Too hard

[Erik550c]

Tried to load my 88% bismuth and 12% tin .454 ball and .456 conical with a loading stand, but they were too hard to load in the cylinder. Guess I ignored the brinell hardness scale. Ill have to use those two molds with lead. What size molds do I need for the stated non lead alloy for my Remington 1858 that shoots a .454 ball in lead? Conical and round ball molds.

Thanks!

 

[omarick1948]

You need to use pure lead only. Use your alloys for modern cartridge bullets.

Rick

 

[coloradoclyde]

We tried to tell you but......it fell on deaf ears..

You need to measure your cylinder bore diameter and have a ball or conical that is essentially the same diameter....and you need to use an oversized op wad and probably a grease wad to prevent a chain fire.
If you are going to use harder than lead projectiles.....

Or you need to run the projectiles through a custom sizing die prior to loading.

 

[mooman76]

You might try a .451 mould or go with soft lead.

 

[coloradoclyde]

He is in California...and can't use lead for hunting....

However he hasn't read and fully understood the law....IMO..

Molding his own non-lead projectiles for hunting will still be illegal...unless he has his projectiles certified...

Used of lead for hunting post ban is a $5000.00 fine...

 

[necchi]

What size molds do I need for the stated non lead alloy for my Remington 1858 that shoots a .454 ball in lead?

They don't make what you need. You may have to go with a bullet for the revolver and what's called a "bullet sizer".
So point your research in that direction.
https://www.google.com/search?q=bullet+sizer&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8 https://fsreloading.com/search.php?mode=search&page=2 https://www.trackofthewolf.com/Categories/PartDetail.aspx/1198/1/LEE-90382

To be exact you will have to measure your cylinders (each one).

 

[wulf]

Thats pretty helpful information...I hope many
people read it....good on you.

Wulf

 

[coloradoclyde]

When I was Young I was told......
"ignorance is no excuse for the law"

It doesn't work for much else, either....

 

[Zonie]

IMO, you need to buy and shoot lead bullets/roundballs in your pistol.

The California laws banning lead currently deal with hunters hunting in specified areas.

Read this link to get an understanding of what is actually banned and when it goes into effect.

https://www.wildlife.ca.gov/Hunting/Nonlead-Ammunition#25046244-when-does-the-nonlead-ammunition-regulation-take-effect-

There is no ban on lead bullets/balls used on recognized shooting ranges (yet) or much of the State for target shooting or plinking. (This changes after 2019)

As for getting a bullet mold just the right size for making bullets/balls for your pistol out of a non-lead alloy, as I said before, these alloys do not shrink like lead does when it solidifies so the likelihood of finding a mold that will work is slim and none.

 

[coloradoclyde]

A couple of years at Machinists school and he'll have the necessary skills to solve the problem..

It's an easy problem to solve if you have the know-how....

Explaining it on a forum is much harder......

 

[Erik550c]

He is in California...and can't use lead for hunting....

However he hasn't read and fully understood the law....IMO..

Molding his own non-lead projectiles for hunting will still be illegal...unless he has his projectiles certified...

Used of lead for hunting post ban is a $5000.00 fine...

By the way I already submitted my non lead certification application to the DFW.

 

[coloradoclyde]

:applause:
Glad to hear that... :thumbsup:

Please keep us up to date, (detail Your experience)so that others can learn from your experience.