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Last Post 03 July 2009

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calinb posted this 03 June 2009

I just cast my first bullets (Lee R.E.A.L. .45 AND .50 cal). I read the Lee instructions carefully but it took most of a 25 lb bag of hardened lead shot before I was casting good bullets. I'm sure the tips here would've helped me get going faster but they will help me improve my new skill in the future, I'm sure. I think soaking the molds in mineral spirits before cleaning might have helped me cast good bullets sooner. Perhaps cleaning with Q-tips and paper towels isn't enough.

Before adding flux, I'm using the Lee laddle to skim off what's, presumably, the alloys in the hardened shot to make soft muzzleloader bullets. I don't have a hardness tester yet so I don't know if this technique is acceptable. Also, hotter settings (close to max) on my little Lee melter seem best and a hot mold seems to be more of a problem than a cold mold. (I'm alternating my .45 and .50 cal 2-cavity molds every three or four castings and cooling in a wet towel.)

Thanks for all the tips and any other suggestions are certainly much appreciated.

-Cal

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KenK posted this 03 June 2009

calinb wrote: , I'm using the Lee laddle I would imagine most, if not all, of your difficulties were caused by the Lee ladle, it is an abomination.

Get yourself a Lyman or RCBS ladle.

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KenK posted this 03 June 2009

I don't think your method of skimming the “hard” out is going to work very well. You can buy some soft lead a whole lot cheaper than shot. If you already have a bunch of shot, try to trade it.

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calinb posted this 04 June 2009

Thanks for your help, KenK. I'll try a new ladle and I plan to get some 9mm and 45 molds so my hardened lead shot should not go to waste.

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CBA Member

tturner53 posted this 04 June 2009

The lee REAL bullets work great, but they're intended for muzzleloaders, which do much better with pure lead. I'm sure you already know that, but I wanted to point it out for our non-muzzleloader friends.;) Edit; I agree with Ken, the Lee ladles are a PITA.

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calinb posted this 05 June 2009

Yes-- I need to find some pure lead for muzzleloading bullets. In the meantime I thought I'd try to skim the lighter alloys off my hardend shot lead but, as Ken said, it's not going to work. The bullets are too hard to load. At least I got my molds broken in and I'll use the shot lead for CF .45 and 9mm when I start casting for centerfire.

I thought I'd try muzzleloader bullets first because the commercial bullets are expensive and they don't seem to offer any actual benefits over casting my own. I liked the idea behind the R.E.A.L. bullets--progressively wider rings from base to tip. I measured the base ring on my 50 cal bullets at .490” (pretty standard for ML bullets) and the ring nearest the tip is .517". The one in the middle is around .500, as I recall. It seems like this design should work great for sealing against pressure while still being easy to load.

Thanks for the help, again.

-Cal

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CBA Member

tturner53 posted this 05 June 2009

Cal, looks like we're the only ones still up. I've had great success with the REAL bullets(Rifling Engraved At Loading). I have other more expensive molds, but they won't kill a buck any deader. Most of the time I shoot round balls, though. If you like those, you'll love Lee's Tumble Lube bullets for your handguns, very easy to make and use. Price for a double is about $20! Then get a Lee Loader for your .45 and you.re shootin' for peanuts.

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calinb posted this 05 June 2009

Thanks for the feedback on the R.E.A.L. bullets. Yup--I'm almost sure I'm going to draw an ML controlled white tail tag this year and try out my new bullets. (Oregon computers are swamped this year so draw results are delayed 'til around July 1.) The big question will be .45 or .50 for white tail. Obviously, I'll be testing my bullets on paper first, but do you have any advice? I'm shooting a CVA Optima that I modified to accept Oregon ML-legal percussion caps.

Thanks,

-Cal

BTW, I ordered some pure lead from sher120 on Ebay.

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CBA Member

tturner53 posted this 05 June 2009

Sounds like you're in for a fun hunt. .45 or 50? Either one will kill a deer real good if you hit 'em in the right spot, for me that's always a lung shot. The 50 will have a little more reach and power, but not enough to change your hunt. I'd go with the gun and load that is most accurate and focus on getting close. Now if you're talking patched round balls, definitely go with the .50. But a good .45 conical like the REAL bullet will drop 'em just fine, as long as you don't try to shoot too far. Are you using a scope or iron sights?

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calinb posted this 06 June 2009

Muzzleloader hunts are iron sights only here in Oregon--no fiber optic sights either. I got a Williams peep sight, which I like. My .45 has a 26” barrel. The .50 is more of brush gun at 24". Both have a fast 28:1 twist so I'm not planning to use round balls. Someday I'd like to get a more traditional rifle to shoot balls. Lead bullet that measure up to twice as long as they are wide are legal for ML hunts here. No sabots or Powerbelts allowed.

The hunt is in E. Oregon, which is usually a bit more open than the “rain forest” we hunt in here on the west side of the state. Like you said, either rifle should be fine and what I've read is like you said, get 'em in close and place your shot. I'll decide which rifle after I get some practice with some good R.E.A.L. bullets.

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CBA Member

tturner53 posted this 06 June 2009

I've hunted squirrels with a .32 TC Cherokee and little bitty .315 round balls. It's really fun. My first muzzleloader was a CVA Kentucky Rifle that shot way better than it should. Traded that gun off for a pup Treeing Walker bear hound. Never did hunt him. Along the way I placed in a muzzleloader match with a CVA Mountain Rifle, again a shooter for a cheap gun. Moving along, got a monster mule deer in Colorado with the TC .54 and then a whitetail in Missouri with the same gun. If you want a lot of meat for the freezer Missouri is the place to go. They're overrun with whitetails. Used to hunt Nevada but that's a hard tag to get these days. I believe you're in for a good time, The primitive weapons turn your hunt into an adventure.

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calinb posted this 01 July 2009

Yup--a buddy and I drew that ML whitetail hunt here in Oregon. Now--off the the range and eastern Oregon to test rifles and loads and check out the unit and territory.

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CBA Member

tturner53 posted this 01 July 2009

Congratulations on drawing your tags! I'm jealous. Isn't it great thinking about all the fun you're going to have? Best of luck and have a good time. I'll be looking for a report when you get back. We like pictures here.:D

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Bizy posted this 02 July 2009

I found pure, (or as pure as I could), lead at a recycle center. They have lead come in fairly often. I have bought 28 pounds over a 2 week period. 50 cents per pound.

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GL49 posted this 02 July 2009

If you have any friends that are contractors, or know someone helping to build or remodel doctors offices and/or medical clinics and the like, the sheet rock around x-ray rooms is lead lined. Buddy of mine has about 1000 pounds he got that way. All just scraps left from sheeting the rooms, he “took it off their hands for free".