Casting Maxi-balls for 50 cal

[10_point]

When i purchased my TC hawkins it had a mold still in the box, lyman 370 grain single cavity. I just need the handles and a melt pot(coleman stove)and i plan on making some bullets to shoot and hunt with.

What is the type of lead i should use(wheel weights,old bullets ,etc)and will i have a problem with leading from using the above lead?

I understand i need to lube the bullet with Maxi-lub or bore butter. or whatever. what is you input for this , to help a "new to this" person out.

 

[Leatherbark]

You will need pure lead. The mold is calibrated for the shrinkage factor of pure lead.

If you use wheelweights you will not even be able to get them started. When lead cools it shrinks at different rates as to hardness.

THe lower two bands of your maxi ball is bore diameter allowing the bullet to align and start easy. The upper band is larger than bore diameter and graved into the rifling when loading. Upon firing the bullet shortens because the base upsets into the rifling and imparting the spin

Use pure lead and lube with beeswax/olive oil lube or a hundred different recipes guys will chime in with. Dont use a grease with petroleum

Good Luck

Bob

 

[ChefP]

You can find good lead on that popular auction site the rhymes with 'flea-bay'. I've been contemplating the same. Never thought about using the coleman stove.
Thanks for that tip!

 

[10_point]

use what is available, i remember when i was young,we went to the rifle range and picked bullets and bought them home melted then on my moms stove and poured them into molds , we had so many bullets in our pockets our pants would fall off. :hatsoff: those were the days that we never thought of the side affects of LEAD POISIONING , man nowadays they all freak out about it. :idunno:

 

[Billnpatti]

I concur with Leatherbark about not using petrolium based products to lube your bullets for your muzzleloader. Bees wax makes a good base for your bullet lube. Olive oil, bear oil, etc all make good additives for your bees wax. Just adjust the amount of oil depending on the outside temperature. Too much oil in the hot summer will make a messy, gooy lube while not enough oil in the cold winter will make for a very hard lube. Just add your oil according to the temperature you will be shooting in. I mix up about three or four different bees wax/oil mixtures and put them in containers. Then I am ready for whatever the outside temperature happens to be.

 

[Rat Trapper]

Go to a plumbing store and buy some plumbers lead. If you can get some lead out of a bullet trap that is only used for 22's, that should also be good.