I need your knowledge

[BWoos]

This weekend I maded one of my first attempts at casting bullets I was kind of proud of myself 90 out of 160 all within 1.5gr. of each other. Anyway I made up my first loads for my new 45-70 I used a load out of Venturino's book. 457125 520 gr. RN, 60gr of goex FFG by weight, and compressed the powder approximately .187". with a .030 king wad. after loading 50 I decided to check how they chambered and they didn't, without a little force to get it the rest of .187" in. What happened is by compressing the powder with the bullet seater (no compression die yet) I compressed the bullet nose of the 1to30 ratio bullet to .4505 and the bullet engraves on the lands. I checked the other bullets that I casted and they mic out at .448.

My question is.... Is that load OK to shoot with the bullet engraving the lands that much? Is there a pressure problem with that? Or is the bullet soft enough that I don't have to worry about pressure spikes. They are lubed with SPG and the noses seemed to of compressed rather evenly. Your input is greatly appreciated. Chock that one up to a BP rookie mistake.



Brian

[MLV]

It won't hurt to shoot them, but with the noses that big they may give a little leading. 60 grains should fit in the case with room to spare. Did you use a drop tube?

[Michael Rix]

MLV,

A very interesting statement.

“but with the noses that big they may give a little leading.”

I would like to learn about this. Will you expand a little about pre-fired bullet nose size (oversize) and possible barrel leading? This might apply to a specific rifle barrel/bullet I have been working with.
Thanks for any help.

[MLV]

Hi Mike: Didn't see you at Raton in 2003. Can't add much more than this. Back when I was new to BP loading I tried to compress loads with the bullet more than I should have and bulged the bullet nose. They were engraved by the rifling upon chambering. Still I fired them away to get the cases back and they seemed to lead more than the same basic load when assembled properly. What kind of problems are you having?

[BWoos]

MLV,

I take it that I got that load info. from your book, Nice to meet ya. I think I'm going to pull all those bullets melt the lube off and throw them back into the pot and make new ones. These are the first loads I've done for BP and for this gun so I'm in the experimental stages of testing different things. Since my future bullets won't be distorted these won't give me the same performance as future ones even though they may shoot as good or better because they are definitly lined up with the bore. I just want to keep all my variables the same and only change one thing at a time. I used a drop tube but maybe poured the powder a little too fast. Also I don't mind recasting those bullets I had a good time doing it.

Brian

[horsefly]

Good Morning, BWoos;

Don't worry about melting the lube off the bullets before putting them back in the pot. It's good flux.

Y'all be good.

horsefly

[Michael Rix]

[quote="MLV"]Hi Mike: Didn't see you at Raton in 2003.

MLV
Yes, I missed Raton. Dang! But my wife was bringing our new son into the world about that time and I was in a supporting roll??? Men are next to useless at these times but are "needed". Here I am at age 49 and this is my only boy and he is, of course, worth missing one national match. I anticipate much discussion about future birthdays. I've been accused of bad planing by my shooting partner. Do you think my wife will buy into me taking him to the match for his birthday….by age three?

The problem, quick and dirty is barrel leading in my new 45-70. Badger barrel, tight tight (I did not stutter) chamber.
Mike Lewis and I have been dreaming up this reamer for about a year and got the rifle shooting last Oct. It shoots very well, small round groups, leading and all. It is not as bad as a lead mine but a lot more than I want to see. On the order of four of five ¼” long strips taken out with a tight patch full of Ed’s Red.
I am not used to cleaning between animals. In testing this rifle I have shot 60 shots and accuracy does not drop off nor does the leading get any worse. However, I know it is in there! It bugs me. And I wonder what it will do in July when barrels get too hot to hold in just ten shots?

I said quick and dirty so let me wrap it up by telling you I used the “Badger barrel brake in method: ten jacketed bullets, fire, clean, fire, clean… I have not done this with all half dozen or so Badger barrels I have broken in and to tell the truth they all have worked out well. Some of them I just started off with lead and did not look back. A few conversations with Ernie Stallman over the years convinced me there might be some benefit to doing it his way (the jacket brake-in), namely for those hot summer matches where barrel temperatures climb out of sight but you don’t want your barrel walking bullets off the target.

I almost forgot, I have used all alloys of lead. Well, most all, starting with 30/1 and tried the harder stuff as I went along testing. Also, I use my normal lube that works in all the other BP rifles I have. My bullet is a Brooks with a large bore diameter nose that runs .449 -.450” and is a no play slip fit in the muzzle. I have been shooting large nose bullets all this time in different rifles with no problems. I have not tried an undersized bullet nose yet, which is why your statement got me thinking. Could the nose be the source of the leading. I don't see how but... Next I can go back through an swap out each component. Maybe I am in over my head with this tight chamber. -always have to be playing with something-

Thanks,
Michael Rix

[MLV]

Mike: Congradulations on the new son. If I could go back and change anything it would be to have a son so I would have someone to leave all this stuff to.

Anyway, it has been my experience that some barrels just lead. I've got a relined .45-90 barrel on a Shiloh that came about because I had to be experimenting with chambers and stuff and ruined the original barrel. It leads like hell and I have to clean it between animals, but that said I've shot some of my highest scores with it. Go figure? I've never done the Badger break in thing with any of my rifles and it doesn't seem to have hurt them. I'm thinking about freezing a barrel. Ever tried that?

Good luck on your project.

[wolfie]

hey mike i can be adopted i am told i still act like a kid

[MLV]

Wolfie: I forgot to add that I also would want that kid to take care of me and support me in my old age.

[aka-slim]

MLV,

I have had 6 of my singles shot Cryogenically treated by "300 Below". These are the people that first started doing it. The only thing I can tell that it did, is make them very easy to clean, and I have to really screw up to get them to Lead Up. If interested I can dig out their imformation, but think they are now in Ogden,UT. It has been about 3 years sence I have had one done.

Keep your powder dry.

Slim

[Lee Stone]

Hmmmm. I wonder where Wolfie went.

[Trigger Dr]

Dear Daddy MLV,
I am from Livingston, and will glad to take care of you in your later years. I am a young 64 (as of 1-16 2004) and adoption would be a great Birthday present. I hope I am not being TOO presumptous (can't spell either)

Adopted son
Trigger Dr

[Michael Rix]

MLV,

With the exception of the pre-frozen Badgers I do not have any experience with barrel or action freezing. I will say that the lead comes out of the badger a lot easier than with a few other makes of cast bullet barrels I have managed to lead up. I don’t mean BPCR barrels but lever rifles and bolt guns. This, by pushing cast too fast in smokeless loads like 35Wheelen or a Win-94 30WCF.


Bwoos,

We kind of walked on your post. Sorry. How is your bullet casting going?

Michael Rix

[MLV]

Dear Trigger Dr. Since I am only 54 then it looks like you will have to adopt me!