- Mountain Moulds for muzzleloader ???

[buzzerd]

Has anyone here tried using the " design-it yourself" mould service at Mountain Molds for casting for your muzzleloader? I just was reviewing their site and they now make available different diameters usable for the .54 and .58. Apparently you can even spec paper patch straight wall, and the side window draws the design to scale as you spec out the details --- looks good .... any comments or opinions???? Considering ordering a paper patchable flat round nose from them --maybe .532 dia ---aluminum single cavity $60 US sounds a little cheap for a custom mould???? Have to admit the grapics on their site showing immediately what you've spec'd gets you hooked. I seem to remember someone posting it can be quite a wait for an order when he started the business up a year or two ago. :says:
http://www.mountainmolds.com/

 

Be aware that any paper patched bullet lacks ANY volume of lube at all. Black Powder, when burned, produces 56% of it's volume, in sold waste. Some of that foulng remains attached to the barrel walls. Some method has to be used to soften that lube, so it doesn't cake and become dry and hard. Bullets with grease grooves contain BP bullet lube, which remains in the bore to soften this fouling allowing subsequent loading and shooting while maintaining accuracy.
: Having to clean before you can re-load the gun is not acceptable for hunting. You owe it to the game to be able to fire a fast second shot, sometimes necessary to finish a wounded animal.
: While I haven't tried it yet in a muzzleloader, it is possible to utilize Paul Mathews teachings for ctg. guns, on repeated firing of paper patched bullets. It works in ctg. funs, and might work in muzzleloaders as well.
: Everyone considering paper patched or any bullets in a ML, should own "The Paper Jacket" by Paul Mathews. It is innexpensive and well worth the admission. His methods are very much usable in a smokepole and will work.

 

[RussB]

Good suggestion Robert, IMHO.

Dan, at mountain moulds will work with you on any of his custom moulds. (Work, means help you with your design)

Dan is not just in the business just to make money, although I'm sure that's a great incentive. He is also a very avid cast bullet shooter and helps many new casters with their everyday problems. Anyone interested in casting should visit the "Cast Boolit" site at; http://www.aimoo.com/forum/freeboard.cfm?id=514616

BTW; The term "Cast Boolit" is not my normal misspelling of words, but a term used by those who cast their own, as opposed to buying regular "cast bullets".

I have had very good experience with Mountain Moulds.

Russ

 

Do a search "Mountain Moulds" The first two hits on Yahoo are for the site then a forum discussing the moulds. Apparently, they stated out being iron, just like Lyman and RCBS, then made some in brass or bronze, and now aluminum as you say.
; Overall quality soulds as if it's OK.
: I'd make certain that no one was presently making the mould you desire- perhaps for les than the custom bullet mould. You can check RAPINE, NEI, SAECO, LBT, RCBS, LEE and LYMAN to name only some of the present mould makers out there.
: Sorry Rus- I've been casting bullets for my rifles and handguns for almost 40 years now(30years in competition with other casters) and yet had never heard of the term "Cast Boolit". I believe it is a word common only to the forum you provided the address for, not with bullet casters in general. Thanks for the address.
: There are never too many mould makers. Their comercial competition is good for us.
: A chart of Lyman designs will show allof the successful bullet designs. Pick one that is similar to what you want in bullet shape, then change the dimenisons to fit the weight and size you desire. The same goes for Saeco NEI & RCBS designs.

 

[waksupi]

Daryl. You have to be casting for bottleneck chamberings, or pistols, for boolits to be correct, I do believe. Round ball is a grey area in the description. Russ, do you know if a RB can properly be termed a boolit?

 

[buzzerd]

Thanks guys for input---sounds good and I think I'll give them a try for my .54. I already have Lee and Lyman moulds, would like a slightly smaller diameter for two paper layers. Daryl -- just to clarify I do lube my paper patches and with the wiping after a shot with one or two patches with two drops of rubbing alcohol on them and followed by a dry patch, I have no problem quickly reloading. I do admit I like to use 777 for less fowling with paper patching, also harder to get real BP around here. Have also used Pyrodex with similar loading procedure. That little extra time I take to put couple of patches through makes very little difference to my overall loading time, even for hunting, and certainly makes for more accuracy, which we all owe our quarry. :winking: And I've always tried to make the first shot count, to me it's really a single shot weapon anyways ( unless you've got a double barrel ). Sorry I realized now I did't post the Mountain Molds web site I was looking at, on my post above, here it is:
http://www.mountainmolds.com/
I still like that little live graphic side window showing bullet profile, that your coming up with as you change each spec.
Bob.

:imo:

 

[RussB]

Daryl. You have to be casting for bottleneck chamberings, or pistols, for boolits to be correct, I do believe. Round ball is a grey area in the description. Russ, do you know if a RB can properly be termed a boolit?

Ric....Can't say for sure, but I do know the .58 cal Lyman 575213 Parker Hale at 565gr is quite often refered to as a "boolit".....as well as a few other HB Minies, at least in the group of people I run with. I do not know if this reference is correct, or just confusion from hearing the term applied else-where.

I somehow have the impression that if you made it yourself, it is a "boolit".
If you bought it, it is a "bullet".
Don't know if that was the original intention or not.

BTW; This is not the first time someone thought I was just plain goofy when I used the term,and that's the very reason I try to avoid it unless I'm with the crowd that uses it.

As a side note....I highly recommend the "Cast Boolit" web site for those who are truly interested in casting. No matter whether you call it a boolit, or a bullet. This is perhaps the best, most knowledgeable, dedicated web site...anywhere, for learning about moulds, alloys, technique, maintenance, collecting, or any other phase of casting....several National, and Past National Champions are there to help you get started, and they are all great folks.

If you shoot, you should try casting. eace:

Russ

 

: Then again, perhaps BOOLITS are shot south of the US Canadian border - while we shoot bullets up here.
: Makes sense when you think about it, afterall you forgot the S and the H between the "L" and the "I"
:crackup: :crackup: :crackup: :crackup: :crackup: :crackup: "BOOLITS" - what a crock! :crackup: :crackup: :crackup:

 

[buzzerd]

Thanks Russ --- that site looks excellant, wasn't aware it existed --- one of the reasons I love this sport of muzzleloader shooting is you can get out of it as much as you want to put into it. Great to see others ideas and opinions, and this sport has about the greatest variety of them, both sides of the border --as you can see above !!! :: For example you look at the old technology and behind it there were some amazing developements at the time here and there along the way---after all the flintlock was at one time a new fangled invention -- and some people still enjoy trying to improve on the tried and true---yet others like to just shoot or hunt, don't want to tinker or challenge themselves, but that's fine also. Myself, I like the comination of tinkering and experimenting, and applying the results out hunting. Not for everyone, but it would be a boring world if we were clones of one another. Some guys are adamant on being period correct, others insist inlines and sabots etc. are more humane, others say the patched round ball is the only true hunting projectile ---etc etc -- all those CLOSED opinions, Daryl, are the real BS. :hmm: :bull: Not to say I don't appreciate the variety out there, on the contrary and we're all fighting the constant barrage of non - shooting public pressure against our sport, both sides of the border.

:m2c:
Happy hunting and muzzleloading. Bob. :thumbsup: :thumbsup: