1861 Springfield
40 Cal
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- Dec 8, 2020
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Spent a nice evening making the Lyman 575213OS for my Pedersoli 1861 Springfield
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Making Minnies
- Thread starter 1861 Springfield
- Start date
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I need to cast some Pickett bullets for my Walkers, this reminds me
Much better than with the cavity in the top.
Sorry just couldn't let that one slip by,Much better than with the cavity in the top.
Ugh...haha
59sharps
40 Cal.
Only thing I would do is put your drop area in front of the pot so you have less movement. My sprue I drop into a 5lb coffee can. That way I get to sit in one spot , don't move unless I get up for a drink. But when I cast I'm casting most of the day. 3-4 different bullets. I can only cast on weekend when I'm at my weekend house. only shoot on weekends there unless at a match of course.
Have you had the chance to try the RCBS Hodgens skirmish Minnie yet? my muskets and carbine like it a lot.
Have you had the chance to try the RCBS Hodgens skirmish Minnie yet? my muskets and carbine like it a lot.
1861 Springfield
40 Cal
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my mould drops at .579 and i size to .577 im running three pots on my bench and dont cast alot of pure lead which is why its on the end. it works for me. i changed my mind on the other mould.
Rock Home Isle
54 Cal.
I enjoy casting my own projectiles. It’s a fun part of black powder. Very enjoyable...my grandkids come over to watch and of course they ask all sorts of questions.
New into BP, awaiting moulds and warmer days.
Have you had any issues with voids or anything issues specific to using a cavity mold that you can pass along?
Woody Morgan
62 Cal.
Make sure you drop plenty of sprue material. As the cast cools it pulls still-molten material from the sprue into the mold. If there isn't enough sprue you wind up with a void and you see a small hole in the center of the underside of the bullet. If you're watching the mold you can see it happen and know to put that cast back in the pot.
wm
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I might be wrong, but as far as I recall, the rationale behind the Minié was that it neither used nor needed a patch of any kind - the rifling in a gun intended for shooting Minié projectiles, by comparison with one intended for shooting with a PRB, was hardly there at all. Please tell us of your experiences with patching them.
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Maybe I should say hollow base. The hollow base is the innovative feature of the Minie. I've been shooting smooth hollow base bullets in my .54 target rifle. With paper strips it loads very easy. I like Minies and would shoot them more in my other rifles. Most of my modern muzzle loaders have rifling with very deep grooves so have not even tried a Minie in them. The two bullets below are ladle cast in pure lead at about 900F.
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1861 Springfield
40 Cal
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I would say pour hot and fast.That has given me no voids as well hitting dead center of the hole. Im pouring at 850 degrees with a generous puddle on the moukd
1861 Springfield
40 Cal
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what rifle are you shooting paper patch bullets in sir?
After removing 27 posts, maybe we can get back to the subject of casting Minie's in this thread.
1861 Springfield
40 Cal
- Joined
- Dec 8, 2020
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- 159
- Reaction score
- 150
Thank you sir!
On another note... what kind of weight variation do yall consider acceptable? In this session of casting above I was getting about 3 grains max swing. I weigh and shoot them in 1 grain batches when punching paper.
On another note... what kind of weight variation do yall consider acceptable? In this session of casting above I was getting about 3 grains max swing. I weigh and shoot them in 1 grain batches when punching paper.
Rock Home Isle
54 Cal.
Honestly when it gets to projectiles of this size, a few grains difference in weight is not going to make that much difference in accuracy. With that being said, when you are pouring for the little .32 calibre...I've found that that calibre needs everything to be just so so. Everything from bullet weight, to powder charge to pressure when seating the projectile needs to be consistent.
So 3 grains +/-...not a big concern.
