Self-cast bullets for hunting

[PreglerD]

Hello, I have tried to cast my bullets for hunting now, PRB and conicals as well. I use a rapine bag mould and a LEE mould.

What do you think about self casting?

 

[dlemaster]

Kirrmeister
I have shot a .60 cal Getz barrel for years, for me, self casting is the only option. I can not buy .590 or .595 dia balls.
I also feel that casting my own balls is part of the enjoyment of shooting muzzleloaders.

Regards, Dave

 

[bob308]

i did not know there was any othere way but to cast your own. i got into it out of nessisity.if i wanted to shoot i had to cast and load my own. i started casting for a .357 pistol. then on to other cal. then when i got into m-l it was just a simple matter of another mold.

so after you get the furance and learn what you are doing. it is not much of a problem. you have a new rifle and want some balls or bullets. most of the time you can get a mold for less then what a hundred balls or bullets would cost you.

 

[PreglerD]

Thats my opinion too. How do you handle the sprues of PRB when you have cut them, because there are always sharp edges at the bullet.

 

I've been casting just about as long as I've been muzzleloading. Over 30 years now. The only RB's I've bought in the last 30 years were bought because I was waiting for a mold to arrive. I use my castings for hunting and target work.

Kirr...I keep a pair of needle nosed pliers next to the pot and when I cut a sprue I pick it up with the pliers and put it back in the furnace. Only because it's hot. I've never noticed any edges sharp enough to worry about.

Vic

 

[hawkeye1755]

I have no problems with sprues.

The left RB i purchased as 'hand cast roundball' :shake:
The right RB i cast with my Lee mold .440. :bow:
You can see the difference.
:hatsoff:

 

[TANSTAAFL]

Thats my opinion too. How do you handle the sprues of PRB when you have cut them, because there are always sharp edges at the bullet.

Been casting my own for more years than I care to remember, 20 odd molds and always with an eye out for garnering up more.

Sprue centered with face up for patched ball loads, bare ball in a smoothie, sprue centered down on wad.

 

[Bob Riegl]

:bow: Like Tanstaaful said I have got more moulds than I have fingers on my hands. Not knocking those who buy their cast ball, to me it's just part of the mystique of muzzleloading. I keep my ball numbers to no less than fifty of each calibre, so when I want to shoot a particular gun---it's there waiting. If I get a new gun with a calibre different that what I have on hand, I get a new one---cheap enough. :hatsoff:

 

[CrackStock]

I also cast my own since I want to control the cost, quality and availability of my ammunition.

CS

 

[Stumpkiller]

I hunt with and have killed bucks with lead balls I cast myself and a wood arrows I tapered, dipped, crested and fletched myself. It adds a whole new facet to the pride of success. I find it very enjoyable to run lead balls, assemble arrows or tie fishing flies in my "down time".

I know of bowhunters who have harvested deer with arrowheads they knapped themselves. Now that is the ultimate sport. :hatsoff:

 

[playfarmers]

I cast .495's for my rifle and .490's for my wifes. Now I am looking at a .54 so a new mold is needed soon. Like it was said, it is part of the muzzleloading thing.

 

[hawkeye1755]

Sprue centered with face up for patched ball loads, bare ball in a smoothie, sprue centered down on wad.

Sprue up or down? :hmm: I could not see any difference in my shooting with my rifle.Shoot 20 RB each with sprue up and down. But that's for me.
TANSTAAFL, had you make a different experience?
:hatsoff:

 

[dlemaster]

Mine come out looking like the ball on the right in Undertakers post. I don't do anything to them.

Regards, Dave

 

[wszumera]

It is a great way to recycle your fired bullets!

 

[flintlockmdj]

Casting is the only way to go. When I started shooting M.L. guns there were no precast round balls that you could buy other than from Dixie Gun Works. You had to cast your own. I have bought factory cast balls 3 times that I can remember, one was when I arived at a match and had left my balls at home, Once when I bought a rifle at a match and did not have the correct size balls to use in it to try it out, and the last time a sporting goods store was going out of business and I bought 9 full boxes of .45 and .50 cal balls and 3 partial boxes of shotgun shells for less than $30.00.

 

[Blizzard of '93]

Aaarrrgghh! :cursing: You just had to brag about that sweet deal! :thumbsup:

 

[Deadeye]

Kirr, If your asking what to do with the sprues once they've been cut. I always wear leather gloves so I can just pick them up and put them back in the pot. Been casting bullets for a long,long time have more than 150 moulds.

 

[TANSTAAFL]

With a cast ball, one wants to minimize off center mass. If patched ball is loaded sprue down, one cannot see the sprue (if up, one can) and it is hard to keep it centered.



Bob Spencer states it best for bare ball smoothbore shooting. excerpted from:[url] http://home.insightbb.com/~bspen/SmoothboreLoads.html[/url]

"For casual shooting, I usually load a bare ball followed by a thin overshot card wad. This needs to be done carefully. I ram the overpowder card wad, then press the cushion wad into the muzzle until it is just below the crown by a fraction of an inch. I then position the ball, sprue down, in the center of the wad and ram them both down, being careful to keep everything lined up straight."

 

[Walks Alone]

As others have said, just part of the glamour and fun of shooting black. I've never shot anything but self cast RB and Maxi's in my 32's, 36's, 45's, 50's and 54's since I first took up ML's about 1970. Don't have a problem with those who choose to use store bought though. A dozen and a half moulds/handles, lead pots/furnas and tools can add up to a tidy sum fairly quickly if you don't shoot much.

 

[MSW]

it's been some years (more onto a pair of decades) since i 'ran the numbers,' but i initially went in for casting to save money. i still use my modest litttle melting pot, and most of my moulds are older than my kids, so if you want a good 'excuse,' you can always say you're doing it to save money. right; wanna buy a bridge?

i really do it 'cause it's fun to make stuff, and making your own bullets certainly comes under that heading.

some cautionary notes: you are dealing with lead which is very bad for you, even if it's not being shot in your general direction.

**when you cast, be sure you're outdoors, so you don't inhale the fumes. lead vapor can mess you up.
**when you're casting, wear gloves. this will keep the odd bit of lead splatter (unusual, but not unheard of) from landing on your hands- the resultant burn is quite painful and leaves a nasty looking scar. been there, done that.
**don't forget to put a soft pad (i use a folded up towel, which isn't used for any other purpose and will never go into the washing machine) to drop the balls or bullets onto once they come out of the mould. don't worry if it gets dirty- but don't under any circumstances put it in the laundry, or you'll get very fine dust particles in your clothes. this is bad for your health [insert EPA-type warning tirade here].
**after you're done casting, be sure to thoroughly wash your hands (even though you were wearing the gloves).
**don't eat or drink anything while you're casting, obviously.

lead in peeling paint chips, as we all know, is one the reasons that 'inner city' kids had developmental problems during the last few generations. {avoid political ranting here, but...} this isn't some made- up bs to get another research grant- ingested lead (as well as inhaled lead vapor) causes cognitive impairment, judgemental reduction, loss of reasoning and analytical skills, and reproductive problems, to name a few.

does this mean you shouldn't use it? well, we don't live in a 'nanny state' yet, so luckily, we can assume a few risks, manage a few risks, and still have fun making a perfectly useable product that doesn't harm anyone and provides us with a completely legitimate recreational activity: it's just not something you want to do in your basement.

have fun, but be safe!