Take A Peek At These Little Gems

Sixgun · Post by **Sixgun** » Wed Sep 28, 2016 5:11 pm

I tell ya, sure is nice being retired....don't have to rush at nothin' anymore.

I got so excited after my casting session, I just had to show these off.

I turned on the RCBS furnace at 12:30, started casting at 1:00 and had everything cleaned up and put away by 5:15. Using two 2 cavity moulds I worked non stop and made 1600 bullets, half 25-20 70 gr. Lyman 257420 and half Lyman 32-20 311008.

Of course whenever bullets are made for small calibers, pure Linotype is used. Look how nice and shiny they are! Nice little gems they are!-------6

I turned one of these 22 pound bars of Linotype into the little gems below.

32-20's on the left and 25-20's on the right.

Catshooter · Post by **Catshooter** » Wed Sep 28, 2016 5:30 pm

Very nice.

And being retired is great, ain't it?

Cat

Sixgun · Post by **Sixgun** » Wed Sep 28, 2016 5:39 pm

Catshooter wrote:Very nice.

And being retired is great, ain't it?

Cat

Cat ....you got that right! In the beginning I was a bit uneasy about it....not because I don't have anything to do but because I retired from a job I had for 43 years....since I was 18......poof! gone

Took me about 2 hours to get over it.

----6

Lassiter · Post by **Lassiter** » Wed Sep 28, 2016 5:50 pm

Welcome to the club!! I retired almost 2 years ago. If I had known I would enjoy it so much I might've done it sooner!

Camel73 · Post by **Camel73** » Wed Sep 28, 2016 6:08 pm

<--- This guy... green with envy! On both accounts - bullets and retirement.

Marvin S · Post by **Marvin S** » Wed Sep 28, 2016 6:16 pm

You gonna lube size em all or just as you need em?

Sixgun · Post by **Sixgun** » Wed Sep 28, 2016 6:36 pm

Marvin S wrote:You gonna lube size em all or just as you need em?

...Ha! This must be the retirement club.....well, sorry Camel......and Griff.......and Old Savage.....Ysable Kid.....and Yooper2......and.......let's not forget our friends who have yet to retire as we NEED them to keep working so we old heads can get our SS checks. I don't blame Old Savage for continuing to work though........he gets to squeeze all of the "soft stuff".

After being retired for 3 months I finally got it figured out why Hillary supporters don't work. It's nice to be able to get up in the morning and go to bed when I damm well feel like it.....and let others pay for it......but......spending my life as a white guy was not easy sometimes.

Marvin.....I load for several dozen calibers and I always keep at least a hundred or two sized and lubed....depending on caliber and how much I use each caliber.......ready to load......then I replenish my supply after loading. I like the lube to be somewhat fresh. Then some calibers need several different sizing diameters such as the 44-40, 44 Spl/mag, 38-55 so I can't get too far ahead of myself with sizing.-------6

Blaine · Post by **Blaine** » Wed Sep 28, 2016 8:13 pm

"These Little Gems"

Here, I thought you had some pics from your favorite ti**y bar....

Sixgun · Post by **Sixgun** » Wed Sep 28, 2016 8:52 pm

BlaineG wrote:"These Little Gems"

Here, I thought you had some pics from your favorite ti**y bar....

Hey Blaine, no I don't have any from a T-Bar but dang it, where is Old Savage when we need him?

-----6

Post by **Chuck 100 yd** » Wed Sep 28, 2016 9:14 pm

I cast up a batch of .45 200 gr. For CAS last week. Some 1600+ a few with my first Lee six cavity mold.
No rush,I cast about 500 a day so I would not miss any afternoon episodes of Gunsmoke.
Good job Six !!!

Les Staley · Post by **Les Staley** » Wed Sep 28, 2016 9:36 pm

Six, I also like the 257420 Lyman mould. I powder coat the little cuties and they always stay fresh. Shoot in my Winchester 92 round barrel rifle like a house afire! Posted a pic last fall of a brainless (literally) grouse. The last thing that went thru his mind was a Lyman 257420 made of COWW.

