HANDBOOK Lyman ® —service to the shooter since 1878 The Lyman factory as it was in 1934. Multi-bay garage now houses offices and the Ballistics Lab. White sheds in left and center foreground are the 50 yd. and 100 yd. shooting houses, respectively. Lyman Archives. Lyman Cast Bullet Handbook Third Edition C. Kenneth Ramage, Editor The Cast Bullet Handbook, 3rd Edition Copyright© 1980 by Lyman Products Corp. All rights reserved. No part of this publics tion may be reproduced, stored in a re- trieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means: electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, etc. without the prior written permission of the publisher. #9837249 First Printing: April, 1980 Second Printing: August, 1982 Third Printing: March, 1986 Fourth Printing: August, 1987 Fifth Printing, December, 1989 Sixth Printing: January, 1992 EDITOR'S FOREWORD T oday's cast bullet shooter benefits from a number of technological advances unknown to his grandfather. Pistol shooters can accomplish, with cast bullets, most objectives they seek with jacketed bullets. Riflemen, too, can benefit tremendous- ly from the use of cast bullets in a wide variety of applications. One of the true pleasures a reloadercan bestow upon himself is to become involved in bullet casting. For those of experi- mental and inquiring bent—or those seeking new challenges— the answer lies in this fascinating hobby of casting your own projectiles. No special firearms are needed; the ones you currently own will be fine. The press and dies you now have are fine, although you will want to add Lyman's "M"die to expand and flare rifle case mouths...and perhaps a new seating screw to perfectly match the cast bullet's nose. Other than that, less than one hundred dollars is needed to gather the pot, ladle, mould, handles and related paraphernalia needed to produce good bullets; sized, lubed and ready to go. This third edition of the Lyman CAST BULLET HAND- BOOK is the most ambitious of our efforts to present the various facets of cast bullet shooting to both the inexperienced and more advanced cast bullet shooter. It is our hope that you, the reader, will understand that it is relatively easy to get very good results JK>m the very first if certain broad guidelines are followed. For the advanced reloader and bullet caster we have greatly expanded the scope of past editions in every respect and are confident that even the most experienced cast bullet shooter will be satisfied with his investment in this handbook. A person's enjoyment of his hobby can often be enhanced by membership in an organization composed of like-minded individuals. The early tangible benefit to these memberships is receipt of the newsletter or magazine, usually filled with articles and interesting tidbits. Later, with increased involvement, friendships are formed that can last a lifetime. One or more of the following organizations will interest most cast bullet shooters. Write for membership information: Cast Bullet Association, Incorporated Ralland J. Fortier 4103 Foxcraft Drive Traverse City, MI 49684 Preparation for this book has covered a span of several years and included a thorough review of our bullet designs, dimen- sions and standards to ensure that bullets cast and processed by Lyman equipment will give good results. There are more than 5.000 tested cast bullet loads in our data tables. Included are both "fast" and "slow" powders in good working combinations. As in each Lyman handbook, we endeavor to explain the basic operations involved in casting and sizing bullets, selecting components and reloading rifle and pistol cartridges. Beyond that we have prepared sections of interest to the advanced bullet caster. Students of exterior ballistics will find 119 pages of trajectory and wind drift tables for cast rifle bullets prepared by Ted Almgren and Dr. Bill McDonald. Space limitations precluded the inclusion of similar tables for cast pistol bullets and the muzzleloading conicals and roundballs. These complete tables can be found in our PISTOL & REVOLVER HANDBOOK and the BLACKPOWDER HANDBOOK, respectively—as can extensive load tables and related information. One of the recent developments of vital interest to cast bullet shooters is the metallurgical research of lead alloy and the resultant information. We are pleased to offer a substantial article on the properties of molten lead by Dennis Marshall, a cast bullet shooter who happens to be a research scientist with a large metallurgical firm. This Lyman Handbook is the most substantial reloading reference published, to date, for cast centerfire bullets. We hope you find it's contents useful and that you will write to our Technical Department if you have questions. Yours truly. C. Kenneth Ramage. Editor Vice President. Publications & Technical Services International Handgun Metallic Silhousette Association Box 1609 Idaho Falls, ID 83401 National Muzzleloading Rifle Association Box 67 Friendship, IN 47021 American Single Shot Rifle Association c/o L.B. Thompson 987 Jefferson Avenue Salem, OH 44460 TABLE OF CONTENTS A History of Cast Bullets Bullets to 1775 Bullets of the Revolution The Elongated Bullet Bullets of the Civil War Whitworth & Berdan Bullets Bullets for Metallic Cases Bullets in Shotguns The Early Years John Barlow and Ideal: 1884 to 1925 Bullet Casting Past to Present The Metallurgy of Molten Lead Alloys by