[Kart29]

That's what I just used because I read in my Lee Modern Reloading manual that this is what is preferred. I did add a smidge of tin solder.

Have you ever used anything but pure lead for muzzleloader bullets? Why? What was the result?

Is casting with wheel weight alloy much easier or harder? Is flux needed or used with pure lead like it is with wheel weights? I just used from unknown wax for flux. Is any wax as good as another? This is a pretty hard wax that is sold to be used for coating animal traps.


Golly... sure is soggy here in central Indiana. I don't know if it will be enough to make up for the severe drought we had last summer, though. That may take a couple more years.

More later...

 

[Tom in Arizona]

You want to use soft lead (pure lead) for muzzleloaders as you have to ram the bullet down the bore to the powder charge. If you use hard lead that will be pretty difficult to do. The tin will help the lead flow and not really harden it.

I find really no difference in the technique in casting soft lead for muzzleloader projectiles and a hard alloy for cartridges.

 

[rooterpig]

I think the power belt muzzle load bullets are a very low hardness bullet. They work good , do alot of damage, and flatten out .

 

[Zeke/pa]

Before I retired, two lead sheets weighing about 100lbs. each were being tossed.
Using a course blade on the toolroom bandsaw,I cut the pure lead sheets into ingot size chunks and use them EXCLUSIVELY for Muzzleloading balls/bullets.
The other unknown stuff laying around like wheelweights etc. is used for sinkers,jigheads etc.

 

[Nightfisher]

When I first started casting my 45 and 54 caliber balls for black powder I didn’t have anything but wheel weights. I had been shooting store bought round balls and standard pillow ticking for the patch. I went to Walley world with calipers in hand and purchased pillow ticking that was five thousandths thinner and it made it a lot easier pushing the ball in the barrel. As far as a difference in accuracy, I couldn’t tell any difference but I am not the best shot anyhow. If you can get pure lead, it would be better. When making conical bullets it cuts into the rifling a lot easier.

 

[80hp]

Always use pure lead for muzzle loader bullets! Don't waste your tin on them!
+If you have ever slugged a barrel, you will know how much easier it is to push a pure lead slug through a barrel than pushing a hardened one through.
+For accuracy, muzzle loader bullets and balls need to upset to fit the barrel when fired. This requires pure lead.
+A properly matched ball and patch can be loaded with light to moderate effort. A fired patch will show a ring where it touched the ball and barrel and not be burned or cut. The ball will show a ring of marks from the weave of the patch all the way around it.
+ML Bullets are designed to upset upon firing to engage the rifling and seal the bore. Too hard lead will prevent this.
NOTE: Does not apply to modern plastic saboted projectiles.
M.

 

[308/338]

Pure lead and nothing else should be used. If you use hard lead it can get stuck in the barrel and after that experience you will never do it again. Go to the scrap yard and look for old water pipe lead or lead bends. If you can easily make a cut in the lead with your thumbnail it's probably close to pure lead. No you can't use any kind of wax because some wax has petroleum in it and won't mold right and will ruin you molds. Use only bees wax or wax specifically design for this purpose. Lee Precision sell wax and it's cheap enough. If your try to cut corners and make a mistake it might cost you more than if you did it right in the first place. I been there done that.

What kind of muzzleloader do you have?

It seem it raining all over the world.

T ;D NY

 

[kingstrider]

I only use pure lead for muzzleloading. I'm fortunate in that a lot of people give me scrap such as pipe, flashing etc. If you have a friend that does renovations on old homes or buildings that would be a good place to start.

 

[Frodo]

Anyone use the stick on WWs for muzzleloaders? What are your thoughts?

 

[308/338]

Anyone use the stick on WWs for muzzleloaders? What are your thoughts?

I am assuming WW is wheel weights and stick is used. Okay I can't stress this more, don't use anything but pure lead 99.9 percent if you can find it. WWs are good for smokeless powder firearms bullets where hard lead is preferred. I don't even water quench ML bullets I want the lead as soft as possible so it can by loaded easily and engage the rifling on ignition.

What part of pure lead doesn't you don't understand? :

T ;D NY

 

[janott]

Pure lead is preferred but as far as round balls go it doesn't matter because of the patch, but a thinner patch might be needed. I have tried lead with tin in it with mini balls and maxi, the mini balls worked well but the maxi did not. Either one could be sized down and used with a cloth patch or even a paper patch.

 

[308/338]

You can improvise by using thinner patches to make a hard lead ball fit going down the barrel and a top of the powder. But is it correct NO it isn't. If you are going to be into ML be into it. It's just as easy to use the correct lead (pure lead) as it is using the wrong lead (hard lead). Hornady has a round ball called hard ball it's inserted in a sabot. The soft sabot engages the rifling. If you use hard lead and this means in order to get a .490" ball down the barrel you must now use a thinner patch. You are not getting the advantage of the powder charge because of the better seal a thicker patch offers. The hard ball will rip the thin patch in the barrel and will not get the full advantage of the rifling. BALL hard or soft is .490" the patch is it's sabot so if the patch fails the ball is bouncing down the .500" bore. This is not good to say the last. You will be best satisfied with your ML using the proper components ( pure lead) ;D

T ;D NY