Quigley
My new Quigley is showing up via UPS on Monday. It’s been a long wait, will be glad to finally handle it. Boooom Regards, Tom
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I ended up cancelling the elect furnace and getting a gas burner and CI pot. I ordered 200 balls from Dixie gun works to get by until all the casting supplies showed up. They are so large I can’t load them into the gun. I sent Dixie an email and they refunded my money and said keep the balls. Yesterday I melted some down and made 50 balls with a Jeff Tanner .732 brass mold. Took about 2 hours as I had to skim crud out of the pot about every 10 balls. The hole in the mold is only about 1/8″ and that slowed things down also. No sprue plate. The balls do load nice though, they weigh about 581 grains. I’ll be glad to get to the Rotometals 20:1, I imagine that there will be little if any any crud problems with it. I have an accurate mold with a 73-700S and a 73-850P in it. Waiting on mold handles. The Lee six cavity handles are on BO everywhere. Well, that brings me up to date for now. Regards, Tom
shot two .729 and two .735 balls today alternating. The weights are 581gr and 588gr respectively. One weighed 7 gr more, the other went 10fps faster. Pretty much a wash for power. The .735’s measured about .731 x .734 on most of them. Little lop sided. I pushed one and did get a decent land and groove print on the ball. I guess it’s time to get busy and order a .735 ball mold. Regards, Tom
Sun is out, so did some shooting today. Hooked the gun up to a regulator on a 444ft tank filled to 4200lbs. On low power the .729 dia 581 gr ball did 759 fps at 2800lbs for 734 ft lbs. Oh high it did 836 fps at 4000 lbs for 902 ft lbs. Might do a little better when the .735 dia balls show up since the .729 balls probably have a little air leaking by them.
Regards, Tom
I got a slow start today, my Sis in Vancouver, went to the hosp. at 5am this morning. I had to go to Corvallis and pickup her son, then was up there most of the day. They were sucking fluid out of her lungs, so she didn’t have much to say.
OK, I used the vice and two scraps of steel to squeeze the .729 ball out to .735. Pushed it through the barrel and the grooves measured .730 with a cheap Mike and an expensive dial caliper. The lands measured .723 again. The groove wear pattern on the ball is 1/8 to 5/32″ wide. It looks like a true, or as true as they get .735 ball would be just about right, how much if any interference is desired on a bullet?
I just ordered 50 lbs of 20-1 and a thermometer from Roto. Anything wrong with a Lyman 110v 10lb big dipper elect furnace at $45 or less? Too late, just ordered a furnace, iron mold, dipper, manual and lubes otherwise known as big dipper casting kit for $79 shipped from Amazon.
Can the lead be allowed to set up in the furnace, or must it be emptied every use?
Just as soon as the .735 balls show up from track of the wolf and I see how difficult they are to load, I will get on the ball mold. I’ll wait until I hear from you guys to order the slug mold.
It may seem like a lot of money just to cast bullets, but buying ready made bullets is $38 per 25. Balls are $28 per 50. Won’t take long to get even at that rate. I also have a .58 on order and loads for it are expensive also. Regards, Tom
RC Knows his stuff on casting for AG’s! So pay attention. 😉 😀
Don’t use wheelweights! You need 20-1 lead, google Rotometals.com, best outfit by far for buying lead, and I buy a lot of it. Buy over 100 bucks worth and the shipping is free.
You do want to use a ladle on slugs that big for a propper fill. I like gas fired pots, I use a cast iron propane stove and three cast iron pots that have differnent alloys in each one. I use a Lyman ladle, a RCBS is just as good, but do not get the Lee ladle. You also MUST by a therometer. I have a 2 year old Lyman electric ladle pot under the bench, that I just don’t use since I went back to gas.
Look up the Accuratemolds.com site, he has a catalogue with diagrams of the molds, some of the 730 cals look very good Tom, if your a few thousands off the one in the catalogue, he will make it to your specs. Most have big flat noses and yes, that is what you want. And if you send him the slug, it will eleviate all misinformation on what you want. Also tell him the alloy you will use.
Did I mention, don’t use wheelweights? Well don’t use them they are too hard. Blends of wheelweights, once you buy the alloy to blend with still give you a blend with mystery metals in them. Wheelweights are splendid in firearms, air guns not so good.