Dennis Marshall Bullet Casting, Sizing and Lubrication 1. Understanding the Bullet Mould 2. How Lyman Makes Moulds 3. Tuning & Troubleshooting Your Moulds 4. Bullet Casting 5. Sizing and Lubrication Reloading Preparation: Equipment and Components Getting Started 1. Cartridge Cases 2. Propellant 3. Projectiles and Lubricant 4. Primers Reloading Rifle and Pistol Cartridges 1. Reloading on the O-Mag Press 2. Reloading on the Spar-T Press Accuracy Tips and Techniques 1. Introduction; Orient Components 2. Casting for Accuracy; Sizing Diameters 3. Bench-Testing Rifles and Pistols 4. Neck-Turning 5. Gas Checks 6. Seating Depth 7. Technical Ramblings by Ken Mollohan 8. Speaking "Frankly" on .30-30 loads. . . by Frank Marshall, Jr. 9. Speaking "Frankly"—The .30/06 is an Oldie, But a Goodie by Frank Marshall, Jr. 10. A Clean Barrel is an Accurate Barrel Hunting with Cast Bullets 1. Introduction 2. Cast Bullets for Hunting by C.E. Harris and Dennis Marshall Page 8 11 16 20 23 26 29 33 36 43 53 54 57 61 65 68 70 72 75 79 82 86 87 89 89 90 91 92 94 95 96 An Introduction to Muzzleloading 1. A Historical Review of Muzzleloading 2. Shooting the Minie Ball 3. Shooting the Patched Ball 4. Loading and Shooting the Percussion Revolver Reference Pressure Special Purpose Projectiles a. Composite Cast Pistol Bullets b. Paper Patch Rifle Bullets Determining Alloy Hardness Mould Reference Table Rates of Twist a. Rifle b. Pistol Conversion Factors Decimal Fraction Tables Reloading Data 1. Introduction 2. Rifle Data Page 99 103 106 108 110 112 112 114 115 116 119 119 121 121 121 122 124 Chambering .22 Hornet 124 .218 Bee 125 .222 Remington 126 .223 Remington 128 .222 Remington Magnum 130 .225 Winchester 132 .224 Weatherby Magnum 134 .22/250 Remington 135 .220 Swift 137 .22 Savage 139 .243 Winchester 140 .244 Remington 142 .25/20 Winchester 144 .256 Winchester Magnum 145 .250 Savage (.250/3000) 146 .257 Roberts 148 .25/06 Remington 150 .257 Weatherby Magnum 152 6.5 Japanese (6.5x50mm Arisaka) 153 6.5 Italian (6.5x52mm Mannlicher Carcano) 155 6.5x54mm Mannlicher-Schoenauer 156 6.5x55 Swedish Mauser 158 6.5 Remington Magnum 159 .264 Winchester Magnum 160 .270 Winchester 161 .270 Weatherby Magnum 163 7mm Mauser (7x57mm) 164 4 Chambering .280 Remington .284 Winchester 7x61mm Sharpe & Hart 7mm Remington Magnum 7mm Weatherby Magnum 7.35mm Italian .30 Carbine .30 Remington .303 Savage .30/30 Winchester .300 Savage .308 Winchester .30/40 Krag .30/06 Springfield .300 H&H Magnum .300 Winchester Magnum .308 Norma Magnum .300 Weatherby Magnum 7.62 Russian 7.65 Argentine Mauser .303 British 7.7mm Japanese .32/20 Winchester .32/40 Winchester .32 Remington .32 Winchester Special 8x57mm Mauser 8mm Remington Magnum .338 Winchester Magnum .340 Weatherby Magnum .348 Winchester .351 Winchester Self-loading .35 Remington .350 Remington Magnum .358 Winchester .358 Norma Magnum .375 H&H Magnum .375 Winchester .378 Weatherby Magnum .38/40 Winchester .38/55 Winchester .401 Winchester Self-loading .44/40 Winchester .44 Remington Magnum .444 Marlin .45/70 Government (a) 1893 Trapdoor Action (b) 1886 Winchester 1895 Marlin (c) Ruger#l & 3 Mauser actions .458 Winchester Magnum .460 Weatherby Magnum .50/70 Government .50/90-2'/$" Sharps .50/140-3'/ 4" Sharps Page 166 .68 170 171 173 174 175 176 177 178 181 184 188 190 194 195 197 198 199 200 201 202 203 204 205 206 207 209 211 212 213 214 215 217 218 219 220 221 222 223 224 225 226 227 230 232 234 235 238 240 241 243 245 3. Pistol Data Chambering .22 Remington Jet C.F.M. .221 Remington Fireball .25 Automatic (25ACP) .256 Winchester Magnum .30 Luger .30 Mauser .30 Ml Carbine (Revolver) .32 Automatic (32ACP) .32 Smith & Wesson 9mm Luger .38 Smith & Wesson (Colt New Police) .38 Super Auto. .380 Automatic .38 Special .357 Magnum .38/40 Winchester .41 Magnum .44 Smith & Wesson Special .44 Remington Magnum .44/40 Winchester .45 Automatic (45ACP) .45 Automatic Rim .45 Colt External Ballistics 1. Introduction 2. Trajectory and Wind Drift Tables Page 246 246 247 248 249 250 251 252 253 255 257 259 261 263 265 269 272 273 275 277 279 280 282 284 286 298 5 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Lyman would like to thank the following firms whose contributions of materials and/or assistance implemented the production of this handbook: Huntington 601 Oro Dam Blvd. Oroville, CA 95965 (Supplier of B.E.L.L. components) Cast Bullet Association, Inc. Rail and J. Fortier 4103 Foxcraft Drive Traverse City, MI 49684 IMR Powder Company Plattsburgh, NY 12901 (Manufacturer of IMR Powders) Remington Arms Company, Inc. 939 Barnum Ave. Bridgeport, Conn. 06602 Attn: Mr. Joe Callahan Savage Arms Corporation Westfield, Mass. 01085 Service Armament/Navy Arms Company 689 Bergen Blvd. Ridgefield. NJ 07657 Shiloh Products, Incorporated 37 Potter Street Farmingdale, (L.l.) N.Y. 11735 Federal Cartridge Corporation Dept. L 2700 Foshay Tower Minneapolis, Minn. 55402 Hercules, Inc. 910 Market St. Wilmington, Delaware 19899 Attn: Mr. John C. Delaney (Manufacturer of Hercules Powders) Smith & Wesson 2100 Roosevelt Ave. Springfield, Mass. 01101 Thompson-Center Arms Company Rochester, New Hampshire 03867 Triple-S Development Co., Inc. 1450 E. 289th Street Wickliffe. OH 44092 Hodgdon Powder Company 7710 W. 50 Highway Shawnee Mission. Kansas 66202 Attn: Bob Hodgdon Winchester Olin Corporation, Winchester Group East Alton, IL 62024 Omark-C.C.I., Inc. Box 660 