casting bullets questions

[javaman]

it's been a long time since i cast my own bullets.  i bought the lee target minie mold.  the bullets go down the barrel wicked easy but leave a lot of leading .   i didn't use any flux when i melted the lead.  could this maybe be the problem? i bought some wax to try as flux.  should i melt down the bullets i made, some of them are lubed   i also have some 38 special bullets that have lube on them,   can i melt them down or will the lube maybe burn or cause a lot of smoke?
 ssssssssssssssssssssssssst

[Semisane]

It's highly unlikely your leading problem is caused by not fluxing the lead.  Most likely the bullets are just too small for your bore and, instead of engaging the rifling, are skipping down the bore and scraping off lead the whole way out.   

You can re-melt lubed bullets without a problem - other than the smoke.  The lube will burn off in the pot.  Do it outside. 

Minnies need to be pure soft lead.  Those .38 Special bullets are probably an alloy that's too hard to make a good minnie.

Going down "wicked easy" is not a good thing for a minnie.  What gun/powder/charge were you using when you got the leading.

[javaman]

i was shooting tc hawken--60 gr black mag powder- this lead is being used by all the guys at the club

[Bigeasy]

Like semisane said, a loose fit is not what you want in a muzzle loader.  You want soft (pure, or real close to it) lead, and a tight, friction fit.  If the fit is too loose, or the mix to hard, the powders blast will not seal behind the bullet.  It will cut around the bullet, melting it, causing leading.  Improper lubing will make it worse (I like all natural lubes, like "wonder lube").  Another thing to look for is a hollow base.  This allows the bullet base to expand upon firing to better fit the bore, and stop gas cutting.  Another trick that might help is using a lubed wool / felt wad between the powder and bullet.  These days I usually just use the Hornady Great Plains Bullt's in my .50 and .54's.  They work well in all respects.  I do use a heavier powder charge, usually 100 grains with Pyrodex R/S.  I guess it is possible that the 60 grain charge you are using is not enough to expand the base of your bullet upon firing so as to fit the bore porperly.

Larry

[javaman]

Has anyone else used this mold  ,  it's the target minnie,  maybe i do need gas checks

[necchi]

I haven't used that mold, I'm basically a RB nut, and cast all my own for 3 cals,
 But I can tell ya, ya don't need gas checks in a ML gun, especially with a skirted bullet. The skirt is supposed to flair to fill the lands an grooves.

[javaman]

  i am going to try these bullets in my huntsman and see what happens

[srussell]

if the bullet is to small you can wrap it with paper (paper patch ) it. works great i pp hollow base bullets for my hawken even for hunting

[1sourdough]

 The only thing I will add is you need to be sure the bullet does not lift off the powder charge before shooting, like if hunting. The paper patch should snug it up.

[Rock Home Isle]

I haven't used that mold, I'm basically a RB nut, and cast all my own for 3 cals,
 But I can tell ya, ya don't need gas checks in a ML gun, especially with a skirted bullet. The skirt is supposed to flair to fill the lands an grooves.

I'm of the same mold. 

[lrrice]

Maybe a dumb question, but does black mag burn fast enough to "bump" up the bullet?  Never use the stuff myself just know that slower powders don't bump up well.