TUK101

Well so far I have cast some .490 round ball, some 45.1 round ball, and tonight I cast some .429 240gr 44 mag bullets and some .30 cal 170gr bullets for the kids 30-30. I dont plan on hunting with these yet, but they will be fun for plinking and playing around with. Once I get it down to where I have the tin levels right and the overall hang of it I might try taking a deer with them. Whatcha guys think?

dmurphy317

Nothing wrong with casting your own, I cast seveal different bullets from round ball to pistol bullets to large conicals. It's a fun past time and satisfying to use something you made yourself. If you have a powder scale, you might consider weighing each bullet and sorting groups by weight. This will give you better grouping within the weight groups and give you a chance to verify the quality of your handy work. If you find large variations in the weights of the bullets it could indicate a problem in your technique or equipment that you may need to address.

Good luck with it.

eldeguello

OF COURSE I hunt with my own cast bullets and round balls! I use a .500" ball in my .50 ML for deer, and maxiBalls for larger game. I also use cast bullets in .45/70, .416 Rigby, and .357, .44 mag., .45 Colt, and .454 Casull....... Good cast bullets can be very accurate.....

HEAD0001

It sounds to me like you need a good single shot 45-70. As I have said before $100 will buy 5# of blackpowder, primers, and a 5 gallon bucket of wheel weights. This will easily yield you 500 rounds of 45-70. Just fill the case up with BP, lop off the excess with a butter knife, and seat a 405 grain cast bullet. Then shoot, shoot, shoot. Some people like the smokeless powder, and that is great too. But there is just something about that smell of BP.

This load will knock a deer right off his or her(politically correct)feet. Tom.

TUK101

Right on. I am glad to hear that I am not the only one that likes to do as much of my own manufacturing when it comes to reloading as I can. Casting is sort of a slow, tedious process (especially when you are using a hot plate, cast iron pan and a dipper), but it is the sort of thing that I enjoy doing. And as far as a 45/70 goes, that is #2 on my list of guns to acquire in the next year or so. #1 is a 44 mag revolver and #2 is a 45/70. I dont think that I really need a 45/70 but I just want one lol.

James B

I have hunted with a lot of my own cast bullets. Both Muzzle loader and 45-70. I don't cast much anymore because of lack of space to work. Be darn careful to use a well vented area.

TUK101

Well after inspecting all of my cast bullets I am seeing that I need to get the temp right. Lots of little imprefections. I am noticeing that if the lead is too hot, I get voids and if it is too cold it wont fill. If the mold is too hot, the lead wont cool and if I move the sprue plate too soon the bullet gets a rounded bottom. Lots of little things you have just got to experience to learn about lol. Any tips? The cold water tip was a great one. You can hear the difference in the hardness of lead when clinking the bullets together in the storage bin.