Lewiston, Idaho 83501 Attn: Mr. Arlen Chaney (Manufacturer of C.C.I. Primers & Speer Bullets) I let Publisher's Comment: Over the almost one hundred and ten year history of Lyman, many people have made contributions to Lyman - including shooters, suppliers and employees. AB we go to print, for the Third Edition of our Cast Bullet Handbook, I thought It worth- while to thank all those who have helped us as a Company to continue to be a leader In supplying both reloading data and instructions as well as innovative products for the sporting shooter. In particular we would like to thank a recent retiree, Ray Cowles, who with Ken Ramag& had formed an effective and productive team during the greatest expansion of Lyman pub: llcatlons in our history. Bay epitomizes what many Lyman, employees have been. As a small company, we wear many hats, Ray was Involved not only in our technical puhlicatlonB area, but also gave us valuable assistance in both product de- velopment and quaJlty control. Throughout, he has always been a valuable source of information to the sporting shooter and all of us thank him for his efforts in this regard. He will continue to be "on can" for selected problems, but we wish him the best in the free time he so richly deserves. At the same time, I'd like to identify the current roster of Lyman management who are still available to assist you, the customer. They are identified below. Thank you for your support over the years and we hope you continue to looln upon Lyman as a rehable source of useful product and information in the future. J. Mace Thompson' President 9Uestit * * * * "•*""«'>**» **** T h , r d Edition Editor: • H°ncaioli Adtrtnistri Kef c a s « BULLETS TO 1775 P rimitive man was weaker, slower and less well provided with natural weapons than many beasts. Humans, however, destroyed or bent to their will all other animals. The domination of the planet by man was based upon the use of weapons. Man, alone among all animals, had the hands and brain to make and use tools and weapons. Even in earlier times, there were two types of weapons. The club was undoubtedly the first direct- contact arm. The thrown stone was the first missile, the lineal antecedent of the bullet. With the passing of centuries, man evolved new types of arms; as his manual skills increased, his weapons became more effi- cient. Direct-contact arms progressed from stone axes, bone knives and fire-hardened wood spears to bronze and iron axes, swords and pikes. Missile arms kept pace. Thrown rocks and stones, although still sometimes used, gave place to stone- pointed and metal-tipped javelins and arrows; a sling could be employed to increase greatly the velocity and range of the thrown stone. Throughout classical times, both missile weapons and direct- contact arms continued to be employed in war. The winning armies were generally those which employed an effective com- bination of both types of arms. Macedonian pikemen were sup- plemented by archers, slingers and men armed with javelins. The Roman Legion had as well-rounded a balance between contact and missile arms as ever existed. The heavy-armed in- fantry had weapons of both types. Their pilum, or heavy javelin, had tremendous power, but short range. The Roman short sword was deadly. Legions had attached to them light auxiliary slingers and archers. The Roman slinger used a cast-lead pellet very like a bullet; they had tremendous range, but only fair accuracy and little ability to penetrate heavy shields. During the Middle Ages, armor developed to such an extent that missile weapons were not usually decisive. In the 14th Cen- tury, however, the British archer dominated Western Europe. Missile weapons gained an ascendency at this time which they have never lost, for the true bullet was just appearing. The First Gunpowder Arms The battle of Crecy in 1346 saw the most efficient use of arrows in all history. Coincidentally, gunpowder weapons were used here for the first time. The small artillery pieces employed were not effective, but they were a start. Projectiles from firearms were to make all other missile weapons obsolete within 100 years. Gunpowder artillery was first used about 1300 for siege and garrison purposes. The larger wrought-iron cannon were effec- tive. They fired from fixed beds at stationary targets and were both cheaper and more easily transported than the classical war engines, which they replaced and which threw large masses of stone, monster arrows, and beams of wood. Scaling down an artillery piece to an arm which could be carried and used by one man was tried; however, these hand cannon were not really successful. They had to be ignited with a piece of glowing match held free in one hand of the user, while he tried to aim the wea- pon with the other. Accuracy was impossible, save at the closest range. Firearms Projectiles Artifically rounded stone balls were used as projectiles in war engines in order to give more uniform trajectory and accuracy. The first gunpowder artillery probably used similar projectiles, although early illuminated manuscripts sometimes show stubby arrows being fired. Perhaps the early hand cannon fired pebbles and stones. However, cast-metal bullets soon became standard. Projectiles were cast of lead and iron in the 14th Century. Iron balls were best for the smaller cannon, although stone balls continued to be used in the larger sizes for