vikings in a blowout..You should have kept casting!

[WHITETAIL]

I use bore buutter for lube on the patches.
I found that the small tins that the BP primers
are great for keeping the patches in.
I buy non lubed patches, and then put them
in the can as neet as posible.
Then put some bore butter on top and set
them on the heater for a few min.
The bore butter melts and is soak up in the patches.
(KISS ) And then just sit them somewhere to cool and cover.

[pulltabbob]

That's a good one Whitetail. Never would have thought of that one in a million years. Also be a nice way to carry dry patches in the field also. Rolled the RB's from Sunday in ALOX and am going to shoot them tomorrow at the range. See how they do. Always a little worried when ever I try something new. I hope they perform as good s everone else's has. If the do well, I will pour another hundred or so. While digging around last night I also found a RB mold for 44's too. Might as well pour some for that too. I have around 700 lbs of range lead I dug out before freeze up so lead will not be a problem. Just have to turn the heater on in the garage to warm it up a little. Wish me luck. Hope they all pour as easy as the first batch.