So what better way to make my 1500 post mark then to ask a question. Should a person only use 100% lead for black powder or will WW material be fine? I have over 400 pounds of WW sitting here...was thinking of only casting 200 or so ( slugs and rb that is...NOT 200 pounds of it)...or is it gonna be to hard to push down the barrel??
Question on casting for a bp rifle
- Thread starter icehunter121
- Start date
just having some fun
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
Pure lead has a bhn of around 5
wheel weights average 8 upward to ???
If you air cooled ( drop them in a rag etc and let them to cool)
you might get around 12 bhn maybe lower/maybe higher
if you cast a few and try them you will know
you could also trade for the pure or softer lead
Boolitcaster
CGN Regular
- Location
- Vancouver Island
For round ball, wheel weights will not be a problem. In the off chance that they are too hard to seat, just use a thinner patch.
As said above for slugs, cast up a few and try them.
Are you shooting REALs or Minies? You can cheat a bit on REALs, but with Minies you want the lead as soft as possible so the skirt will expand.
As said above for slugs, cast up a few and try them.
Are you shooting REALs or Minies? You can cheat a bit on REALs, but with Minies you want the lead as soft as possible so the skirt will expand.
It does not make any difference for round ball but if you are casting slugs for a BP cartridge rifle, most of them prefer about 5% alloy. With cartridge guns you want the lead soft enough to obturate when shot but at the same time, the small amount of alloy allows the lead to fill out the mold more sharply and completely. Most lead wheel weights are about 15% alloy and you may find them a bit hard for BP cartridges.
cheers mooncoon
cheers mooncoon
NorthCoastBigBore
CGN frequent flyer
- Location
- Northwest BC (Rural) 103-I-##
^^ all of the above.
I haven't had bad results with hard cast in cartridges provided a good lube is used. But the results, with respect to accuracy and leading in the barrel, are better with softer lead.
I haven't had bad results with hard cast in cartridges provided a good lube is used. But the results, with respect to accuracy and leading in the barrel, are better with softer lead.
What you CAN do (if you have a well-ventilated shop) is melt a bunch down and let the Antimony or Zinc come to the surface and skim it off.
Both metals are a LOT lighter than Lead; they take up more VOLUME than they add WEIGHT.
When you have skimmed about 15% of what is in the pot, you should be getting down toward pure lead. Flux then and start casting.
It's called REFINING and it works.
Just be sure you are in a well-ventilated place and that you wear a dust mask; you don't want your lungs full of ANY of these.
Good luck.
.
Both metals are a LOT lighter than Lead; they take up more VOLUME than they add WEIGHT.
When you have skimmed about 15% of what is in the pot, you should be getting down toward pure lead. Flux then and start casting.
It's called REFINING and it works.
Just be sure you are in a well-ventilated place and that you wear a dust mask; you don't want your lungs full of ANY of these.
Good luck.
.
Gonna try out some REALS after a bit.once my molds and rifle get here this coming week. I am just itchin to get this up and runnin...
vagrantviking
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Southern Alberta
If the balls are small enough you might be able to get away with it but the times I've tried it the results weren't great. The harder round balls wouldn't deform when loading and caused the patching to cut on the rifling when seating them.
With REAL bullets you want a soft lead that will obturate or swell to fit the rifling when the powder goes off.
Thats said I was shooting balls .005 under bore diameter and you might have better luck if they are .010 under instead. I've also never tried WW with any sort of ML slugs so can't say how well they would preform. In the end any bullet is better than not shooting!
With REAL bullets you want a soft lead that will obturate or swell to fit the rifling when the powder goes off.
Thats said I was shooting balls .005 under bore diameter and you might have better luck if they are .010 under instead. I've also never tried WW with any sort of ML slugs so can't say how well they would preform. In the end any bullet is better than not shooting!
I shoot .010" under bore diameter and also use a relatively thick patching because my rifles have deep rifling. I have shot somewhere between hundreds and thousands of hard round ball without problem and caste from wheel weights or lead with a high proportion of wheel weights. Most of the guns have been 54 cal but some over and some under. I currently use pure lead balls mostly because I can buy them relatively cheaply precast.
cheers mooncoon
