Bullet Casting

Bullet Casting

- Bob Glodt

Learning how to cast bullets can be a significant hurdle for a new shooter. To become a competitive black powder cartridge competitor, though, you must become an accomplished bullet caster. Even those with basic experience in casting No. 2 alloy pistol bullets will find that casting the “big” bullets we shoot to be more of a challenge.

To become proficient, one must know and understand the basic rules of casting and follow them religiously. Turning out top-quality lead bullets involves a healthy dose of technique, as well. Pitfalls can creep into the process even with the most experienced bullet caster. It is necessary to pay attention to the small details of casting to avoid problems.

BULLET ALLOY

Most black powder cartridge competitors use a lead to-tin alloy that is between 20:1 and 30:1. An alloy of 30:1 contains one pound of tin for every 30 pounds of pure lead. Various companies catering to black powder cartridge shooters sell premixed alloy, so it is not necessary to blend your own. The alloy I use is 25:1; however, I am one who prefers to buy pure lead and tin and blend my own. But to obtain consistent bullet weights from one batch to the next, an accurate scale is needed for weighing lead and tin. Bathroom scales are not precise enough to be used for weighing lead and tin for alloying. It is important to precisely weigh the components to achieve nearly identical bullet weights from any given bullet mould from one batch of prepared alloy to the next.