First step black powder cartridge reloading

Gunsmithing Ammo | Reloading
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This is going to be long.
Starting with why you do not learn reloading from You Tube.
Millions of videos, rarely do I see one that in 100% correct.
This one is not correct because he states the incorrect size of bullets for his 45 Colt.
BP reloading http://dully45394@mypacks.net

First lesson: Proper fit boolits. (cast)
I will use this vid as a sample on how and what happens when you do stuff wrong.
45ACP is .452
45Colt is .454

The FIRST thing you do before you buy bullets or cast boolits is get the Correct sized bullets of boolit mould.

You MUST measure your throat for what size it is, so you can make or buy projectiles what fit properly.
Result of too small a bullet: LEADING and lot of it.

Saying the gent above barrel is .454, his bullet size HAS to .455 or .456 depending on weight of pill.
This yahoo used 45ACP bullets, Id hate to have to clean his barrel.
Get one of these it will last a life time. Ive ton 20 rifles with mine.
chamber measuring lead

You stuff wads or cleaning patches in you barrel so the lead will not flow into the lands and grooves. Then melt the lead, pour it in your chamber and let it cool.
Take a clean rod and tap the lead back into the chamber and out of the firearm.
Here is the fun part. measure land to land. That is your barrel OAD. You measure the unrifled part of the chamber right before the lands and groove start. That is your throat size.
You can “slug” a barrel, but it is not as easy. You shove a soft lead round ball down into the chamber and knock it out and measure it. Way too much labor.

Now that you know what the diameter is. You can safely buy hard cast or a boolit mould.

Still will stop 90% chance of leading. The last 10% is a wad or two behind the boolit. More on that later.

This is the single most important thing to do to reload with cast pills.

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454-Casull

good 45 LC or 454 Casull bullets…or the 250’s and they are priced right.

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NOT cast boolits. Jacketed run under a different set of loading rules.
If I run .458 in either of the 3 45/70s it leads like crazy. The bore is .459, so I use .460 Ranch Dog moulds.

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This must be the definitive way to measure a barrel. But can you help me understand when you say to stuff wads/cleaning patches into the barrel to keep lead out of the grooves? Wouldn’t the lead still get in there, and is it hard to knock free once it’s hardened?

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Think he meant to block barrel just past throat so lead didn’t go very far up into barrel.

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Chamber lead has a silly low melt temperature and does not stick in the grooves. When I used patches there was bleed over into the rifling. When I knocked the lead and patches back into the chamber, everything came out on the patches.
With wads nothing gets past them.
You basically stop the wads right where the rifling starts.
From the time you pour it in, and knock it out is maybe a minute. So it does not have time to flow. Cools quickly.

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