some time. Lead was ideal for small-arms bullets and did not have a serious rival. Why was lead so right for small-arms bullets? First, it was cheap. Second, it was soft and didn't hurt the fairly delicate iron barrels of the early small arms. Third, a lead bullet could be pro- duced easily in any required shape and size. Fourth, lead was heavy, much the heaviest of all the common metals. It has a specific gravity of 11.35 based on water as 1.0; iron has a specific gravity of 7.84. This means that a lead bullet, once driven at a given muzzle velocity, will retain its velocity and energy better than a bullet made of any other common metal. Even today, lead is still preeminent for the same reason, although we usually alloy it with hardeners. For military purposes, a jacket is gen- erally put around a lead core. Lead is one of the commonest metals and has been produced from the mineral galena, or lead sulphide, in almost every coun- try of the world. The metal was well known by the 8th Century B.C. The Romans cast articles of lead, both pure and in com- binations with tin. The already-mentioned cast-lead pellets for the slingers sometimes bore the insigne of the individual Legion. The large number of seals and tokens cast by the Romans sug- gests iron, or bronze, moulds not unlike modern bullet moulds. By the 13th Century, hard-metal moulds were certainly being used extensively for casting lead signs, or tokens, for pilgrims. A gang mould of this type, casting six at once, is preserved at Dundrennan in Britain. Bullets could, of course, be produced by the same general process. Cast-lead bullets were to remain for 500 years the major small-arms projectile. Other projectiles have been used at various times. Occasion- ally, cast-iron bullets have been tried in small arms; however, wear has always been excessive. Special projectiles such as arrows have been fired in small arms. Apparently, Elizabethan sea captains though a good deal of arrows for use in muskets aboard ship. It's probably that these arrows were used to set fire to opposing vessels; however, the quantities ordered seem excessive, if this were their only purpose. Grenades were being fired by muskets at least two centuries ago; they are still being projected from infantry rifles today. The Matchlock Musket A bullet from a hand cannon was less accurate than an arrow from a longbow or a quarrel from a crossbow, because of the difficulty of aiming and, at the same time, placing the flowing match on the touchhole by hand. Human eyesight cannot really observe two things at once. In order to direct a bullet at a target, one had to look at the target; in order to fire the weapon, one had to look at the touchhole. The invention of the matchlock, however, changed this. The glowing match was held securely in a pivoted arm, or serpentine, and moved precisely to the touch- Cast Bullet Handbook Matchlock and Wheel-Lock Muskets. Top: This matchlock, throught to have been made about 1540, is Cal. 790, barrel length 40.3", length over-all 54.4", weight 9V4 pounds. Bottom: Made in The Netherlands, or the South-German Rhineland, this wheel-lock is Cal. 736, barrel length 47.8", length over-all 61", weight 13.4 pounds. Both pieces were used in the British Civil War. From the Wetler Collection. hole when the trigger was pressed. The user of the weapon could give his undivided attention to his target, once his weapon was ready. Matchlock muskets began to be used in quantity about 1450. The Bullet Makes Democracy Possible A single, relatively small pellet of lead from a matchlock musket could penetrate the finest armor and kill the strongest man in- side it. The bullet tended towards an equality of men in combat long before it was achieved politically. A democratic govern- ment was probably impossible when wealth men could buy armor for themselves and their retainers that made them almost impervious to the weapons of the poor. So long as offensive weapons depended upon physical strength and skill acquired by long training, the common man was at a distinct disadvantage. However, in a few hours the average man could learn to load, aim, and fire a musket. Bullets, not laws, made men substan- tially equal. Flintlock and Wheel-Lock Weapons The matchlock musket, although in use before 1450 and still employed in 1700, never remained unchallenged as the major weapon in war. At first, there were longbows and crossbows; pikes were used as long as the matchlock musket itself. Later, there were flintlock and wheel-lock firearms. The matchlock system depended upon a glowing, smelly, sputtering match. It was slow to light, took a lot of adjustment and wouldn't function at all in the rain. Surprise, or defense against surprise, was impossible with such an arm. Yet is was cheap, rugged and effective under the formal conditions of European battles. Wheel-locks and rudimentary flintlocks came into limited use within a relatively short time after the matchlock was in- vented. Both the new-type arms could be carried loaded and ready to fire. However, the wheel-lock was delicate, expensive and fouled quickly. Even though the flintlock finally replaced the matchlock for infantry use about 1700, it had initially sev- eral disadvantages. The flintlock was more complicated, more expensive and not so reliable for continuous volley firing. Wheel-lock weapons were widely accepted for use by cavalry and for hunting