Sixgun · Post by **Sixgun** » Wed Sep 28, 2016 9:52 pm

Les Staley wrote:Six, I also like the 257420 Lyman mould. . The last thing that went thru his mind was a Lyman 257420 made of COWW.

Yep, I'll agree. Other than the 70 gr. Speer jacketed bullet..........and I HATE buying jacketed bullets.........nothing shoots as good as the Lyman 70 grainer.......and I've loaded for a fair amount of 25-20 rifles from three different gun manufacturers. I hear the RCBS version is also accurate.

I like how you wrote, "the last thing that went through his mind"

Your as sick as I am.

---6

Post by **Old Savage** » Wed Sep 28, 2016 9:57 pm

Wow! You are the man

Post by **Chuck 100 yd** » Wed Sep 28, 2016 9:58 pm

I powder coated the .45's I cast last week. I found some metallic silver powder coat that looks like lead and not lipstick or zombie green or ford tractor blue. They sure are nice to handle and storage will be no problem.

ollogger · Post by **ollogger** » Wed Sep 28, 2016 10:12 pm

Looks like a awesome job!! I can do bout 300 max & that's all I want for the day
I may retire next year & their already asking me what it would take for me to stay
I was silent for awhile so he asked if more money would make a difference so I said yes
more money & a new boss would help, I am to the point that getting fired wouldn't hurt my feelings!!

Brad

Blaine · Post by **Blaine** » Wed Sep 28, 2016 10:18 pm

ollogger wrote:Looks like a awesome job!! I can do bout 300 max & that's all I want for the day
I may retire next year & their already asking me what it would take for me to stay
I was silent for awhile so he asked if more money would make a difference so I said yes
more money & a new boss would help, I am to the point that getting fired wouldn't hurt my feelings!!

Brad

The last couple weeks before they "laid me off", I was referring to my supervisor as The Little Backstabber....

fordwannabe · Post by **fordwannabe** » Thu Sep 29, 2016 9:49 am

Hey six, where did you get the Chunk of linotype? The reason I ask is I have two chunks that look exactly the same but had no idea what was in it so didn't use it. It is hard stuff though. What is the shape from? Thanks.
P.S. I got the 1886 shooting well with a 340 grain lee bullet and 13 grains of Unique. Thanks

rock-steady · Post by **rock-steady** » Thu Sep 29, 2016 10:02 am

Hey six, where did you get the Chunk of linotype? The reason I ask is I have two chunks that look exactly the same but had no idea what was in it so didn't use it. It is hard stuff though. What is the shape from? Thanks.

Me too! A friend gave me some lead ingots and a "bar" that looks exactly like the bar sitting on top of your furnace.

If it's Linotype, should I mix it with pure lead, say a 3 parts pure lead to 1 part Linotype?

Sixgun · Post by **Sixgun** » Thu Sep 29, 2016 10:14 am

fordwannabe wrote:Hey six, where did you get the Chunk of linotype?

Howdy Tom.....I got that chunk of Linotype from under the old desk where I cast bullets. I keep my supply there along with my tin bars.

Ha! Years ago I bought a mess of this stuff that was behind some guys house. He charged me $.50 a pound IIRC. I believe the shape of these bars is standard for the printing industry....at the time......so........if you have a look-a-like, hacksaw a chunk off and make some bullets. If they come out real nice and weigh less than what the mould calls for...you got Linotype. I have a Saeco hardness tester which tells me a lot about an alloy. Your welcome on the 45-70 info.

For reducing the size of these bars of Linotype I just haul one out to the garage and cut it into 4 or 5 pieces using my band saw.....with the wood blade. Chops right through them and the blade stays sharp. Be careful with the lead dust when doing this...I use an apron and a face shield then sweep everything up when I'm done.-----There! Ya learn something young man?

You headed for OAKs on the 8th? I have a lot going on that weekend .....as to shooting......and most likely will not be there.------6

Hey Rock Steady.......for bullets that you want to push fast and accurate, use it in its purest form. For handgun loads or hunting bullets where you want some expansion I'd use a 50/50 mix. For real slow bullets...say 700-1000, I'd use 2-1....lead to Lino.

rock-steady · Post by **rock-steady** » Thu Sep 29, 2016 10:24 am

Thanks six!

