kh54
45 Cal.
- Joined
- Jan 26, 2021
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Greetings All. This thread is for anyone fond of obscure but probably useless information regarding an iconic revolver of the ACW. But it's a Sunday and the weather isn't great so why not. Join me to nerd out for a bit...
I have an original Starr double action revolver and Pietta reproductions of both the DA and SA. Some time ago I began looking for original accessories to put together a cased set for my original. It isn't anything special but it is one of only two original revolvers that I have (so far) and I like putting together my own cased sets rather than just buying them complete. I found an original wooden handled mold (eBay, where else?) and even though it is only in fair condition, they are so hard to find that I bought it. During one lead casting session I decided to try the Starr mold. You can see that the bullets have no grease groove but they do have a wider ring or shoulder of sorts at the base. I hadn't noticed that shoulder in the mold, but when I did see it I thought it was a flaw, and since I wasn't planning to shoot any of these I just threw the three or four that I had made back in the pot. Not long ago another mold in much better condition came up for sale on eBay, and I bought it, too. I figured it would give me bullets without the "flaw" in the first mold.
The other day I started to cast bullets and found that the expanded ring or shoulder is not a flaw after all but a feature of the bullet design - Discovery Number One. I decided to cast a large batch to include in the case and to shoot with one or all of my Starr revolvers. Unfortunately, I had to stop after only a half dozen bullets because the handle began to smoke and I didn't want to damage a nice original mold. It seems that the mold is designed to look good in a case and not to be very practical - Discovery Number Two. I And I explain all this to also excuse the poor castings because I couldn't get the mold hot enough to cast smooth bullets without burning the mold.
Curious about how the bullets would load, I first chambered one in the original DA. Discovery Number Three: The chambers are tapered and not straight-sided. Of course, this allows the bullets to seal the chamber in the cylinder when they are seated. I don't think that this feature would lend itself to making cartridges as easily as a heeled bullet but that appears not be the intent anyway. (Pretty cool, right?) In the photo of the two cylinders the original is on the left and I dropped in a bullet to the point where it needs to be rammed to seat it. But!! As you can see in the photo of the Pietta cylinder, the bullet can't even be loaded. (Discovery Number Four - imagine that, a reproduction that isn't an accurate reproduction.) All this is too bad because it would be nice to shoot a bunch of these bullets and see how they perform. I know I could have a custom mold made but at this point it isn't important enough to me to do so.
The Johnston & Dow bullet loads easily in both the original and Pietta cylinders so if/when I shoot in the future I'll use either round ball or the J&D. Coincidentally, I found online a pic of a beautifully cased engraved original DA Starr. Notice the J&D cartridge pack: "For Starr's Army Pistol, Cal.44[?]-100." Even though my revolver is barely a plain Jane compared to this one I like the presentation and I plan to copy this case layout for mine.
I have an original Starr double action revolver and Pietta reproductions of both the DA and SA. Some time ago I began looking for original accessories to put together a cased set for my original. It isn't anything special but it is one of only two original revolvers that I have (so far) and I like putting together my own cased sets rather than just buying them complete. I found an original wooden handled mold (eBay, where else?) and even though it is only in fair condition, they are so hard to find that I bought it. During one lead casting session I decided to try the Starr mold. You can see that the bullets have no grease groove but they do have a wider ring or shoulder of sorts at the base. I hadn't noticed that shoulder in the mold, but when I did see it I thought it was a flaw, and since I wasn't planning to shoot any of these I just threw the three or four that I had made back in the pot. Not long ago another mold in much better condition came up for sale on eBay, and I bought it, too. I figured it would give me bullets without the "flaw" in the first mold.
The other day I started to cast bullets and found that the expanded ring or shoulder is not a flaw after all but a feature of the bullet design - Discovery Number One. I decided to cast a large batch to include in the case and to shoot with one or all of my Starr revolvers. Unfortunately, I had to stop after only a half dozen bullets because the handle began to smoke and I didn't want to damage a nice original mold. It seems that the mold is designed to look good in a case and not to be very practical - Discovery Number Two. I And I explain all this to also excuse the poor castings because I couldn't get the mold hot enough to cast smooth bullets without burning the mold.
Curious about how the bullets would load, I first chambered one in the original DA. Discovery Number Three: The chambers are tapered and not straight-sided. Of course, this allows the bullets to seal the chamber in the cylinder when they are seated. I don't think that this feature would lend itself to making cartridges as easily as a heeled bullet but that appears not be the intent anyway. (Pretty cool, right?) In the photo of the two cylinders the original is on the left and I dropped in a bullet to the point where it needs to be rammed to seat it. But!! As you can see in the photo of the Pietta cylinder, the bullet can't even be loaded. (Discovery Number Four - imagine that, a reproduction that isn't an accurate reproduction.) All this is too bad because it would be nice to shoot a bunch of these bullets and see how they perform. I know I could have a custom mold made but at this point it isn't important enough to me to do so.
Here are some data:
Starr Original: Bore 0.443. Chamber tapers 0.467 at mouth to 0.438.
Pietta Reproduction: Bore, 0.448. Chamber, 0.449.
Starr bullet: 0.436, 0.456 at shoulder; 230-233 grains (five samples, average = 232).
Johnston & Dow bullet (for comparison - my Eras Gone mold varies a bit from spec): 0.463, 0.423 at heel; ~224 grains.
The Johnston & Dow bullet loads easily in both the original and Pietta cylinders so if/when I shoot in the future I'll use either round ball or the J&D. Coincidentally, I found online a pic of a beautifully cased engraved original DA Starr. Notice the J&D cartridge pack: "For Starr's Army Pistol, Cal.44[?]-100." Even though my revolver is barely a plain Jane compared to this one I like the presentation and I plan to copy this case layout for mine.
But good luck!