considerably before 1600. Tactics involving wheel-lock petronels and long pistols by mounted soldiers did much to destroy the power of pikes and establish the infantry musket. The wheel-lock sporting rifle was very effective indeed. It finally displaced both the longbow and the crossbow for shooting at game; the matchlock smoothbore never could have done this. Early European Target Shooting The gunmakers of Central Europe and their customers were interested in the accuracy of their firearms. Early in the 15th Century they took to target shooting to determine this and con- tinued it as a popular sport. Shooting matches were common. A match held at Augsburg in 1508 attracted 919 firearms con- testants, as well as 533 men with crossbows. Apparently, some events allowed the use of rifles and some did not. Ranges were sometimes as long as 805 feet. Prizes were magnificent in com- parison to anything offered today. For example, a fine horse and accouterments was given in Nuremburg in 1433; 210 Imperial gulden was the first prize in Strasburg in 1576. Sometimes Americans think that accuracy with rifles origi- nated over here. This is definitely not so. We don't know exactly what targets were used, nor the significance of the scores made, in the early European shooting, but we do have some of the weapons. Cleves Howell, Jr., an able ordance engineer, has made five-shot groups of 8 inches or less at 100 yards with a wheel-lock rifle unchanged since it was made in 1671. He sent me one three-shot group which measured 1% inches, center to center. Similar firing with an approximately contemporaneous flint- lock rifle was equally accurate. These rifles did not have heavy iron ramrods, which would have been required to load bare lead bullets. Their rammers are of rather light wood, obviously designed to be used with patched lead bullets. Mr. Howell remarks that he can do no better shooting with some modern open-sighted sporting rifles than he can with these two rifles made almost 300 years ago. American Colonial Firearms Firearms in Europe were used by large landowners and their gamekeepers, or jaegers; the majority of the population know little of them. In America, from the founding of Jamestown in 1607 and Plymouth Colony in 1620, they were the constant companions of all colonists and were used almost daily. White men depended upon their firearms for protection against the then-formidable Indians and for food. As already suggested, European armies used pikes, swords and protective armor un- til about 1700. The matchlock musket was their major infantry arm during this period. In America, contact arms were never important; bullets from firearms were paramount. British Four-Fold Mould Circa 1700. This mould, shown open and closed, cast oval slugs for the blunderbusses of the day as well as swan shot. From the Keith Neal Collection. 1/A History of Cast Bullets 9 British Three-Fold Mould, Circa 1675. Buck, swan and goose shot were cast by this mould, shown open and with handle folded in traveling position. From the Keith Neat Collection. The wheel-lock was complicated, expensive and easily in- jured; repair in the wilderness might be impossible. The match- lock with its smell, noise and glow was even less useful. For at least 125 years before the Revolution, flintlock shoulder wea- pons, then called firelocks, supplanted other firearms almost completely. They provided not only security, but a large part of the fresh meat and much of the sport of the Colonies. Shoot- ing has never been so universally popular anywhere, at any time. Early American Bullets Although both lead and gunpowder were produced in America before the Revolution, far more of both was brought in from abroad. These commodities formed a substantial part of total Colonial imports. Both powder and lead came in bulk. Gen- erally, the ultimate consumer cast his own bullets. Many bullet moulds probably were lost or wore out before the muskets which they originally accompanied. American- made flintlock rifles, which played an important part on the frontiers in the 18th Century, were commonly supplied with moulds made by the same gunmaker that produced the rifle itself. American bullet moulds were made of iron, brass, stone, and, in a few cases, of wood lined with clay. Since many of the smooth- bore weapons for which bullets were made were not particularly Early Stone Mould. This is typical of the kind of stone mould that might have been made by an early settler for his own use. Mould casts five round bullets W in diameter and six smaller bullets about V*" in diameter. accurate, small irregularities in the bullets themselves were of little importance. Spherical lead balls are best produced with two pieces of metal or stone which come together to form the cavity so that each piece contains half of the final bullet. The pincer-type was best for single-cavity moulds, but was not ideal for larger capacity moulds. Two metal leaves hinged at one end were often used for gang moulds. Stone moulds were usually fashioned of two separate halves, not permanently connected together, but located by pins. Sometimes, moulds were made of three or four leaves hinged together. These were efficient for the casting of buckshot-type bullets in large quantities. Perhaps originally, the cavities in the two halves of bullet moulds were hollowed out with chisels by hand and then lapped together; however, long