Introduction

     This book comes on a CD that includes a set of Excel workbooks. The print version, of course, doesn't include these workbooks. The CD is available at a minimal cost.

     Most of what's in this book was discovered or invented by cast bullet shooters over the past several hundred years. Very little is original with me. There are over one hundred and forty listed contributors to this book, and I'm sure that there are others whose names I have inadvertently omitted.

     Information on all aspects of cast bullet shooting is available, but it is spread out and difficult to access for the beginner. This book puts a lot of that information in one place for the beginner as well as providing information on many advanced topics.

     It doesn't tell you everything, it doesn't take sides in technical disputes and it doesn't confuse the important with the minutiae.

     It provides an overview of bullet casting and shooting, puts a lot of reference material in one place, and mentions books that add to our understanding of cast bullets and shooting.

     It must be used with a reloading manual for safe and accurate reloading of cast bullets.

     I recommend the Lyman Cast Bullet Handbook, any edition. All editions.

     The distinction between opinion and fact in cast bullet shooting is sometimes blurred. Opinions abound while facts are rare. Beware of opinions masquerading as facts.

     Don’t be intimidated by the wealth of information in this book. It is a record of the accumulated experience and (sometimes conflicting) opinions of experts who have spent decades studying cast bullets from a number of perspectives. Some enjoy target shooting. Some enjoy hunting. Some enjoy letting their antiques talk again. Some are just looking for cheap ammo. Some enjoy the technical side of things, and some just enjoy the fellowship of fellow enthusiasts. Most are interested in more than one of these. And every single one will take great delight in helping you get started and getting over any problems or questions you might encounter.

     But that aside, the basics of making and shooting cast bullets really is easy. Grade school youngsters have learned the basic elements in an afternoon (though adult supervision is strongly encouraged!). At its most elementary form, bullet casting is really not much more difficult in principle or in practice than pouring water in an ice tray, though there is an added element of hazard from the heat. Everything past that is simply refinement, and you'll find plenty of that in this book.

     Most normal adults can pick up enough basics to do a decent job and get safe, good results with a single demonstration. Or, if no mentor is easily available, a couple of afternoons reading free literature from mold manufacturers is an acceptable substitute, particularly if the beginner has ever reloaded non-cast bullets.

     We earnestly solicit your comments, criticism and additional information to be included in the next edition of this book. You do the casting and reloading and experimenting; please share your knowledge with us. You may contact me through the Cast Bullet Association.

     Casting and reloading and shooting cast bullets is a lot of fun. I started casting and shooting lead bullets in 1960, and have been actively doing so, with varying emphasis, ever since.

     I shoot cast bullets for several reasons.

     Cast bullet guns are easier to clean than guns shot with jacketed bullets. I may spend time over three to five days cleaning copper out of a bore after fifty shots with jacketed bullets; I can clean a cast bullet gun in about ten minutes.

     Cast bullet shooting is less expensive than shooting jacketed bullets. Or so we tell ourselves. Certainly bullets are cheaper to cast than to buy, powder charges are smaller and cheaper, and brass lasts longer. Offsetting these savings are the costs of the equipment, which sometimes gets away from me. I do love the equipment.

     Cast bullet guns recoil less than jacketed bullet guns. Not always, but mostly. 

     Cast bullets don’t wear out barrels on rifles. Not yet, anyhow. I’ve shot out jacketed bullet barrels in 2500 rounds. I’ve yet to see accuracy diminish in a cast bullet gun. I know it has to sometime; I’m just not there yet.

     Shooting cast bullets is fun. We need more fun in our lives.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Special thanks to:

• Ken Mollohan for his articles, comments and editing,

• Dave Goodrich for his articles and computer help,

• Denise Goodrich for the covers

• Todd Wolf for his articles and for putting this into .pdf form

     Thanks to the writers who are identified with a by-line or whose contribution is in italics. If there is no by-line or it's not in italics, I'm guilty.

     Thanks to the dozens of shooters who taught me what I have written.

     Thanks to Rudi Prusok, the ASSRA archivist, for all his help.

     Thanks to all of those named below, who contributed to this book. If I left your name out, I apologize. The omission was accidental.

