Help! Slugging bore and its stuck!

[Longhunter79]

Well I use a cast pure lead round ball of the next callibre up. I start it with a short length of hickory ram rod. Get it started down the the bore a few inched and the push it down with a brass rod. The BBl has been cleaned and lightly coated with a lightly oiled patch. I will get a lead ring that shears from the ball. I get very good numbers from the Mics I use..0001 of an inch....It is simple but works. You can also feel any tight spots this way.

Jon

[ironramrod]

Longhunter,

Beartooth bullets. com indicates that the egg shape pure lead fishing sinkers with the hole down the center are the cats meow for bore slugs. They claim that the hole in the center reduces the chances for spring-back in the lead, because the hole gives a place for the displaced lead to move toward. I haven't tried this myself, but it might be something to consider; it may give even more accurate readings of bore dimensions.

If one didn't have an egg sinker mould, intuitively at least a reasonable equivalent could be made by drilling a dead centered hole through the round lead ball.

More stuff to try out.

Regards

Ironramrod
_____________________

CEO Subarctic Chapter
Sodbuster division
FES

[kamotz]

ironramrod, I'm not possitive, but I beleive attempting to drill into lead will snap your bit. Or, twist your wrist. It is too soft and dense and causes the drill bit to bite off more than it can chew.

[ironramrod]

Kamotz,

I have drilled lots of holes in lead ingots with no problems. However, after reading your post I thought you made a good point. Hence, down to the shop room and I put a 0.530" round pure lead ball in the vise. I first drilled a 5/32" hole through it with no problems, and followed that up with a 3/32" hole through it with no problems.

Nevertheless, I think you make a good point. During the drilling process I proceeded slowly with a slow rpm on a variable speed drill. Intuitively one could run into problems with a high rpm and really pushing the drill into the lead; however, I didn't do that. My main objective was to see if one could drill a hole through the lead in a conservative manner, and not have any problems.

If one were doing this to ultimately use the lead ball as a bore slug, I don't think it should be held by a vise. In that case one should be able to drill a hole through a soft pine board that is several sizes smaller than the lead ball and while firmly holding the ball in place, slowly drill the hole through it on a drill press.

Regards

Ironramrod
_______________

CEO Subarctic chapter
Sodbuster division
FES

[omgb]

I've had the same problem..a stuck slug. I talked with Veral Smith up at LBt and followed his advice. First, use only a light mist of oil in the bore. Too much and the bullet will stick every time. Second, go to the hardware store and buy a steel rod close to bore diameter. Use this and a large heavy 3lb hammer. Give the rod a heavy quick blow and follow through your swing..don't hold back. Slow or repeated light blows will casue the slug to upset and sieze in the bore. A heavy hammer is far less likely to cause this.

I worried about the steel rod harming the bore but Veral assured me as did several machinests, that the rod is much milder than the barrel and will not harm it. I guess one could tape it if one really felt bad about it. I didn't...just whacked away and it didn't hurt a thing.

As to that tapered bore. You will find that using a .457 or .458 dia. bullet is going to give you the best acuracy. The taper is deliberately put in there to increase accuracy. In fact, it costs them a lot to do it. Pedersoli found that by tapering the bore as they do, group size was reduced by almost 1/2 M.O.A.

I doubted them but extensive testing with my Pedersoli Sharps has proven them right. FWIW, my barrel slugged exactly the same as yours.