before the Revolution, these cavities appear to have been made with rotary cutters turned by hand, called cherries. So long as the mould metal was reasonably soft, a blacksmith could make a fair round-ball cherry without much trouble. If a cherry was available, moulds of soapstone and slate were satisfactory since, even though they wore more rapidly than brass or iron, they were easy to replace. Brass moulds could be cast and then lapped to finished size, or cut with cherries. Early American Iron Mould. This Cal. 54 forged-iron pincer- type mould was recovered from a Revolutionary War campsite. From the McMurray Collection. Bullets of Two General Types Colonial firearms shot bullets of two general types. First, there were the full bore-sized balls which were fired one at a time. Second, there were smaller projectiles fired several to a dis- charge. Many moulds produced both full size bullets and buck- shot in the same operation. A single ball was usually fired in rifles. Loads for smoothbores composed in part, or entirely, of buckshot were effective in both war and hunting. Neither a single ball, nor a small number of buckshot, was efficient for hunting fowl. Cast shot considerably smaller than the buckshot was often employed against swans, geese and tur- keys. There are Colonial moulds still in existence which cast 40 or more so-called swan shot. For smaller shot, lead sheets were cut into cubes. Corners were rounded off by placing the cubes between two hardwood boards and revolving the top board by hand. Pre-Revolutionary Brass Gang Mould. A most interesting mould that casts 5 round balls of these diameters: .50, .55, .62, .57, and .67, plus a cylindrical slug Cal. 68 measuring V*" in length. The latter could hardly have been accurate, but at close range it was certainly deadly. From the McMurray Collection. 10 Cast Bullet Handbook BULLETS OF THE REVOLUTION T he American Revolution was fought mainly with firearms. The artillery fired cast-iron solid shot, iron shell and iron grape and canister shot. The muskets, rifles and, occasionally, the smaller artillery pieces fired one or more lead bullets. Many hundreds of lead bullets were fired foreach iron projectile used. The Revolution was truly a lead-bullet war. Smoothbore Small Arms Muskets and other similar smoothbores were the most fre- quently used weapons in the American Revolution. There were four major types. First, the British Brown Bess was standard for their army throughout; early in the war, it was important on the American side also. Second, French muskets were standard in the American armies after 1778. Third, other European mus- kets were used to some extent throughout the Revolution. Fourth, American-made smoothbore small arms were always present, at least in small numbers. A general type of weapon known as the Brown Bess Musket came into use in the British Army in the late 1720's. Actually, there were several types and models. The muskets used in the Revolution were of three barrel lengths: 46, 42, and 39 inches. These represent three chronological models. Other changes were made in fittings, shape, and mechanical details at about the same time that the barrel lengths were changed; these are known as the Models I, II, and III. Model IV, with a 39-inch barrel and reinforced cock, probably saw limited service toward the end of the war. All were nominally Cal. 75, but had bores which were frequently considerably larger. All probably weighed, when the wood was new, about 10 pounds. They were sturdy, reliable arms particularly adapted for use with bayonets. In addition to these muskets, there were similar British car- bines, musketoons and fusils. Carbines and musketoons were the same length as muskets, but lighter. All these arms were similar to the Brown Bess Muskets in appearance. In general, they were carbine bore, or Cal. 65, although some of each va- riety were made full musket bore, or Cal. 75. Since virtually all Brown Bess type weapons were of two cali- ber, only two bullet sizes were necessary. British bullets were greatly undersize to facilitate loading in a barrel already fouled by frequent firing. The musket-bore projectiles for barrels with a minimum inside diameter of .750" were about .685" in dia- meter. The carbine-bore bullets for Cal. 65 barrels were usually about Cal. 60. The French muskets which came to this country during the Revolution varied so much that it's difficult to classify them into definite models. More than 100,000 were sent over; some of these seem to have been used for considerable periods in the French armies, returned to various arsenals, repaired, and re- assembled in a somewhat haphazard fashion. Barrel lengths and fittings are various; however, all are nominally Cal. 69. Apparently, they were intended to fire Cal. 65 bullets. A few Dutch. German and Spanish smoothbores of various types were present in America at the start of the Revolution. Others were brought in from the West Indies and Europe during the war. Some French and Spanish arms had been taken by Colonial forces in the French and Indian Wars. A Spanish mus- ket believed to have been captured by a Massachusetts Colonial at Havana in 1763 has a bore of .728". German muskets used by the Hessian soldiers in the pay of Britain were numerous. Ap- parently, all these muskets could use one or other of the British bullets or the French bullet already referred