The contributors:

These contributors chose to use their forum noms de plumb.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

 0.0 THE BEGINNING (This Is Where You Are)

• INTRODUCTION

• ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

• DEDICATION

• TABLE OF CONTENTS

• RECORD KEEPING

1.0 SAFETY (Chapter 1.0 including all three sub-chapters)

• BULLET CASTING SAFETY

• RELOADING SAFETY

• SHOOTING SAFETY

2.0 BULLET MOLD SELECTION AND DESIGN

2.1 MEASURING GUN DIMENSIONS (Chapter 2.1 including all Four sub-chapters)

• HOW TO SLUG A BARREL

• How To Slug A Rifle THROAT

• HOW TO MAKE SULFUR BARREL AND CHAMBER CASTINGS

• HOW TO MAKE CERROSAFE BARREL AND CHAMBER CASTINGS -- David Kaiser

2.2 BULLET DESIGN AND FIT (Chapter 2.2 including all five sub-chapters)

• How To Scale Bullets Up Or Down

• BALLISTIC COEFFICIENTS (BC)

• Thoughts on Throats, Leades, Ball Seats and Bullet fit -- Ric Bowman

• Fitting a Cast Bullet to the Chamber of a Firearm -- Bill McGraw, Ken Mollohan and Ric Bowman

• How to use the measured bore, groove, and throat diameters to select a cast bullet that is likely to do well in your gun -- Ken Mollohan

2.3 TWIST (Chapter 2.3 including all four sub-chapters)

• ABOUT TWIST

• HOW TO MEASURE THE RATE OF TWIST OF A BARREL

• THE GREENHILL FORMULA

• TWIST AND BLACK POWDER CARTRIDGE RIFLES -- Dan Theodore

3.0 Bullet Casting

3.1 BULLET CASTING TOOLS

3.2 BULLET CASTING METALS (Chapter 3.2 including all seven sub-chapters)

• ACQUIRING AND PREPARING LEAD FOR CAST BULLETS

• LEAD ALLOYS AND BULLET HARDNESS

• A CHEAP WAY TO TEST LEAD ALLOY HARDNESS -- James Carter

• A SIMPLE METHOD OF DETERMINING THE HARDNESS OF LEAD ALLOYS--David Berry

• IDENTIFYING TIN

• THE PENCIL TEST FOR LEAD ALLOY HARDNESS -- Ken Mollohan

• How And Why To Measure The Specific Gravity Of Alloys

3.3 CAST BULLET HARDNESS REQUIREMENTS (Chapter 3.3 including all four sub-chapters)

• Bullet Hardness, Chamber Pressure And Accuracy

• anOther Opinion -- John Bischoff

• BULLET HARDNESS-STRENGTH-PRESSURE -- John Alexander

• Bullet Hardness Requirements -- Bill McGraw, John Robinson, Ric Bowman

3.4 HOW TO CAST BULLETS (Chapter 3.4 including one sub-chapters)

• How To Adjust And Maintain Bullet Molds

3.5 DAMAGED BULLETS

4.0 How To MODIFY Cast Bullets (Chapter 4.0 including all six sub-chapters)

• How To Beagle Bullet Molds -- John Goins

• How To Lap Bullet Molds

• LAPPING BULLET MOLDS -- Ric Bowman

• Three Reasons to Lap a Mold -- John Wagner

• Getting the mold ready to lap and preparing a new mold--Joe Weist

• Lapping The Mold -- Joe Weist

4.1 BULLET SIZING AND BUMPING (Chapter 4.1 including two sub-chapters)

• How To Hone A Sizing Die -- Richard Tunnell

• How To Bump Bullets In The Lubricator/Sizer

4.2 GAS CHECKS (Chapter 4.2 including all three sub-chapters)

• GAS CHECKS ON PISTOL BULLETS

• HORNADAY GAS CHECK SPECS

• SHOOTING THE INVERTED GAS CHECK -- Forrest Asmus

4.3 Swaging Cast Bullets (Chapter 4.3 and one sub-chapter)

• Swaging AND BumpING CAST Bullets -- Norm Johnson

4.4 Paper-patched bullets (Chapter 4.4 including all four sub-chapters)

• Why Paper Patch Cast Bullets? -- Ken Mollohan

• How to Paper Patch Bullets -- Ken Mollohan

• Paper Patching -- William Iorg

• How to make a paper patched bullet mold--Ken Mollohan

4.5 HEAT TREATING LEAD BULLETS (Chapter 4.5 including all four sub-chapters)

• HEAT TREATING CAST LEAD BULLETS -- Tom Gray

• Bullet Quenching -- By Dave Goodrich

• Heat Treating Lead Alloys and the Effects on BHN -- Dave Goodrich

• WHEEL WEIGHTS AND HEAT TREATING CAST BULLETS -- Bill McGraw

5.0 BULLET LUBRICANTS (Chapter 4.5 including all twelve sub-chapters)

• Bullet lubricants and accuracy

• Why lubricate cast bullets?

