Evening folks

Gatsby, seems I mixed up the moulds, 429215 casts 221 gr gc proj and the 429421 casts 250 gr plain base as you have pointed out. I wonder if the mould I'm using has been converted to a hollow point mould or is this how it came - what a pain in the backside to use aswell, that bloody fiddly hollow point pin drove me to distraction more than once. I've heard and read a lot of Elmer Keith. I'll find out soon enough if these bullets shoot in my 1894 Marlin.

David, I forget to mention that I have a 15 kg slab of Linotype. Boy is that stuff rare to find. I found it behind a printer's building when it turned up there a few weeks back, a staff member was using it as a seat on a concrete block. Seems it's been nearly 20 years since it was fazed out with the printers around my area. I have not melted it into Ignots yet

I have a mate that lives around the corner that has been casting for 4 or 5 decades and he has been advising me. I have been quenching the projectiles in a large bucket of water which I keep well away from my casting pot and change some of the water regularly to keep it cool. Thanks for the tip with the sponge in the bottom of the bucket. My mate has also mentioned to me about hardening the wheel weights in the oven, I'm not that brave - the missus would make me pay out of all proportion to the crime.

I'll just have to experiment and see what proves the best lube / lead alloy for the 35.303. I don't want too hard a projectile and I don't want too low a velocity, may as well stick to the .44 mag in that case.

I do not rule out a muzzle loader or a black powder metalic cartridge Rifle in the future [ would love a 1874 Sharps replica } so will hang onto the pure lead. I'll also experiment with added solder sticks etc. I get a fair few stick on wheel weights that I'm told are pure lead but when I melt them down I label them as stick on wheel weights just in case I mix them up with what I know is pure lead. As you say perhaps I can also trade some of it at a latter date.

I'll be asking plenty of questions and will post photo's of my efforts

regards Jacko