hard cast vs. soft cast

[splitnock]

OK      my father-in-law past away a few months ago. As I was going through his reloading supplies I came across a bunch of cast bullets for the 44 mag. how can I tell if they are hard cast or soft cast?  Where can I find the process to load them? I have loaded 44's for a few years now, but stictly with jacketed bullets. Basically I need info on lubing, do I need to use gas checks etc thanks in advance

[LaOtto222]

Are the bullets in a case of some sort? If purchased and still in the original box, it will tell you who made it with a bullet number. You can look them up to get a description. If you keep the velocities under 1000 fps then it would not matter if they are hard or soft. You will need to flare the mouth of the case before loading to keep from cutting the base or sides of your bullets and/or collapsing the case. You will only need gas checks if you are going to push them to higher velocities like jacketed bullets. BTW there needs to be a heal on the bullet to put gas checks on. Then you will need a fixture to seat the gas check. Did your father-In-Law cast them himself? If purchased, chances are they are lubed already. There are usually 1 - 3 rings around the bullet that is full of grease. If they have been cast by himself and not lubed, then they will need to be run through a lubing station to fill the grooves. If this is the case then he should have had the equipment there to do it with. If they are swagged they will not have grease grooves around them. If they are soft swagged, then you definitely can not push them over 1000 fps with out leading up your bore. They still should have a waxy coating on them from the lube. If not you can purchase lube and then roll them around in it to coat them. A not very scientific test is to push your thumb nail into the bullet and try to scratch it. If it leaves a mark, then it is soft. If your nail hardly makes a mark then they are of a harder material. It just gives you an idea. If you keep the velocities under 1000 fps, you will not have a problem with them soft or hard. Use them for plinkers/practice and then you can purchase bullets of a known source for the purpose you intend.

[splitnock]

they were cast by him. some are hollow points some are solid, most are not lubed I do have the press to lube them but it's quite gummed up from sitting several years any tips on how to clean it up? thanks for the info  cliff

[LaOtto222]

OK; got some more info. I would scrape off what it could with a plastic spatula. I then would try different solvents, like kerosene or mineral spirits to clean the rest off. If that does not work you might try heat. Put it in an old pan and let the oven warm up to 150 degrees or so (enough to melt, but not burn) and see if it melts off. I do not know for sure because I do not know what he used for a bullet lube. There are many kinds out there. When you run them through it will size your bullets and you can seat a gas check. The die should tell you what the sizer is. Chances are it is .430 for the 44 Mag. That is the standard for cast bullets. Depending on the sizer-lubber you have it may need a nose punch to match the bullet. Chances are he had all of this some where. You can buy lube that you roll the bullet around in instead of putting some in the sizer/lubber, but they would still need to be sized. I have heard of standing bullet up in a pan then melting the lube around the bullet and letting it setup and running a tube of the proper size over the bullet to pull it out. When cast they are not perfectly round and running them through a sizer will put a shinny surface to the bullet at it's outer diameter and smooth out the parting lines of the bullet mold. If there is a heal to the bullet, you can seat a gas check. Chances are it does not have this. Most molds do not have a heal to seat a gas check. It sounds like your Father-In-Law just used what ever lead he could get to cast the bullets with. I think you could push them in the 1200- 1400 fps range and not lead up. I am just guessing, but if you run into leading problems, then you would have to back it off. After shooting a few through a clean the barrel re-clean with a powder solvent. Then look down the bore to see if there is leading occurring. You will be able to tell by a dull look to the bore (it may be streaked from the forcing cone out to the muzzle) and a build up around the corners of the grooves of the bore. If it is not leading then it should look shinny in the bore and the corners of the grooves should be sharp. Good luck to you. Many find casting bullets to be a satisfying hobby, to others it is a chore hardly worth the effort.

[ContenderCrazy]

Boil the lube press in a pot you don't care to dedicate to that purpose.  It is infinitely easier than solvents and works great.

[iiranger]

#1). "hard cast" or "soft cast"... Easiest is your thumb nail. If you can gouge the bullet, then it is awful soft. From there it is a crap shoot. If you want to spend, there are hardness testers. Or you can weigh the bullet and compare to a weight of water for volume... alloys are lighter than pure lead. If you have the weighing equipment, this can be very precise. Otherwise it is alot of work.

Frankly, I would stick to .44 Special loads which should not over work a lead bullet. Some are fairly hot and just short of Maggies. What did you plan to shoot? If you must equal a Mag load, then you want the gas check. It can be inverted, cup down, with bullets that don't have a heel. This is getting RubeGoldbergish and a bit silly...

The other thing with cast, you need to slightly expand the mouth of the case to keep from shaving lead off the bullet. Lyman has an "m" die for this. Lee makes a tapered shaft in a die... Keep it to a minimum, it work hardens the case mouth faster and reduce it with a crimp on the mouth after the bullet is seated.

#2). Lubing is as hard as you care to make it. Long time ago they used animal fats and beeswax. Rubbed into the grooves. There are softer lubes you could still do this with today. .44 Special loads would tax this kind of lube. LEE has that tumble lube stuff. Again, not for full .44 Mag loads probably, but easy. As suggested, warm to hot water should remove the dirt and gunk from the lube sizer and then you can use whatever lubes suit your plans. The old lubes, and Alox and bees wax has been around a long time, were meant to melt in the barrel and lubricate as liquids.

Lyman inherited the lead bullet history from Ideal and the other suppliers to the buffalo hunters et al. Their books go over it. And it is covered by many others. Not big difference from jacketed bullets. Bit messier. Most data manuals address it for hand guns. If you are loading jacketed bullets you shouldn't have any problems. luck.