Bullets for cap and ball Revolvers

[Nash]

Hi all, I'm new on here and fairly new to BP pistol shooting, I've just bought alead melter and a lee .456 bulet mould to try these out, any one tryed these how did you get on.

[tim56]

Hi Nash, did you get a melter with a spout or are you using a ladel.? Also is the bullet mold you have for round ball or a bullet.?
The main thing with casting your own is getting your lead and your mold to a working tempreture. The lead neads to be hot enough to fill the cavity before starting to set or you will get a wavey effect which means the bullet is made up of layers of lead rather than a solid mass. Balls are easier to make than bullets and dont forget to hold your mold over a burning match to give it a coating of soot inside the cavity. This will help to stop the ball/bullet sticking to the mold surface once it has set. When you fill your mold make sure to over fill it as the lead will shrink as it sets and needs a resevoir on top of the sprue plate to fill the void. I tend to use wheel weights for bullets and pure lead such as water piping or roof flashing for balls. Black powder guns prefer a softer lead to allow for expansion on firing to fill the rifling where as cartridge bullets prefer a harder lead such as wheel weights or pure lead mixed with lineo type ect. Dont forget to avoid breathing lead fumes, they arnt good for you and have fun. Theres something satisfying about shooting bullets youve made yourself. Let us know how you get on. Tim

[Nash]

Hi Tim, thanks for all the info, the few that i have moulded have the wavey lines in them, so that problem is sorted now (thanks). I'm using a .456 Lee bullet mould and the melting pot has a small spout at the bottom with a handle on the side that you lift to pour the lead. I'm quite lucky as i have good supply of soft lead and hopefully be moulding bullets for my .577 rifle as soon as the mould arrives