Post by **Ysabel Kid** » Thu Sep 29, 2016 8:21 pm

Sixgun wrote:
BlaineG wrote:"These Little Gems"

Here, I thought you had some pics from your favorite ti**y bar....
Hey Blaine, no I don't have any from a T-Bar but dang it, where is Old Savage when we need him? -----6

And there goes another keyboard...

1894c · Post by **1894c** » Fri Sep 30, 2016 12:18 am

Is this the long awaited return of "MR INGOT"... :)

yooper2 · Post by **yooper2** » Fri Sep 30, 2016 6:41 am

Those big bars of lino with the hole in the end were fed into the melting pot of the linotype machine by a feed mechanism as you typed.
In old print shops sometimes you see them hanging on the wall waiting to be used.
They are actually super cool machines, here's a video. Jump ahead to the one minute mark for an explanation of how the machine works.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8mFtroOIv3o

Eric

Griff · Post by **Griff** » Fri Sep 30, 2016 7:19 am

Been there, done that. Now, it's work when I want to, not work when I want to. If a project needs and influx of funds... it's off to work I go... But, after this weekend, I may work some more, this trailer camping is quite the thing. Arrived at the match yesterday morning, spent the afternoon shooting... 1911, levergun and pump shotgun... and the evening watching idjuts race around an arena in those Razor things shooting balloons, enjoy a barley pop and socializing with friends. Today, I'm in the morning squads, get the afternoon off to relax... before a big fish feed this evening...

Oh yeah, dinner last nite:

That pork chop is about 1-½", the potato... well you guess!

And six... 100% Lino is too hard for good bullets... tone that down a little, it'll last longer besides!

Sixgun · Post by **Sixgun** » Fri Sep 30, 2016 2:24 pm

1894c wrote:Is this the long awaited return of "MR INGOT"...

Dang! I forgot 'bout dat! You gots a surpurb memory.

----6

Griff...that's looks like a nice steak......can you drive it over to me? what's the rate up to? $1 a mile?

Catshooter · Post by **Catshooter** » Fri Sep 30, 2016 3:41 pm

I use Linotype as a sweetener, and depending on what bullet/gun/load I'll mix it with pure lead anywhere from 3 to 5 to 1. It does make great bullets but it's too valuable to me to use straight. Around here pure lead is easier and cheaper to come by than alloyed stuff.

Adding lino to pure also allows you to water harden a bullet nicely. Even at 5 (pure) to 1 (lino) a water-dropped bullet will go harder than 20 on the Brinell hardness scale. And that's hard enough for most all uses, even Glock barrels.

One nice thing to keep in mind about lino is that unlike lead and a lot of lead alloys it will expand as it solidifies. Most lead used for casting will shrink and to have a bullet get bigger can be quite helpful. Since fit is king that last thousandth can sometimes make a difference.

That's a nice pile o' ingots there Six, I too remember that thread!

Cat

Sixgun · Post by **Sixgun** » Fri Sep 30, 2016 4:02 pm

Yea Cat....sure would be nice to have an inexhaustible supply of Linotype that there used to be when I was a kid. My friends father had a printing shop and I remember back in the late sixties there were piles of this stuff in his back yard. We were kids and thought it was cool....used to throw it in the stream and build small forts with it.....probably why I have all these behavioral issues.

I pull from the pile in the garage from time to time when I'm making big bullets that hardness don't matter......like slow 45-70's and 44 Spls. This stuff is all wheelweights.

Fast forward to today...just went outside and took this pic.--------Mr. Ingot

OldWin · Post by **OldWin** » Sat Oct 01, 2016 6:45 am

Six, man, you're my freaking hero.

Ain't got near as much as you but had more than I thought. We keep it out back between a couple garages. The old man was cleaning up some old junk out there and amassed a bigger pile than I expected. We got a plumber buddy who drops it off whenever he gets some old lead pipe. Have to have an ingot party this winter.
I ain't got linotype though........old buddy

How's the old Rubi going? We took ours down and climbed Schoodic mountain this summer. Got her all geared up for bird season yesterday.

w30wcf · Post by **w30wcf** » Sat Oct 01, 2016 9:08 am

Six.....
How sweet it is.

