Hege Siber-A-Lausanne .33 pistol ball moulds & loads

[gtpkeeper]

Shot 92 and 95 series today with Siber

good shooting ,at what range?

[JiriK]

We shoot at 25m range. 13 shots like in a competition, best 10 included in score.

I use Swiss no2 powder, but who knows what the previous owner had used.. Possibly Wano.

[gtpkeeper]

We shoot at 25m range. 13 shots like in a competition, best 10 included in score.

yup how i practise too,also at 20m too

[JiriK]

Do you know, what kind of lead alloy is used to make H&N round balls?
I got a bag of .330 rb from my clubmate few weeks ago. I have shot my best groups with those projectiles.
First test a couple of weeks ago gave really nice group, but it was a bit low.. Today I shot 96p and 94p targets.
Maybe it is in my head, but I have shot cast projectiles during same training sessions. H&N balls just seem to group better.

I measured that my own mould drops dia. .3294" balls (averange of 10 measured) vs H&N balls are .3331"
There is also small difference in weight. Is this difference big enough to be significant?

I used lead sheets I bought from local scrap yard to cast these balls. Are H&N balls pure lead or some kind of alloy?
If alloy, how hard is it?

[tacfoley]

Do you know, what kind of lead alloy is used to make H&N round balls?
I got a bag of .330 rb from my clubmate few weeks ago. I have shot my best groups with those projectiles.
First test a couple of weeks ago gave really nice group, but it was a bit low.. Today I shot 96p and 94p targets.
Maybe it is in my head, but I have shot cast projectiles during same training sessions. H&N balls just seem to group better.

I measured that my own mould drops dia. .3294" balls (averange of 10 measured) vs H&N balls are .3331"
There is also small difference in weight. Is this difference big enough to be significant?

I used lead sheets I bought from local scrap yard to cast these balls. Are H&N balls pure lead or some kind of alloy?
If alloy, how hard is it?

1. H&N balls are not cast, they are swaged and are therefore more uniform than cast.

2. Naturally it matters if there is a difference in weight - H&N balls do not have a sprue that will inevitably differ from one to another. Remember that you are only shooting a light charge - not for velocity but for accuracy. Even a very small deviation from a common weight will make the ball fly differently, as will having the sprue not exactly centered every time in the bore on loading. With a swaged ball, there is no sprue, hence the increase in accuracy.

3. H&N claim that their balls are cast from pure lead - who knows what the composition of your scrap lead sheet might be? How much cr*p did you skim off the top when casting from it?

4. A couple of manufacturers make a simple point-impact lead hardness tester - not a lot - maybe around $2025 or so. In any case, this SIMPLE test will do well enough -

a. if you can scratch the ball with your thumbnail - it is soft enough.

b. if two balls roll together and make a dull sound on impact - they are soft enough. Thud = soft and clink = too hard.

There should be absolutely NO alloying of lead shot from a single-shot pistol of this design.

tac

[JiriK]

1. H&N balls are not cast, they are swaged and are therefore more uniform than cast.

2. Naturally it matters if there is a difference in weight - H&N balls do not have a sprue that will inevitably differ from one to another. Remember that you are only shooting a light charge - not for velocity but for accuracy. Even a very small deviation from a common weight will make the ball fly differently, as will having the sprue not exactly centered every time in the bore on loading. With a swaged ball, there is no sprue, hence the increase in accuracy.

3. H&N claim that their balls are cast from pure lead - who knows what the composition of your scrap lead sheet might be? How much cr*p did you skim off the top when casting from it?

4. A couple of manufacturers make a simple point-impact lead hardness tester - not a lot - maybe around $2025 or so. In any case, this SIMPLE test will do well enough -

a. if you can scratch the ball with your thumbnail - it is soft enough.

b. if two balls roll together and make a dull sound on impact - they are soft enough. Thud = soft and clink = too hard.

There should be absolutely NO alloying of lead shot from a single-shot pistol of this design.

tac

Thanks for your response.

I remember when I was casting those balls, there was some waste material that I had to remove from the pot. but not as much as when casting with other lead such as range scrap from our indoors shooting range (no jacketed bullets there, mostly .22 and .32 with some .38)
I melted the range scrap on other pot to keep the casting pot cleaner.

My clubmate roughens the surface of his projectiles with some metal mesh. He says it makes the balls fly better and be easier to handle with greasy hands. That step surely makes the sprue get really small, almost invisible. I´ll try that too. Buying balls would feel odd as I have casting equipment.
Only single cavity moulds for .330 so that is a bit slow but.. Long winter is just around the corner.

As for the hardness of lead.. I have a little experimental hardness tester in mind. Drop a sharpened object on the ball and see how big dent it leaves. Will post results when I get it done.

[tacfoley]

Thanks for your response.

I remember when I was casting those balls, there was some waste material that I had to remove from the pot. but not as much as when casting with other lead such as range scrap from our indoors shooting range (no jacketed bullets there, mostly .22 and .32 with some .38)
I melted the range scrap on other pot to keep the casting pot cleaner.

Good plan.

My clubmate roughens the surface of his projectiles with some metal mesh. He says it makes the balls fly better and be easier to handle with greasy hands. That step surely makes the sprue get really small, almost invisible. I´ll try that too. Buying balls would feel odd as I have casting equipment.

Never heard of that one, I have to admit, but I'm always ready to try something new. Here in UK I can make ball at a price of almost fifty to one over bought Hornady ball.
Only single cavity moulds for .330 so that is a bit slow but.. Long winter is just around the corner.

I know, I've been there!

As for the hardness of lead.. I have a little experimental hardness tester in mind. Drop a sharpened object on the ball and see how big dent it leaves. Will post results when I get it done.

That is how the tester works, but it IS already graduated. You pull back a small pointed striker to a mark on the device and then let it strike the ball. You then carefully measure the indentation and get a relative hardness.

tac