Steel Horse Rider
Member
After finishing my Brown Bess kit and then taking it to the range in order to get a feel for the trajectory and aiming peculiarities I have the feeling that the cost of the .740 diameter balls is going to become excessive due to addiction. This has led me to consider casting my own balls, and after watching a number of videos on youtube, including some from our own Brushhippee, I have decided that I need to acquire the material to cast my own. This leads me to a few questions for those of you who cast your own:
How much shrink can be expected from the given mold size, or is the mold size given in finished ball dimensions? I read a lot about impurities and alloys used in wheel weights and other sources of free casting material being too high in tin or zinc content to use. Can you mix wheel weights with pure lead to cast muzzle loading balls? Eventually I will probably cast balls for use in .45, .50, .54, .58, and .75 caliber firearms so I think I will need a goodly quantity of raw material and I am a frugal person.
I will probably hit the flea markets for a heat source, melting pot, and dipper but will purchase the molds although I am not sure as to the proper mold size and would prefer not to purchase molds that do not produce the proper sized balls. I currently purchase balls which are properly sized for the patch material I use and would prefer to cast to that finished dimension, but have been unable to find a definitive source for finish ball sizes in relation to published mold sizes.
Thanks in advance.
How much shrink can be expected from the given mold size, or is the mold size given in finished ball dimensions? I read a lot about impurities and alloys used in wheel weights and other sources of free casting material being too high in tin or zinc content to use. Can you mix wheel weights with pure lead to cast muzzle loading balls? Eventually I will probably cast balls for use in .45, .50, .54, .58, and .75 caliber firearms so I think I will need a goodly quantity of raw material and I am a frugal person.
I will probably hit the flea markets for a heat source, melting pot, and dipper but will purchase the molds although I am not sure as to the proper mold size and would prefer not to purchase molds that do not produce the proper sized balls. I currently purchase balls which are properly sized for the patch material I use and would prefer to cast to that finished dimension, but have been unable to find a definitive source for finish ball sizes in relation to published mold sizes.
Thanks in advance.