Great thread going around the campfire! Normally I just lurk being a realative newcomer to BPCR so don't feel that I have much to offer. I did cast my first bullet about 1958 at 14 as we used to shoot original muzzle loaders back then that we would find in a barrel in the back of a gun store for about $5.
What I want to share is this: Two weeks ago I noticed that Lee had a new 500 gr. .45 mould offered in a Midway mini-catalog ($13)- how could you produce ANYTHING with that cheap of a mold? Well using wheel wts. with a little Lino (BN13), they plunked 5 rds. into 1-5/8" out of my Pedersoli Billy Dixon. The best that I have been able to do with that rifle so far has been 2" with a Lyman Postell- granted that I am still learning what works & what doesn't in general & in particular with this rifle.
I will say that I modified the cutoff plate to be thicker around the spew in order to have more spew thickness (1/4") so that there is plenty to draw down as the bullet cools. I cast 60 bullets last night & by starting with dipping the mold in the lead for 12-13 seconds (Lee 20# bottom pour pot) the FIRST BULLET looked great & I kept every one based on visual inspection! Later I tossed 3 out as a bit light. All in all, I believe that a CUSTOM MOLD is probably the way to go, once I figure out what weight, style, length, groove type etc. bullet that I really want!
Omaha, I was a Pathfinder with the 1st Cav also '65-'66... happy birthday! Pathfinder
Lets talk about casting bullets
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Omaha Poke
- Posts: 972
- Joined: Tue Feb 25, 2003 6:52 pm
- Location: Edmonds, WA
Pathfinder, thanks for the birthday wish!! When I arrived in country there were only 45-50,000 of us and when I left there were over 500,000 in country. It will be an experience I wont ever forget. Glad you made it back too. Randy
PS I had thanksgiving diner with my cousin who was also there about a year later. He was a side-door gunner in a Marine helicopter. Man talk about a short life expectancy. We both gave special thanks for all our blessings!!
PS I had thanksgiving diner with my cousin who was also there about a year later. He was a side-door gunner in a Marine helicopter. Man talk about a short life expectancy. We both gave special thanks for all our blessings!!
Randy Ruwe
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buffalocannon
- Posts: 1584
- Joined: Sat Feb 15, 2003 2:03 pm
As far as bullet casting goes...........whatever............whatever floats your boat. We all know, or should by now, what a good bullet looks like. But, more importantly, I wanted to pass on what an old jarhead buddy of mine used to say to me and anyone else nearby, and he would say it in all seriousness: "When bullets are in the air, danger exists." As he was a VietNam and Korea vet, I think he was referring to the battlefield situation more than the shooting range, but he used to say it to me when we were on hunting trips.
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Trigger Dr
- Posts: 1944
- Joined: Wed Feb 19, 2003 5:10 pm
- Location: Pacific North WET (Port Orchard)
Gunny,
Those other (un)informed posters probably do not know that the running gear for their respective pickemups was designed and manufactured by no other than the D O D G E brothers. To bad Henry Frod and the GM types wern't able to make their own design. But now the claim the rights.
Trigger Dr (Dodge Driver with 185000 miles and still get 19 mpg and use no oil)
Those other (un)informed posters probably do not know that the running gear for their respective pickemups was designed and manufactured by no other than the D O D G E brothers. To bad Henry Frod and the GM types wern't able to make their own design. But now the claim the rights.
Trigger Dr (Dodge Driver with 185000 miles and still get 19 mpg and use no oil)
Direct ALL e-Mail to jimrmilner@juno.com
NRA LIFE MEMBER
LIMBSAVER® BPCR Team
Prospective Member BPCR Federation
NRA LIFE MEMBER
LIMBSAVER® BPCR Team
Prospective Member BPCR Federation
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Lead Pot
Smokin that is kind of on the line of what I remember reading the reason for adding antimony.Like I said it might have come from some of Elmers writings or mabe from one of the Lyman books.