• HOW TO LUBRICATE CAST BULLETS

• Hand lubricating

• Liquid alox tumble lubricating

• Lubricating in a lubrisizer

• How To Pan-Lube Bullets

• Pan lubricating, tweezers method

• How to make sheets of lube

• THE KAKE KUTTER LUBRICATING METHOD -- Ken Mollohan

• BULLET LUBRICANTS AND THEIR RECIPES

• SHOOTING CAST BULLETS WITHOUT LUBRICATION

6.0 RELOADING

6.1 CAST BULLET RELOADING (Chapter 6.1 including all seven sub-chapters)

• How to assemble a cartridge

• BELLING CASE MOUTHS

• How to measure maximum cartridge LENGTH

• COOKBOOK LOADS THAT WORK IN ANY GUN

• CHAMBER PRESSURE

• CONCENTRICITY -- Ric Bowman

• Target and Hunting Ammo, the Way I do it--Bill McGraw

6.2 CARTRIDGE CASES (Chapter 6.2 including all nine sub-chapters)

• How to care for cartridge cases

• How to trim cases to length and why

• WHEN TO TRIM CASES -- Ken Mollohan

• CASE LENGTH VS. ACCURACY

• How to anneal cartridge cases

• How to turn case necks, and why

• THE STEP NECKED CASE

• nickel plated cases

• CARTRIDGE CASE TUMBLERS AND CLEANING CASES

6.3 PRIMERS AND PRIMING TOOLS (Chapter 6.3 including two sub-chapters)

• PRIMER TESTS -- Charlie Dell

• BERDAN PRIMERS -- Pete Schroeder

6.4 POWDERS AND POWDER MEASURES (Chapter 6.4 including one sub-chapter)

• THE ASTOUNDING POWDER MEASURE TEST!

