Period Correct Bullet Molds

[Grabenkater]

Are there any vendors selling period correct bullet molds?

[Curt Schmidt]

Re: Period Correct Bullet Molds

Hallo!

Are you asking about civilian moulds or perhaps the molds firms like Colt put in their cased revolver presentation type sets?

Curt

[Grabenkater]

Re: Period Correct Bullet Molds

Sorry that I was not clear. Yes, I would like to get a civillian mold, but I would also like to get a Minie ball mold.

[Adam L]

Re: Period Correct Bullet Molds

I bought the Lee original Minnie ball mold and it seems to make a fairly good minnie ball that looks correct to me when I compare it to photos of period bullets.

[Bill Cross]

Re: Period Correct Bullet Molds

Period-correct molds are, I believe, an oxymoron. Curt will correct me if I'm wrong, but Minie balls were "swaged," a process whereby lead wire was passed through a high-pressure press/cutter that formed the balls into shape without having to heat the lead.

The obvious advantage was there were no air bubbles or other such defects that would cause fragmentation or otherwise compromise the integrity of the round when molton metal is poured into a mold.

You can find out more here:

http://www.corbins.com/intro.htm

and here:

http://rceco.com/img/RSBook3.PDF

[Curt Schmidt]

Re: Period Correct Bullet Molds

Hallo!

Herr Bill is correct.

The exception is some Confederate "Minies" such as the Gardner that were nose cast.

There are molds out there that will cast a copy of "a" Civil War "Minie" versus those that cast modern variations and alterations on them (the "Old Style" versus the new) such as Rapine.

However, they are all nose cast which when teh sprue is removed leaves a flat nose where the original swaged bullets have a pointed nose.

Another machine version was to "press and turn" them. A lead slug was cut off a lead rope, and pressed to form the nose and cavity, and then a automatic lathe cut the chanelures or grease grooves.

Dixie Gun Works offers copies of the .31, .36, and .44 brass moulds found in say Period Colt or Remington cased sets, but they NUG cast undersized and poor conicals and round balls better suited for display than accurate shooting.

Curt