While I have this up I might add a little more.I like to enlarge my sprue hole to 3/16" in my .40 caliber and larger moulds,I get a good bullet faster.I feel the sprue plate acts as a heatsink and I feel it cools the lead to fast.I get a better bullet doing this.
I do this with a counter sink drill bit with a bullet in the mould to stabilize the bit.
Kurt
While I have this up I might add a little more.I like to enlarge my sprue hole to 3/16" in my .40 caliber and larger moulds,I get a good bullet faster.I feel the sprue plate acts as a heatsink and I feel it cools the lead to fast.I get a better bullet doing this.
I do this with a counter sink drill bit with a bullet in the mould to stabilize the bit.
Kurt
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Omaha Poke
- Posts: 972
- Joined: Tue Feb 25, 2003 6:52 pm
- Location: Edmonds, WA
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Kelley O.Roos
- Posts: 411
- Joined: Mon Dec 23, 2002 11:02 am
Trigger Dr.,
Don't kill me guys for being off topic here
, That knuckle dragger and The Trigger Dr. started it, na,na,na,na.... 
Well, Dodge and Studebaker started out making wagons in the olden times. If I remember right, if it wasn't for ford, Dodge wouldn't be in business today and the Dodge brothers were welders. I'm not sure if it was Dodge who also made the shipping crates the model T was shipped in and the crate and bolts holding the crate together was used in the car as Ford didn't like waste. Ford didn't invent the assambly line, a man named Knudsen who worked for Ford did. Knudsen went on to work for the start up company now knowen as General Motors. If DODGE is so great why are they in money trouble again
Kelley O
Don't kill me guys for being off topic here
, That knuckle dragger and The Trigger Dr. started it, na,na,na,na.... Well, Dodge and Studebaker started out making wagons in the olden times. If I remember right, if it wasn't for ford, Dodge wouldn't be in business today and the Dodge brothers were welders. I'm not sure if it was Dodge who also made the shipping crates the model T was shipped in and the crate and bolts holding the crate together was used in the car as Ford didn't like waste. Ford didn't invent the assambly line, a man named Knudsen who worked for Ford did. Knudsen went on to work for the start up company now knowen as General Motors. If DODGE is so great why are they in money trouble again
Kelley O
Kelley O.Roos
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Lead Pot
Randy I use the plate that is on the mould,they run about 3/16". I use a KEO double ended hs#5 countersink bit.
Heck I thought those running boards on my 35 ford roadster were for getting more people in the .50 cent night drive in movie
My experiences with path finders was they marked the drop zone on a night jump 5 miles off.Those high trees are hard climging out of, with a GP bag loaded with a machine gun and ammo
Kurt
Heck I thought those running boards on my 35 ford roadster were for getting more people in the .50 cent night drive in movie
My experiences with path finders was they marked the drop zone on a night jump 5 miles off.Those high trees are hard climging out of, with a GP bag loaded with a machine gun and ammo
Kurt
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Gunny
- Posts: 388
- Joined: Sun Dec 22, 2002 5:41 pm
- Location: California
Poke,
I'm not real sure about the why's and why not's of the Rowell, i was a new caster when I tried using that damn thing, and that may have been part of the problem. I will never know as I did shit can the thing, I tried to give it away and nobody would take it so file 13 got it. Part of the problem was for sure that it held too much lead "I think" and I spilled that damn hot stuff everywhere. I do not care for the spiggot on the Rowell as opposed to the nipple on the more convientionl ladels, for me it was a pain in the ass.
In the begining of all of these very good post's someone mentioned buying quality stuff in the begining, I would like to add my advice to that. When it comes to moulds and the equipment needed to cast good quality bullets all new casters would be well served by spending a little more money and getting good stuff. A custom mould alone will make you a better caster. I am now a firm believer in Paul Jones moulds, I personally feel that Paul makes a superior product bar none. Pauls moulds are a dream to cast with, and cast a very good bullet. Steve Brooks also makes a good mould but I still feel that Pauls are better, however which ever of the two you pick the are far superior to the factory moulds and I do mean "Far Superior".
That brings me to a little story about casting and load work-up so if these storys bore you change channels.
