Sorry to hear of the issues. Yea most anti-virus's cause more problems than they solve. I haven't used one in a decade. I do use a VPN when necessary.

IDK why they'd block this site, all its source code gets scanned by the host itself daily to prevent hacks and exploits.

-DallanC

DallanC wrote:

Sorry to hear of the issues. Yea most anti-virus's cause more problems than they solve. I haven't used one in a decade. I do use a VPN when necessary. IDK why they'd block this site, all its source code gets scanned by the host itself daily to prevent hacks and exploits. -DallanC

I think they lump firearms related sites into a similar category as pornographic sites…they are considered unpalatable and go against what is considered as “nice” sites according to the WOKE society.

As a follow-up…I rang AVG again yesterday and connected to the most amazing lady. She quickly identified the problem and corrected it for me…I now have full access to the Web. She was streets better, ahead and more knowledgeable and capable than all three of the AVG Senior Techs. So four days of sitting on the phone without getting the problem solved was sorted and fixed in just over an hour by this lady.

Well, it’s getting all quiet in here again, so quiet I just might give consideration to singing again, and that just ain’t pleasant…even I don’t like the sound!

Not sure if we have hunting season happening anywhere, if so that could be the reason. If it’s your hunting season and you’re out and about with tags in your pocket, I hope you get to use all of your tags on the biggest rack and/or the sweetest meat critter.

Go get some…

Vince wrote:

Well, it’s getting all quiet in here again, so quiet I just might give consideration to singing again, and that just ain’t pleasant…even I don’t like the sound!

Now let's not get crazy in here!

Someone asked me if I ever sang to my kids. I told them no, because I hated to make them cry!

Vince, I have been sitting on my dead ass so much that it's getting embarrassing. Playing on the computer and watching TV.

I did pick up a T/C Encore Katahdin barrel, 20", in .360 Buckhammer. I have since discovered that the fore end I have won't fit it (new one has been ordered) and that .360 BH brass is unobtainable. Guess I'll pick up some factory ammo and use it for sighting in and plinking. Then I can make my own loads.

I picked the .360 BH because Arkansas, where my daughter is, has some restrictions requiring straight walled cartridges for some hunting/seasons. Also I already had .358" bullets on hand. And it's new!

Lately I lost my usual hunting places,
the main one, the owner passed away and the children do not want anyone to hunt there anymore,
and the other just had a fire trail set up on the surrounding forest thus no longer allowed to shoot there (NSW law states a minimum of 2 km from public road to shoot).

So now I can only go to state forest where not so many prey available.

Pumpkinslinger wrote:

Vince wrote: Well, it’s getting all quiet in here again, so quiet I just might give consideration to singing again, and that just ain’t pleasant…even I don’t like the sound! Now let's not get crazy in here! Someone asked me if I ever sang to my kids. I told them no, because I hated to make them cry! Vince, I have been sitting on my dead ass so much that it's getting embarrassing. Playing on the computer and watching TV. I did pick up a T/C Encore Katahdin barrel, 20", in .360 Buckhammer. I have since discovered that the fore end I have won't fit it (new one has been ordered) and that .360 BH brass is unobtainable. Guess I'll pick up some factory ammo and use it for sighting in and plinking. Then I can make my own loads. I picked the .360 BH because Arkansas, where my daughter is, has some restrictions requiring straight walled cartridges for some hunting/seasons. Also I already had .358" bullets on hand. And it's new!

You should be able to make cases for the .360 Buckhammer mate. According to Mr Google, it is based on a shortened 30.30 Win case (1.8 inches), and is a straight-wall cartridge optimised for lever-action tubular magazines. Apparently it was designed as a competitor for the 350 Legend and has better ballistics than the 30.30 Win. I wonder how it would perform beside the .357 Herrett which again was based on the 30.30 Win case. Considering all three of these cartridges and including the 30.30 are good for around 200m - 250m you should be onto a winner. Having said that, you could probably load the Buckhammer a bit hotter in the TC Encore offering due to the stronger action than the average lever gun.

In the pic below, the 360 Buckhammer is on the left and the 30.30 Win on the right. As can be seen, there is very little difference between the two cartridges. The 30.30 case would probably only need trimming and fire forming to get the 360 Buckhammer mate.

I've started getting into bullet casting, primarily because odd calibers are really hard to find, or overly expensive. These were my first try, a few tiny blemishes that a paper target won't notice.

.50 cal, 450gr lead slugs for a 50-70 Civil War Sharps I picked up. Pretty crazy how heavy these things are.

