Hello, can you use wheel weights for a muzzle loader slug? What if the rear portion was just a groove diameter and the front band would just engrave the rifleings so it wouldn't be too hard to push down the barrel. I'm assuming that the cast bullets would have to be air cooled. I have a Knight MK-85 in 54 cal. I picked up a LEE minnie ball mold and the cast slugs(.540) just rattled down the bore without touching the rifleings. Lee said to just lube it heavy and shoot. They went all over the place. I lapped the mold out to cast at .545" and now they can just be pushed into the bore with a thumb. I'm going out to shoot them tomorow to see how they'll do. I cast some out of lead and wheel wights. I'm wondering if the huge hollow base of the minnie would be okay for hunting. I dug some out of the soft dirt backstop at the range and they were completley flattened. I've tried the blackbelt? and they shoot incredibly accurate out of my gun. They print clover leafs at 50yds with 110gn Pyrodex P. They are kind of expensive to practice with though. Any thoughts?
Lar.

Lar45,
My experience has been that you should not use wheel weights for muzzleloading bullets. The hardness is in question with wheel weights so pure lead is best. The only thing you have to loose is your rifling. For that reason I use pure lead or sabots.

Go to Bruce's site, just enter as a guest and he will ansew all of your questions concerning wheel weight lead in muzzleloaders.

Go to this site and enter as a guest. Bruce will answer all of your questions concerning shooting wheel weight lead in muzzleloaders.

http://bluegrouseblackpowder.intranets.com/login.asp?link=

Here is an e-mail I dug up from Bruce concerning lead alloy conicals in my T/C........interesting reading
make sure the barrels clean... and it sounds as if you'll have to spit patch and dry patch between loadings. I use the T/C bore butter and make sure the bullets have at least a generous film all over. When it's hot the butter just won't stand. I've gone to using bore buttons or what Ox Yoke calls "Wonder Wads". They've cut my groups in half in everything I've used em in and they've relieved my anxiety about insufficient lube as I use the pre lubed variety.
I've done a great deal of R&D on the seating of the alloy conicals. I've measured the length with a micrometer before and after seating with a plastic mallet. In my Underhammers I remove the breech plug and "pre seat" a couple hundred so the works all done and all I have to do when the powder is in the barrel is just turn the bullet till the grooves match the lands and it slides right down. So there is a point that the alloy will slide right down. Getting to that point varies from rifle to rifle. Some they're loose in, some they're tight. I haven't found a barrel yet that it wasn't worth the tussle to shoot them... hopefully you've got a good jag that won't deform the point if you're planning on going that route, but I'd recommend a plastic or rubber mallet. I use a hard plastic one. It's key that the base not seat with too much difficulty. Hopefully you're just having a time with the driving band. If the base is to far over diameter of the bore and won't start without really having to yard on it, then you're probably better just to abandon the project for pure lead. If it's just the driving band that's being the most contentious. You should be able to hold the bullet in the bore, give it a little whack and have the base slide right in, the mid band should present little difficulty but the base might be a little tight although it should be nothing impossible at this point... then the driving band engages the lands... give it another pop with the mallet and it's little nose should end up even with the bore. Now it's time for the short starter... a couple small licks with the mallet on the starter will no doubt save your hand and will not hurt the conical at this point... make sure you don't stray off the bullet as you don't want to have the brass short starter jag scrape the bore... after the first four inches the work is done and it will slide home. Hope fully it will get easier and not tighter. If you find it getting tighter you've got bore problems. I"ve found a couple T'C's that had a reverse choke on their barrels. A properly choked barrel restricts at the muzzle, not at the breech. You may also find that some of your powder has tightened up the seating if it's hung in the barrel for any reason. That's another great thing about the bore buttons. They swab all the powder on the way down and put it were it's supposed to be...
The Cherokee was made with a 1:30 twist specifically with the T/C .32 Maxi ball in mind. They introduced them concurrently. You'll find great round ball accuracy starting perhaps as low as 15 grains of FFFg as the fast twist gets the ball rotational speed to optimum at very low velocities. It should print ball on ball without much powder at all... then if you want to fuel it up, the Maxi's are the ticket. The 1:30 twist and a strong scope should find you printing under an inch at 100 if you'll persist with the Maxi's and use a bore button. I've got a customer in Ohio who discovered how well the little Cherokee liked Maxi's and he had me order all the proper T/C scope base adapter, mounts, rings and a T/C scope from the period. He really gets em salivating at the local meets. A proper Seneca or Cherokee is to most who know and enjoy the sport, as strong a statement that can be made commercially. Having one that shoots lights out is even better. I have confidence that you'll find that with a little perseverance the alloy will prove worth the hassle... unless the base just wont start, then we're in for only pure lead. My .32 likes 35 grains of FFFg with the pure lead, but it will print every bit as well with 50 grains of FFFg and the alloy... much flatter trajectory...

let me know how you get along...
----- Original Message -----

I tried to go to bruce's sight, but the application got returned as undeliverable.
Lar.

It been awhile since I've cast anything,my memory could be faulty,but I believe balls cast of wheel weights were smaller diameter than those cast from pure lead from the same mold.That would explain why the lee mold minies would be a loose fit.
The balls we cast from wheel weight were very hard to load and not nearly as accurate as swaged balls.
I used to have a lyman cast bullet handbook that had tons of useful info on casting bullets.

I cast the Lee minnies from pure lead.
lar.

LAR45 Here is Bruces e-mail address. Drop him a line and he will be more than happy to respond.

r2bropratr@netzero.net

i use nothing but pure soft lead in my muzzel loaders but i also use nothing but round balls and patchs to. i have found that the pure lead out shoots the harder stuff my a good margin unless the patch ball fit is really tight.

in my 75 caliber jager .775 bore i use a .765 ball and a .018 patch and a bore button accuracy is great.

in my larger rifles i still prefer pure lead but i have also used a 3% tin mix lead or wheel weight lead and found a real real tight fit is needed or a larg powder charge to get the ball to expand to fit the bore tight enough with the patch to prevent blow by and to keep accuracy good.

Larger than 75cal!?! What are you shooting a 4bore? Sounds like it would be a kick to touch one off.
lar.