Last year 2002 was my first full year of shooting Silhouette. In 2001 I shot only 6 matches and shot just dismal scores the high score being a 17 of 40, yea thats right I had not broken a 20, and I was in "A" class. During the winter I decided to do some serious load work up and get some trigger time in and just see if I was going to continue in this sport, and if 17's where the best I could do I was not going to continue. I have shot all of my life so I bring a lot to the table. I had always qualified "Expert" in the Corps but for me it took work. I have found that some shooters have a natural talent for shooting, I do not. Now don't misunderstand me here. I can shoot, but I have to work real hard to gain ground on these natural shooters. I went up to Redding Ca where I own some rural property and spent two weeks working up a load and just shooting. I had no distractions and my own private range where I could shoot a max of 375 yds, and shoot I did. In that two weeks I shot almost 2,000 bullets, I casted and loaded every night and shot all day. When I came off of that mountain I was feeling pretty good about my shooting and the load I had.
I had almost three weeks before the first shoot of the new shooting year and I would go to the Silhouette range at Avenal three times a week just to shoot and get the trigger time. That was a trip of 320 miles round trip and to say I was ddicated would be an understatment. At the first shoot of 2002 I drew Turkeys for my first animal, now all of my practice in Redding had been at 375 yds we shoot Turkeys at 385 meters but I felt pretty good about this. I ran the turkeys, and that was the first time I had ever cleaned a bank of animals at Silhouette. I then ran the Rams, got maggies draws on the chickens but came back and ran the Pigs for a 30 of 40. And folks this was a 30 from a guy that had never broken 20 before. In the first 16 matches of 2002 my Ram count alone was 151. I made "AAA" in three shoots, and went on to make "Master" that year.
I relate this story not as a way to brag or to say how good I am. I am not that good, but I am dedicated to excel at what ever I do. I did that through a lot of hard work and a hell of a lot of shooting. For me the no talent guy, I have to work 5 times harder to do well. I'm not afraid of that work, and if that is what it takes so be it. If more guy's would spend the time behind the trigger and really get to know the load and the rifle all of the quirks there shooting scores would sore. I am a firm believer that to get to know your rifle and I mean to really know your rifle it takes a min of 3 or 4 thousand rounds down range. And this will make you better at every aspect of BPCR shooting. A better loader, better caster, and a hell of a lot better shot.
Well that's it for this little story, I almost said I am sorry for the length of this post, but I'm not. What I do hope that one of you guy's that struggle with this shooting will now go out and shoot the damn rifle.
Gunny
I'm not real sure about the why's and why not's of the Rowell, i was a new caster when I tried using that damn thing, and that may have been part of the problem. I will never know as I did shit can the thing, I tried to give it away and nobody would take it so file 13 got it. Part of the problem was for sure that it held too much lead "I think" and I spilled that damn hot stuff everywhere. I do not care for the spiggot on the Rowell as opposed to the nipple on the more convientionl ladels, for me it was a pain in the ass.
In the begining of all of these very good post's someone mentioned buying quality stuff in the begining, I would like to add my advice to that. When it comes to moulds and the equipment needed to cast good quality bullets all new casters would be well served by spending a little more money and getting good stuff. A custom mould alone will make you a better caster. I am now a firm believer in Paul Jones moulds, I personally feel that Paul makes a superior product bar none. Pauls moulds are a dream to cast with, and cast a very good bullet. Steve Brooks also makes a good mould but I still feel that Pauls are better, however which ever of the two you pick the are far superior to the factory moulds and I do mean "Far Superior".
That brings me to a little story about casting and load work-up so if these storys bore you change channels.
