picket bullets

[albert]

 I am in need of some picket bullets for my N.Lewis rifles,my .50 cal mikes out at .504 on the lands,and my .40 mikes out at .395,if anyone would have anything close I would like to buy some, or better yet,buy a mold ,otherwise I will be building a mold. I have looked at some of the original designs that Lewis used in his rifles and will probably build on the order of his.If anyone has any ideas ,I'm all ears.

[hammer]

Try Accurate Molds.  Excellent web site.   He has a vast catalogue of configurations on-line..  Might already have what you want.  If not then he will make one to your specs which then also gets added to the catalogue.  Molds can cast 1, 2 or more bullets.  You decide.  And you can have them in aly, brass or steel.  Finest quality and cast perfectly smooth bullets. 

[Kermit]

Agree. Accurate does great work. He answers e-mail, but DO read the FAQs first.

http://www.accuratemolds.com/contact.php

[Gene Carrell]

Fred Leath at Pioneer Products will cut you anything you want, but I think he only uses fine-grain iron for his molds.

[Dphariss]

I am in need of some picket bullets for my N.Lewis rifles,my .50 cal mikes out at .504 on the lands,and my .40 mikes out at .395,if anyone would have anything close I would like to buy some, or better yet,buy a mold ,otherwise I will be building a mold. I have looked at some of the original designs that Lewis used in his rifles and will probably build on the order of his.If anyone has any ideas ,I'm all ears.

I would make a swage before making a mould. But I have an arbor press and a lathe.
Lead wire is available and its actually faster than casting and not heat needed.





The flat point, flat base shoots best and is very much like some picket bullets found in "American Percussion Schuetzen Rifles".
Do you have the starters for the rifles as well? Without a starter fitted to the barrel pickets are useless.

Dan

[albert]

I have been thinking about making a swage, I have a picket mold that is about  .025 too big ,and thought I could swage them into what I need. I have an almost complete machine shop at home,3 metal lathes,milling machine,surface grinder,tool & cutter grinder,and I have worked in a large tool & die shop for + 40 yrs. ,and what I don't have at home I can do at work.I guess I'm tool poor.

[Dphariss]

I have been thinking about making a swage, I have a picket mold that is about  .025 too big ,and thought I could swage them into what I need. I have an almost complete machine shop at home,3 metal lathes,milling machine,surface grinder,tool & cutter grinder,and I have worked in a large tool & die shop for + 40 yrs. ,and what I don't have at home I can do at work.I guess I'm tool poor.

This would be easy for you. Its really simple, hole of the right size, flat base punch, nose punch cut to the nose shape with very thin edges. I use a Dake 0 arbor press and lead wire from http://www.corbins.com/power.htm
A simple cutter for the wire is easy to make. Or you can cast cores as I used to do when I made myself tapered PP swages for BPCRs. But you are limited to length since the bearing surface of a picket must be short so the patch can fold around it.

Dan