what came first? Mould or Pistol?

Sammowry

Here's the thing: I've become a new disciple of Galeena. I've WON several LEE moulds on Ebay, 1 of them an older mould which I thought was for .380 ACP.

I was wrong. The price wasn't bad for the used mould. But what the mould IS : a CONICAL BULLET for Black Powder. Single cavity. Round nose bullet. Plain base. 2 lube grooves. Still makes good bullets with pure lead.

I DON'T HAVE A .36 CALIBER CAP N' BALL REVOLVER!

Nor do I see GETTING ONE just because I have the MOULD. Right? It would be really really REALLY stupid for me to start looking for a say... 1858 Remington model in .36 caliber.

Kinda like going out to the shootin' spot in dah woods - and finding a few empty brass cartridges on the ground of a caliber you don't have; tooling up to reload them, and THEN getting the firearm to fire them... Right? That would be bordering nuts - right?

Guys?

Gals?

Anybody?

What came first? Egg or Chicken? Chicken or Egg?

Or what I'm asking : Did the MOULD come first - or the Pistol?

Please chime in with ALL your witty respones. ANY and ALL.

Handload - If you read this - I trust your HONEST OPINION. GIVE NO QUARTER!

hillbille

no need to buy a pistol, I'll take the mould off your hands so you don't have to spend money on a new pistol.....[;)]

ken44-40

Having the mold sounds like as good a reason (excuse?) to buy a revolver as any to me. Of course, I really don't need a reason to buy another C&B revolver

44caliberkid

I did this very thing. I was given a bunch of 10mm brass. I bought dies to reload it, loaded the ammo, and it sat on my shelf for about two years till I bought an AMT Javelina Longslide. Then an EEA Silver Cup Witness. Then I got a surplus FBI S&W 1006. Then a Gold Cup Delta, which I sold because I'm planning a custom build long slide 1911. I should sell at least one of the other pistols, but I can't decide which of my children I feel like giving up. I've regretted selling a lot of stuff in the past, so I've kinda decided if it's not a matter of life or death, I'm keeping everything now.

Gatofeo

If you have the Lee mould for the .36 cap and ball, you should know that it casts a heeled bullet.
The base of the bullet has a rebated step, a heel, smaller than the diameter of a typical .36 cap and ball revolver chamber. This short heel drops into the chamber. Ahead of it, the bearing bands are larger than the chamber.
Lee made two models of the .36-caliber conical for the cap and ball revolver. These were listed as .375" and .380" diameter. The larger diameter conical has not been made in at least 10 years.
I have both moulds. The larger bullet is useable (barely) in my Colt 2nd generation 1851 Navy, because it has chambers slightly larger than those typically found on .36-caliber revolvers.
It takes a little effort to get the heel of the bullet from the .380" mould started in the chamber, so close is the heel's diameter to the chamber. This same bullet, the heel is far too large to start into the chambers of my other revolvers.
I pretty much use the .375 Lee conical for all my .36s. It works in the Colt, and in my Uberti and Pietta replicas.
I've never found the Lee .36 conical bullet to be particularly accurate. A ball of .380" will shoot more accurately. I don't use .375" balls, finding them too small for my revolvers. I switched to .380" balls in the early 1980s and never looked back.
The slightly larger ball seals better in the chamber, and provides a wider bearing band for the rifling to grip.
Conversely, I've found the Lee .450 conical to be very accurate in my .44 cap and balls.
In my experience, it's more difficult to get the .36 to shoot accurately, than the .44.

If you do decide to buy a .36 caliber cap and ball revolver, DO NOT buy one with a brass frame! Brass-framed revolvers will eventually be damaged by the use of full loads.
Also, nearly all brass-framed revolvers are not as finely fit and finished as their steel brethren. They're made quickly, cheaply, with shiny brass to catch the eye of uninformed or easily impressed shooters.
Buy a steel-framed revolver. You'll almost certainly get one that is better fit and finished than any brass-framed revolver, and it won't cost you a great deal more.
There are occasional internet specials for brass-framed revolvers just over $100. You get what you pay for, and the manufacturer includes -- free of charge -- tool marks, rough bores, rough chambers, extra grit and filings in the action and areas untouched by a polishing wheel!

Search the internet under my name -- Gatofeo -- and the essays I've been posting for years: "So You Want a Cap and Ball Revolver" and "Proper Use of a Cap and Ball Revolver."
These will give you a great deal of info, and lead to sites with others who also have a lot of experience.

If you can't use that mould, you may be able to sell it to someone with a .36 cap and ball revolver.
Or, you could get a nice, steel-framed gun and enter one of shooting's most fascinating hobbies!

Sammowry

Gatofeo...

Sir. Thank you for your reply. I am humbled.

Before I typed this question thread, I searched on-line for answers. I have "lurked" at the 1858 Remington forum... and have learned a lot from your postings there.

Sir - again, thank you for taking time to reply. I put the question here on Gunbrokers forum first only because I have a user name/password here and have for a few years now. My next step would be to register on the Remington forum and pose the question there to see if I would get anyone to reply.

Your reply affirmed my choice of revolver; IF I was going to buy a revolver to go with the mould. Right now Cabela's has the Pietta (on backorder) New Army model .36 caliber ON SALE... of which I have read the REAL bargin sale was at the end of 2011... with the now SALE price MORE than what they sold them for earlier. I personally like the LOOK of the 1858 over the Colts. And Blued steel rather than BRASS.

So narrowing it down to a Remington 1858 reproduction; there is EMF company, Uberti, and Pietta. My research shows that the EMF has 7 1/2 inch barrel, as does the Uberti, but the Pietta has a 6 1/2 barrel. I should have notated the twists for the barrels. I have muzzleloading rifles; 1 flintlock I put together as a kit, and several percussion lock.

And this is where my start as a DISCIPLE OF GALEENA STARTED. I've tried saboted lead, I've tried plastic base lead, I've tried Hornady slugs, and patched Speer round ball. I am no super marksman, but I wondered if my rifles would shoot better than they were. Midway had a sale on the LEE production pot last summer, so I ordered one. With that I also ordered the 250 Grain R.E.A.L. moulds. I moulded 10, tumble lubed with LEE Alox. My informal testing of the R.E.A.L. Vs. patched round ball... my rifles LIKE the LEE's and are much more accurate with them.

This small success... with a little gun show shortly afterwards snagged me 3 more LEE pistol moulds... used some but cheap... with them I've refined my casting and learned more from Cast Boolits. yes I lurk there too.

I was stupid on what the mould was I WON on Ebay; I should have researched it MORE before bidding... the mould has 380-135-1R stamped on the side. Single cavity - hardly used at all. It drops perfect little conicals.

I either have to take the mould to the next gun show to sell it there... OR find a used remmy to go with it...

Mr. Gatofeo Thank you.