There are several sizes of 730-735 round ball molds at Midway, I don’t think Accuratemolds makes the round ball molds.
Also stay away from hollow base molds, I hear they don’t work so well in air guns, but have not tried them.
Did I mention use 20-1 and not wheel weights? 😛
If you can get the mold to drop out very close to bore diameter you might get by without a sizer die and press. I doubt Lee makes a over the counter set in that size. If not you will need to order a Lee Precision sizind die kit, they are 35 bucks with shipping, but take 6 weeks to 6 months, they fit in a reloading press.
If you need help or advice on firelapping, it will keep your bore cleaner and easier to clean and increase your velocity a little, let me know.
RC
Here’s a pic of those two slugs from today, you will have to paste the location. I haven’t had any luck with photo bucket lately.
http://s1198.beta.photobucket.com/user/tkerrigan97352/media/IMG_0715_zps41febe98.jpg.html
I did order some .735 balls from track or the wolf this evening. I will try fattening a ball tomorrow. If I understand correctly I should be able to send Tom at Accurate molds a good sample and he will see that the molds are the correct size? I want one for ball and one slug, though I’m still mulling that over, I know I want a large flat in front. I think, maybe it’s not necessary in that size of slug. May just go for economy of lead/ease of casting for the slug. By the way, it is a breech loader. Any recommendations on lead pot and ladle would be welcome also. I’m thinking 10lb electric since I’m new at this. I have access to a 5 gal bucket of wheel weights if they are worth messing with? For mixing? Enough already, Regards, Tom
Tom,
I see that Tom at Accuratemolds.com makes several 12 guage molds that range form 700 to 900 grains. He made my 410 grain mold for my Ranger 45 and will make those bullets to cast at the diameter your slugged barrel dictates.
Both Lee and Lyman offer a couple, Foster and Diablo, designed slug molds. They also offer several diameters of round ball molds in the .70+ caliber range, all of which you can buy at Midway.
But first, slug that barrel!
And I am assuming this is the breech loader?
RC
Tom,
I would start with a 12 gauge shotgun slug design. Lyman and I think Lee make a 12 gauge slug mold, it looks like a giant Diablo pellet.
You might see what Mr HP shot is elk with, he has been shooting a Quigley for a while now.
But for the most part, if it were me, I would try and buy bullets and balls of the as slugged diameter and see what shoots well before I bought a mold.
So what that means is first thing, take a hammer and slightly flatten one of those balls until they shave a little lead when you push them down the barrel, that way you will get a true reading of the groove diameter, then you will know what size to order.
Hoot,
He is talking about a XPAirguns 72 caliber Quigley, 3300 PSI is what he was referring to. It is one of the three shooters like my Ranger 45 and my Haley and will operate on as high as 4300 PSI.
Regards,
Roachcreek
Interesting
Hoot
It got here Monday, I shot a ball at 3300lbs at low power into my dirt pile at 75yds and I swear I could feel the impact through my feet. The gun wasn’t nearly as loud as I thought it would be. Must be a benefit of the 42″ barrel. That shot was without benefit of sights, just looked down the barrel.
The rifle is 62″ long and a bit heavy as the air tube goes clear out to the end of the barrel. I mounted the scope last night, but haven’t sighted it yet.
This will be the kick off of getting into casting, it’s expensive to buy rounds this size and also .58 which will be coming along later. I pushed a more or less .730 dia. ball through it today and the lands printed clearly but the grooves were hit and miss. Just barely touching on about 60% of the diameter. I’m wondering if a .735 ball might work better? The lands measure .723 across the ball which measures .730 or .731 depending on where you measure. As stated, the grooves barely touch. I also pushed a sabot looking round that measured mostly .727 in diameter. Again the grooves are barely touching, just here and there knocking off high spots. Since I don’t have any experience casting, especially in mold size and type I could use some advise from the more experienced forum members. Don’t hesitate to step in and say your piece. I am not adverse to having molds made. Regards, Tom
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Hi Tom,
Please keep up the reports…someone is following, and with considerable interest. 🙂
Thanks.
Al