6.5 WADS AND FILLERS (Chapter 6.5 including two sub-chapters)

• PVC WADS

• DACRON WADS AND CHAMBER RINGING

6.6 How to work up an accurate rifle load (Chapter 6.6 including all seven sub-chapters)

• WORKING UP A CAST BULLET LOAD -- Jesse Miller

• CHRONOGRAPHS AND LOAD DEVELOPMENT

• CHRONOGRAPHS AND STATISTICS

6.6.1 RELOADING FOR THE SINGLE SHOT RIFLE (Chapter 6.6.1 including all three sub-chapters)

• HOW TO BREECH SEAT BULLETS -- Bill McGraw

• HOW TO MAKE A PLUGGED CASE

• BREECH MUZZLE LOADING

6.6.2 HOW TO RELOAD FOR THE M1 RIFLE -- Bob Steinberg

6.6.3 RELOADING CAST LEAD BULLETS FOR HANDGUNS (Chapter 6.6.3 including all six sub-chapters)

• SHOOTING LEAD BULLETS IN HANDGUNS -- Norm Johnson

• MORE ABOUT SHOOTING LEAD BULLETS IN HANDGUNS -- Adrian Pitfield

• CAST BULLETS IN REVOLVERS -- Adrian Pitfield

• A Revolver and cast bullets

• CAST BULLETS IN SEMI-AUTOMATIC PISTOLS -- Adrian Pitfield

• 1911 head-spacing method -- Norm Johnson

6.6.4 LOADING AND RELOADING WITH BLACK POWDER (Chapter 6.6.4 including all eight sub-chapters)

• ABOUT BLACK POWDER

• Black Powder Charges, Weight vs. Volume

• How to reload black powder cartridges

• Water-Proofing Black Powder -- Ken Mollohan

• MAKING AND LUBING PATCHES -- R. Dale McGee, Spotted Pony on Cast Boolits

• HOW TO MAKE COMBUSTIBLE PAPER CARTRIDGES -- Harry Eales

• CARTRIDGES FOR MUZZLE LOADING RIFLES -- Ned Roberts

• HOW TO MAKE BLACK POWDER PAPER CARTRIDGES FOR REVOLVERS -- timuchin on THR

6.6.5 CAST BULLETS FOR THE TWENTY-TWO -- John Alexander

6.7 ON HEADSPACE (Chapter 6.7 including one sub-chapter)

• SHOULDER SETBACK WITH REDUCED CAST BULLET LOADS

6.8 ON MOLY COATED BULLETS -- Jesse Miller

6.9 The Lee Collet Dies -- John Alexander

7.0 shooting

7.1 HOW TO SHOOT OFFHAND -- Harry Pope

7.2 HOW TO SHOOT FROM THE BENCH (Chapter 7.2 including all three sub-chapters)

• HANDLING HEAVY RECOILING RIFLES FROM THE BENCH -- Ken Mollohan

• BENCH RESTS

• HANDGUN RESTS

7.3 SIGHTS (Chapter 7.3 including all eight sub-chapters)

• IRON SIGHTS

• How to set click-adjustable rear sights

• How to set vernier sights

• How to adjust a wind-gauge front sight

• HOW TO ADJUST OTHER IRON SIGHTS -- Ken Mollohan

• Telescopic sights

• How to focus a telescopic sight

• FACTORS OF SIGHTING ERROR

7.4 ON ACCURACY (Chapter 7.4 including all four sub-chapters)

• How to Determine “first shot hit” accuracy of your rifle.

• How to EVALUATE rifle bench rest group accuracy

• How to test for accuracy differences

• GROUP SIZES AND STATISTICS

7.5 SPOTTING SCOPES

7.6 SHOOTING IN Mirage and Wind

7.7 Cant

7.8 HOW TO CLEAN A CAST BULLET GUN (Chapter 7.8 including one sub-chapter)

• CLEANING GUNS WITH PAPER TOWELS

8.0  THE SHOOTING SPORTS

8.1 CAST BULLET ASSOCIATION MATCHES (Chapter 8.1 including all seven sub-chapters)

• INTRODUCTION TO CAST BULLET ASSOCIATION MATCHES -- John Alexander

• CBA Production Class  -- John Alexander

• CBA Heavy Class

• CBA Unrestricted CLASS

• CBA Plain Base Bullet (PBB) CLASS

• CBA LONG RANGE HANDGUN COMPETITION -- Jesse Miller

• CBA MILITARY RIFLE COMPETITION -- Claris Hyett

8.2 INTRODUCTION TO SCHUETZEN RIFLE SHOOTING

8.3 Buffalo Rifle -- Forrest Asmus

8.4 BLACK POWDER SHOOTING (Chapter 8.4 including both sub-chapters)

• BLACK POWDER Schuetzen

• The Black Powder Cartridge Rifle -- Paul Matthews

8.5 Hunting with cast bullets (Chapter 8.4 including all five sub-chapters)

• Hunting with Cast Bullets -- Todd A. Wolf

• HOW TO DUPLICATE 32 RF HUNTING LOADS IN CF RIFLES -- Ken Mollohan

• Field Report-Soft Nose Cast Hunting Bullets -- Bill McGraw

• How To Make Soft Nose Cast Hunting Bullets -- Bill McGraw

• HOW TO MAKE CAST HUNTING BULLETS--Ken Mollohan

9.0 ABOUT THE GUNS (Chapter 9.0 including all twenty three sub-chapters)

• AN ASIDE ON RIMFIRES

• BLACK POWDER RIFLES AND PISTOLS

• MUZZLE LOADING RIFLES AND PISTOLS

• CAP LOCK TARGET RIFLES AND SLUG GUNS

• LONG RANGE MUZZLE LOADERS

• THE PEDERSOLI GIBBS MUZZLE LOADING TARGET RIFLE -- Dick Trenk

• BLACK POWDER Semi-cartridge guns

• BLACK POWDER CARTRIDGE RIFLES

• INTRODUCTION TO IN LINE MUZZLE LOADERS (In Chapter Nine including all fifteen sub chapters) -- Todd A. Wolf

