Shiloh Rifle Forums

I'd like to finally make a casting of my 40 70 SS shiloh chamber for length.
does anyone know where I can get a SMALL amount of Cerro Safe to cast one?

thanks...Ken

Ken,

The last time I checked, which was some time ago, Brownells, MidwayUSA, Buffalo Arms and Track of the Wolf sell CerroSafe (a fusible alloy) supplied by Bolton Metal Products. RotoMetals manufactures their version of a fusible alloy, reportedly using the same alloy formula used in CerroSafe. Per equivalent weight, RotoMetals current price was about 1/2 that of CerroSafe. There may be other suppliers. The typical fusible alloy cast of a .45-70 chamber, including the throat, weighs approximately 3.4 oz; a .45-90 cast a little more, a .40-65 cast a little less. Therefore a ½ lb ingot should be more than sufficient to make two casts.

For details on making a cast see the following article:
http://www.texas-mac.com/Chamber_Casts_ ... ssion.html

Wayne

Roto metals also sells the stuff.

bought it from Roto Metals $9 on sale . some lead too for free shipping.
just have to try a chamber cast...just to see....thanks..Ken

did it, went shooting, didn't hit the dirt backstop. YOU HAVE TO STRIP THE BARREL REALLY GOOD TO GET ALL THIS
LEADIING STUFF OUT. IT MITIGATES DOWN THE BARREL.
I learned my lesson....Ken

What are you talking about?

Never had any ill effects from using cerro safe.

Woody

Happened to me Woody. found a lot on the patches . I'm shooting PP bullets, so that wasn't it.
oh well...JB bore cleaner, elbow grease, and off to try again. I got a good casting, stuff melts like M and M's, but didn't really learn anything I didn't already know.
The chamber is 2.504 and I had cut my shells to 2.498.
I bought a case stretcher just to see what would happen, IF I can learn how to use the darn thing..
I'm a solution in search of a problem I think.

Ken

Very strange.
You didn't forget to put a light film of oil in the barrel before pouring the cerrosafe in?

no, barrel oiled as usual. it came out fine, but when I went to shoot it following day, shots all over the place.
cleaned and found shiny stuff all inside barrel. too much to be lead, was shooting PP bullets too.

Kenny, did you pour it down the barrel from the muzzle?

That is what I was wondering.

Woody

CS
I suppose that is a possibility but then Kenny would have had to plug the chamber end and that would have made the casting totally useless for any measurements? To my thinking any way!

Could it be possible Kenny did not have a tight enough plug at the front of the chamber and some of the cerrosafe leaked past and dribbled down the barrel? Probably would have cooled before getting all the way out.

Kenny, what does the end of the chamber cast look like right by the plug end? Does it look at all like a chunk was torn out? Like a piece may have stuck to thaw barrel wall when you knocked it out?

Quite curious as to what is figgered’ out here as I have a couple rifles to do and my impression is that it was supposed to be a pretty straight forward operation.

I guess the main thing I learned here is to make sure I take a peek done both ends of the barrels with my Hawkeye Borescope to ensure there are no surprises in there before shooting after the cast.

Cheers!

Wade

Wade it's a pretty straight forward operation. I've done it maybe 20 or more times on various rifles.

I've found that the best way to do it, so far, is to use a heat gun to warm the chamber end of the barrel until it is hot to the touch. I also use the heat gun to melt the cerrosafe. I use a pretty low heat setting. I plug the bore with several cotton patches pushed maybe an inch past the end of the chamber. A pop or beer can cut in half and squeezed to make a spout is a great container to melt it in, and pour it from.

I do not wait as long as the instructions say before knocking out the chamber cast. Maybe 30 seconds after it's solidified.

A number of the correction formulae I've seen are kind of wonky ( the stuff will continue to expand after cooling so you can't simply measure it without correcting the numbers ). The one I use was posted by a guy on the Cast Boolit forum. I put it into some software that I use for a bunch of BPCR tasks.

Chris.

COME ON GUYS....I'M NOT STUPID, i JUST LOOK THAT WAY!

no, I did not;;
pour if from the muzzle
not heat it enough
have a loose plug in the chamber.

I did Antique gun restoration and repair for 30 years. so I'm no dope. (don't listen to my wife!)

cast is good and 1/2 inch beyond the chamber into the bore.

something happened, I just don't know what. I cleaned it out well, and it should be ok now.
could a little bit have remained in the bore and when fired, because of it's low melting point, spread out in the grooves?????
just guessing. something came out after the firing session and through cleaning....shiny pin spots. a lot of them...
Ken