to, although a sloppy fit meant poor accuracy. The production of American gunmakers before the Revolu- tion was not inconsiderable. Perhaps about one third of all fire- arms needed in the Colonies were made here. However, not nearly so high a proportion of the weapons actually used in the war were so produced. Small arms made in America before 1783 were usually patterned after British military arms. Some few were copies of French arms. Bore sizes varied widely, how- ever, even from gun to gun produced by the same maker. Many of these semi-military smoothbores were even smaller than Cal. 60. Typical Weapons of the Revolution. Top: Model III Brown Bess Musket, bore .761", barrel length 19V»", length over-all 55", weight 9V4 pounds, walnut stock. Lock marked "D. Egg." Bottom: Committee of Safety Musket, bore .730", barrel length 42", length over-all 571/4", weight 9 pounds, walnut stock. Lock marked "C Isch", breech plug marked "C.I." From the Welter Collection. 1/A History of Cast Bullets 11 Typical Weapons of the Revolution. Top: British Model III Fusil, bore .775", barrel length 39", length over-all 55", weight 8Vi pounds, walnut stock. Escutcheon plate marked "6/58," lock marked "W. Parker," barrel marked "Holborn," Middle: British Rifled Brown Bess, bore .704, nine narrow, deep grooves, barrel length 39", length over-all 54V2", weight 10 pounds, walnut stock. Note iron ramrod and rear sight. Lock marked "D. Egg, Crown CR," Barrel marked "D. Egg London." Bottom: Spanish Light Musket, bore .725, barrel length 43V2, length over-all 59", weight 8V4 pounds, walnut stock, band fastened, brass mounted. Note typical Spanish migulet lock. From the Weller Collection. Smoothbore Ammunition Paper cartridges were used very early in the history of fire- arms. The Swedish infantry under Gustavus Adolphus were provided with these before 1600. At first, cartridges were just a paper package of powder which was easier and quicker to load than any form of measured loose powder, particularly in a close military formation. A separate ball was then rammed down on top. It wasn't long, however, before the bullet was included in the cartridge. Apparently, very early cartridges of this type had the bullet bare and the end of the paper cylinder tied with string about the sprue of the cast bullet. Later, the paper packet con- tained both bullet and powder. French Paper Cartridges. The basic steps used by the French in making their paper cartridges are illustrated above. The French used a rectangular piece of paper quite different in shape from the paper used in the British method (see "A"). The paper is wrapped around the dowel and the longitudinal seam pasted (see "B"). Then the open end is folded against the butt of the dowel and pasted down (see "C"). Dowel is removed, the ball dropped in, and powder charge placed on top (see "D"). Tube is pinched together above the powder and bent 90 degrees and the base of the cartridge tapped against the table (see "E", "F"). Finally, the pigtail is folded again and left parallel to the body of the cartridge (see "G"). Long before the Revolution, cartridges were standard in both British and French armies. Even Colonial militia was supposed to have cartridges, although a powder horn and loose bullets seem to have been acceptable at militia drills. Cartridges were made in about the same way everywhere, although there was a definite difference in construction between the British and French variety. Both were formed by wrapping a piece of paper around a cylinder of wood slightly larger than the bullet to be used. In the French type, both the bullet end and the straight side seam were pasted. In the British type, the bullet end was tied with string and the closing of the outside seam made unnec- essary by using paper cut on a diagonal. If both, a charge of powder was measured into the paper cylinder back of the bullet, and the loose paper folded into a sort of pigtail. Cartridges were considered necessary for efficient infantry. A musketeer could fire at least twice as fast with cartridges as with a powder horn and loose bullets. A cartridge could be grabbed quickly and was all in one piece. In an emergency, the whole thing could be rammed down the barrel unopened. The standard cartridge paper was sufficiently weak so that it could be burst at the breech with a single blow of the rammer. It was considered better, however, to tear off the end of the paper and pour the powder down the barrel. The lead bullet was then pushed down on top of the powder, either with the paper still wrapped around the bullet, or the paper stuffed in over the top of the bullet as a wad. The paper, of course, could be left out entirely, save if the musket was to be fired downhill. Tending the Lock At the time of the Revolution, the cartridge contained not only the propellent charge, but sufficient additional powder for priming. Some vents between the chamber and the pan may have been large enough to admit sufficient powder into the pan for priming when the bullet was seated firmly on top of the pow- der charge; however, this method wasn't standard. Soldiers were taught to put a bit of powder in the pan from the cartridge and close the pan cover and frizzen before loading. A reliable half-cock position to prevent the hammer falling during the loading process was necessary for safety. However, the expres- sion "going off half-cocked" indicates