I've never posted in this forum and, until now, the only thing I've ever cast was about 100 roundballs for my flintlock. This year for Christmas my two adult daughters decided that if Dad likes to shoot and reload, maybe he'd like to make his own bullets, too. Therefore, I am now the proud owner of a Lyman casting manual, a TL358-158SWC and a 356-125 2R Lee mold, and a Lee bottom pour 10lb furnace. Last week one of the guys I work with said he had a 5 gallon bucket of wheel weight he wanted rid of, so I jumped on that too.
Having never done this, I have a lot of questions even though I am reading Lyman for the second time. I have about 15 pounds of pure soft lead that I kept for muzzleloading and I have several spools of 95/5 solder. Can I mix these in any ratio to get shootable SWC that wont lead (much)? Should I shoot the softer stuff with the 148 wadcutter mold I just ordered? Are WW about the right BHN for hunting boolits? I have read that 148WC and a small charge of Bullseye work well in the 38 Special - can I use the same load in a
.357 case?
I'm not new to reloading, but I am new to cast boolets. Most of my experience has been with Berry's and other plated bullets or the jacketed stuff, though I have shot some commercial cast boolets - Missouri and the like. Thanks in advance for your help and advice.
Having never done this, I have a lot of questions even though I am reading Lyman for the second time. I have about 15 pounds of pure soft lead that I kept for muzzleloading and I have several spools of 95/5 solder. Can I mix these in any ratio to get shootable SWC that wont lead (much)? Should I shoot the softer stuff with the 148 wadcutter mold I just ordered? Are WW about the right BHN for hunting boolits? I have read that 148WC and a small charge of Bullseye work well in the 38 Special - can I use the same load in a
.357 case?
I'm not new to reloading, but I am new to cast boolets. Most of my experience has been with Berry's and other plated bullets or the jacketed stuff, though I have shot some commercial cast boolets - Missouri and the like. Thanks in advance for your help and advice.
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