In order to participate in the GunBroker Member forums, you must be logged in with your GunBroker.com account. Click the sign-in button at the top right of the forums page to get connected.
casting round ball
andersk
Member Posts: 3,627 ✭✭
I have purchased all I need for casting round ball. Anybody have any "hot tips" on how to do it right? I'm a total rooky to casting lead!
Comments
I cast round balls from pure lead. Any mold must be oil free or it will cause problems...degrease the mold. Melt the lead, flux using commercial flux or just throw in a pea size piece of bullet lube. It will smoke and then catch fire. When it burns out stir the mix with your ladle then skim the top of all impurities and start casting. If aluminum blocks you can start keeping round balls after maybe 5 casts, if iron it may take up to 15-20 before the mould is hot enough. I personally dont drop mine in water. Water and molten lead can be catastrophic. I drop mine onto a clean cloth. Really, you will learn fairly fast...this stuff used to be done over a campfire under threat of grizzly or indian attack so you and I with electric pots, thermostats, etc etc are well ahead.... The learning curve is fast. The little "hints" that you read about will come almost naturally to you as you continue casting. For example, I used to strike the sprue plate with a striking stick...but found for soft pure lead my gloved hand works fine and is way faster. I coat all my molds with mold prep compound which greatly stops sticking. Before I had this though I used a wooden match to soot up the cavities...had to re-smoke them maybe every 50 casts. Frosty appearance or small threads where the lead flowed into the vent lines? Too hot of a mold, open the blocks, set them down and with a spoon pick up the round balls and place them in a can. Turn down the lead temp slightly. By now the blocks are cool enogh to cast w/o problems. It will come naturally to you with a little thought. Good luck and keep us posted.
When water hits molten lead, it often goes into the molten lead and is instantly converted to steam. The steam expands instantly and sprays molten lead all over the place.
Buy a total face shield, even if you wear glasses. Wear a long-sleeved shirt, full length pants, leather shoes (canvas or polyester melt if you splash lead on them, burning your foot), and gloves.
Don't have a shelf above the pot from which anything can fall into it.
Cast outdoors with plenty of ventilation.
Don't let the neighbors observe you, or the Political Correctness Police will be all over your keister for poisoning the environment! In the space of one generation, lead has gone from being a useful metal to a deadly poison that will creep into your children and slay their brain cells overnight.
Of course, MTV's been doing that for years but that doesn't count.
Lead is toxic, but not deadly. Avoid transferring it from your hands to your mouth or nose, the membranous areas.
Wearing gloves will prevent this, as well as protect you from heat.
Realize that your first bullets will be wrinkled until the mould reaches the right temperature. Just keep casting. Don't stop to admire what you've done, or you'll heat from the mould.
Let the bullets drop on a soft, heat-resistant surface: some old jeans, cotton pillow case folded into layers, etc. Definitely not something like foam rubber or polyester.
You'll need to cast balls of pure lead. Dead soft lead. Wheelweights are too hard, so don't consider them. Plumbing lead is dead-soft, or you can order pure lead from various companies on the net. A plumbing supply store may have it.
Have fun. The first casting is full of mystery but don't let it frustrate you. After a few minutes, when you start producing shiny balls without a wrinkle, you'll be hooked!
Have fun. [:D]
While the patch is the seal between the bore and ball, the soft lead ball does get impressed slightly by the lands (high spots) of the rifling, through the patch.
This is verified by seating a patched ball, not firing it, then removing it. In a proper fit, you'll see light impressions of the cloth on the lead ball, before it is fired.
The impressions are more obvious on fired balls because the soft lead ball "bumps up" from the pressure of the gunpowder's gases behind it, being slightly pushed into the grooves of the rifling.
A hard ball will work, but it's more difficult to seat even within the patch. And it won't be as accurate because it won't "bump up" as readily to fill the grooves.
I learned this lesson years ago, when I experimentally cast some .490 balls of Linotype. Even in the lubricated patch they were much harder to push down the bore.
Not as accurate, either. My CVA Mountain Rifle will easily deliver 1-1/2" groups at 50 yards from a benchrest with soft lead balls. With these Linotype balls, I was getting groups between 4 and 6 inches.
Soft lead balls, even in the patch, has some "give" to them and will go down the bore with less resistance.
But Andrewsw16 is right about using very soft lead for hollow-based conical bullets.
My counsel: Use pure lead, or very soft lead. If you can't dent it with your thumbnail, it's too hard.
Alas, I must respectfully disagree with you Andrewsw16.
While the patch is the seal between the bore and ball, the soft lead ball does get impressed slightly by the lands (high spots) of the rifling, through the patch.
This is verified by seating a patched ball, not firing it, then removing it. In a proper fit, you'll see light impressions of the cloth on the lead ball, before it is fired.
The impressions are more obvious on fired balls because the soft lead ball "bumps up" from the pressure of the gunpowder's gases behind it, being slightly pushed into the grooves of the rifling.
A hard ball will work, but it's more difficult to seat even within the patch. And it won't be as accurate because it won't "bump up" as readily to fill the grooves.
I learned this lesson years ago, when I experimentally cast some .490 balls of Linotype. Even in the lubricated patch they were much harder to push down the bore.
Not as accurate, either. My CVA Mountain Rifle will easily deliver 1-1/2" groups at 50 yards from a benchrest with soft lead balls. With these Linotype balls, I was getting groups between 4 and 6 inches.
Soft lead balls, even in the patch, has some "give" to them and will go down the bore with less resistance.
But Andrewsw16 is right about using very soft lead for hollow-based conical bullets.
My counsel: Use pure lead, or very soft lead. If you can't dent it with your thumbnail, it's too hard.
IMHO,the lead catches .001"-.002"(~same as a human hair) all the way around on the barrel rifling. Not much, but enough to say it does.
I was agreeing with you, but providing example of the RARE times the rule doesn't apply.
.490 in a .500 bore almost always will never get a ball to touch the barrel unless you have out of round balls or realy tight patches.
My gun, as well, doesn't like tight patches, favoring the thinner ones.
I'm going to try those new full caliber bullets from Hornady. They look like a Power Belt bullet. They dont have a plastic base, its all one piece bullet with hollow base. Like a maxi or mini ball.(can't remember which)
http://www.hornady.com/store/50-Cal-300-gr-FPB/
Have a good thickness of folded cloth to drop your balls onto as they are very soft and will deform if not well cushioned.
Use very hard, high thread count material for patches. Denim, mattress ticking, linen, drapery material will make an accuracy difference.
Make a short starter with about 1/2" nub to start your greased patch load into the rifling before using the ramrod.
A wooden mallet isn't a bad idea.
Which brand works best for you?
Any good hints on succeeding with the Lee aluminum mold?