that some weapons failed in this respect. The most difficult task for continuous fire was not the load- 12 Cast Bullet Handbook British Paper Cartridges. The British style of paper cartridge had the ball end tied off with twine and the other end twisted to hold the powder. The basic steps are shown in the illustration above. Brown paper of this shape is wrapped about a dowel. The end of the dowel has been hollowed out to fit the ball (see "A"). The ball is inserted and the remainder of the paper wound on the dowel and tightly tied to hold the ball (see "B", "C", "D"). Dowel is removed, powder inserted, the end of paper twisted to hold the gunpowder (see "E"). ing operation, or even keeping the vent open by "picking" when necessary, but the proper adjustment of the flint so that it would produce the necessary shower of hot sparks. Individual judg- ment was required to know when to reset, or change, a flint. These small pieces of stone were very important. At the time of the Revolution, many flints were good for only three or four discharges. Loading Drills Muskets were usually loaded by an individual soldier doing the entire job on his own musket himself. This procedure had been reduced to a ritual followed precisely on a "by-the-num- bers" basis in European armies. Von Steuben taught the same techniques to the American Continental soldiers. Loading was not difficult; iron ramrods, introduced into European armies between 1725 and 1760, were almost universally employed at the time of the Revolution. They greatly improved both speed and reliability of musketry fire. However, practice was still important. Loading and firing had to become instinctive before it could be relied upon in action. A good soldier could fire four times in a minute. There was another system of musketry fire used in the British armies before the Revolution. It may easily have been used in this country to a limited extent. By means of this, a battalion could deliver almost continuous fire, but in reduced volume. A file, generally consisting of a front-rank man, a middle-rank man, and a rear-rank man, would work as a team. The front man would cock and fire all three muskets in sequence. The middle-rank man might clean the vent, place the weapon on half-cock, prime from a separate flask, and close the pan cover. The rear-rank man would load. James Wolfe, the victor at Quebec, taught his regiment this technique and aided greatly in breaking the army of Prince Charles Edward at Calloden in 1746. It had disadvantages, however, and was probably not used often in the Revolution. The Manufacture of Cartridges In the British service, small-arms cartridges were usually made up in Britain and shipped in casks and kegs to the places where they were to be used. In an emergency, cartridges could be made up locally by the soldiers themselves. The French fol- lowed the same general procedure. Initially, American soldiers received paper, powder, and lead and made up their own car- tridges. Later on, civilian contractors loaded a portion of the American cartridges. One of the early ordnance activities at Springfield was the making of small-arms cartridges. American cartridge manufacture was complicated by the fact that even in small units there would be several different cali- bers of muskets. Bullets to fit the British Cal. 75 and Cal. 65 weapons and the French Cal. 69 muskets was not enough. Pennsylvania troops needed seven different sizes of smoothbore ammunition, varying apparently from Cal. 52 to Cal. 80. Multiple Loads Buckshot was popular in America before the Revolution. Charges of buckshot alone, or three to ten buckshot in addition to a musket ball, were frequently used in the war. Buckshot varied considerably in size. The largest were cast so that a layer of three filled the bore in which they were to be fired. Smaller sizes were also used; sometimes as many as 20 would be fired at once. Buckshot was loaded into cartridges in front of the single ball, although the procedure was not so standardized as it became in the 19th Century. Seth Pomeroy Bullet Mould. Pomeroy was a Brigadier General in the Continental Armyanddiedon active duty in 1776. He was also a distinguished gun maker, farmer and politician. His mould is one of the most interesting in American history. It originally cast four spherical lead bullets of different sizes, the largest of which was probably for the Brown Bess musket. From the Peterson Collection. Bullet-Casting Procedures Until long after the Revolution, all bullets were cast in moulds. Gang moulds were common for military use. Con- tractors supplying muskets to Colonial governments usually supplied a proportion of moulds with the weapons. For in- stance, Virginia specified one iron gang mould casting 16 full sized bullets at a time for every 40 muskets. Maryland wanted one brass mould casting 12 bullets on one side and as many buckshot as possible on the other for every 80 muskets. It was, of course, possible to fill cavities on one side, turn the mould over, fill the cavities on the other side, and then dump all bul- lets from the mould. These bullets were cast of lead as pure as happened to be available. There was no thought of hardening the lead by adding tin or other alloy. A team of six men working together with gang moulds under the best conditions could pro- duce 20,000 or more bullets in a day. 1/A History of Cast Bullets