Conicals

[CaptainKirk]

Cabelas is selling the Lyman Big Dipper kit for $80.00
http://www.cabelas.com/product/Lym...llet+casting&WTz_l=Header;Search-All+Products

That and your mould is all you need to get started.

 

[M. De Land]

I went to the range today and tried the .45 acp bullets mentioned in the earlier thread.
They were to long to fit under the loading lever in both the cylinder loader and the gun loading lever so I seated them nose down over 25 grains of 3F and a 1/8 inch felt wad saturated with SPG lube. They shot quite well at 25 yards.
I will make a new seating jag for the cylinder loader to accommodate the length and give then another try nose out next time.
I think I can get pretty close to 30 grains behind them under the felt wad when seated point out but time will tell.
They did not cut a ring of lead when seated point down in the chambers and shot quite well as wad cutters to 25 yards.
I like the flat points and radius heel on the base. I think these just may be a very good bullet for this gun (58 Rem Pietta) and the Ruger Old Army.
They are accurate in my 1911. Mike D.

 

[Patocazador]

M.D., try a thin card instead of the felt wad. The extra space may give you what you want.

I have a ROA and the cylinder chambers are longer. I can put 35 gr. in each with a 255 gr. flat-point bullet using a 1/16" card lubed on one side.

 

[btech]

Is the radius on the base of the bullet enough to get it into the cylinder? I guess it could be enhanced and even some of the bullet could be shaved off.

 

[Blizzard of '93]

the lee molds that are made to cast slugs for the .44 bp revolvers and the larger ROAs (.457 bore) throw a bullet with a rebated heel of slightly less diameter to allow seating into the chambers but yet have a ring of lead shaved off.
the sabot bullets mentioned earlier post are likely the .44 meant for modern guns - the .44 spcl and magnum. these are actually .429 diameter and would not do well in your bp gun at all, likely dangerous.
IMO only soft lead slugs/balls should be loaded. the loading lever pivot pin may bend/break under the pressure when forceing alloy slugs. lkely higher pressures when fired too.

 

[rodwha]

I got into casting because pistol conicals of the style and weight I want are too costly (Kaido's).

The cost to get started wasn't bad ($32 for a Lee pot, $25 per Lee RB mold, $6 for Lee dipper, and $25 for a small clip on the table fan).

The pistol conical mold will be costly as it's a custom mold from Accurate. 2 of the 3 designs were begun, but the final touches have yet to be made, such as a slightly wider meplat, slightly longer driving bands, and slightly smaller diameter base band.

I was given the idea for a short light conical from someone using a Lee 160 grn FN .45 bullet in their pistol with great results, and being short didn't take up any powder capacity as he thought it was roughly the same OAL as a ball.
http://accuratemolds.com/bullet_detail.php?bullet=45-160B-D.png
http://accuratemolds.com/bullet_detail.php?bullet=45-180S-D.png

I intend on having Tom design a much heavier (255-270 grns) projectile for hunting things that may want retribution for use in my ROA.

 

[cowpoke1955]

What's wrong with Lee? http://www.fmreloading.com/Merchan...de=90382&Category_Code=Lee+Black+Powder+Molds $16.58

 

[M. De Land]

They start very nicely into the chamber mouth, only the diameter stops them.
I need about another 1/8 of an inch of clearance to seat them in the cylinder loader or hand lever on the gun.
With a charge of 25 grains of Goex 3F and seated flat nose down, I still had a good 1/8 inch of chamber left that would have excepted probably five more grains of powder. That was using the .125 felt wads in the 58.
I'll get out the Ruger next time and give them a try.
I will also get out the Oehler and see how fast they go. MD

 

[M. De Land]

I would recommend loosing the rebate on the base and add a radius for ease of seating.
This design has proven accurate in cased ammo. MD

 

[crockett]

I think historically the rebate accomodated a paper or combustible shell/case. The loading ports vary on percussion guns, for example on a Colt1851 Navy the port is very short and it is difficult to load many types of conicals.
These bullets taken from sabots? Are they alloy lead or plated?

 

[M. De Land]

My thinking is that if these 45 caliber ACP bullets will work in the percussion guns than a readily available bullet can be found for those who choose conicals that don't cast.
Looks to me like they will work fine in alloy instead of pure lead if only .001 over chamber diameter and loaded with a cylinder press.
At 200 grains they would have a good deal more weight than a ball and still light enough to give a decent velocity. MD

 

[M. De Land]

Here is the bullet I've been talking about along side the .451 ball.
MD

 

[crockett]

Thanks, I really didn't understand what you were talking about before. That bullet looks pretty good, the SWC nose doesn't need to conform to the bore and the two driving bands are not that wide and yet they are set far enough apart that good accuracy would seem doable.

 

[rodwha]

They aren't wide enough for my ROA that has chambers ~.453" from what I can measure with my calipers. So I need it to be a little wider. Otherwise i think it would be quite nice.

 

[rodwha]

As is Tom can make me a wide FN conical that's about .460" long that weighs about 200 grns from pure lead.

As is the not quite as wide bullet he designed for me would weigh 180 grns with WW's. A little here and there and pure lead would easily be 200 grns at not much more than a standard ball, which means you don't sacrifice the powder capacity.

 

[crockett]

On casting conicals for a revolver- you any of you size them?

 

[Blizzard of '93]

I have lee molds to cast '.44' conicals for both my '58 remmy (.454 dia) and my ROA (.457 dia)
I have loaded the larger dia slugs in my '58 fairly easy. the heel slips snugly into the chamber mouth.
I would be leary of loading the slugs meant for the .45acp - may not get a snug fit as the dia is usually .451 - 453.
I shoot both .45acp and the .45 long colt. which btw are 2 different sizes the colt is larger.

 

[CaptainKirk]

Nope. I load them as-cast and either lube at the range or pan lube with Emmert's lube after casting. Pure lead is soft enough that you don't need to size the conicals.

 

[nkbj]

On casting conicals for a revolver- you any of you size them?

Yep. For the Walker. I don't for the .36's because I got an adjustable mold to fit the Pietta 1851 and 1858.
The 1851 frame .44 does not have enough clearance to load anything but round ball.
On the 1858 frame .44 I'm looking at whether to have the cylinder trued up by reaming, to get a sizer .002 under the chamber diameter or get a mold to fit.
On the 1858 frame .44 the best design would likely be the round ball mold altered to have an adjustable length cylindrical behind the ball like this one for .36 caliber

but I'm not so sure I want to go that route because of the very small amount of weight adjustment the geometry of the 1858 would allow. So maybe a .444 or so diameter sizer would be a better mouse trap. That would allow adjusting the hind end of slugs from any nominally .45 caliber mold.

Concerning loading weight weight or slightly hardened lead bullets in percussion revolvers, most repro revolvers are fabricated from steel that will surprise you on how easy it is to distort. Like at the wedge slot on a Colt design. Or in the loading lever linkage in a 1858.
Shooting recycled scrap is a good thing. But caution is the order of the day because you can over power the steel in your revolver when you try to use alloy where lead worked ok.

 

I cast two different styles.
Lee 45-200 round nose and a custom 45-195r
if interested best way to contact me is email
[email protected]

I cast a lot of others too.