Great looking pile of bullets!

w30wcf

Sixgun · Post by **Sixgun** » Sat Oct 01, 2016 9:41 am

Howdy Jay...and Jack O....Mr. 30-30!

If your a good little boy, I'll spot you a nice big fat bar of this stuff the next time you come south. The Rubi is doing fine......just turned over 40,000 miles and about to wear out its first set of tires.---6

OldWin · Post by **OldWin** » Sat Oct 01, 2016 12:27 pm

I was just hackin' on ya bud. But thanks man, I appreciate it a lot. You're good people Jack.
Forty K, nice! We just got back with ours. 54k on her now.
Gotta change a motor mount in "Old Red" tomorrow.

Sixgun · Post by **Sixgun** » Sat Oct 01, 2016 2:32 pm

OldWin wrote: Gotta change a motor mount in "Old Red" tomorrow.

Jay,
Easy job. I replaced both on my old '89 YJ. Just get a flo jack (floor jack

) with a block of wood on it and crank it up under the oil pan until it stops. Take out the bolts....bolt..can't remember how many.....and jack it up some more to get clearance to remove and replace.-----6

OldWin · Post by **OldWin** » Sat Oct 01, 2016 5:17 pm

Yeah I done it before too. I don't think there's a bolt I ain't turned on old red.
The old man is the caretaker of her now, but I'm still the wrench.
How did that happen........?

cas · Post by **cas** » Sat Oct 01, 2016 6:17 pm

BlaineG wrote:"These Little Gems"

Here, I thought you had some pics from your favorite ti**y bar....

That's better than what I thought. I was afraid it was gonna be another photo with his pants off.

Sixgun · Post by **Sixgun** » Sat Oct 01, 2016 9:03 pm

cas wrote:
BlaineG wrote:"These Little Gems"

Here, I thought you had some pics from your favorite ti**y bar....
That's better than what I thought. I was afraid it was gonna be another photo with his pants off.

Dang CAS...your still getting me back from when I asphyxiated you.....I can still hear you gagging!

-----6

fordwannabe · Post by **fordwannabe** » Sat Oct 01, 2016 11:44 pm

Hey Jack what are you using as lube....for the cast bullets! I am mainly interested in what you are using for the 25-20 and 32-20. Thanks bud.

uncowboy · Post by **uncowboy** » Sun Oct 02, 2016 3:08 pm

Jack congrats on retiring. I lost your email in a computer crash still I miss talking to you give me a call or email me uncowboyatcomcast net

Les Staley · Post by **Les Staley** » Sun Oct 02, 2016 4:15 pm

Fordwannbe, I'm not Six, but I'll butt in here and give you my two cents worth. I bought 500 of the 85 gr lead bullets from Badman bullets. Standard blue lube, filling the grooves, seemed like they wanted to group,but always first shot fliers and in the middle of a string, unexplained fliers. Was getting lube splashed on the target at 50 yds. Over on Marlin forums there's a 130 pages of discussion on shooting the 25-20 under reloading. From reading all the pages, (took me a week), I bought a Lyman 257420 mould and lube with alox/Johnson's one step floor wax 50-50. Gas check bullet. Eliminated first shot and lube purging fliers and way better groups. Now I'm powder coating and even better results.

fordwannabe · Post by **fordwannabe** » Sun Oct 02, 2016 8:13 pm

Thanks Les. I use LLA in several combinations buy had not tried in 25/20. I would love to read that whole thread on the Marlin site but I really need to be able to print it or I won't remember it.

Sixgun · Post by **Sixgun** » Sun Oct 02, 2016 10:15 pm

Tom,
Standard NRA formula..50% beeswax and 50% alox. I used to make my own with white lithium grease and beeswax but a buddy dropped off 150 sticks at no charge. Lifetime supply.

Mike (Uncowboy) e-mail on the way in the am.----6