-DallanC

Now get powder coating them so no mucking around with lube..much nicer to deal with and too easy to colour code loads lol

DallanC wrote:

I've started getting into bullet casting, primarily because odd calibers are really hard to find, or overly expensive. These were my first try, a few tiny blemishes that a paper target won't notice. .50 cal, 450gr lead slugs for a 50-70 Civil War Sharps I picked up. Pretty crazy how heavy these things are. -DallanC

Nothing wrong with those cast proj mate.

When casting, “soot” your mold with a match (makes it easier to drop the bullets out), ensure your mold is heated (I sit mine over the melted alloy), if you can get it I use an alloy of 6/2/92 (92% Pb lead, 6% Sb antimony, 2% Sn tin) this is about 16 BHN hard, otherwise Lyman #2 is 90% Pb lead, 5% Sb antimony, 5% Sn tin at around 25 BHN. If you choose to lube, try LEE ALOX and if they need sizing I use a “push through” die. I put the bullets in a two litre ice cream container, warm up the lube so it flows freely, drizzle some over the bullets and shake the container so the bullets roll around and are fulling coated, then leave them to dry (baking paper comes in handy there).


If you want to start playing with lighter loads, I strongly suggest you gather a copy of the Modern Reloading. Book by Richard Lee. Heaps of valuable info in it and a valuable resource.

Vince, I'll look into necking up some .30-30 as a backup plan. Thanks!

Dallan, I've got a friend here who has the bug to cast his own bullets and wants me to get involved with him. He also wants to poly coat them. I'm thinking about getting the RCBS .45-230-CM for use in .45 Colt and .45 Auto.

Vince: I did smoke the mold and preheated it by leaving it over the melting pot. I'd watched alot of videos before the attempt. The nice thing is if a bullet comes out poorly you just toss it back in the pot and try again

As for charge, its a 50-70 Gov so the load amount is known :). I plan to run pyrodex FFF in the cases, I'll probably come off of the 70 grains to 65 or so. No need to run a gun that old at full power. This particular rifle has a known history, it was assigned to the Kansas 62'd C company which was a "Colored" company. Their movements and battles are well documented. At the end of the war, the rifle was taken back to the Gov Armorer and refitted as a percussion rifle and sent out for the later Indian wars in the settling of the West. So its been through two wars. I wish more was known about the Indian war part, but that's pretty cool in and off itself. I just want to break it out with friends and family and punch some paper, make smoke etc etc

The people I got that rifle from said due to extreme racism at the time, there is a very strong chance that a "colored" soldier rifle was held in disdain by white soldiers, and kept separate from other white soldier's rifles, so it most likely went to a colored soldier in the Indian Wars... which means an assignment to a Buffalo Soldier (which is pretty cool as well).

But, I did pick up a used copy of Lyman #47 which has a tremendous amount of load info for older black power cartridges that later manuals seemed to not focus on. If I could ever find Unique powder, there are several interesting loads with it. I do have some Trail Boss powder but still on the lookout for a starting point for 50-70. I do plan to use Trail boss in 45-70 and possibly 44-40 when I start loading for that.

I have Alox on order, and plan to use that initially with these 50-70s (my brass is still on order so I'm waiting on that).

I'm using HP-38 / W231 in Gen 2 Colt SSAs with good results. I've not fired any of the original Gen 1 SSA's yet.

Pumpkinslinger: Its fun, I thought it was pretty simple... just get everything hot enough and its GTG. I bought a smaller melting pot as I'll only be doing very small runs, just to make up a box or so of the cowboy rounds of different types. I bought a box of 1000 cast and coated bullets for my 45LCs, but somewhere down the road I'll be casting those as well. I'm using pure lead as that's what the original bullets were cast as.

I bought this melting pot which is great for pouring a couple dozen bullets in a setting:

www.amazon.com/dp/B09W...asin_title

-DallanC

ADI has data for the 50-140 sharps so I guess half the charge would be a pretty darn close point to start with???? you could always do the 80% by VOLUME starting point thing with trail boss....lee spoons make that dead easy to do...

It certainly sounds like you have things well in hand Dallan. I’ll have a look through my books here to see if I can come up with some load data for the 50-70.

I doubt very much I’ll have black data, but I’ll see what I do have.

You’re in luck Dallan…I found this data in Cartridgesof the World 9th Edition. Good luck mate.

Dallan, I would strongly recommend to look into Lee's Reloading Manual as he gives a complete other view on reloading reduced loads. When most people think about a small amount of relative fast powder, Lee gives a totally other approach, he even gives a formula to calculate the velocity.
And where most target shooters like a hard lead bullet, I've beginning to like a powder coated bullet with soft lead, sure when you want to hunt with lead bullets. When you don't want to powder coat you might try Lee's Alox. Easy to apply and it works. (but powder coated will have nicer looks and it gives a special feeling when you go out hunting with pink bullets )

Read Lee and be surprised! (I was!)