Last year 2002 was my first full year of shooting Silhouette. In 2001 I shot only 6 matches and shot just dismal scores the high score being a 17 of 40, yea thats right I had not broken a 20, and I was in "A" class. During the winter I decided to do some serious load work up and get some trigger time in and just see if I was going to continue in this sport, and if 17's where the best I could do I was not going to continue. I have shot all of my life so I bring a lot to the table. I had always qualified "Expert" in the Corps but for me it took work. I have found that some shooters have a natural talent for shooting, I do not. Now don't misunderstand me here. I can shoot, but I have to work real hard to gain ground on these natural shooters. I went up to Redding Ca where I own some rural property and spent two weeks working up a load and just shooting. I had no distractions and my own private range where I could shoot a max of 375 yds, and shoot I did. In that two weeks I shot almost 2,000 bullets, I casted and loaded every night and shot all day. When I came off of that mountain I was feeling pretty good about my shooting and the load I had.
I had almost three weeks before the first shoot of the new shooting year and I would go to the Silhouette range at Avenal three times a week just to shoot and get the trigger time. That was a trip of 320 miles round trip and to say I was ddicated would be an understatment. At the first shoot of 2002 I drew Turkeys for my first animal, now all of my practice in Redding had been at 375 yds we shoot Turkeys at 385 meters but I felt pretty good about this. I ran the turkeys, and that was the first time I had ever cleaned a bank of animals at Silhouette. I then ran the Rams, got maggies draws on the chickens but came back and ran the Pigs for a 30 of 40. And folks this was a 30 from a guy that had never broken 20 before. In the first 16 matches of 2002 my Ram count alone was 151. I made "AAA" in three shoots, and went on to make "Master" that year.
I relate this story not as a way to brag or to say how good I am. I am not that good, but I am dedicated to excel at what ever I do. I did that through a lot of hard work and a hell of a lot of shooting. For me the no talent guy, I have to work 5 times harder to do well. I'm not afraid of that work, and if that is what it takes so be it. If more guy's would spend the time behind the trigger and really get to know the load and the rifle all of the quirks there shooting scores would sore. I am a firm believer that to get to know your rifle and I mean to really know your rifle it takes a min of 3 or 4 thousand rounds down range. And this will make you better at every aspect of BPCR shooting. A better loader, better caster, and a hell of a lot better shot.
Well that's it for this little story, I almost said I am sorry for the length of this post, but I'm not. What I do hope that one of you guy's that struggle with this shooting will now go out and shoot the damn rifle.
Gunny
Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in one pretty and well preserved piece, but to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, worn out and defiantly shouting "WOW, what a ride!"
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Omaha Poke
- Posts: 972
- Joined: Tue Feb 25, 2003 6:52 pm
- Location: Edmonds, WA
Randy-
archdlx
- Posts: 76
- Joined: Sun Oct 12, 2003 8:11 pm
- Location: Edgerton Alberta, Canada
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Kelley O.Roos
- Posts: 411
- Joined: Mon Dec 23, 2002 11:02 am
, I'm going to faint -
kamotz
- Posts: 641
- Joined: Tue Feb 11, 2003 9:28 pm
- Location: Rising Sun,MD
Thanks Gunny, my grandpa couldnt have said it any better.Not that your old or anything,I'm just an innocent babe in the woods at BPCR. And I've picked you as my forum grandfather figure, so dont go telling me your 35 or something and smash my image.Thanks, I need this
Once you shoot black, youll never go back
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Gunny
- Posts: 388
- Joined: Sun Dec 22, 2002 5:41 pm
- Location: California
I hate to get off subject again, but I cannot let Kelley's last stand. While the Dodge Brothers may have been welders Henry Ford's only real job was as an apprentice machinest, and he was real bad at it. Old Henry had to build a car he couldn't hold any paying job. Kelley, Joanne and I own a little Dodge stock not much but some. Dividends checks came in a week ago and it was the biggest we have ever been payed from Chrysler in 8 years, they couldn't be in much money trouble as they just bought the biggest Diesel Manufacturer in the world Detroit Diesel is now owned by Dodge. Besides Dodge actually builds a real truck and not one of those cast tin "powerpukes"
Kamotz, I am 36 so I hope that runs your whole day. Well maybe 56.
Gunny
Kamotz, I am 36 so I hope that runs your whole day. Well maybe 56.
Gunny
Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in one pretty and well preserved piece, but to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, worn out and defiantly shouting "WOW, what a ride!"