Casting my own R/B's

[flintlock]

It is simply easier to get match-grade, under 1" groups at 50 yards using pure lead bullets that allow even tighter loading which usually provides better accuracy.  I have never seen the reverse occur.

You may be right that it's easier to reach the ultimate in accuracy with pure lead. I don't have to worry about that. Nevertheless, I believe WW balls can shoot exceedingly well. The fellow who put me on to using WWs is the founder of Cast Performance Bullet Co. He told me, "I once shot 4 balls into 1 1/4" at 100 yards with a 54 cal FLINTLOCK over a rest, and I did it with WW balls."

I plan to use my flintlock on elk this October and was concerned that my pure lead balls would be too soft. Here's what one did inside a relatively small bear. It lodged under the far side skin. That sounds impressive till you see how much a bear shrinks when you take his pajamas off.

With an elk being larger and tougher, I want more penetration. This guy knows of 6 elk taken with .490 patched round balls with only 1 ball recovered! All the rest passed clean through. That's why I learned to cast and why I chose WW lead.

As I mentioned in my note on the other thread, no one has ever mistaken me for a marksman, so I'm pretty happy with how well the WW balls shoot. 

[Hungry Horse]

 That flat ball reminds me of one recovered from an Idaho six point bull elk taken with a little trade  gun an old friend, now gone under, (Taildragger) an I built from a recycled 27" 20Ga. shotgun barrel, and a used Lott lock. He turned that elk upside down at eighty yards, and that .595 R.B. was as flat as a pancake. I made him a nice little brain tanned knock bag to keep it in for hunting luck.

                              Hungry Horse

[Daryl]

Good luck with the harder balls in the .50.  I'd personally prefer a larger bore for that animal. The larger the bore, the more easy it is to get a hard ball to shoot well. The ratio of groove depth decreases when we're talking about square or even rounded rifling.

Note you may have to use a wad under the patched ball to protect the patch, when using harder balls.

I've not had good luck accuracy wise, with wads in nay of my rifles, except in the 14 bore rifle - it doesn't care one way or the other. I have not tried them in the .58's - yet.

[flintlock]

Good luck with the harder balls in the .50. I'd personally prefer a larger bore for that animal.

If I had a larger bore, I'd shoot it. Here is how my wheel weight balls shoot from my 50 caliber flintlock. I fired 10 shots at 50 yards. 90 grains Swiss FFFg; 2044 fps MV (back calculated from chronograph at 20 ft)

[camerl2009]

It is simply easier to get match-grade, under 1" groups at 50 yards using pure lead bullets that allow even tighter loading which usually provides better accuracy.  I have never seen the reverse occur.

You may be right that it's easier to reach the ultimate in accuracy with pure lead. I don't have to worry about that. Nevertheless, I believe WW balls can shoot exceedingly well. The fellow who put me on to using WWs is the founder of Cast Performance Bullet Co. He told me, "I once shot 4 balls into 1 1/4" at 100 yards with a 54 cal FLINTLOCK over a rest, and I did it with WW balls."

I plan to use my flintlock on elk this October and was concerned that my pure lead balls would be too soft. Here's what one did inside a relatively small bear. It lodged under the far side skin. That sounds impressive till you see how much a bear shrinks when you take his pajamas off.

With an elk being larger and tougher, I want more penetration. This guy knows of 6 elk taken with .490 patched round balls with only 1 ball recovered! All the rest passed clean through. That's why I learned to cast and why I chose WW lead.

As I mentioned in my note on the other thread, no one has ever mistaken me for a marksman, so I'm pretty happy with how well the WW balls shoot. 

i pure lead ball will hold together better then a WW ball a WW bullet thats not water droped will fagment alot easier then a pure lead one pure lead and tin are more ductile then any alloy with antimony in it (of corse water droped makes them hard enough where thay dont expand and in turn fagment) ive done enough experimenting with alloys so far to know this (with my muzzleloders and my cartridge guns/shotguns)