Linotype roundballs?

[mark davidson]

Anybody here ever try pure linotype roundballs? I am shooting a .62 cal rifle so I got enough diameter to begin with to give up some expansion I think. I just wonder before I cast up some pure linotype balls if anybody has tried this or shot them?  Are they as accurate or more or less than regular lead mixes like you normally buy ready-made? I have shot many deer with pure linotype cast pistol bullets and they are not brittle and hold together really well. I just figured a pure lino round ball would be an awesome killer. Anybody know?

[R.M.]

Man, you sure do like to "Rock The Boat".  

[Bigsmoke]

Ditto what Steve said.
My thought is to cast a few and then try loading them.  If they are too stiff loading, you will need to use a thicker patch.  And to do that, you might need to go from a .610 down to a .600 diameter ball.
You know, what would be a really good idea for the gun builders out there is to provide a short section of the barrel that the rifle was made from for the customer to dink around with to determine fit and ease of loading for different size ball and patch combos.  Wouldn't have to be more than an inch or two long.  Just a thought.

[mark davidson]

R.M.,  Man in all honesty....what boat did I rock this time? :-) Seriously, I really do not know. Is this a controversial question??? I've killed a lot of game with my own cast lino bullets in handguns with stellar performance so it was natural for me to get my pot out and mold some round balls the same way.  I just figured someone on here had tried it so I came here for information like always not knowing that I had once again tread on the "wrong" topic.  I'm being sincere, not sarcastic; I really would like to know the deal so I can be better informed and maybe not rock the boat on purpose or accidentally later on.

[mark davidson]

Now, Wyosmith, I assume by "air cool" you mean that I should not water drop the balls. Is that correct?  Can I just drop them on a soft cloth like I used to do other cast projectiles?
 One more question: To get that 50/50 mix you mentioned, can I mix half lino with the other half regular factory Hornady round balls to get a good performing alloy?

[mark davidson]

Bigsmoke,  If they are too "stiff" loading, did youmean to say use a "thicker" patch or should that be a thinner patch to make them not so "stiff"?  My main .62 likes a .600 ball with .015 patch. I can hardly cram a .610 ball down it with the same patch. Ironically my other .62 likes a .610 ball with the same .015 patch and the .600 ball in the second rifle is very inaccurate while the bigger .610 ball shoots like a housefire. What are your thoughts on linotype balls for each rifle?

[R.M.]

Mark, as you know, a soft lead ball is the accepted norm, and I have seen very heated debates on the use of anything but, maybe not here, can't remember. I just expected your question to open up a big can of worms. Guess not.  

[Fletcher]

Where did you get the stuff???

I burnd up the last of my linotype lead almost 20 years ago and did not think they made it anymore.

Ditto on 50 -50 cut with pure and even some wheel weight lead - then stick to hard cast pistol or cartridge rifle bullets.  Too hard for ML in my opinion, at least the ones with rifling.

[mark davidson]

R.M. Thanks, honestly, for the clarity. It never occurred to me that the lino question was controversial.  I am not re-enacting or shooting at a rondi or anything similar. I just wondered how lino would shoot and thought about slamming a few deer with some of my own castings just to make the whole experience more fun. PC nor HC ever really crosses my mind in hunting.....just fun. I am glad there is no heated debate about it as that was for sure not my wildest intention.

Fletcher, I still got one pot full and maybe a couple of ingots left from days gone by. It is hard to find indeed but the occasional old print shop may have a tad left here and there but it is scarce.

[Mitch]

there was  a "bevel brothers" column in an older Muzzleblasts about "pure lead" vs "harder lead alloy"....seems there was NO difference in loading/shooting pure lead vs wheel weight lead...I realize that different alloys will shrink,etc and the  age old saw is "only pure lead in a muzzleloader" I've never bought into that myth myself....as others have said, try it!! I've shot ww lead out of a muzzleloading RIFLE with no noticeable difference in loading,shooting,cleaning,accuracy,etc....

[jbullard1]

Mark
I'm not trying to add fuel to the flame but 2 weeks ago in Arkansas, I dropped the flint on a 120 pound doe fully facing me at 27 yards. The charge was 70gr fffg in my 54 caliber LongShanks, shooting a pure lead .530 roundball.
The ball entered just right of where the neck joins the left shoulder, missed all major bones and exited the right hindquarter. The deer was body slammed and only quivered.
The same afternoon my 9 yearold grandson Preston took a 1970's vintage Miruko 45 caplock cal loaded with 60 gr fffg and 440 pure lead roundball and dropped a 120 pound, one antlered 3 point at 65 yards with a full broad side pass through shot that hit high on the shoulder and destroyed the spinal column, the 5 other shots on the hunt that afternoon were with a compound bow and inlines with no hit animal getting away
The only tracking we had to do was from a bad bow shot but around 10:30 pm we recovered it as well

Now I will also add that I shoot Wheel Weight balls at rondys, club shoots and pure lead while hunting. I can see no difference in impact point when shooting offhand as some hunting shots and all woods walk shots are
Jerry

[J.D.]

IMHO, wheel weights would  shoot pretty well, but I wonder about linotype.

In a smoothbore, it's no problem, but in a rifle I think you would need a smaller ball and thick patch to properly engage the rifling.

The only way to find out is to try a few. Might be hard to load though.

If you are worried about penetration, a .610 pure lead ball will penetrate a deer, side to side or stem to stern.

God bless

[Ironwood]

Mark, First off, I've never used linotype in a muzzleloader.  However, if the linotype ball can be loaded without too much trouble, and is accurate enough to hunt with,  I don't see any problem using it.  A .610" hole through a critter's boiler room is going to cause an awful wound channel.  You might want to do a little experimenting on some wet phone books or wet newsprint to see just what goes on with the ball on impact.  It would be intresting to see what you come up with.    

I hope that helps your initial question.  As for myself, I think I'd rather use pure lead in my .50 caliber for hunting.  Why, cause that's the way it's done!  

[hawkeye]

Another thing to remember is pure lead weighs more than linotype for the same size ball.  More mass = more energy, especially in a muzzleloader.  Stick with pure lead in a muzzleloader and keep your linotype for smokeless powder guns.