• BLACK POWDER Revolvers

• BLACK POWDER CARTRIDGE Military guns

• RIFLE-LIKE SINGLE SHOT PISTOLS

• SINGLE SHOT RIFLES

• ORIGINAL SINGLE SHOT RIFLES

• REPRODUCTION SINGLE SHOT RIFLES

• NEWLY DESIGNED SINGLE SHOT RIFLES

• GERMAN SCHUETZEN RIFLES

• ON BUILDING A SINGLE SHOT TARGET RIFLE

• BOLT-ACTION RIFLES

• MILITARY SURPLUS RIFLES

• PRODUCTION BOLT-ACTION RIFLES

• PURPOSE BUILT BOLT-ACTION RIFLES--Pat Iffland

• SEMI AUTOMATIC RIFLES

• LEVER ACTION RIFLES

APPENDIX

• A Table Of Lyman "M" dies

• Lead Balls, Gauge, Dia., WT.

• ANTI‑CORROSION METHOD FOR STORED GUNS -- Ken Mollohan

• AN ARGUMENT FOR HARD CASES

• Removing Rust

• Casting "Jacketed" Bullets -- Ken Mollohan

• CONTENDER ASSEMBLY NOTES

• DAVE PATTERSON ON THE 32 MS AND 32 RKS

• Fire Lapping BARRELS -- With articles by Ken Mollohan, John Robinson and John Cox

• On Eyes  -- Jesse Miller, O.D.

• The 30 BR (Bench Rest)

• The .32 Miller Short

• Shooting Under Water -- Ken Mollohan

• Super Cavitating Bullets -- John Bischoff

• The Poor Man's Case Tumbler -- Jeff Brown

• HOW I MADE A TUBE SIGHT

• the 32 miller short -- R. Dale McGee

• HOW TO CROWN A RIFLE BARREL

• How To Reload With A Lee Loader

• How To RELOAD WITH A Lyman 310 Tool

• MAKING AN APERTURE FRONT (OR REAR) SIGHT

• Managing The Redding Micrometer Measure -- Ken Mollohan

• SAECO TO BRINELL HARDNESS CONVERSION TABLE

• Scope sight adapter for German Schuetzen rifle -- Al Young

• SCREWS FOR THE CLEANING ROD

• SIGMA AS A FRACTION OF X BAR

• THE LYMAN STS SHIFT

• Wilcoxon Rank Sum Work Sheet

     ERRATA Corrections - Changes - Additions to any of the chapters or the appendix are found here

SOME STATISTICS

RECOMMENDED BOOKS AND PERIODICALS

EXCEL SPREADSHEETS/WORKBOOKS

• ALLOY CYLINDER WEIGHTS BY CALIBER.xls

• ASTOUNDING POWDER MEASURE TEST DATA.xls

• BALLISTIC COEFFICIENT, MV AND DEFLECTION.xls

• BULLET HOLE WEIGHTS.xls

• BULLET WEIGHT CALCULATOR AND RECORD.xls

• C. DELL'S TWIST FORMULA WORK BOOK.xls -- Charlie Dell

• CHAMBER PRESSURE CUP vs PSI.xls

• CONFIDENCE INTERVAL ESTIMATOR OF MU.xls

• CONFIDENCE INTERVAL ESTIMATOR OF SIGMA SQUARED.xls

• DON EAGAN BULLETS.xls

• ESTIMATING GROUP SIZE VARIATION.xls

• GREENHILL FORMULA WORK BOOK.XLS

• KEN MOLLOHAN'S ALLOY BLENDING SPREADSHEET.xls -- Ken Mollohan

• LEAD BALL WORK BOOK.xls

• LYMAN BULLET, TOP PUNCH, SEATING STEM CROSS.xls

• M54 WINCHESTER WORKBOOK EXAMPLE EDITED.xls

• MV WEIGHT TWIST WIND DEFLECTION RECOIL TORQUE.xls

• SD OVER MEAN THE DATA.xls

• SETTING A MICROMETER POWDER MEASURE-URBAN KVENSLER.xls -- Urban Kvensler

• SMALL SAMPLE CONFIDENCE INTERVAL ESTIMATOR OF MU.xls

• SPECIFIC GRAVITY CALCULATOR.xls

• t testing.xls

• TWIST MV RPM CALIBER ROTATIONAL SPEED.xls

• WILCOXON 95 PERCENT TABLE.xls