Molding Projectiles

[oli700]

After they cool will the strings break apart easily? Do you think if you load them in strings they will stay together until impact? This is cool, like loading a 30 cal bullet almost 1 inch long can't wait for the rest of the story.

It is my understanding that the break apart either in flight or from the force of the charge. When I get some AA components I will do some testing as those will be 9 pellet loads but for now I will be loading 10 pellet loads in Federal hulls with BPI components. Federal hulls hold more then Winchester or Rmington

 

[oli700]

Ah, I see! Youre bein way more scientific and far more patient than I could be!

Not as scientific as it can be. I am just going to some simple testing but it is going to take some time. I basically have lead and tin. Some of the tin has another element in it called Antimony.

Basically tin adds a little hardness but it really lets the lead flow better into the mold.

Antimony adds hardness its in small quantities in some raw tins and leads used for other things like type blocks and such or wheel weights, drift boat anchors. It reacts real well to a cooling process called quenching. Quenching is basically letting the cast bullet or shot fall through a foot of water straight out of the mold.....so a 5 gallon bucket full of water will work. The ones I just did were air cooled on a towel as not to deform them when the drop from the mold and only contain a little tin to help the fill out of the mold. I can tell you they are a little harder than the shot they use in the RIO shells.

 

[Rossignol]

I can tell you they are a little harder than the shot they use in the RIO shells.

Sweet! Youre doin some good work Oli! Super excited to see the final product!!!

 

[oli700]

Important update. I am finding some discrepancies when using the buckshot from the Lee 18 cavity mold with the data from the Lyman Shotshell Handbook.
I set out to load some shells and noticed the payload seemed to be taking up too much room in the hull. This was confirmed at the crimping station when the final crimp looked like crap and the shell swelled up some. I took them apart and measured the pellets, as that is the only component I am substituting in the load recipe. I am simply substituting factory made 00 buck for my own hand cast 00 Buck, all the rest of the components are to the tee. Well I took a measurement at .345. Too big…..so I started taking a ton of measurements, turns out I am averaging .34 caliber on my pellets….and with the 10 pellet load data it is taking up too much room for a good crimp. So I started thinking, probably heavier then it is supposed to be…..yup, over 1 1/8 oz . Long story short I am going to shoot the couple I made for testing. It is not over by much and the powder load is not pushing the limit so I’ll accept the risk.
I also weighed 8 pellets and they were 1 oz. So I made a few 8 pellet loads. I used the same recipe but went with the 8 pellet, 1 oz load. This should be safe and just add FPS.
Other observations, I made one shell out of some pellets I salvaged from the Flight Control ammo I took apart. Those “00 buck” pellets measured at .31 caliber and made a perfect 10 pellet load using the same recipe I have been working with ….
I’ll post some results as I get time to go shoot them

 

[Rossignol]

Oli, seriously thank you for putting all the time into this. Good thread, lots of detailed info.

 

[oli700]

Ok, I was casting tonight and got a little video and a couple of pictures of my process.

Casting video


Then I take them and put them in a rock tumbler with some mechanical pencil refills.

They come out smooth with a coating of graphite. It makes them slick go they slide by each other better in the bore.

 

[SHOOTER13]

Wow...the pictures turned out awesome...and great idea using the graphite as a dry lube !

 

[oli700]

It will help with loads that dont call for a wad too. Let them slide down the barrel and less leading

 

[Rossignol]

Oh Holy Smokes thats Awesome!!!

...I cant give you anymore rep till I spread it around some more...

 

[oli700]

My pleasure Brad and thanks for the interest….hope it helps someone one day , you need to give it a try
My Lee slug mold will be here on the 22nd....getting the 1oz mold.....can’t wait I am having slug withdrawals

 

[oli700]

Went out and shot a couple today and decided I needed to cast some more. Shooting some that I loaded at 1690fps today…they hit stupid hard. Haven’t got any on paper yet

Thought I would add a video of slug casting

 

[Rossignol]

1690? How did that feel!

Oli, you make it look easy!

 

[oli700]

1690? How did that feel!

You know not as bad as I thought it would. I didn’t try to bench shoot them, wich just sucks with the Knoxx...I'll get them on paper later

Instead my Son and I just shot at some lava rocks in a long medow. Shooting squared up,bent at the waist, moving . They were very stout but nice and they were smacking the rocks HARD. We were shooting groups of 5 rocks while moving as quick as we could and they ran good. Between Vang and Knoxx I could comfortably go more, but I might have to look into 3” shells.These hit so hard I am stopping here, they were accurate enough to hit 3’x3’ rocks out to 50 yards so I wond serch out anymore power probably. In a regular shotgun these would rattle the fillings out of your teeth.

Oli, you make it look easy!

I’m not going to lie bro, it is easy.
200 in about 40 min.

 

[nitesite]

oli, that's great to see~

I cast/reload a crapload of ammunition for pistol, rifle and shotgun but have never done buck and the only slug I've done were not that mould style. I gotta say, that slug mould makes 'em quickly! I once posted about it being difficult to replicate factory slugs because of the lack of rifling like a Foster slug and being unable to do roll crimps, but you seem to have gotten past that!

I'm glad to see that as a fairly new caster and reloader you already know about the health requirements of an exhaust fan near the pot when casting indoors!!!

P.S. - I too use sawdust as an oxidizing barrier between the fluxed and molten lead and the atmosphere. Man, I bet the lead level drops dramatically when pouring buck or slugs!

Where are you finding pure lead these days? About all I come across are tape-on wheel weights from a few tire stores. If I could find some pure tin I would surely be in bidniz.....

 

[oli700]

I have had the pure for a while…about 170 pounds of pure. Friends and collogues have heard I was doing this so I keep getting stuff given to me like drift boat anchors, diving weights, 50/50 solder, salmon fishing weights, wheel weights. I know it’s not all pure, the stuff with tin mixed in I use for 00 Buck and the pure for slugs. The buckshot mold is by far harder than the slug….It won’t fill out unless run very hot.

 

[Rossignol]

In a regular shotgun these would rattle the fillings out of your teeth.

Thats kinda what I was thinkin too! The full power Super X and Federal PowerShok are rough sometimes at 1600 fps!

200 in 40 min?! Wow! I gotta get those shells out, I'll send everything unless you specifically dont want it all. I have more of the AA that will be shot within the next two weeks, so I'll send everything after that!

 

[oli700]

right on, I will send you back a couple to test. I'll try to get some 00 buck in there too