First casting efforts 45-70 and .457

[Lampwick]

I had a go this weekend at casting the above.
I haven’t loaded the 45-70 yet or shot the ball but that will come soon.

Plenty of lessons learnt including what I had already read about! Ouch hot hot hot
Get the moulds hot.
Clean out the lead.
Recently cast lead is hot.
Recently trimmed lead sprues are hot
Leather gloves help (especially if you remember to put them on after taking them off)
Moulds stay hot for quite a while!

Hopefully I’ve got them to where they need to be??

Ps sorry it’s not strictly stalking related.

 

[Tarquin]

They look pretty good. A Lee mould at a guess?
Pan lubing is a chore!

 

[SpikeD]

They look good, a few wrinkles so you can probably go a bit higher with the temperature, if they take on a frosted appearance then that's too hot. The key to good accuracy is the bases, they should be smooth with no divots pulled from the metal, from what I can see yours are good. Just remember leave a good pool of lead when you pour and don't be in too much of a hurry on the sprue plate, let it cool then use the palm of your gloved hand to cut, drop them onto a soft towel and let them cool or use tweezers to admire your work.

 

[Stalker62]

You can if you want to chuck money at it...buy one of these:-



Honestly, I would stick to the pan lubing.



It can get messy...



Couple of tops tips.

Do melt your lead outdoors if you can - those toxic gases will do you no end of harm.

Do not, (even on a hot day) melt lead whilst wearing shorts.

It's not big, it's not clever and it fing hurts.

Ask me how I know...

 

[Smellydog]

They look awesome.
Can you just dip the cold bullet and sit on tissue? Wipe the excess off the loaded case.

 

[Lampwick]

They look awesome.
Can you just dip the cold bullet and sit on tissue? Wipe the excess off the loaded case.

I suspect not as the lube is quite runny and would probably drop out of the groves.

I may give it a go though.

 

[Lampwick]

They look good, a few wrinkles so you can probably go a bit higher with the temperature, if they take on a frosted appearance then that's too hot. The key to good accuracy is the bases, they should be smooth with no divots pulled from the metal, from what I can see yours are good. Just remember leave a good pool of lead when you pour and don't be in too much of a hurry on the sprue plate, let it cool then use the palm of your gloved hand to cut, drop them onto a soft towel and let them cool or use tweezers to admire your work.

Thanks for the info. I did fiddle with the temperature and popped a fair few back into the pot.

 

[Smellydog]

I suspect not as the lube is quite runny and would probably drop out of the groves.

I may give it a go though.

You may find by dipping a cold bullet quick the lube sets quickly.

 

[Lampwick]

I was happy with the results! First five at 50y!

42g of N133. It won’t be very expensive to run as I don’t think I could shoot more than a dozen without a cricket pad on my shoulder . Black powder next.

 

[Smellydog]

I was happy with the results! First five at 50y!

42g of N133. It won’t be very expensive to run as I don’t think I could shoot more than a dozen without a cricket pad on my shoulder . Black powder next.

Awesome. Not jealous at all
Get a magazine or newspaper under your jacket for the recoil when target shooting

 

[25 Sharps]

I had a go this weekend at casting the above.
I haven’t loaded the 45-70 yet or shot the ball but that will come soon.

Plenty of lessons learnt including what I had already read about! Ouch hot hot hot
Get the moulds hot.
Clean out the lead.
Recently cast lead is hot.
Recently trimmed lead sprues are hot
Leather gloves help (especially if you remember to put them on after taking them off)
Moulds stay hot for quite a while!

Hopefully I’ve got them to where they need to be??

Ps sorry it’s not strictly stalking related.

They look really good, well done.

Never really looked into casting due to limited time and having got 12000+ lead bullets for my .357 cheap never had the need.

Now I have the .45-70 it’s something that really appeals to me. Just need to finish the house renovations!!

 

[Lampwick]

They look really good, well done.

Never really looked into casting due to limited time and having got 12000+ lead bullets for my .357 cheap never had the need.

Now I have the .45-70 it’s something that really appeals to me. Just need to finish the house renovations!!

You’ve got a good supply of lead to melt down then!

It was actually quite therapeutic casting them.

 

[enfieldspares]

You can if you want to chuck money at it...buy one of these:-

View attachment 324398

No! Neither that nor the Lyman. Get a "drive through" lubrisizer such as a Star Lubrisizer. Anyone casting bullets in any volume will use Star.

 

[25 Sharps]

You’ve got a good supply of lead to melt down then!

It was actually quite therapeutic casting them.

Yeah, loads of old flashing, there was some lead cabelling too but that seems to have gone walkabout

 

[Lampwick]

Yeah, loads of old flashing, there was some lead cabelling too but that seems to have gone walkabout

I meant melting down the .357s!!

Soft lead can lead to leading

I have a few stone of it laying around and now need to buy some antimony to add to it as a hardening agent (if that’s the correct term)

Any tips out there are welcome.

 

[25 Sharps]

I meant melting down the .357s!!

Soft lead can lead to leading

I have a few stone of it laying around and now need to buy some antimony to add to it as a hardening agent (if that’s the correct term)

Any tips out there are welcome.

That hadn’t even occurred to me .

I do shoot the .357s a lot as I have a lever action and a LBP.

 

[25 Sharps]

I was happy with the results! First five at 50y!

42g of N133. It won’t be very expensive to run as I don’t think I could shoot more than a dozen without a cricket pad on my shoulder . Black powder next.

You should try my 300 gr soft point load over 62 gr 8280, that’s a thumper!

 

[Colonel]

I use reclaimed lead from the gun club for my 44 mag and 45/70 without pushing them, and add a bit of 50/50 bar solder for a harder bullet. I use the Lyman luber for the 45/70 bullets and a Wamadet for the 44

 

[jimmer.13]

Just about to have a go at this for my 45.70.
I’m using roof flashing and want to make the bullets a bit harder what are the best recommendations and ratios.
Googled a fair bit and watched plenty of YouTube but every day is a school day and would welcome other people’s experiences.

 

[SpikeD]

I've used tin to harden up my .43" Spanish, how much depends on if you're using smokeless or black powder as I was. I made a schoolboy error in my first lot and had bullets that cast beautifully but wouldn't hit a target at 50 yards. They weren't sealing the bore and the single bullet that did hit was tumbling. I tried a 1 to 20 tin to lead ration then a 1 to 30 before settling on 1 to 25. Leading is actually caused by bullets being to hard and gas escaping past the bullet causing it to melt and not by friction. A soft bullet that "bumps" up and seals the bore is what you want.

For smokeless opinions vary to casting bullets very hard and some even say quenching them in water to further harden them. This depends on the velocity you want to shoot them at. Black powder loads are typically 1100-1330fps, in smokeless some will say a hard bullet at 2000fps works for them but at that point you probably want a gas checked bullet anyway.
I've bought tin in the past from Cain metals Carn Metals Contact